Here are the details for the two repertoire projects I described last evening at rehearsal:
And We Were Heard
First, here is the link to the site for And We Were Heard, the project that supports new compositions for wind band by female and minority composers. Please check out the link, I think you will find that this is an interesting, forward-thinking, and worthwhile project for us.
Bracket Repertoire Project
In the past 11 years, one of my goals has been to support ensemble participation, and I think it’s a great idea to utilize member ideas in programming. A few years ago I polled the band to find the most popular work that the ensemble wanted to program the following year. It was a failure, because I got 56 responses and 56 different titles. In the end, I cast the deciding vote – the March from Symphonic Metamorphosis, by Paul Hindemith.
This time, the project will involve bracketed choices, two works at a time, drilling down to the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four, and two final choices. You can submit multiple works for consideration if you’d like, but know that I have veto power for any work that I believe is too difficult or inappropriate for the group’s growth, or that we have played recently (five past seasons or so). I hope every member will submit at least one nomination. And this project is intended just for our members, not the whole world. (Otherwise, we could end up playing the Baby Shark Dance!) So don’t hesitate to tell friends how cool this is, but let’s keep the nominations and voting “in the family,” please.
For each piece you nominate, please include the composer, arranger (if applicable), title, movements (if applicable), and the URL to a quality recording. When I set up the brackets, you’ll be able to listen to works with which you’re not familiar, and gain some insights into rep you don’t know. It’s a win-win!
When you finish, you can click to submit another nomination if you wish. I’ll keep the nominations open until Tuesday, March 26, then set up the bracket. I’ll then create a separate Google Form for the actual voting. The end goal is to program the winning composition during the 2019-2020 season!
Click here for the nomination form, or use the form below.