This week:

• Thanksgiving gratitude and hope
• Nudge to practice!
• February webcast is likely — help us with feedback from November webcast
• Upcoming virtual rehearsals via Upbeat
• Maslanka Symphony No. 4
• The Music Hall needs our support!

Thanksgiving 2020 – I am so grateful!

I hope everyone had an enjoyable, safe, and healthy Thanksgiving. Among many other things for which I am grateful, I continue to give thanks for this ensemble, and you — our playing members. As the pandemic marches on, I’m finding hope in seeing light at end of this tunnel, with the advent of effective treatments and several high-efficacy vaccines. It’s likely that we will lose the Winter Concert, but it’s my hope that things may change enough in March and April to enable us to produce the Spring Concert on May 8, 2021, even if we have to do it with minimal rehearsals.

Nudge to practice!

As with any skill, it will be difficult to anticipate regaining our accustomed level of individual and ensemble proficiency if the majority of the group has not played for a year. I encourage you to pull out the horn, wet the reed, and revisit those long tones and scales. Practice that sonata you love. Consider using a resource like SightReadingFactory.com (it’s free!). Consider one of the upcoming virtual ensemble events (below). But don’t let the “long winter of our discontent” keep us from stepping up to the plate on Day One of our return, once we’re truly able to do so. (The last thing you want to hear me say is, “I told you so!”)

February 28 Webcast

We received many positive responses to the webcast on November 8. You can share this link with any friends or family who couldn’t watch that day; the event is archived on our YouTube channel. Marge Hone reported that we raised a total of $3550.00 from the event, and from that we made donations to Tarrytown Music Hall and Feeding Westchester, each in the amount of $520.00. If you would like to comment on the webcast itself, please click to answer this quick 3-question form. It’s looking likely that we’ll have to repeat this type of webcast event on February 28 in place of a live concert, so your feedback will be helpful. If we do move forward with another webcast, we’ll need more content. So if you perform somewhere, please consider recording a video to share, form your own small ensemble and make an audio recording, or consider opting in to one of the virtual rehearsals (below).

Upbeat Virtual Rehearsals – Hallelujah Chorus and Mouse Mashup March

After the Fall Webcast, I thought it best to just let everything rest for a bit. Many of us stare at screens all day anyway. But I’d like to get these up and running again, using Sunday afternoon/Monday evening options to accommodate different family schedules. At the next Upbeat virtual events, we’ll work on Barton’s arrangements of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus, and his Mouse Mashup March (ingenious, based on Three Blind Mice and Mickey Mouse March!). The links above will take you to Dropbox folders with the parts and a recording to preview.

I hope you will want to join us next on either:

• Sunday, December 6 at 4:00 pm (3:30 pm for Upbeat orientation)
• Monday, December 7 at 8:00 pm (7:30 pm for Upbeat orientation)

Join me first in our WSW Zoom room (link below) and we’ll go from there. Remember you need: 1) Laptop/Macbook/Chromebook/desktop computer (it won’t work on a phone or tablet), 2) Chrome browser, 3) headphones/earbuds, 4) patience. Check these instructions for details and helpful tips.

Maslanka Symphony No. 4

I appreciate everyone’s help in collecting all the Maslanka parts. I erased all the markings and returned the rental. But before I returned the parts, I had this terrible accident where I dropped all the parts directly through a scanner. Tragic, I know. I’m now in the process of assembling the results together in cloud folder, and will let you know when I can share access with you. I continue to hope to program this at some point, and practicing those difficult sections will give us a headstart when that is possible.

Please consider supporting the Music Hall

Björn recently sent out this message to the audience base at TMH. December 12 will mark the 135th birthday of the Music Hall! Please consider supporting our rehearsal/performance home by taking a membership, purchasing a 2020 commemorative holiday ornament, or donating directly to help keep the Music Hall running. Our success depends on their success!

This week:

• First Curbside Concert a success!
• Zooms this week
• Help us build our email list to support the November 8 webinar
• Fall small ensembles at TMH on hold

Performance today

We played our first Curbside Concert today at the Masters School to honor the Head of School, Laura Danforth, on her birthday. Many thanks go to the volunteers to played, including Marge Hone, Barton Green, Tom Sweezey, Stan Serafin, Dave Marchiony, and Michael Lucke. We are also grateful to Marge for hosting our pre-performance rehearsal in her front yard (cheers from her neighbors!) and especially to Barton for creating these amazing four-part arrangements!

Today we played Largo, from Xerxes by Handel, Happy Birthday, and America, the Beautiful – all of them Barton’s creative arrangements. Two quick videos are included below.

Please promote our Curbside Concert idea to promote the group. In exchange for a donation of the donor’s choosing, we’ll send a group to play a short concert on the recipient’s front lawn. Especially now, we all need live music like this!

Zooms this week

We have another general member Zoom tomorrow evening, October 5, at 8:00 pm, and a Band Director Group Zoom on Thursday, October 8 at 8:00 pm. I’ll send the Zoom credentials in separate emails. Join us to see friends, share stories, catch up!

Email list

Please help us to reach a larger audience on November 8 by adding names of friends/family who may not have been to a WSW concert yet. Use the quick form below to add names and emails. If everyone could add 3-6 names, we could double our list!

Fall rehearsals at TMH on hold

We’ve been communicating with TMH regarding the fall rehearsals we hoped to begin this week. Although our protocols for the summer rehearsals are in line with the expectations of the stage manager, we haven’t gotten complete answers regarding air ventilation and fresh air exchange, and so we have put these rehearsals on hold until we can get more information.

Please stay tuned. It is still our hope to get these small ensembles up and running.

This week:

• Final call for remaining folders which have not been turned in
• Curbside Concert on October 4 — we need a couple more players!
• November 8 virtual event

Folders still missing

Thank you to everyone who returned their black music folders and Maslanka parts since the end of August. But we are still missing these folders: 9, 11, 18, 34, 37, 40, 41, 51, 53, 55, 58, and 59.

if you have one of these folders, contact Curt or David immediately. Principals/section leaders: if any of those numbers look like they belong to members of your section, please help us identify them and contact the players so we get their folders. Nancy cannot complete the library tear-down until we have recovered all folders!

There are still 3 Maslanka parts that have not been returned, and those players have been contacted individually.

Curbside Concert on Sunday, October 4 at 5:00 pm

We have our first Curbside Concert gig, but only 4 players! If you’re available that day, we could really use 4 more players. We’re meeting on Marge’s front lawn in Irvington at 3:30 pm to rehearse, then driving to Dobbs Ferry to play on the sidewalk at The Masters School to perform three of Barton’s arrangements at 5:00 pm, including Largo from Xerxes, Happy Birthday, and America the Beautiful. Future Curbside Concerts will also include his Mouse Mashup March. I’ve included recordings below. Barton’s arrangements are brilliant and deserve to be performed while we’re in pandemic mode!

Please consider 1) advertising our unique service to friends & family to “show up and perform” in exchange for a donation to the band, and 2) volunteering to play on October 4! Contact Curt or David for either/both.

We are still trying to work out details for interior rehearsals at TMH for the small ensembles. Information will be posted when available. 

Largo, from Xerxes

Happy Birthday

America, the Beautiful

Mouse Mashup March

November 8 – no concert, but there will be a virtual event

Please reserve Sunday, November 8 at 3:00 pm — the day/time previously advertised for our Fall Concert. We are working on a virtual event to update our audience on what we’ve been doing, what we’re planning, and that we need them. Please start to share that date with family and friends, and know that we will need every member to attend virtually that day to support our ensemble. Without your help, we have no future together.

Details regarding the format and content will be forthcoming. But save the date and start to share!

This week:

• The Ben Acrish ‘Quaren-tet’ will be playing again at the Black Rock Kitchen this Friday evening. You can find Ben, Chris, Mike, and Rich playing at 8:30 pm in the outdoor patio area at 171 Grand Street in Croton-on-Hudson.
• This past week, the WSW Board voted to transform our concert at 3 pm on Sunday, November 8 into a non-performance webinar event for our local and extended audience, to promote our ensemble and build our future. We’ll be sharing details about the event in the coming weeks, but please keep that date on your calendar, and tell your family and friends to do so as well. This event will be pivotal to our future, so please plan to participate.
• I’ve planned the music for the two upcoming announced events, and will send final details in a direct email early next week, including music download links.
• Finally, a new colleague at Masters is looking for housing in the area, a studio or one bedroom within 45 minutes of Dobbs Ferry. If you happen to know about an available apartment for rent, please contact me with details.