This week is very different than most weeks, leading up to our performance at RevFest at Croton Point Park on Sunday. We have no rehearsal on Monday, a rehearsal on Wednesday at another new location, and a concert on Sunday at yet another location! Please note these important details below.

This week

• Monday, September 22 – No rehearsal. Shana Tova to those celebrating!
• Wednesday, September 24 – Rehearsal at 7:30-9:45 pm for RevFest 2025 at St. Barnabas Church, Irvington, 15 North Broadway, Irvington. (This program is a reprise of the Caramoor 2025 rep).
  Click here for the parts for the Rev Fest rehearsal/performance.
  The rehearsal plan is posted here on this site’s home page.
  Curt will print and bring a stack of maps and parking passes to St. Barnabas, but here are the direct links for you, just in case:
  Click here to download a Reserved Parking Pass.
  Click here to download a map of Croton Point Park for this event.
  Bring a music stand to St. Barnabas, please!
• Sunday, September 28 – Performance for RevFest at Croton Point Park in Croton.
  Attire – White tops/black bottoms; no jackets, no ties (same as Caramoor)
  12:15 pm report time – Allow extra time to cross the 2 lane bridge and park!
  12:30 pm – call time on stage
  1:30 pm – performance time
  2:15 pm – program ends
  Bring a music stand to Croton Point, please!
• Monday, September 29 – Rehearsal at 7:30-9:45 pm (Fall Concert rep) at TMH. Rehearsal plan will be posted by Thursday this week.

All of the information above is duplicated on my home page.

It’s a big week of rehearsing, performing, and connecting with many in Westchester who have never seen/heard of us. I’m eager to share this time with you!

This week:

• Sectionals on Monday at IPC
• Review our schedule
• RevFest 2025 later this month
• Our future at TMH
• Fundraising Committee news

Sectionals this Monday at Irvington Presbyterian Church

Set your GPS for 25 North Broadway, Irvington, NY. This is the same location where we’ve had sectionals in the past. Brass will rehearse in the Parlor in the main building, woodwinds will meet in the annex building (with new upgraded lighting!). The rehearsal plan is posted on my home page. Please help me thank Alex Gray, who is assisting with the sectionals on Monday!

Speaking of the home page, please bookmark that page if you have not already. My rehearsal plans are always posted there. And you can find links and answers to many questions (What’s the rep this year? Where is rehearsal this week? When is the next performance) right on the site.

Review our rehearsal schedule

We have quite a few rehearsals this fall at alternate sites. Be sure to review this schedule (I suggest bookmarking it along with the home page), and I will remind everyone week to week.

IMPORTANT: Katherine has updated the Absence Form for 2025-2026. Please use this form for this season. Trying to open the old form will result in an error message.

RevFest 2025

The week after the sectionals:

• No rehearsal on Monday, September 22. Shanah tovah to everyone celebrating the holiday!
• Our one-and-only review rehearsal is Wednesday, September 24 at St. Barnabas Church in Irvington (literally right next door to the Irvington Presbyterian Church).
• The performance is Sunday, September 28 at Croton Point Park, rain or shine. Call at 12:30 pm, performance at 1:30-2:15 pm. White tops/black bottoms/no jackets or ties, just like Caramoor. We are reprising the 2025 Caramoor rep, without the soprano solos. Click here for the Google Drive music folder to download parts.
• Click here for the RevFest 2025 website. This is sponsored by Westchester County Tourism, and the ensemble is being compensated for our performance.

Our future at TMH

In May, we were asked to move all of our equipment out to make more room for the TMH Academy performances. We managed to negotiate delaying the move-out deadline to December 31. The board has been working diligently to find another full-time rehearsal site, but it has been difficult. Our dress/performance dates at TMH are secure for this season, but after January 1, we have to crazy-quilt a rehearsal schedule based on the availability of our established off-site rehearsal spaces. Insurance requirements makes this an arduous task. We are trying to stay mindful of driving distances for north- and south-based players, but pleasing everyone all the time will be a challenge.

In addition, we are going to have to store all of our percussion equipment and music stands after January 1. We are looking for help from you, our members:

• We will be looking for volunteers who can help store one or two large percussion instruments in secure locations (basements, heated garages). In some cases, specific instruments which are not affected by cold might be be able to be stored in outside garages.
• It is likely that we may ask everyone to take a WSW music stand home, and bring it back to WSW for the next dress/performance.
• It’s possible that the black Wenger chairs can stay (for now) at TMH.

With this plan, we will rent large percussion for the February and May concerts, not move everything back and forth. In addition, we always rent for Caramoor.

If you have space for percussion equipment as described, please contact Chris Larsen (via Slack or in person at rehearsal) so we can start making a list.

Fundraising Committee

Anticipating additional expenses for rehearsal space rentals, percussion rentals, and more, we have established a Fundraising Committee. Chaired by Russ Ebersole, the committee currently includes Marge Hone, Rebecca Weissman, David Marchiony, Deb Dashnaw, Amanda Desperito, and Ron Cole (Caroline Cole’s father). We are grateful to these volunteers and invite any other members who are not currently serving on our board to join the committee by contacting Russ (via Slack, or in person at rehearsal).

Russ made an amazing presentation to the board this past week. We look forward to the committee’s endorsement of this plan and launching the campaign at the Fall Concert.

Hello, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful summer and that you’re looking forward to the new season and new repertoire! I’ll try to keep this message as succinct as possible.

• Our first rehearsal is set for Monday, September 8 at 7:30 pm at TMH
• Find your parts for the Fall & RevFest concerts
• Consider joining our newly founded Fundraising committee
• Review the rehearsal schedule
• Repertoire for 2025-2026

Download your parts

During this first cycle, we will start with music for the Fall concert, then shift briefly to the RevFest concert (a reprise of the Camarmoor 2025 rep, to be held at Croton Point Park), and then return to finishing our preparation of the Fall concert rep. We are continuing to distribute music via Google Drive. Find your parts for each concert in separate folders, and print or download them to your iPad for the first rehearsal on September 8:

• Fall Concert – Sunday, November 9 at 3:00 pm at TMH
• RevFest Concert – Sunday, September 28 at 1:30 pm at Croton Point Park

Please review your parts before the first rehearsal. I especially encourage you to practice Pines, Urban Light, and Intrada.

Fundraising Committee

We were able to push back our deadline to move our equipment out of TMH until December 31. We’ve been working diligently to find a full-time rehearsal site that is convenient for all northern- and southern-based players. In the meantime, we have a rehearsal schedule pieced together with TMH rehearsals, plus several other area sites when TMH is completely unavailable.

What is the exact location of our future rehearsals? We’re not sure yet. What we are sure of is that it’s going to cost more for rehearsal space rentals than in the past. To that end, we have planned to work with a Fundraising Committee, chaired by Russ Ebersole, to meet the challenge of the increased rehearsal rental costs.

We are looking for a few more players who do not already serve on the board to serve on this committee. We need your brilliant ideas! If you would like to be a mover and shaker, please speak to Russ Ebersole at the first rehearsal on September 8.

Rehearsal/performance schedule

Please click here for the 2025-2026 schedule. Rehearsals/performances are on Tab 1 and a summary of performances only is on Tab 2.

In order to cover all the rehearsals for which TMH cannot accommodate us, we had to also book rehearsals at Irvington Presbyterian Church (for sectionals), St. Barnabas Church in Irvington (directly adjacent to Irvington Presbyterian Church), Knights of Columbus in Port Chester, New Rochelle HS, and White Plains HS. IMPORTANT: White Plains HS is still reviewing our insurance documents. As soon as we are cleared, I will move half of the rehearsals that were booked at New Rochelle (as a “safety site”) to White Plains. We are aware of the long drives for northern-based members, and sensitive to keeping the New Rochelle bookings at a workable minimum.

2025-2026 repertoire

The theme for this season is: “Our Blended Heritage: From Many, One America,” to honor the legacy of our heritage and prepare for the National Semiquincentennial next July 4. You can review the entire season’s repertoire here. (I will be adding reference recordings to this list as soon as I come up for air.)

Enjoy what’s left of the summer. I’ll see you all next Monday, September 8 for our first rehearsal!

Happy Summer, everyone!

I hope this has been an enjoyable and easy-going summer for everyone. I’m writing with some quick news items.

Please welcome the newest member of WSW!

Join me in congratulating Jessica and Joe on the birth of their daughter, Ella Jean Natale! She arrived a little early on July 19, weighing 7lb 14oz! Everyone is doing well as they settle into life with a newborn.

Rehearsals resume September 8

Please plan for our first full fall rehearsal on Monday, September 8 at 7:30 pm at TMH. The full schedule of confirmed performances and tentative rehearsals can be found here. Our Board meets this coming week and will confirm the rehearsal schedule at that time. The parts for Pines of Rome are ready, and eager beavers can access those parts here.

Keep in mind that we’ve committed to reprise the Caramoor 2025 program (without the vocal numbers) at Rev Fest 250 on Sunday, September 28, call at 12:30 pm and performance at 1:30 pm. This will be a major fund-raiser for us, and provide outstanding exposure at the perfect time before the concerts for the season begin.

Additional details and links to all the music folders will be sent out later this month.

Upcoming Open Houses at Laubin Oboes!

This information was just sent out to our Double Reed Ensemble oboes and English horns from 2023. If you have a student oboist looking for a quality, affordable instrument that is not as costly as the top-of-the-line professional models, consider attending one of these open houses later in the month. RSVP directly to Jim Phelan at the address referenced below.