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Terrific work today! Thank you for a full-throttle experience for our first concert of the season. The audience — the largest I’ve ever seen at Tarrytown — was certainly with you all the way, and you really delivered an exciting performance.

Thanks to go our guests, Joe Greco and Rick Henly, for contributing their experience and superb musicianship to today’s program. Thank you also to Gary, Katrina, and Bjorn, and the entire Tarrytown Music Hall staff, for their kind assistance. Thank you as well to our WSW Board, including Eric, Marge, Rachel, and Claudia, who work tirelessly on our behalf to produce these concerts.

But most of all, thank you to you, the performing members of our ensemble, for your devotion, practice, dedication, and belief in our organization. It is this strong sense of belief and pride in yourselves that has truly made a difference in the last four years. I am so lucky to be making this journey with you, and I extend my most sincere thanks to you all.

We start work on our February program a week from Monday, on November 14, at TMH. You already have the Puccini (for Kyunghee) and the van der Roost (which Matt will be conducitng). We will have new music to switch into the folders and old music to collect. We are renting one work this cycle, and it may not arrive in time for the first rehearsal. Please devote available practice time you have this week to the van der Roost; Matt will definitely be working on this piece next Monday (Puszta is for April & May), and we will read through as much of the rest of the February program as time allows.

I will be incommunicado for a few days this week beginning on Tuesday (a little surgery trip), but expect to be back up and running for our rehearsal on November 14. Thank you again for such a wonderful day. Have a great week!

First and foremost, I hope you all fared the storm safely, warmly, and without damage to your home and property. I have these two important items to share today:

• GNYWS: Their Facebook page reports that the concert is a GO for today, at 3:00 pm, at Monroe-Woodbury High School. I will definitely be attending.
• Program personnel proof: Please download the Personnel listing and Program pages.
• Please double-check your name in the personnel listing.  If you find an error, please email me by 10:00 pm tonight, and I’ll make the correction. The full program is going to the printer early tomorrow morning.
• Print and bring the program page to Wednesday’s rehearsal (or save to your electronic device to save paper), to keep track of our rehearsal and concert program order.

Remember that I cancelled Monday’s rehearsal, due to the postponement of TMH’s Rocky Horror Picture Show. Please use the time to review and prepare for our dress rehearsal on Wednesday.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Bjorn Olsson contacted us today. Because of the freak snowstorm, he has been forced to postpone tonight’s showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He asked if we could possibly end our rehearsal early on Monday (Halloween) so they could reschedule the movie. I checked with Claudia, and we have more than 20% of the ensemble indicating that they will not be attending anyway on Monday evening. Therefore, I have made the decision to cancel the rehearsal on Monday evening, paving the way for Bjorn to reschedule the movie. I genuinely believe that we will be able to use Wednesday’s dress rehearsal to effectively make our final preparations for Sunday’s concert.

Please note:

• Please write a quick email to Claudia to confirm that you have received this message.
• I will check with Gary to see if we can set up the sound shells on Wednesday, and leave them up through Sunday. If he agrees, we will need help at 6:45 pm on Wednesday to set up the shells.
• Please plan to stay until 10:00 pm if necessary on Wednesday, just in case.

Thanks — see you Wednesday!