Rehearsal on Monday

We are coming up on the final rehearsals of the calendar year, rehearsing again at TMH on Monday. I appreciate the help of those who arrive consistently early to assist in setting up. If you can, please consider coming a little earlier than usual to help. But definitely arrive in time to warm up and be ready to start at 7:30 pm! Please continue to contact Katherine directly — not me — if you have a last minute traffic issue.

The rehearsal plan is posted. We are rather Bernstein-heavy on Monday. Fair warning!

West Point concerts repertoire

I’ve been struggling a bit to finalize the program for these concerts on March 9 & 16. There are a lot of factors contributing to making this a tricky proposition, including some critical personnel issues, programming issues with the current season’s focus pieces, and finding the right lyric/evocative work. I’m hoping to finalize this at Tuesday’s board meeting, and then I will share with everyone.

Hudson Valley Saxophone Orchestra

Charlie Gray, who has recently subbed with us on bari sax, sent us this invitation to the Hudson Valley Saxophone Orchestra concert on Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 pm. (For reference – Charlie was the contrabass saxophone player in November 2022!) Check out the flyer below and consider attending. And be sure to note: audience member saxophonists are welcome to join in on the final selections (but bring your own music stand).

I hope everyone had a warm and wonderful holiday. Back to work on Monday!

Monday at TMH

Our rehearsals continue at TMH on Monday. The rehearsal plan is posted. Our work on the Bernstein this week continues with the Dance Trilogy section, including Cool. It’s another challenging section of the work.

West Point performances

I will have more information to share on Monday evening about our March 9 performance at Eisenhower Hall and March 16 performance at White Plains High School, both shared with Commander Toven and the West Point Band.

Marist College concert

You may remember that Malcolm Jones, director of bands at Marist College, visited our rehearsal in September. His first concert of the season with the bands at Marist will be next Friday, December 1 at 8:00 pm in the Nelly Goletti Theater (Murray Student Center) on the Marist campus. Please consider attending, and remember that Malcolm is looking to schedule local school visits with bands in Westchester to promote his program.

This post is short and sweet. I’m tied up all weekend with the Zone 10 Area All-State Band.

We’re back on the TMH stage on Monday evening. The rehearsal plan is posted. As promised, the Bernstein part of rehearsal includes the “Dance at the Gym” section, including Mambo.

If you haven’t done so yet, please read through the NU Errata and USMB Errata, and mark your parts accordingly. Although the errata lists are long, there are relatively few errors per instrument. I will assume starting on Monday that everyone has marked all parts with corrections.

Thank you all again for a spirit-lifting performance on Sunday. I’m saving some time at the beginning of rehearsal on Monday to invite you to share your thoughts regarding the concert.

Rehearsal Monday at White Plains HS

TMH is not available on Monday. Please plan your travel for our rehearsal at White Plains. Be sure to download/print your new parts from the Winter Concert Google Drive folder, and bring these Winter parts to rehearsal.  I’ve updated the rehearsal plan on the homepage to reflect the rehearsal plan for Monday at White Plains.

West Point concerts

We will soon be putting out a commitment form for our collaborative concert(s) with the West Point Band. Please note these dates:

• Saturday, March 9 at 2:00 pm – Concert at Eisenhower Hall (snow date March 10 at 2:00 pm). This concert is confirmed.
• Saturday, March 16 at 2:00 pm – White Plains High School (snow date March 17 at 2:00 pm). This reprise performance is still tentative until we agree on our shared financial commitment.

Commander Toven suggested the reprise concert as a vehicle for bringing the West Point Band for a performance here in Westchester County, something they have not done in several years. I’m hoping to talk again with the Commander soon so I can share complete details with you. In the meantime, please assess these dates in your personal calendar.

Pedro’s new recording

Pedro Díaz has a released a new solo album on Spotify, featuring members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and including the Donizetti. He asked that I share the album link, and encourage you to have a listen. Just following the link will help promote his album – please consider doing so.