For those of you who know Al Mingrone, who conducts the Bronxville Pops Concert Band: I regret to share the news that his wife, Nancy, passed on August 30. Ron LoPinto sent this information out to all BPCB members, and I thought I would pass it along to all of you. It appears to be an open invitation to both the mass and reception.
It’s hard to believe that our exciting debut at Caramoor was already more than two months ago. I hope you all have had a chance to relax during this mild summer, and are ready to gear up for our next exciting year of concerts, our 27th season of great music.
The audition committee heard an outstanding array of players last evening, and I am eager to introduce our newest members on Monday night.
Our first rehearsal – this Monday evening, September 8 – will be held in the Scarsdale Middle School Band Room. Go to the Rehearsal This Week page for directions and the rehearsal plan. We are especially grateful to Jessica Slotwinski for helping us to secure this space when we suddenly learned that Tarrytown Music Hall could not allow us to hold rehearsal there, because of delays in their extensive foundation reconstruction project. We expect to be back at TMH on September 15.
I’m very excited to read and rehearse this Fall program with you. As we announced, this concert will be sponsored by the Westchester Kensico Cemetery, and will be performed as the culmination of a year-long celebration of their 125th Anniversary. All the works on the program connect in some way to a concept associated with the cemetery, or a luminary buried there. From Sergei Rachmaninoff to Lou Gehrig, those interred at Kensico form an incredibly diverse and interesting fabric of humanity. Please mark your calendars for Sunday afternoon, October 5, when we have a guided trolley tour of the cemetery planned. I took this tour in July, and I now look at all the compositions on this program in a new light. I think you will, too, and so I hope you’ll join me on October 5, 2:30-4:30 pm. Refreshments will be provided as well.
This season, we are bringing back guest conductors Tom McCauley and Emily Threinen, in addition to trumpet soloists Bill Owens and Chris Venditti — who will play together on the Winter concert. Dr. Peter Martin, Director of Bands from the University of Southern Maine, will join us for the Fall concert. Our own Chris Carbone, tuba, will be the featured soloist in May, and Broadway baritone, Matthew Scott, will also perform with us in November. We will begin to rehearse our Chicago exchange program early in the season, in order to work toward the very best performance ever when we take the stage in Evanston in June. We will have detailed information about the trip to share in the coming weeks, and we will be asking for individual commitments by October 1.
I am looking forward to Monday night! Please plan your travel so we can start promptly at 7:30 pm at Scarsdale Middle School. Drive carefully — see you then.
I received a question about booking flights to Chicago, and thought I should clarify this point:
We have a travel agent, Laurie deVillers (who is also a member of the Northshore Concert Band), working on our behalf to research and secure the best fares for us to Chicago next June. We should be hearing from her near the end of this month, and we will share her fares and schedules during rehearsal in September. You will then be presented with choices and can make your own decisions about flights, home stay vs. hotel, sight-seeing options, etc.
Although no WSW members are required to book with Laurie, I think we will find that she will come up with the most economical packages possible. We are trying to do as much of this legwork for you as possible, so please don’t feel that you are responsible to research and book your own flights.
Happy August to Everyone! I have lots of news, including:
Caramoor recordings to download
Invitation to a special guided tour on October 5: Kensico Cemetery
Chicago trip update
First rehearsal – September 8
Point-of-view Curt Craziness at Six Flags New England (come on – you gotta be curious!)
If you have not yet emailed Claudia to confirm your return for the season, please do so immediately. We are eager to recruit trombone players to fill two open positions, and we’d really like to have a permanent string bass player. If you know of qualified players, encourage them to contact me or Claudia, or send either of us their contact info. Please note that the Chicago trip is a separate commitment from our regular season.
In July, I accepted an invitation from Judy Mitchell, the PR Director for Kensico Cemetery, to meet her for a tour of the grounds. I didn’t know what to expect, but it was an incredibly impactful visit. The property is huge and truly beautiful, with rolling hills and many distinctly unique areas within the cemetery. It was a truly moving experience, and will really affect my preparation and performance on November 9. Now Judy has extended the offer to all of you: On Sunday, October 5, you are invited to join Judy and me for a tour of the cemetery, from 2:30-4:30 pm. The tour will be via trolley (Peekskill Trolley Co.) and refreshments will be served. We will visit many of the graves of the people honored by the programming of our November concert. This will be a great opportunity, and I promise you will be impressed and moved. We need at least 10 people to make the tour via trolley viable, so please plan to attend. I’ll have a sign up at rehearsals in September.
Our Chicago trip is coming together. This is really happening! Click here to see WSW featured on the Northshore Concert Band website! We expect to have details of the itinerary, along with prices and options at the beginning of September. The plan is to verify commitments and collect a $100 deposit per person in the latter half of September, then collect one-half of the balance in November and the remaining balance in February. The basic plan is:
Friday, June 12 (evening, after work) – fly from Westchester County Airport to O’Hare.
Saturday, June 13 – morning/afternoon Chicago sight-seeing with host members (including a Wendella Boat tour), combined WSW/NCB meal, options for individualized sight-seeing.
Sunday, June 14 – sound check, combined rehearsal with NCB, and 3:00 pm performance at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, on the campus of Northwestern University, followed by a reception for all.
Monday, June 15 – fly home (It just won’t be feasible to try to fly home on Sunday evening after the concert and reception; plan on taking this day off from work. (I am working on a staff development proposal to help teachers claim viability for the day off.)
Accommodation options will include home-stays with NCB members and mid-range hotels in Evanston. You will also have options to travel out earlier than Friday and/or return later than Monday. So there will be several price options, from the most basic (flight only/home stay) to more extended (flight, hotel, additional sight-seeing, early departure/late return). We will make a presentation at a rehearsal early in September with complete information. In the meantime, please book the weekend and contact friends/family in the Chicago area and invite them to the concert! Tickets can be purchased on the website referenced above.
I’m extremely excited about our 2014-2015 season. We’ve come a long way together since I first met you in March 2008, and I am so proud — beyond words — of your accomplishments. If you haven’t played much this summer, start to practice daily in preparation for our full concert read-through on September 8. Saddle up and get ready for a great ride this season!
And the point-of-view Curt Craziness? Check out my ride on Bizarro at Six Flags New England in June. I shot this with a pair of HD video glasses, so my ride was truly “hands free” and safe. I really do love my roller coasters!
Sunday, June 14 – sound check, combined rehearsal with NCB, and 3:00 pm performance at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, on the campus of Northwestern University, followed by a reception for all.