With the support of our board and endorsement of Ron MacKenzie, we will restart full ensemble rehearsals on Monday, March 14. Everyone playing must be fully vaccinated and boosted; send any missing documentation to David. Masks will not be required, but will be optional for anyone who wishes to wear one.

In order to prepare for this rehearsal, as well as the Spring Concert (May 7) and Caramoor Concert (July 2), we will re-canvas all of our members and subs for availability for these performances. Please be on the lookout for the next post which will contain the link to that form. We need to ask everyone to complete this form because a lot has happened (an understatement), and many members’ availability may have changed since we polled the band last summer for 2021-2022. 

Rehearsal schedule for May concert:

• Monday, March 14
• No rehearsal on Monday, March 21 (TMH is not available)
• Monday, March 28
• Monday, April 4
• Monday, April 11
• Monday, April 18
• Monday, April 25 (TMH not available, site TBA)
• Monday, May 2
• Wednesday, May 4 (dress rehearsal at 7:30 pm)
• Saturday, May 7 (concert at 8:00 pm)

We are carrying the February program forward, including our guest artists, from February 13 to May 7. Please see the homepage for the program order, reference recordings, and a reminder of the new rehearsal plan.

Rehearsals for Caramoor will be held on:

• Mondays, May 16, 23
• Monday, June 6, 13, 20, 27
• Wednesday, June 29 (dress)
• Saturday, July 2 at 12:00 pm (soundcheck), 4:00 pm (performance)

Look for the concert commitment form early next week. We will need replies from everyone by February 28, so David can contact subs as needed in time for the first rehearsal on March 14.

Thank you all for your diligence and patience during this difficult time!

It is with great sadness that I must relay the news that the Board acted on my recommendation this morning, with Dr. Ron MacKenzie’s endorsement, to postpone the Winter Concert on February 13.

I am especially saddened by this because we managed to rehearse through the spring in the tent and perform at Caramoor, then pushed through the Delta variant in the fall with sectionals and half-ensemble rehearsals in TMH in order to perform the Grainger concert. We’ve been through so much, and have gotten past so much, but this Omicron variant has been a formidable foe.

At our Board meeting last night, David Church shared reports regarding the number of members who had to temporarily withdraw from playing because of their personal experience with the coronavirus. He also shared anonymous reports from more members who told him they are simply uncomfortable playing at this point. Canvassing other area community bands, we learned that neither the Lehmann College Band nor the Hudson Valley Symphonic Wind Ensemble are actively rehearsing and have no concerts posted. The NJ Wind Symphony (aka Ridgewood Concert Band) have suspended rehearsals and their website notes their Friday, February 11 concert as postponed. The website for the NY Wind Symphony (in Orange County) shows no activity since 2020.

Pushing forward under these circumstances is simply not prudent. We are aware that many case numbers are falling. But they are not falling fast enough for us to meet, rehearse, and perform at a level at which we’ll all be proud with so few rehearsals remaining before February 13, after nine weeks of no rehearsals at all. 

Members of the Board will be helping me to get the word out via press release, social media, and our own website and mailing list. I’ll assess our programming options and make plans for adjusting the May 7 concert program to help compensate for the loss of the February date. In the meantime, hang on to your folders, practice when you can (of course!) and watch your inbox for further updates about our next rehearsal.

We will get through this and move forward. Stay well, stay safe. 

“So on this meaningful morn, we mourn and we mend.
Like light, we can’t be broken, even when we bend.”
              excerpt from The Miracle of Morning, by Amanda Gorman

With the support of the Board, and with Ron MacKenzie’s endorsement, I feel it is time to confirm our return to rehearsals on Monday, January 31. Everyone playing the February concert should plan to attend rehearsals according to the schedule below. All players should be prepared to rehearse with playing masks until such time when we feel it is safe to make them optional. If you have not yet done so, all players must submit vaccine booster documentation to David Church.

I have made two cuts to the February 13 concert repertoire (Galante, Standridge), and these works will be deferred to a future program. This concert will be performed without intermission, and will be web streamed on our website again:

• Idio – The Cruise Line Dream
• Ticheli – Rest (Dr. Joey Bello, conductor)
• Collins – The Paper Man
• Piazzolla/Green – Oblivion (Matt Podd, accordion)
• de Abreu/Green – Tico Tico (Matt Podd, accordion)
• Weinberger – Polka and Fugue
• Namysłowski – Clarinet Polka (Matt Podd, accordion)

All final rehearsals and the performance will be held at Tarrytown Music Hall. Please make sure the following dates are reserved in your calendar. Final rosters for January 31 and February 7 will be confirmed no later than January 30.

• Monday, January 31, 7:30-9:45 pm – Full or half-ensemble TBA (to be confirmed no later than January 30)
• Monday, February 7, 7:30-9:45 pm – Full or half-ensemble TBA (to be confirmed no later than January 30)
• Wednesday, February 9, 7:30-9:45 pm – Full rehearsal for all personnel and guest artists
• Saturday, February 12, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Dress rehearsal for all personnel and guest artists
• Sunday, February 13, 12:00 pm – hall opens for setup; 1:00 pm – sound check; 3:00 pm – performance. 

In addition, I have reserved TMH on Saturday, February 5, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Any section leaders who would like to hold a 60- or 90-minute sectional should reserve time with me.

I truly believe that this ensemble is up to the challenge of these unusual circumstances. I believe, and the Board agrees, that — pandemic aside — it is a better musical choice to continue ahead with this program as scheduled than to cancel or postpone it for musical reasons. It will not be perfect, but no concert ever is. However, if health and safety factors do not continue in the positive direction that we see now, we will not hesitate to make changes to safeguard both our member players and our audience. 

PLEASE PRACTICE! We’ve been dormant since December 13. It’s important to return to rehearsals feeling musically fit, and that can only happen by putting mouthpieces to lips. I will add reference recordings to my home page; feel free to listen to promote earworms prior to rehearsal.

If you committed to play on February 13 and have had a change in your personal situation, contact David Church immediately. Having a grip on our personnel roster is critical at this time.

Lastly, yes — the NFL added a 17th week. And although we originally planned this concert for the week after the Super Bowl, Roger Goodell did not return my calls. So we are performing at 3:00 pm on February 13, and the big game begins at 6:30 pm. I promise to keep the tempi moving along to get everyone out on time!

I will write again no later than January 30 to confirm our personnel plans (full or half-ensemble) for January 31.

Member update

Long-time member Ed Herko Sr. suffered a stroke on Sunday night. Ed Jr. reports that, as of Tuesday evening, his father was resting at Westchester Medical Center. Please keep Ed and the Herko family in your thoughts during the coming days.

Rehearsal/concert update and January 17 Zoom

The Board met on Tuesday evening to assess our situation and make decisions to protect our members as we try to navigate the Omicron surge. Please see below regarding a Town Hall Zoom we will hold on Monday to hear input and questions from you, our members. Please read and save these important dates in your calendars.

• At this point, we remain committed to the February 13 concert, but in light of the Omicron surge, we are cancelling two more rehearsals and are continuing to monitor the evolving situation.
• If we are going to produce this concert, we will consolidate rehearsals later and closer to the concert. it will be important for everyone playing to understand the abbreviated rehearsal schedule and be prepared with their personal best in order to succeed. This will be a quick turn-around, quicker than we’ve ever experienced before. In a way, this change of pace is an exciting challenge.
• As we’ve noted before, no one should feel coerced to participate and play. If you have concerns, please attend the Zoom meeting, and then contact David as needed.

In order to realize this plan safely:

• Rehearsals on January 17 & 24 are canceled. We will hold a Town Hall Zoom on January 17 at 7:30 pm in place of that rehearsal.
• The following rehearsal times have been booked/confirmed with TMH:
  • Monday, January 31, 7:30 pm  – rehearsal at TMH*
  • Saturday, February 5, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at TMH – reserved for sectionals at TMH if needed. Please reserve the time for now and wait for updates.
  • Monday, February 7, 7:30 pm – rehearsal at TMH*
  • Wednesday, February 9, 7:30 pm – full rehearsal at TMH, including guests Matt Podd and Joey Bello
  • Saturday, February 12, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm – full dress rehearsal at TMH with guests
  • Sunday, February 13, 12:00 TMH opens, 1:00 pm sound check, 3;00 pm concert
• *Depending on how the surge recessed, the rehearsals on January 31 and February 7 could be half-ensemble or full rehearsals. Updates will be forthcoming. Please reserve both dates for now.
• Until we meet together again, all players should try to practice masked so you are prepared for the possibility of masked rehearsals, and possibly a masked performance if necessary.
• All players who have not submitted booster documentation to David must do so before our next rehearsal. We are committed to a boosted/fully-vaccinated ensemble for everyone’s safety. Please do this ASAP.
• The Board has committed to web-streaming the Winter concert, and will continue to review the success of each concert’s web-streaming on an ongoing basis.
• Should the pandemic require further constraints, the Board may consider a performance on February 13 with web stream only and no live audience. I will also consider cutting the Galante (first choice) and Standridge (second choice) in order to ease the program burden.
• If circumstances force us to completely cancel the February 13 concert, we will move key elements (Josh Idio world premiere, guest soloist/guest conductor) to the May 7 concert.

These have been difficult choices, and we value your perspective. In place of rehearsal this coming Monday, January 17, I’ll host a Town Hall Zoom for  all members interested in joining us. I’ll have the Zoom link open 7:30-9:00 pm, and you are welcome to arrive/depart as your schedule allows. In addition to having a chance to reconnect for the first time in the New Year, we will be eager to hear your questions and concerns about the plans described above.  I’ll send the Zoom credentials in a direct email on Sunday afternoon.

I hope to see you Monday evening.