Author Archives: Curt Ebersole

Rehearsal Monday at TMH

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Rehearsal on Monday evening

We are excited to welcome three additional percussionists joining us on Monday for this concert, which is a very percussion-oriented program. The rehearsal order is posted; please take a look.

Caramoor tickets

Tickets are already on sale for July 2. Click here for the Caramoor ticket site for our concert. Good news: they are continuing to honor our ticket coupon code for 20% off in tiers 4 & 6 (the $75 and $40 tickets in the rear section of the Venetian Theater). It’s the same coupon code as years past. I’ll reinforce the coupon code in rehearsal rather than posting it on the site.

News for the week

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No rehearsal on Monday, April 11

Please remember that we are not rehearsing tomorrow evening, April 11, because of the public schools spring break.

Supporting Ukraine

The Board voted last week to support the people of Ukraine in these ways at the May concert:

  • We will add the Republic of Ukraine National Anthem at the beginning of our program. You can find PDF’s of the parts here; we will hand out hard copies at rehearsal on April 18. US Department of State etiquette requires that the US national anthem must follow the playing of a foreign nation’s anthem, and so we will follow the Ukrainian anthem with the Star-Spangled Banner (Sousa/Damrosch version, which should already be in the folders).
  • We will donate our half of the 50/50 raffle proceeds to the Displaced Ukrainian Musician Fund.

Next rehearsals

We’re coming down to the end of rehearsals before the Spring Concert performance:

  • Monday, April 18 at TMH (concert flyers and Friends & Family tickets will be available)
  • Monday, April 25 at White Plains HS, 550 North Street, White Plains, NY 10605. There is ample parking right next to the Auditorium. Click here for the Google Map and directions.
  • Monday, May 2 at TMH (both Joey Bello and Matt Podd will join us)
  • Wednesday, May 4 at TMH – dress rehearsal
  • Saturday, May 7 at TMH – 6:00 pm sound check, 8:00 pm downbeat

Caramoor program update

Kathy Schuman and I have come to an agreement regarding the music to substitute for 1812 this summer. We ultimately decided that a reflective work by Bernstein and the tried-and-true medley of armed services hymns was best. Here is the revised program for July 2 (total program time is 49:00):

  1. ​Pre-Americana/Star-Spangled Banner – John Stafford Smith, arr. Barton Green (4:00)
  2. ​Selections from Kiss Me Kate – Cole Porter, arr. Barton Green (6:00)
  3. ​Shenandoah – Omar Smith (8:00)
  4. ​American Salute – Morton Gould (4:30)
  5. ​On the Mall March – Goldman (4:00)
  6. ​Being Alive – Stephen Sondheim, arr. Barton Green – Thomas West, baritone (3:00)
  7. ​Send in the Clowns – Stephen Sondheim, arr. Barton Green – Christine Price, soprano (3:00)
  8. ​You’ll Love Tomorrow/Love will See Us Through – Stephen Sondheim, arr. Barton Green (4:00)
  9. ​Make Our Garden Grow – Leonard Bernstein, arr. Clare Grundman (3:30)
  10. ​Armed Forces Salute – arr. Bob Lowden (5:30)
  11. The ​Stars and Stripes Forever – John Philip Sousa, arr. Keith Brion and Loras Schissel (3:30)

Rehearsal April 4 and much more

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Rehearsal this Monday

We continue our work with a very important rehearsal on Monday night at 7:30 pm at TMH, especially because there is no rehearsal on April 11 (see below). The rehearsal plan is posted. Please remember to complete the Health Screening Form before entering the Music Hall.

No rehearsal on Monday, April 11

As our hand count revealed last week, a significant number of players are off for the week for the public school spring break on Monday, April 11, and so I have canceled that rehearsal and notified TMH. After April 4, our next rehearsal will be April 18.

Rehearsal on April 25 at White Plains High School

TMH is not available on April 25, and with the cancellation of April 11 it was especially important to find a rehearsal site. We are grateful to Kathy Davis for helping us to reserve the WPHS Auditorium for our use on April 25. White Plains High School is located at 550 North Street, White Plains, NY 10605. There is ample parking right next to the Auditorium. Click here for the Google Map and directions.

TMH Box Office and concert on May 7

Our box office ticket information has been submitted, and hopefully tickets will be advertised in the TMH email blast this coming Tuesday. We will have Friends & Family tickets available again for your to distribute at $10 each. The box office information will advertise “proof of vaccination and masks required” for the audience. We are planning to webstream the concert again, as we did in November. Anyone who would like to watch the concert remotely can do so by visiting our website at www.westchestersymphonicwinds.org. To share the press release, click here. Flyers will be available at rehearsal on April 18.

Percussionists needed!

For various reasons, we are experiencing a shortage of percussionists for the May concert. We really need to fill these positions, because many of the new works call for 6, 7, even 8 players. If you have any leads, please speak to David or Eric.

Caramoor dress rehearsal confirmed for Wednesday, June 29

I have been in communication with our Caramoor vocal soloists and can now confirm that our Caramoor dress rehearsal will be held on Wednesday, June 29 at TMH. Please be sure to confirm this on your calendar.

I’m going to keep Monday, June 27 on the schedule for now. Hopefully, things will progress in such a way during the May/June cycle so I can consider cancelling that rehearsal. but for now, it remains on the schedule.

Grainger House – Open House on April 10

Our friends at the Grainger House are having their Spring Open House next Sunday, April 10. The daffodils will be in bloom, and they are offering house tours plus a saxophone recital by Dr. Paul Cohen, a leading authority on all things saxophone and Grainger. 
The house was originally a residence after all, so it’s not a space for huge crowds, and registration is recommended for the:
House Tour at 1 pm
Saxophone Concert at 2 pm
House Tour at 3 pm

The Grainger House is a living museum and tribute to the composer who has given the wind band world so much. It’s too bad the pandemic killed our plans to sponsor a WSW group visit last November. If you have never visited, this is a great opportunity, and I urge you to consider attending. Honestly, it’s wacky, weird, and totally wonderful, and the Grainger Society has done an amazing job at restoring the house in recent years, as well as archiving significant historic materials.

Rehearsals resume this Monday, March 28

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Rehearsal plan for this Monday

The rehearsal plan is posted on the home page. Please check it to stay abreast of the work we’ll be doing on Monday. Also, please be sure to complete the health screening form before coming to rehearsal. We need to continue to ask everyone to complete these quick forms weekly for everyone’s safety until we all get the final “all clear.”

Caramoor updates

In my latest discussion with Kathy Schuman, we agreed that our traditional 1812 Overture finale is just not appropriate this year. I’ve pitched several alternate plans and am hoping to have a final approval in the next week or so.

Regretfully, Matt Podd had to withdraw as our arranger for the vocal numbers this year, because of a family situation which currently requires a great deal of his time. (However, he is still on board for his solo appearance with us on May 7.) Fortunately, Kathy took my advice and invited Barton Green to write this year’s arrangements; we are very fortunate that he has agreed to do so.

This July we’ll be remembering the monumental work of composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim with three separate numbers, instead of a medley. Our soloists will be Caramoor Rising Stars Christine Price, soprano, and Thomas West, baritone. Our Sondheim collection will include:

  • Being Alive, from Company (Thomas)
  • Send in the Clowns, from A Little Night Music (Christine)
  • You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through, from Follies (Christine & Thomas)

This set combines iconic and memorable numbers by Sondheim, and will end with an upbeat standout duo. Barton has agreed to complete the arrangements by mid-May, and we’ll start to rehearse them as soon as the scores/parts are ready.

I’ll investigate the discount ticket situation for this year and share when confirmed. What I do know is that they are planning on a return to full capacity seating (about 1700) again for 2022, along with printed programs.