It is with great sadness that I must relay the news that the Board acted on my recommendation this morning, with Dr. Ron MacKenzie’s endorsement, to postpone the Winter Concert on February 13.

I am especially saddened by this because we managed to rehearse through the spring in the tent and perform at Caramoor, then pushed through the Delta variant in the fall with sectionals and half-ensemble rehearsals in TMH in order to perform the Grainger concert. We’ve been through so much, and have gotten past so much, but this Omicron variant has been a formidable foe.

At our Board meeting last night, David Church shared reports regarding the number of members who had to temporarily withdraw from playing because of their personal experience with the coronavirus. He also shared anonymous reports from more members who told him they are simply uncomfortable playing at this point. Canvassing other area community bands, we learned that neither the Lehmann College Band nor the Hudson Valley Symphonic Wind Ensemble are actively rehearsing and have no concerts posted. The NJ Wind Symphony (aka Ridgewood Concert Band) have suspended rehearsals and their website notes their Friday, February 11 concert as postponed. The website for the NY Wind Symphony (in Orange County) shows no activity since 2020.

Pushing forward under these circumstances is simply not prudent. We are aware that many case numbers are falling. But they are not falling fast enough for us to meet, rehearse, and perform at a level at which we’ll all be proud with so few rehearsals remaining before February 13, after nine weeks of no rehearsals at all. 

Members of the Board will be helping me to get the word out via press release, social media, and our own website and mailing list. I’ll assess our programming options and make plans for adjusting the May 7 concert program to help compensate for the loss of the February date. In the meantime, hang on to your folders, practice when you can (of course!) and watch your inbox for further updates about our next rehearsal.

We will get through this and move forward. Stay well, stay safe.