The 2024-2025 season kicks off now!

We have already started planning our 37th season for 2024-25. Please click here to complete the concert commitment form for next season. It’s our hope, of course, that everyone will return to play all concerts!

Please note: Membership dues have remained at $100 since the ensemble reorganized in 2005. At its monthly meeting on June 11, the WSW board voted to raise dues for the coming season to $125 per member. This increase — the first in 20 years — is way below the inflation rate (which would put dues at $165), and will go a long way in helping us to cover our expenses for hall rental, music costs, guest artists, insurance, website costs, and much, much more. Thank you for your understanding and support.  As usual, dues will be due by October 1 once the new season rehearsals begin.

We have so much to look forward to next season, especially the new Viet Cuong commission, which will be delivered on February 15, 2025 and premiered on May 10, 2025!

Grant-writers sought

In an effort to boost our income, we are looking at several grants for which we’d like to apply. We could really use the help of anyone — members or friends/family of members — who has grant writing experience, and would be willing to work with us. If interested, please contact Curt or any member of the board.

No rehearsal June 17 / next rehearsal June 24 at TMH

As announced, there is no rehearsal this coming Monday, June 17. We have only two more rehearsals before our Caramoor performance: June 24 and July 1, both at TMH. The rehearsal plan for June 24 is already posted.

See you on June 24 at TMH!

This week’s rehearsal, commitment form for 2024-2025, gratitude to symposium players, and more free clarinet/saxophone reeds!

This week’s rehearsal is at White Plains HS again!

Don’t go to TMH! We are rehearsing again at White Plains on Monday night at 7:30 pm. Please join me in thanking Kathy Davis for being such a kind and gracious host once again this year. Please check the rehearsal plan for the works to be rehearsed.

There is no rehearsal on June 17. Enjoy the night off, or consider practicing on your own! Our final two rehearsals of the season will be held at TMH on June 24 and July 1.

Personnel commitment forms

Katherine is helping me to prepare the form for concert commitments for next season. Please complete it as soon as possible it is sent out. Our goal once again this year is to prompt everyone’s response by the performance on July 4.

Thank you to all the symposium performers

Thank you to everyone who played for the symposium last weekend, and a special thank you to Katherine for pulling all four rosters together. If you played, I hope you enjoyed the experience.

More reeds!

Once again, Marc Perler has a surplus of clarinet and saxophone reeds, and they are ready for distribution. I have prepared Ziploc bags, each with approximately 16 boxes/4 strengths ready to distribute on Monday night. First come, first served! I’m planning to arrive at WPHS at 7:00 pm, and I’ll distribute one bag of clarinet reeds and one bag of saxophone reeds to each music educator who is interested. After the initial round of equal distribution, if there are any left over at the break, the remaining bags are up for grabs for anyone who’d like to take them.

Please thank Marc Perler and Music & Arts for making this possible!

Wind Conducting Symposium

Thank you so much to the large number of players who responded to the call and are scheduled to play during the wind ensemble labs this weekend! And a huge thank you to Katherine for digging in and helping to fill out the rosters. Note that the entrance to use is around the back of the building. Pull into the school, drive along the right side of the building, go around the Auditorium, park in the rear, and use the doors closest to the Auditorium. The first door inside goes onto the stage.

Rehearsal on Monday at White Plains, NOT at TMH

We are rehearsing again at our alternate rehearsal site on Monday. The rehearsal plan is posted. We will also be rehearsing there on Monday, June 10.

See you Monday evening at White Plains HS!

We start the Caramoor cycle on Monday night. But before reviewing details about that, I need to ask for help with players to populate the lab ensembles for the symposium on June 1-2.

Wind Conducting Symposium

Click here to register to play in one (or more!) of the symposium lab ensembles!

We were so focused on the Spring concert over the past few weeks, which was important, but the symposium is now only two weeks away! The WSW board decided to co-sponsor this event with the Music Educators of Bergen County, Inc., and we need players to play for the lab ensembles.

If you’ve never attended a conducting symposium, it is a professional development workshop designed to give conductors an opportunity to hone their craft. You will meet other area players, and it is FUN! In order to be successful, we need an ensemble for the conductors to conduct. The event will take place at Northern Valley-Old Tappan HS in Bergen County, about 25 minutes from Tarrytown. There are 4 sessions: morning and afternoon on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2. Click here for the times for each session and to register to play. It’s a great learning experience for everyone — not just the conductors. And our friend Robert Ambrose will be on hand as our guest clinician. Several of you have already registered, but we need to fill more spots on the rosters to match the number of players coming from MEBCI. Please consider the dates and join us!

Rehearsal on Monday at TMH

The rehearsal plan is posted and parts are ready! Download your parts from this folder. As with the previous concerts this season, hard copies will not be distributed, so please make sure to download all 12 selections:

1. arr. Green – Pre-Americana
2. Smith – Star-Spangled Banner
3. Sousa – The Washington Post
4. Bock/Green – Tradition, from Fiddler on the Roof
5. Sheldon – Sixty-Six
6. Williams – The Sinfonians
   Puccini centennial tribute:
7. Puccini – Nessun dorma (Turandot)
8. Puccini – O mio babbino caro (Gianni Schicchi) – no trumpet or trombone parts
9. Puccini – O soave fanciulla (La Boheme)
10. Verdi – Addio, addio/encore (Rigoletto)
    Finale:
11. Tchaikovsky – 1812
12. Sousa – Stars & Stripes