Monday night rehearsal at TMH

I hope everyone had two good Monday evenings off. We return to our work together on Monday with a full read-through of the Spring program scheduled for May 11. On the following Monday, March 4, we will devote the rehearsal to the preparation of the concert at West Point on March 9. See the rehearsal plans posted here.

Wind Conducting Symposium site has launched!

We have everything ready to go for Robert Ambrose to join us for the reboot of the Wind Conducting Symposium this spring. Dates are May 31-June 1 & 2. WSW is co-sponsoring the workshop this year with Music Educators of Bergen County. Volunteer players are needed for the wind ensemble lab sessions. Click here for complete information for joining us as a conductor, auditor, or lab ensemble player.

Prism Concert volunteers sought for Ravel’s Bolero on April 9

As I announced several weeks ago, I’m looking for some WSW players to volunteer to play for a “flash mob finale” for my Prism Concert in Estherwood Mansion at The Masters School on Tuesday, April 9 at 6:30 pm. The finale is an arrangement of Ravel’s Bolero, and parts can be found here.

For the past two years, I’ve gathered all of my instrumental players for a massed finale in the foyer of Estherwood Mansion. The first year it was a total surprise for everyone. Last year, I included a flamenco dancer as a surprise in the finale. This year I hope to involve WSW volunteers to play for this finale. The vibe will be: “I’m a regular audience member attending the concert. Oh what’s happening now . . . it’s Ravel’s Bolero. Well I just happen to have my instrument with me – I’ll join in and play along.”

I’ll rehearse the Bolero parts with the players who can volunteer at the end of our regular WSW rehearsal on April 8. There is a dress rehearsal in Estherwood at 5:00 pm on the day of the concert, April 9; volunteers are welcome to come to the dress if your schedule allows.* Otherwise, I plan to “wing it” with the volunteers at the concert, which begins at 6:30 pm. Sounds scary, right? But I think it will work.

*I’ll have pizza on site for everyone staying through from the dress through the concert.

If you’re interested, fill out the quick form below.

No rehearsal tomorrow!

There’s no rehearsal tomorrow, February 19. We meet next on:

Monday, February 26 at TMH – first rehearsal of the Spring cycle.
All parts are ready and are posted here. This rehearsal will be a read-through of the entire May 11 program, and all Spring personnel for the May 11 concert should attend.

Monday, March 4 at TMH – rehearsal for our first WSW/West Point concert on March 9 at Eisenhower Hall. Parts are posted here. All personnel for the March 9 performance should attend. Everyone performing on March 4 should expect to meet at Eisenhower Hall at 11:00 am. You will need a government-issued photo ID to be admitted to the West Point campus; expect delays at the access gates. We’ll have access to the building at 11:15 am, and our sound check is 11:45-12:15 pm, followed by a WSW/West Point combined rehearsal  from 12:30-1:00 pm. Concert begins at 2:00 pm. More details will be forthcoming.

Rehearsal plans for both February 26 and March 4 are posted here.

New Conductors Orchestra Concert

Thank you for your amazing work on Sunday. The performance was spectacular in so many ways, but I was most impressed because:

1. The degree of focus and determination you brought to the stage was palpable. It was definitely a “take no prisoners” kind of afternoon.
2. The audience was so moved by your musicianship. You could feel the electricity in the room — for example, at the release of the final Bernstein chord, but in so many other moments as well.

We’ll talk more about the concert when we meet again on February 26.

I’ve laid out the rehearsal plans for the next two rehearsals. Our next rehearsal on February 26 is a read-through of the entire May 11 program for the Spring Concert personnel. Then the rehearsal on March 4 is our one-and-only-rehearsal for the Eisenhower Hall program for the March 9 West Point Concert personnel. Be sure to follow the links on the front page to the music folders for both programs and bring the required parts to each rehearsal.

The board meets tonight and we have much to discuss and much to plan as well.

Congratulations to everyone who performed on Sunday. It was a truly exceptional performance, and I am so proud to be associated with you all!

On to the next challenges!

Our dress rehearsal was solid, the weather looks great for tomorrow, and the stage is set in many ways for a great performance! Remember that this is a 2:00 pm performance, with a 12:00 pm soundcheck:

11:00 am – TMH opens. Please arrive early enough to assist with placing chairs, stands, and warm up carefully.
12:00 pm – Sound check, in program order.
1:00 pm – Break. Please clear stage no later than 1:30 pm, when house opens.
1:45 pm – Gather by sections to tune
1:50 pm – Take places on stage
2:00 pm – Downbeat
There is no formal group gathering after the performance because of the Super Bowl, it’s likely that you will find some of us at The Tapp, on Broadway, for a quick round.

Get some rest, and psych up for an epic performance tomorrow!

Curt