This week

We have a regular working rehearsal on Monday, our dress rehearsal on Wednesday, and the concert on Sunday. Please check the homepage for all rehearsal details, including schedule.

Tickets

We had an amazing house in November — attendance was way up, in part because of members like you sending friends and family to the concert ticket page, and using the coupon code to unlock the $15 tickets. Please spread the word liberally about the concert, the concert ticketing page, and the coupon code. You’ll find the coupon code in the direct email I sent on January 27, and I’ll repeat it again at rehearsals this week. (I’m not repeating it here in this public post for obvious reasons.) And note that the coupon code only works on the TMH ticket site — not the tickets sites posing as TMH when you Google the Music Hall (ticketsales.com,boxofficeticketsales.com, ticketsonsale.com, etc.).

The weather looks like it’s going to cooperate. It’s going to be a great week of music (and football — Go Chiefs!).

Calendar check: only three weeks until the Winter Concert! 

Rehearsal Monday, January 22 at White Plains HS

This rehearsal on Monday is a critical milestone on our journey toward the concert on February 11. Our tenor soloist, harpist, and pianist will all be joining us, so we can integrate these important musicians into this concert’s exciting program. Please make every effort to avoid last minute absences!

Directions to White Plains High School are posted on this site’s home page, along with the detailed rehearsal plan. We will return to TMH on January 29.

West Side Story screening and potluck TONIGHT

We have 20 WSW members signed up to attend this evening at Peekskill Yacht Club. If you find you’re free at the last minute, please feel free to join us. It’s going to be great fun! Find details here.

Address and parking info:

Peekskill Yacht Club, 1 Travis Point, Peekskill, NY 10566
From Route 9: Take Hudson Avenue exit. Go toward the river, go over tracks and turn left. After the fenced boat yard bear right up the hill. Park in the lot on left at the top of the hill, then walk down hill towards river and Yacht Club will be on your left.

Upcoming WSW events

Successful ensembles are busy ensembles! Here’s a quick rundown of our upcoming events through the end of our 2023-2024 season. Details/reminders and registration for special events will be posted as the dates approach.

• Rehearsals continue Mondays at 7:30 pm. Exceptions will be posted.
• Saturday, January 27 at 10:00 am – Percussion Master Class with Simon Boyar (music educators and their students are welcome — no charge to attend)
• Wednesday, February 7 at 7:30 pm – Winter dress rehearsal
• Sunday, February 11 at 2:00 pm – Winter Concert (sound check at 12:00 pm)
• Saturday, March 9 at 2:00 pm – Joint concert with West Point Band at Eisenhower Hall (snow date – Sunday, March 10 at 2:00 pm)
• Saturday, March 16 at 2:00 pm – Joint concert with West Point Band at White Plains HS (snow date – Sunday, March 17 at 2:00 pm)
• Tuesday, April 9 at 6:30 pm – Prism Concert at The Masters School (volunteer players play for flash mob finale, Ravel’s Bolero)
• Wednesday, May 8 at 7:30 pm – Spring dress rehearsal
• Saturday, May 11 at 8:00 pm – Spring Concert (sound check at 6:00 pm)
• Friday, May 31 thru Sunday, June 2 – MEBCI/WSW Wind Conducting Symposium at Northern Valley Regional High School, Old Tappan, New Jersey (volunteer players/four wind ensemble sessions)
• Monday, July 1 at 7:30 pm – Caramoor dress rehearsal
• Thursday, July 4 at 8:00 pm – Caramoor Concert (sound check/dinner at 4:00 pm)

and . . .

• Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 8:00 pm – Spring Concert/world premiere of Viet Cuong commission (special rehearsal schedule TBA that week to accommodate composer residency)

Sectionals this Monday at IPC

Neither TMH nor White Plains HS is available on January 15. We will meet for woodwind and brass sectionals at Irvington Presbyterian Church, 25 North Broadway in Irvington (where we had sectionals in 2023). Please bring your own music stand! Marc Tartell and Ben Acrish will assist me with conducting these sectionals. We will dig in to remaining tough sections of the Bernstein and Oquin, and review the Schoenberg and Puccini. The rehearsal plan is posted. In fact, I’ve gotten into the habit of posting the rehearsal plan within a day or so of every rehearsal. So feel free to check it early.

Screening/pot luck next Saturday, January 20

Please remember that we are having a potluck supper and screening of 2021 West Side Story (directed by Steven Spielberg) this coming Saturday, January 20, starting at 5:30 pm at the Peekskill Yacht Club. Please click here to sign up (family members are welcomed to join us!). We’ll be providing three entrees for everyone, including a veggie option. Please indicate an appetizer/side/dessert that you can bring to share. We’ll collect $10 cover on site to defray costs of the Yacht Club rental and entrees purchased for the group.

Percussion Master Class

We are running a percussion Master Class on Saturday, January 27 at 10:00 am at the Simon Boyar School of Drums and Percussion, in Croton-on-Hudson. Band directors are welcome as observers, and you are welcome to bring your students.

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you enjoyed your holidays and are eager to get back at it on Monday. To check how many days there are until our concert, which is the same day as the final NFL game of the season, click here for the 2024 Super Bowl Countdown Clock.

Rehearsal on Monday at TMH – Giroux parts needed for this rehearsal!

We are rehearsing again on Monday at 7:30 pm at TMH. It was suggested that we read Julie Giroux’s Riften Wed at this rehearsal, which we will play at West Point in March and TMH in May, so to give everyone some musical framework earlier on. So please download/print/bring the Giroux parts to read on Monday. The link is also published on my home page, along with the rehearsal plan. We have a lot of ground to cover, and since we haven’t rehearsed in 3 weeks, it’s important to arrive on time, warm up properly, and be ready to dig in.

Sectionals on January 15 at IPC

Neither TMH nor White Plains HS is available on January 15. We will meet for woodwind and brass sectionals at Irvington Presbyterian Church, 25 North Broadway in Irvington (where we had sectionals in 2023). Marc Tartell and Ben Acrish will assist me with conducting these sectionals. We will dig in to remaining tough sections of the Bernstein and Oquin, and review the Schoenberg and Puccini.

Special WSW events in January events

Please remember that we are having a potluck supper and screening of the the 2021 West Side Story (directed by Steven Spielberg) on Saturday, January 20 at 5:30 pm at the Peekskill Yacht Club. And we are running a percussion Master Class on Saturday, January 27 at 10:00 am at the Simon Boyar School of Drums and Percussion, in Croton-on-Hudson. Band directors are welcome as observers, and you are welcome to bring your students. Details about both events can be found in the December 16 post.