Dress rehearsal Saturday!

Thank you for helping to make our rehearsal at Port Chester Middle School so successful. As I said on Monday, I really appreciated how everyone got settled and made the stage our own so quickly.

Reflecting on Monday’s rehearsal, I’ve written a few notes — download them here. Please read through the notes and mark your parts accordingly. I’ll use this as a punch list for Saturday.

We expect to get access to TMH about 9:15 am on Saturday. We need to be set up and ready to roll at 10:00 am. I’m planning to run the program in program order.

Our connection with PaveLife has yielded a new promotional video. The video looks great; I only wish the subject of the interview looked as good as the production values! But in any case, it’s great advertising. See you Saturday for a prompt 10:00 am start!

 

Port Chester on November 4!

Our rehearsal this week cannot be accommodated at TMH, and so this will be our first week to rehearse at Port Chester Middle School. Please follow the link for directions. The link is also included on the Rehearsal This Week page. When you come in the building, follow your nose (and ears) to the stage — that’s where we will be rehearsing. Please use the front rows of the auditorium to store coats and cases, as the stage will fill up quickly.

Tony Mazzocchi and I discussed last Monday’s rehearsal and decided that we will forgo including him on November 4, but he will be with us for the dress rehearsal on November 9. This will allow us to give Rich more time with the Marquez.

Although they are posted on the Resources & Forms page of this site, here are the links to the flyers for the November 10 Fall Concert and November 21 Side by Side Concert. Please download, print, share, plaster, and distribute freely! And keep those business cards in your pocket for easy distribution as well.

I’m still going to try to write up some rehearsal notes from last Monday’s rehearsal. I’m sending this out now so you’re aware of the rehearsal plan, and can start to look at the directions to Port Chester.

 

Our guests arrive Monday!

Things are moving forward. I’ve updated the Rehearsal This Week page with the plan for October 28. Our guests – Anthony, our trombone soloist, and Rich, our guest conductor — arrive for their first rehearsals with us on Monday. There are only two rehearsals remaining before the dress rehearsal.  We must be ready to pull the latter 5 movements of the Avshalomov together this Monday. And we must find a way to create integrity of rhythm and articulation in the second movement of the Sullivan.

Please continue your weekly practice to prepare for Monday. I’ll see you then!

Prokofiev in Evanston

Aside

If you missed the webcast of Mallory Thompson conducting the Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble last night, you missed an incredible event. The featured work was a rarely performed work by Sergei Prokofiev, Ode to the End of the War, opus 105. The piece was huge, featuring wind ensemble, four pianos and four harps! (It was originally scored for eight harps — but seriously, there are limits to everything.) The colors and textures created by this combination are simply amazing.

Also on the program was graduate student, Kim Fleming, from Bergen County, who started her grad work with Mallory this fall. She has attended many WSW concerts in the time when Mike Vecchio played euphonium with us. Both Mike and Kim are in Evanston now and we send them our best wishes.

If you missed the concert, it is likely to be added to the Davee Video Library, at http://www.pickstaiger.org/video-library. Also worthy of note in that library is Mallory’s “Trumpet Legacy” performance from last spring, honoring Barbara Butler and Charles Geyer with a performance of Concerto for Seven Trumpets and Tympani by Altenburg. It featured 14 Northwestern Alumni, former students of Barbara & Charlie, who have gone on to amazing careers in professional orchestras, military bands, and music education. It is an incredible and unique tribute, preserved in this amazing video.