The 26th season starts with our first rehearsal tomorrow evening, Monday, September 9 at 7:30 pm. Please consider coming early (Rich usually gets to TMH by 6:45 pm) to greet friends and start to help set up. We want to lend a hand to our percussion friends as well, to help them bring equipment from downstairs (I have confirmation from Tom Thayer that all of it is downstairs, not in the Annex).

As I usually do, I intend to read through the entire concert program tomorrow night. I believe it’s very important to “lay it all out” for you so there are no surprises along the way. Personally, I hate the “This week we’re adding this,” and “Oh, I forgot my brother-in-law’s favorite march is this, so I’m adding it,” sort of thing. I like WYSIWYG at first rehearsals.

We’ll talk more about the season, our guests, our featured works, and more tomorrow evening. I’m excited to see you all again for my 6th season with WSW!

Click here to see the rehearsal plan for September 9.

Click here to see my spreadsheet plan of repertoire for the entire year. It is a Google Doc, but no sign-in is required. You can see various concert’s repertoire plans and instrumentation needs by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page.

Just in case any of you were concerned that I might have too much free time this year, please know that I have accepted a full-time position at the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry. I start on Monday.

Click here to read more. See you in a few weeks!

As always, please click the link in the notification email to reach my blog site and the full content of this message! Be sure to email Claudia Mickelson to confirm your commitment for the coming season!

I hope everyone is enjoying the Summer of 2013. I’ve been busy getting ready for Band Camp and the new season . . . wait a minute! I’m doing no such thing!!!! I’ve been relaxing on Fire Island, and scheming and planning with our guest artists for a fantastic new season with you!

25th Anniversary Wrap-up

The CD’s for our 25th Anniversary season have gone to pressing at Candlewood Digital! In compiling this year’s usual 2-CD set, it became very clear that it just wasn’t possible to fit all the deserving selections onto two 80-minute CD’s. So, with the Board’s approval, we have decided to produce a 2-CD set with the the majority of the season’s favorites, plus a Bonus Disc 3 with the remaining works from the season, which can be purchased separately. Information regarding purchasing CD’s will be forthcoming.

Principal openings for 2013-2014

The following principal chairs are open: Oboe, Bassoon, and Trumpet. If you would like to audition, or want to recommend someone, please contact Claudia Mickelson as soon as possible to schedule an audition.

The 26th Season!

Plans are in place for the coming season. It is filled with exciting new works, old favorites, challenging works, and wonderful guest conductors and guest soloists. We are planning our regular three-concert series at TMH, plus these special events:

• Side by Side Concert at Mahopac HS (tentative, waiting for final confirmation
• Volunteers (brass only) to play for Ars Musica holiday concert (in exchange for volunteers from that choir to sing with us in May; see below)
• ACB Convention performance (Allentown, Pennsylvania; application will be submitted in September)
• Out-of-this-world opportunity to perform on July 4 at a venue to be announced (top secret until confirmed!)

Season highlights include:

• Fall Concert, “Frolic and Whimsy” – Rich Guillen, guest conductor (Arlington HS) will conduct Danzon No. 2 by Marquez; Anthony Mazzocchi (Montclair State University), trombone, will be our guest soloist for Capriccio by Frank Gulino. This concert is filled with music that is simply fun, from the Overture to “Funny Girl” to Sullivan’s Pineapple Poll. We are also awaiting final confirmation from the Putnam Arts Council to participate in our first-ever “Side by Side” concert on November 20; music for this program will be pulled from the Fall repertoire.
• Winter Concert, “Images, Designs, & Textures” – Matt Kowalski, our assistant conductor, will conduct American Elegy by Frank Ticheli; Amy Wilcox, guest conductor (Northern Valley-Old Tappan HS) will conduct Passacaglia by Ben Hackett; Bill Owens, trumpet (West Point Band), will return as our guest soloist to perform the iconic Concerto for Trumpet by Alexander Artunian. This concert will be filled with works which will form the framework for our proposed participation in the Association of Concert Bands National Convention in late March (tentative until our application is reviewed), including Elgar’s Enigma Variations and Olympiada Fanfare by Samuel R. Hazo (just in time to celebrate the Winter Olympics!).
• Spring Concert, “Hymns Sacred and Profane” will undoubtedly be the most anticipated concert of the season! Dr. Shelley Axelson will return as our guest conductor, to conduct Profanation, the scherzo from Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony. Also on the first half: Bach’s Fantasia in G and Angels in the Architecture by Frank Ticheli. The second half of the program will be 14 highlighted movements of Carl Orff’s massive Carmina Burana, featuring the 100-voice choir from Northern Valley-Demarest, conducted by Leslie Mac Pherson. We are also in negotiations with Ars Musica, based in northern New Jersey, to add their adult voices to the mix. In exchange for their participation, they are asking for our support of brass players for their holiday concert on December 13 (see attached schedule). I will be looking for volunteers to fill those spots.
• July 4 Concert, “A Salute to America” – This concert is tentative until final plans are confirmed. But be assured: if this concert comes about, it will be a guaranteed sell-out and a milestone for WSW! My plan will be to pull substantial works from the 2013-2014 season, and add several patriotic works to complete the program. Please note the 5 added rehearsals in June. (Believe me, you’ll kick yourself silly if this concert does come about and you forego the opportunity to play!)

Download our tentative rehearsal schedule here (this version reflects the correction of date for the Spring dress rehearsal). Note that I’ve tried to cover all possible scenarios; none of the performances outside TMH is confirmed yet.

Please triple-check the concert dates, and email Claudia Mickelson to confirm your participation. This is going to be a watershed year!

As usual, please click on the email link to read this entire posting.

The last month or so has been a blur. The 25th Anniversary Gala (have you seen the photos posted on our main site?), the clinic, the retirement dinner, the final Awards Concert/Kalinnikov, and the Lutkin Benediction. I only got through all this with your support and love, and for that I am so grateful.

Onward and upward to 2013-2014! Our first announcements are regarding the principal chairs for trumpet and oboe.

• Ericka Schlenkermann has elected to relinquish her principal chair in favor of a section position in the oboe section, because of ongoing professional performance conflicts with our schedule. She will continue to play in the section as her schedule allows.
• Steve Austin has elected not to return to WSW after his year leave of absence. Professional and family commitments, in addition to the long commute, necessitated his decision.

If you are interested in either of these positions, please contact Claudia for audition information and to schedule an audition in September, before our first rehearsal.

Our confirmed concert dates are:

• Sunday, November 10 at 3:00 pm (not November 3 as published in the May program; dress rehearsal is Saturday, November 9, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm)
• Sunday, February 9 at 3:00 pm (dress on Wednesday, February 5 at 7:30 pm)
• Saturday, May 17 at 8:00 pm (dress on Wednesday, May 14 at 7:30 pm)

Important! I am guest conducting both the July 28 and August 25 concerts with the Sound Beach Concert Band in Greenwich, Connecticut. If you are interested in playing (and I hope you are!) please read and respond to message from the conductor, Barbara Freedman, below. Guest soloists will be Lois Hicks-Wozniak, alto sax, reprising her Top 40 cadenza, and Rick Henly, trumpet. Please contact Barbara ASAP if you can play. I hope to see you!

Lastly, there is a Connecticut Symphonic Winds Concert on Tuesday, July 2 at 7:30 pm at Paradise Green in Stratford. Call 203-386-1625 or email CTSymphonic@yahoo.com for more information.

Here is Barbara Freedman’s invitation to play with SBCB:

Hello one and all! This is Barbara Freedman, Music Director of the Sound Beach Community Band in Greenwich, CT. We are entering our 58th season, one of the oldest community/fire house bands in the country. I am happy to announce that Mr. Curt Ebersole will be our Guest/Co-Conductor for the July Binney Park and August concerts Roger Sherwin Baldwin Park concerts. Curt brings a wealth of knowledge about bands and band music and I am thrilled he will be joining me on the podium to share his expertise. This is a great opportunity for us to learn from Curt and each other as we explore the vast Band repertoire. For more about Curt, please check out his website: http://www.ebernet.biz/As a community band, we have players of all abilities and welcome those players 14 years old and up including professional musicians playing in the Greenwich, Bridgeport, Ridgefield and other symphonies in the NY Metropolitan area. This is a real community band with a commitment to playing great music and having a lot of fun! We serve the community in a variety of ways. If you have never played with us before, you are welcome to join us at any point during the season. You need not commit to the entire season, just to the performances that you are available and to the related rehearsals for that performance. Please make all the rehearsals that correspond to the performance that you would like to attend. If this is an issue, please let me know. Bring your musician family and friends and dust off those instruments! The dates are below. Please note the Mt. Kisco Parade for those who can march, pays $25 per person. It’s a pretty flat and easy parade with hot dogs and drinks (beer for those over 21) at the end!If you can only do one performance this summer, I do hope you will join me, and your friends to serve our community. Please email me to let me know if you will be joining us for any of the concerts. I hope to see you this summer!band@soundbeachband.orgIf you have not email us to let us know you will be joining us, please do so so we know what to expect for instrumentation. All rehearsals: Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department207 Sound Beach Ave, 2nd floorOld Greenwich, CT 06870Here’s a link to a Google Map with other performance locations for the season: http://bit.ly/14k0GkFBarb*********Thursday, June 27, 7PM – 9 PM Rehearsal for Town Hall & FireworksTuesday, July 2, 7 PM – 9 PM Rehearsal for Town Hall & FireworksWednesday, July 4, GREENWICH TOWN HALL 8:30 AM Call. This is a one-hour ceremony for the Town of Greenwich from 9 -10 AMSaturday, July 6, FIREWORKS at Binney Park, 7:30 Call 8 PM – 9 PM performance (Rain date Sunday, July 7) We play a one-hour “pops” concert before the fireworks. Come early and bring your family and a picnic dinner. Friday July 12: Mt Kisco Parade: This gig pays $25 per person! Bus leaves the Sound Beach Fire House at 5 PM or meet us in Mt. Kisco. No rehearsal. We play a rotation of 4-5 pieces. Please let us know if you can march this parade. Not too long and mostly very flat. Hot dogs and drinks at the end of the parade!Thursday, July 18, 7PM – 9 PM Rehearsal for July Binney ParkTuesday, July 23, 7PM – 9 PM Rehearsal for July Binney ParkThursday, July 25, 7PM – 9 PM Rehearsal for July Binney ParkSunday, July 28, 5 PM call, 7 PM Concert Binney Park (Rain Date: Monday, July 29?)Tuesday, August 13th 6PM (tentative time) ? St. Catherine’s, Show up and play. Date and time to be confirmed but please mark your calendar Tuesday Rain or shine, show up and playThursday, August 15, 7PM – 9 PM Rehearsal for Roger Sherwin Baldwin ParkTuesday, August 20, 7PM – 9 PM Rehearsal for RSB ParkThursday, August 22, 7PM – 9 PM Rehearsal for RSB ParkSunday, August 25, 5 PM call, 7 PM Concert RSB Park (Rain Date: Monday, August 26?)– Barbara Freedmanhttp://MusicEdTech.comMusic Education TechnologyEducator, Author, ConsultantAuthor of Teaching Music Through Composition: A Curriculum Using TechnologyOxford University PressISBN13: 978019984061865 High Ridge Road #167Stamford, CT 06905