This is a big week coming up. Remember that we have a final working rehearsal on Monday, and dress rehearsal on Wednesday. Shelley, Tom, Lois, and Jack will be with us on Wednesday. Please review the rehearsal schedule posted.

From Band Director Curt

Recognizing that we all have lives, families, car breakdowns, tooth extractions, etc., it is still critically important to start on time at 7:30 pm. It’s been embarrassing for me over the last several weeks to have so many players arriving after the guest conductor has begun his/her work. We’ve also had players who arrive in plenty of time, but are distracted by their phones until the very last minute. Without warming up properly, we end up with a poor first 30 minutes. We can’t afford that. And I can’t end at 9:45 if we don’t start at 7:30 in full force. The only way we have come this far over 30 years is by maintaining standards, and I must remind everyone that starting on time is not only efficient, but respectful. #growl #lovingsmile

From TED Talk Curt

We have a lot of work before us this week. There are — as usual, I will admit — a lot of moving parts to this important anniversary program.
Bring your best selves.
Be present.
Take risks.
Make your best contributions.

The program book is extra long — 32 pages. Even by editing the four guest bios, there was only one page available for program notes. In addition, on this occasion there are a lot of people to acknowledge and thank. As I conisdered this, I knew it was an impossible task. So, I went rogue. I’m including the text of page 23 below in the hope that you will read, reflect, and find inspiration for the week ahead. Come to this week’s events with fire in your bellies!

30 Years: The Greater Conversation

I usually devote this page of the program to introduce the repertoire for the current concert. Yet, at this juncture, it seems more important to use this space to reflect on this anniversary event, and what it means to so many of us. Since starting my tenure at The Masters School in 2013, I’ve come to appreciate the deeper meaning of conversation, as it pertains to learning. And I believe this is very relevant this evening.

If you were to ask any member of the band, “Why do you give up one evening a week to play in this ensemble?” you would get any number of answers. But at the root of all responses would be the longing to communicate music with others. Throughout these thirty years, the wish to share the human spirit through music has been at the heart of every rehearsal and every performance. The circumstances that brought this group’s founders together to recruit players and fashion a rehearsal/performance plan was based in dialogue. The repertoire in 1988, as in 2018, was chosen to communicate joy, excitement, yearning, patriotism, love, sadness, hope, humor, wonder, and so much more. All of us here tonight – conductors, soloist, ensemble players, audience, Music Hall staff – have come together to fulfill a role in sharing these musical ideas. This chain of inspiration starts with the composer, flows through the conductor and the ensemble, reaches the listener, and reverberates in the moment. We’re all a part of this greater conversation.

But this broader discussion reaches out in many more forms. Consider: The personal invitation, “Come hear our concert!” The agenda at board meetings to keep the band running. The press releases to advertise the next innovative program. The reflections of students upon hearing their own band director perform a challenging composition. The feedback from a composer or arranger attending a final rehearsal. The referral of a colleague for an intriguing but yet unheard composition. The evolved emotions of an audience member, forever changed by the listening experience. The phone call to recruit a new player. The shuffling of feet to encourage a fellow performer. The recognition of a historic milestone. The praise and critique of a guest artist. The design of the audio recording to archive the live performance. The reflection of playing in a new venue, and sharing our music with a new audience. The newly redesigned website. The promise to financially support the ensemble’s endeavors through membership dues, ticket purchases, ads, and recurring donations.

The web of this amazing conversation has sustained this ensemble for thirty years, and its ever-increasing development has nurtured its growth here in our community. Through highs and lows, the longing to share, perform, hear, analyze, and challenge all those involved has encouraged and galvanized us with a unique musical experience.

Through it all, it has been the love of music, not the promise of personal or financial gain, that has been the fire in the belly of this organization. The conductors, players, board members and managers, volunteers, guest conductors and soloists, spouses and family members have joined and sustained this dialogue to share, to challenge, to learn, and to grow.

May this conversation continue as long as there is music in our souls.
Curt Ebersole