In this post:
- Syracuse concert debrief
- Spring concert preview
- Connecticut Symphonic Winds concert March 11
Syracuse
I received no news of flooding rains and high winds cancelling flights on Sunday, so I assume everyone made it home safely in a timely manner. The trip back seemed so tame compared to returning from Chicago!
I’ve been enjoying the afterglow of your amazing work this past Saturday night. The venture was so successful on so many levels, and I am incredibly proud to be associated with you all.
As I spoke with various groups of members afterward in the Comfort Inn atrium, and later on in the suite upstairs (I counted 17 of us at one point!), there was such a buoyant, positive feeling pervading all aspects of the experience. But the one recurring element was the reaction of the honor band kids, who were truly moved by your performance. I had my back to them, of course, but so many of you saw their reactions, their focused listening, and how the music moved them. And in turn, you were moved by their reaction. It was a true chain of inspiration happening throughout the performance. And the topper was those kids leading the standing ovation when I asked the audience to recognize your efforts and devotion. They really recognized the connection between who they are now and who they could be, watching you perform. That was the absolute best!
Ray Cramer’s attendance, and his kind and generous compliments afterward made the evening even more special. After 30+ years of directing bands at Indiana University and 15 years of serving as President of the Midwest Clinic, this man has heard a lot of bands — so I take his positive response very seriously. In addition, Mark Morette, the audio engineer (who records scores of all-state groups all over the country plus the performances at the Midwest Clinic) actually thanked me for the experience afterwards. I am sure we will get a very fine recording from the event.
I tried to work the Green Room before and after the performance to thank each of you individually; I hope I got to everyone. I do truly appreciate the personal sacrifices, large and small, members made in order for us to be together, 5 hours north of home, for this performance. It says so much about your espirit de corps, and your commitment to music in your life.
This Monday, we start all over again with five new pieces for the Spring Concert. Two works in particular will be especially challenging. First is William Bolcom’s Concerto for Soprano Saxophone. This will feature our guest soloist, Christopher Creviston, associate professor at Arizona State University, who is an internationally acclaimed performer. It is a singular thrill to have him joining us in May, and I’m grateful to Liz Day for recommending us to Chris. Machu Picchu, by Satoshi Yagisawa, is similar to the Galante in that it sounds and feels like a film score. Patrick Burns will be our guest conductor, and he will conduct his own composition, I Loved Well Those Cities, based on the poem by Walt Whitman; Robert Sherman will be our guest narrator. In contrast to the technical challenges of the Bolcom and Yagisawa, Rippling Watercolors, by Brian Balmages, was written as a middle school-level piece, but is a beautifully evocative tone poem. We will also reprise the Hazo and Boerma. And I couldn’t very well have a saxophone soloist without involving our dear friend Lois Hicks-Wozniak, so she will join us for the concert encore — a duet for two soprano saxes, along with Chris. All the new parts will be distributed on Monday night.
Connecticut Winds concert
Charles DePaul, conductor of the Connecticut Symphonic Winds, sent me a notice of their concert this coming Saturday evening at 7:30 pm in Fairfield. See the flyer, attached. If you’re free that evening, please consider attending!
Rehearsal – Monday, March 13 at TMH
We’ll start Monday with some time devoted to sharing reflections on the experience in Syracuse. And then we’ll dig in with the new music. Congratulations once again on your amazing work this past Saturday! See you Monday!