I’m hearing through the grapevine that a considerable number of players are not clear about The Free Lance. We will be rehearsing the Revelli edition tonight and will perform that edition — please be sure to download/print this new version and bring it tonight to New Rochelle HS.
Sousa/Revelii edition – The Free Lance
All parts – Caramoor program

Caramoor coupon code

I just sent a direct email with the code. It should have hit your inbox before this post.

Final rehearsal Monday at New Rochelle (for 2024-2025)

We are rehearsing at New Rochelle again on Monday. Please note that we are rehearsing the Revelli edition of The Free Lance, so be sure to download/bring the parts for this edition, which is now posted. (See below.)

This should be the last rehearsal at NRHS this season. I appreciate and thank all the members who have made the trek so far south so many times. It’s an attractive site, with great percussion equipment, excellent acoustics, our hosts are very WSW-friendly, and the price is the least expensive of our current alternate sites. It’s difficult to say no to rehearsing at New Rochelle when the circumstances do not allow us to use TMH.

Rehearsals on June 23 & 30 are confirmed at TMH. Please note that we can’t enter to set up on June 23 at TMH until 7:00 pm.

The Free Lance / Revelli edition is posted

A huge thank you goes out to Andrew Dolgon, who used his connections at University of Illinois to obtain the Revelli edition of The Free Lance for us. Upon arrival, Andrew also reformatted the scans so they could be read one page at a time, and he wrote out the tuba and euphonium parts, which were missing from the set. So we are really indebted to Andrew!

Rehearsal plan

The rehearsal plan for Monday is posted. Remember that there are only 3 rehearsals remaining  before Caramoor (including this coming Monday); please keep absences to the barest minimum.

2025-2026 season commitment form

Thank you to the 16 members who have already completed this form. If you haven’t done so yet, please click this link and fill out the 2025-2026 season form. It’s important that we gather a 100% return from the membership by June 30.

If at any time, your availability changes, be sure to contact Katherine immediately. This includes any changes in your replies before the form closes on June 30.

September 27 performance at Croton Point Park is confirmed!

We have been confirmed as the opening/headliner act for Revolutionary Westchester 250, a program celebrating the months leading up to the semiquincentennial. This event is sponsored by Westchester County Tourism, and will be a major fund-raising event for the ensemble.

The only update to the event details as I described them previously is that we will be performing at 11:00 am (not 12:00 or 1:00 pm). It is likely that the call time will be about 9:30 am, and we will be clear to leave by 12:00 pm or so. The program will be the Caramoor 2025 program without the vocal numbers, about 45 minutes with no intermission. There is a possibility that some version of Yankee Doodle will be added (this is a specific request from the sponsor because of the Revolutionary War connection). The one-and-only rehearsal for this performance will be Wednesday, September 24 (there is no Monday rehearsal that week because of Rosh Hashana). This will be the only rehearsal dedicated to reviewing this program, as all other fall rehearsals will focus on the program for the November 9 Fall Concert.

Rehearsals on June 9 & 16

For many of you, these last weeks in June are crazy with final performances, projects, and meetings. I hope all goes well as you close out another school year.

Our next two rehearsals are scheduled at New Rochelle HS, followed by the two final rehearsals at TMH (at this point, all four are confirmed as such).

Please review the metronome markings for the Kander & Ebb medley, cited below and with the rehearsal plan on the home page. Please transfer these tempi into your parts.

Also please note that our WSW board is meeting in the NRHS Band Room (mostly likely at the table next to the piano) at 7:00 pm on Monday. Please give us space and time while you warm up and prepare for the rehearsal. Thank you.

The 2025-2026 season

As announced last week in rehearsal, our next season is filled with some very exciting focus works, including (but not limited to) The Pines of Rome (Fall), Trittico and Bamboo Shoots and City Streets (Winter), and — after a 6 year delay — Maslanka’s epic Symphony No. 4 (Spring).

Also announced last week: We have been invited to play for a Westchester County Tourism event on Saturday, September 27, probably at 12:00 pm, at Croton Point Park. We’ll have confirmation of that soon. If confirmed, we will simply repeat the Caramoor 2025 program without the vocal selections, and possibly with an easy tweak or two.

Please click here to complete the 2025-2026 Commitment Form.

• Be aware that these concert dates are confirmed at TMH, but we may need to ask for some flexibility if our performance calendar is compromised.
• Please complete this form by Monday, June 30, so we can catch stragglers by our last meeting on July 4.
• Reminder: please contact me directly if you need to request taking a year leave-of-absence in 2025-2026.

Kander & Ebb tempi

Rehearsals for Caramoor begin June 2

• Check the home page for the download folder and rehearsal plan for June 2. This rehearsal will be held at White Plains HS. Be sure to download/print your parts and have them ready for the first rehearsal.
• Challenges – Be sure to look over these tunes before Monday night:
  • Barton’s arrangement of timeless Kander & Ebb selections is tricky!
  • The Cowboys represents technical and articulation challenges.
  • 1812 – need I say more?
• Library: I am not thrilled with the current version of The Free Lance (which I obtained free of charge from the Marine Band library). I’m looking for the Revelli edition of this march. It is temporarily out of stock on JWPepper. If you have access to the parts, please contact me!
• We’ve lost the June 9 & 16 rehearsals at TMH. We will rehearse at New Rochelle on those dates. June 23 is also looking “iffy” at TMH. Will update that situation asap.

2025-2026 season

I have all our guest artists lined up for next season, and it’s an exciting array of talent. I also have the core focus works chosen for each program. I will share these at rehearsal.

I’ve had some obstacles creating the commitment form for 2025-26, but the form will be sent out soon. We will be looking for everyone to complete this form by June 30 (prior to our Caramoor performance).