Launching our new donor campaigns!

Today’s mailing list email!

Really big, big, BIG news today — after much work by our new Donor Relations Committee, chaired and spearheaded by Russ Ebersole, we are formally announcing two major campaigns today:

1. Annual Giving Campaign – This will support the band broadly in all areas, and will continue all season until next June.
2. Repertoire Sponsorships – Individual underwriting and program acknowledgements for each/all of our Fall Concert selections. If this is successful, we will relaunch this for the concert selections in February.

Please take a look at the informative email that Rebecca Weissman created to launch these two campaigns, and then please share both links with associates, family, and friends!

Please share these links to optimize our campaign efforts!

This week:

• Remaining rehearsals
• Program ads due on Monday!
• Tickets
• Trumpet events

Remaining rehearsals

We have only 3 working rehearsals remaining: this Monday at New Rochelle; Monday, October 27 at White Plains HS; and Wednesday, November 5 at TMH. Our dress rehearsal is Saturday, November 8 at TMH, and the performance is Sunday, November 9 with the sound check at 1:00 pm and performance at 3:00 pm.

Program ads

Please give remaining ad orders to Tom Sweezey by this Monday evening, October 20. Please give Tom all three:
• Ad order form (may seem unimportant, but it’s actually crucial for helping me decipher and plan the layout of the ads)
• Payment (cash, check, Zelle to treasurer@westchestersymphonicwinds.org; if paying by credit card please ad 3% to cover the admin fees)
• Program copy (can also be emailed as an attachment to westsymwinds@gmail.com)
Thank you!

Tickets, Tickets, Tickets!

We need to push ticket sales — we do not want to play this concert to a mediocre house! Please send friends & family to our Box Office page:
https://tickets.tarrytownmusichall.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=3115
To access the Friends & Family discount, enter coupon code Pines25 first, then the discounted rate will appear on the screen.

Rebecca has been hard at work advertising our concert on social media. Please like, forward, repost, and engage with the WSW posts on Facebook and Instagram. Search for @wswinds on these platforms! This is the easiest way to create excitement about the concert. Let’s get to it!

News a la Trumpet

• We have one confirmed master class with Morris Northcutt. I’m hoping to schedule one more. Any directors interested in having him in to your school for a session? Please contact me. To learn more about Morris, visit morrisnorthcutt.com.
  
• Bill Owens, associate principal trumpet of the West Point Band, is sponsoring Trumpet Day at SUNY-Purchase on Saturday, October 25. See details in the flyer below.
  

Thank you, everyone, for rising to the occasion last Monday. I heard excellent reports regarding Alex and Katherine leading the rehearsal, and I’m grateful to both of them for stepping in. That was the first rehearsal I have ever missed in 18 years. My Influenza A symptoms were really severe; I was taking opioids and was in la-la land through Thursday morning. It was ironic that my flu vaccine appointment was yesterday, but now I’m good to go. If you haven’t been vaccinated, I really encourage you to go. You do NOT want to get this!

Quick review of announcements:

• Rehearsal Monday is at Knights of Columbus in Port Chester. Please bring music stands! The rehearsal plan is posted.
• A big thank you to Marc Perler and Music & Arts! I hope the goodie bags have found good homes!
• Program ads are due next Monday, October 20. Sorry for the quick turn-around, but losing the September 29 rehearsal had its impact. Download a form here, or pick one up on Monday night.
• I’ve had one inquiry about a Master Class with Morris Northcutt on November 6 or 7. I’m hoping for one more! Please speak to me on Monday or email me.

Lots to announcement this week, since I didn’t really have a chance to speak to you all last week.

• Rehearsal tomorrow, October 6, at White Plains HS. The rehearsal plan is posted.
• Program Ads
• Trumpet Master Classes with Morris Northcutt
• Gifts from Music & Arts/Marc Perler
• Eastman Wind Ensemble live streaming Maslanka #4 next week

Rehearsal

We’re rehearsing tomorrow night at White Plains HS. Directions and the rehearsal plan are posted on the home page. Next week, our rehearsal on Monday, October 13 is at the Knights of Columbus in Port Chester (bring music stands for this rehearsal).

Program ads

It’s time to fill our 2025-26 program with ads! Please download and use this form. Prices have not changed since last year. This is an easy way for us to develop revenue, and all ads run in all three concert programs. Deadline is October 20. Katherine will have hard copies for distribution. When ready, please give all ad forms/payments to Tom Sweezey.

Trumpet Master Classes with Morris Northcutt

Morris, our soloist for this concert, is offering to give master classes while he’s in the area. We’re looking to put something together on the two school days between his working rehearsal and the dress. If you’re a director and could host a master class — either for individual players or for your entire trumpet section — on Thursday, November 6 or Friday, November 7, please speak to me to set it up. The master class fee is $250.

Amazing gifts from Marc Perler and Music & Arts!

Our own Marc Perler is Area Development/ Retail Store Manager for the Greenwich location of Music & Arts. You may remember that we distributed over 100 boxes of reeds on two occasions that Marc donated. He is now offering “Director Goodie Bags” with valve oil, cork/slide grease, trombone slide cream, rosin, shoulder rests, rock stops, clarinet/sax mouthpieces/ligatures/caps, trumpet/euphonium/trombone mouthpieces, Essential Elements books (all instruments, for band & orchestra), and more. He’s going to bring these to rehearsal tomorrow night. Please see him at the break or at the end of rehearsal if you’d like to claim one of his Christmas-in-September bags.

In addition, he’s running this promotion just for WSW members:

For WSW members, I’m pleased to offer all members a 15-25% discount off of regular online pricing for not only Music & Arts band, orchestra & combo items (guitars, amps, keyboards), but for Musicians Friend & Guitar Center items, as well. Certain items cannot be discounted & for some items, discounts are limited. This WSW promo will run through 12/31/25 and at that time, Music & Arts will reevaluate this promotion for continuation.  Anyone who wants to take advantage of this can contact me for further info — contact me by email Marc.Perler at musicarts.com.

Maslanka 4 at Eastman

The Eastman Wind Ensemble is performing Maslanka’s Symphony No. 4 this Wednesday, October 8 at 7:30 pm, and it will be livestreamed. Kevin Holzman is conducting. Program also includes works by Higdon and Tian. This is an amazing opportunity to experience this cornerstone work that we have programmed for May. Click here for the livestream. The link will open approximately 15 minutes before the concert begins.