First, please accept my heartfelt congratulations for the successes of last Saturday’s concert. I hit the ground running the next day with an off-site school concert, and it’s taken me this long to catch up. Both Brian and Joey spoke at length about the quality of musicianship, program content, and (especially) your kind and welcoming warmth. I echo their sentiments. I received a number of emails regarding their impact on the program, and I agree that it was a positive exchange of energy all around. Thank you for making the last concert of our 2011-2012 season so memorable.

The three concerts, plus the ACB performance, made for an outstanding experience for us all. Next year, I have wonderful soloists lined up: TSgt. Troy Messner, horn (West Point Band), TSgt. Bill Owens, trumpet (West Point Band), Lois Hicks-Wozniak, alto saxophone, as well as Barbara Ciannella, piano, to play Rhapsody in Blue. I have also committed to programming Canticle by Elliot del Borgo, which will feature three of our WSW flutists. Our committed guest conductors thus far include Dr. Tom McCauley (who is very excited to return to work with us), and Jeff Grogan, Education and Community Engagement Conductor of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (Jeff is formerly Associate Director of Bands, University of Michigan). I’m still waiting for confirmation from our third guest conductor.

Our final “gig” of the year is this Friday, June 1, at NVOT, with Dr. Mallory Thompson. The clinic is focused on rehearsing a new work with an ensemble, and will center on two works we did not play this year. Although I will have hard copies on the stands, please take a look at the parts (links below) to help you prepare for the clinic, so we play our best for Dr. Thompson. Please note that the scanner created 11×17 pages — you might be better off playing from the computer screen than trying to print this particular set of parts. Click here for directions to NVOT. Please park in the back and arrive by 7:00 pm so we can be warmed up and tuned, ready for the session to begin at 7:30 pm. Links to parts are at the end of this post.

Lastly, there is an interview on NCCMC – New Castle Communications Media Center, Cablevision channel 75, FiOS channel 45 – of Robin Zablow and her “Music Then and Now,” featuring the Westchester Symphonic Winds. I’m not sure when it’s airing (getting a schedule has not been easy), but you can see the web version by clicking here. It’s great advertising for our ensemble, so please pass along the link and channel. (Credit goes to Emily Harrison for acting to bring Robin into the loop so this interview could happen.)

For those of you available to play on Friday, see you then. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you in September. The Board is meeting in June, and will undoubtedly plan a CD event close to the beginning of next season, like we had last year. Thanks again for a great year!

Vinson – Echoes of the Hollow Square

• Piccolo, Flute 1
• Flute 2, Oboe
• Bassoon, Clarinet 1
• Clarinet 2 & 3, Bass clarinet
• Alto sax 1-2
• Tenor & Bari sax
• Trumpets 1-2-3
• Horns 1-3 and 2-4
• Trombones 1-2-3
• Euphonium
• Tuba & String Bass, Percussion 1
• Percussion 2, Mallets
• Timpani & Piano

Whitacre – Lux Aurumque

• Piccolo, Flutes 1-2-3-4, Oboe, Bassoon
• Clarinet 1-2-3, Bass clarinet, All saxes
• Trumpets & Horns
• Trombones, Euphonium, Tuba
• There are no percussion parts for this work.

Clinic with Mallory Thompson

We need to make sure that everyone recognizes Friday, June 1 as the final performance of the year. We will be playing a clinic again with Dr. Mallory Thompson, Director of Bands at Northwestern University, as part of the 2012 MEBCI Wind Conducting Symposium. the site is my school, Northern Valley Regional High School, 140 Central Avenue, Old Tappan, NJ 07675. Call time is 7:00 pm, the clinic is 7:30-9:00 pm. Dr. Thompson is one of the most sought-after conductors and clinicians in the world — this is an unequaled opportunity! If you have a irreconcilable conflict, please alert Claudia immediately, so that you can work with her to arrange for a sub.

Rather than a thoroughly rehearsed performance, like last year, we will be working with Dr. Thompson in a sight-reading type of workshop. Her goal: rehearsal techniques for working with a band rehearsing a work for the first time. Our repertoire: Eric Whitacre – Lux Aurumque and Johnny Vinson – Echoes of the Hollow Square. “But,” you say, “we’ve performed Lux Aurumque in concert in 2010!” Well, that is true, but we’re not going to publicize it! I will have these parts ready for distribution next week, so — yes, Virginia — you can practice them before the clinic. But we will not have a separate formal rehearsal.

July workshop

A few people have asked me about the music education workshop I’m running in July. There are still openings. We will be looking at score preparation, rehearsal strategies, conducting “Boot Camp,” and more. Please speak to me if you have any questions. I would love to see a few more of you attend!

My rep

Also, I have taken the plunge and published my personal list of conducted repertoire, 1982-present. Please feel free to browse.

Concert week

This week: Rehearsal Monday at Pelham (please remember!) and dress rehearsal at TMH on Wednesday. Our only rehearsal with Joey is Wednesday night, so the emphasis on Monday will be the ‘dress rehearsal’ of repeated works from the ACB program, to allow for the time we need with Joey on Wednesday. Sound check Saturday is at 6:00 pm, concert is 8:00 pm. This is going to be a great program!

Schedule for 2012-2013

As announced, here are the performance dates for 2012-2013. Please copy into your personal calendar:

• Fall Concert – Sunday, November 4 at 3:00 pm (dress rehearsal Wednesday, October 31 or possibly Thursday, November 1, TBA per TMH)
• Winter Concert – Sunday, February 10 at 3:00 pm (dress rehearsal Wednesday, February 6)
• Spring Concert/25th Anniversary Gala – Saturday, May 18 at 8:00 pm (dress rehearsal Wednesday, May 15)

I have my Hershey Festival trip tomorrow and my NJ All-State Orchestra concert Saturday. My goal for Monday is to be able to stand unassisted without any caffeine assistance. See you then.

If you have received this post, and you’re a WSW member, congratulations! Everyone on the roster has been subscribed to the new site, so now when I add a news item or anything else, you will get an email directly (and Claudia will no longer have to forward all of my messages!). Please bookmark the new site address: wsw.ebernet.biz. I will not be posting to the wordpresscom site any longer.

We have flyers ready for the May 19 concert. Click here to download the PDF version (best for printing), or click here for the PNG copy (best for emails and websites). Please consider printing for posting where you live (Starbucks and other coffee shops, libraries, other “community” bulletin boards), post on your Facebook page or personal website, and help us get the word out so we have another fabulous audience for our last concert of this season!

I will be bringing parts for Joey’s encore, Nessun Dorma, tonight, and we will distribute them during rehearsal. Please remember that I intend to start promptly at 7:30 pm and work until 10:00 pm in order to cover all that we must do tonight.

(Board members: See you at 5:30 pm at Sante Fe for our Board meeting!)