Here’s the run-down tonight. Remember to leave plenty of extra time to park! Concert black, no cologne/perfume please, remember the reception afterward the concert.

Thanks in advance for your dedication, support, and superior musicianship!

Saturday, May 10 – Setup, Sound checks, Performance at TMH

• 5:00 pm – TMH opens for us to set up. No risers to accommodate getting the piano as far downstage as possible.
• 6:00 pm – Sound check for full ensemble (Creston, Markowski, Navarro, Cuong; max 8-10 min each)
• 6:40 pm – Full ensemble to house seats, Clarinet Choir to stage
• 6:45 pm – Sound check for Clarinet Choir. Announcements and run-throughs (Shostakovich, Mascagni, Lady Gaga)
• 7:20 pm – Clear stage.
• 7:30 pm – House opens to audience
• 7:50 pm – Full ensemble takes stage
• 8:00 pm – Downbeat
• Intermission – Full ensemble retreats from stage via stage left/right passages. Once clear, Clarinet Choir takes the stage, and full ensemble takes seats in orchestra seats. For ease of movement back to the stage, I suggest sitting on the audience right side of the house.
• After Lady Gaga: Clarinet Choir uses stairs to move to seats (Marc & Ian will be on hand to assist players coming down the stairs). Full ensemble uses audience right passageway to backstage area, then take your seats from stage right and stage left.
• After concert ends, TMH staff will clear the stage. Take photos/celebrate your wonderful work, then join us at the reception at Christ Episcopal, 2 block south on Broadway, in the Church Hall at the rear of the property.

Caramoor cycle

I’ll send a separate post to remind everyone of the coming weeks and download folders for Caramoor parts. Our next rehearsal is June 2 at White Plains HS.

Spring Concert this week

And in the blink of an eye, it’s performance week of the final TMH concert of the season! The year has certainly flown by.

Remember that there is no rehearsal this coming Monday, May 5. Our dress rehearsal is Wednesday, May 7, 7:30-9:45 pm at TMH. The Clarinet Choir has their only rehearsal on Thursday at 7:30 pm at KoC in Port Chester. The concert is Saturday evening at 8:00 pm at TMH.

After the concert, please join us for a reception for all performers at Christ Episcopal Church (2 blocks away) at 43 S Broadway, Tarrytown. The reception is in the church hall, a separate building at the rear of the property, at the corner of Elizabeth and John Streets. This is the same church hall where we had the saxophone ensemble reception after the November 2022 concert. Many thanks to Steve Cohen, Ed & Michelle Herko, and the board for underwriting this reception.

Caramoor

There will be no rehearsal on May 12. Our first rehearsal for Caramoor will be either Monday, May 19 or Monday, June 2. We have some venue conflicts that need to be resolved before that decision is finalized. The music parts for Caramoor will be ready this coming week, and I’ll notify everyone when that folder is ready, at the same time I confirm the first rehearsal. The performance again is Friday, July 4 at 8:00 pm, followed by fireworks.

Thank you for your dedicated work on this program. I’m truly looking forward to sharing this with our audience!

Returning to TMH on Monday

While holding my breath, I’m moving ahead to say we are back in Tarrytown on Monday. The rehearsal plan is posted. This is our last working rehearsal, so please help to make this a focused and successful evening.

If you didn’t already listen to the Cuong run-through on Slack, here it is. Many players have commented to me that hearing the “big picture” has been very helpful.

Band Camp releases

We have released “Landscapes,” the Fall 2024 concert recording. If you missed the distribution email, check out the album here. This album is now available for our fans to download for $10. Previously, we released this album privately to all dues-paying members for free.  Contact Rebecca or Eric if you need help with your individual download code.

Listening to and reviewing the recordings of our performances is critical to our self-review and growth. Our move to Band Camp ensures that everyone will have access, and we’re helping the environment by eliminating plastic discs.

F&F tickets and flyers

Half-price tickets for Friends & Family ($15, no box office fee) are still available from Marge at rehearsal. You can also send out-of-town friends and family to the TMH WSW Box Office page; they enter the coupon code we’ve shared and the $15 tickets (plus $6 Box Office fee) become available. We also have a few hard copy flyers left. Pick up one at rehearsal on Monday. Let’s fill TMH with applause and excitement!!!

Rehearsal Monday at New Rochelle HS – a critical rehearsal!

I went into a tailspin when I learned that TMH is not available on Monday. Our only possible solution was New Rochelle. I’m grateful to Steven Foti and Scott Byers who both helped us, not only to gain access to this space again, but to get this rehearsal scheduled under extreme circumstances while everyone was off during Spring Break.

I recognize that New Rochelle represents a longer drive for many, and the board is aware of this. We are lucky that New Rochelle has a wonderful band room with excellent equipment — and the rental costs are far, far less than White Plains HS (who never responded to my usage request). Knights of Columbus doesn’t have percussion. There wasn’t enough time to investigate other schools, because of the insurance requirements and spring break. We just didn’t have a choice.

This is a critical rehearsal on Monday, as Steve Cohen, our clarinet soloist, will be joining us for our only working rehearsal on the Navarro. In addition, the score calls for ‘cello, and our ‘cellist, Sachi Patitucci, will also attend for her only working rehearsal with us. Lastly, both the Navarro and Cuong call for harp — a critical part of the instrumentation — and Joy Plaisted will also be on hand. The latter part of rehearsal will be our final in-depth working rehearsal on the Cuong; having Joy there covering the harp part will be critical to our success.

This is our only opportunity with all these forces to pull this together. Please maneuver through last minute emergencies as best you can so you can attend — this is a critical rehearsal for all. This opportunity will not be possible again.

As noted many times, please do not use GPS to find the Band Room at New Rochelle HS. Click here for directions. Otherwise you will end up at the wrong end of campus and hopelessly lost.

Remaining weeks

The concert is closer than it seems! We only have these rehearsals remaining:

• Monday, April 28 – final working rehearsal at TMH. Malcolm Jones final rehearsal of Creston
• Monday, May 5 – CANCELLED (previously was the dress rehearsal)
• Wednesday, May 7 – Dress rehearsal and clinic rehearsal with Viet Cuong (instead of dress on May 5 and clinic on May 7). Viet will be present.
• Thursday, May 8 – Clarinet Choir rehearsal at KoC in Port Chester
• Saturday, May 10 – Ensemble sound check at 6:00 pm; Clarinet Choir sound check at 6:45 pm; doors open at 7:30 pm; performance at 8:00 pm
• Monday, May 12 – no rehearsal

These dates are also posted on the home page, along with this week’s rehearsal plan.

This is a high profile concert. Please spread the word, encourage WSW newbies to consider attending, and remind our ‘regulars’ of the dynamics of this program. Pick up flyers again on Monday. Share the social media posts that Rebecca puts out. We need BUZZ for May 10!