Lots of news this week!

• End-of-year donation requests
• January 20 potluck and West Side Story screening event
• Simon Boyar percussion master class on January 27
• Dashnaw Trio performance tomorrow at Common Grounds

Holiday schedule

Monday will be our last rehearsal of the calendar year. There will be no rehearsals on December 25 and January 1. We will resume rehearsals on Monday, January 8 at TMH. That rehearsal will include a reading of Riften Wed, by Julie Giroux, to be performed on the West Point concerts and Spring Concert. Those parts will be posted by January 1 for download and printing.

End-of-year donations — spread the word!

Overall, donor contributions have declined and we’ve had far fewer donations so far this season compared to other seasons. Please consider sharing this link with friends/family and on social media to encourage final end-of-year donations to help support the band.

January 20 Potluck and West Side Story screening

The reception after the Caramoor concert was great fun and so we thought another social event would be great, and could also serve to inspire our February performance. The event will take place on Saturday evening, January 20.

We’ve reserved the media room at the Peekskill Yacht Club (thanks to Rich Dashnaw, who is a member there), which has a media room. The rental fee is $200 and we’re asking everyone attending to contribute $5 per person toward the rental cost (WSW will cover the rest) and bring a covered potluck dish to share. The evening schedule will be:

• 4:00 pm – room setup (if you’d like to volunteer to help)
• 5:30-6:00 pm – general arrival and potluck setup
• 6:00 pm – dinner
• 7:00 pm – screening of 2021 Steven Spielberg West Side Story
• 9:30 pm – end of film and clean up
• 10:00 pm – clear space and lock up

The 50th anniversary version of the original 1961 film is striking in so many ways. The exposition of the location has a hit-you-in-the-gut impact. Rita Moreno, an EGOT winner, won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1961, playing Anita. In the Spielberg version, she plays Valentina, a re-imagined version of Doc. And the soundtrack was conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, performed by the New York Philharmonic (in 2019) and Los Angeles Philharmonic (in 2020). There’s so much to love here!

We hope you’ll add the date to your calendar. We’ll take a headcount of those attending in January.

Simon Boyar percussion master class on January 27

Chris Larsen has helped us to line up a percussion master class at the Simon Boyar School of Drums and Percussion on Saturday, January 27 at 10:00 am. The focus of the master class will be the percussion parts we are performing in the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Although primarily engaging our percussionists, others are invited to join us, especially band directors and interested percussion students. This master class promises to shed light on a number of percussion techniques, and will be interesting and engaging for all. We’ll take a headcount of those who would like to attend in January.

Dashnaw Trio performance at Common Grounds

Rich and his trio (along with Michael Lucke and Chris Larsen) are performing tomorrow, December 17 in Jefferson Valley. If you’re in the area, please consider stopping by!

Please complete the short form below to acknowledge that you’ve seen the cancellation notice. Or click here to complete the same acknowledgement. This step is important so we know we connected with everyone!

I’ve made the difficult decision to cancel our rehearsal tonight. As of 3:30 pm, we had 12 call-outs for absences — that’s 20% of the ensemble. With the flu and the resurgence of COVID, it just doesn’t make sense to bring everyone out tonight, stir up more germs, and make more people sick.

Except for the short list of players who have already submitted absences for next week, please plan on coming next Monday, December 18 ready to dig in for one last productive rehearsal before the holiday break. Thank you.

Winter concert advertising

We’ve started our public relations work for February. Feel free to download and share the artwork Rebecca created! We are working to send the press release out before the winter holidays break.

Rehearsal on Monday

See the rehearsal plan for Monday’s rehearsal here on the home page. I also shared some details for a number of the upcoming rehearsals.

Rep for West Point concerts in March

Finding the right balance of works that integrate with the program being played by the West Point Band was not so easy. I had to consider what we’ve already rehearsed or will be rehearsing, be mindful of the obvious Americana connection, find a balance of energetic and lyrical works, avoid piling on additional pieces or adding rehearsals, and arrive at a duration of about 28-30 program minutes. So we will be going with:

• Day – Shimmering Sunshine (from Fall 2023 program)
• Giroux – Riften Wed (from Spring 2024 program)
• Markowski – Desert Sage (from 2022-23 season)

I decided to go with the Markowski because the current season’s anchor works do not fit well for various reasons. I also think playing this significant work written for our ensemble is appropriate for this unique performance opportunity, and reprising it will be much easier in terms of rehearsal than starting another new work.

We will also be performing two final works, combining forces with the West Point Band players:

• Aaron Copland, arranged by Noah D. Taylor – Simple Gifts
• John Philip Sousa, edited by Keith Brion and Loras Schissel – The Stars and Stripes Forever

A performance commitment form for the West Point concerts and further details will be sent in a separate email.

Hudson Valley Saxophone Orchestra

Please remember the Hudson Valley Saxophone Orchestra concert on Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 pm. It sounds like great fun!

Rehearsal on Monday

We are coming up on the final rehearsals of the calendar year, rehearsing again at TMH on Monday. I appreciate the help of those who arrive consistently early to assist in setting up. If you can, please consider coming a little earlier than usual to help. But definitely arrive in time to warm up and be ready to start at 7:30 pm! Please continue to contact Katherine directly — not me — if you have a last minute traffic issue.

The rehearsal plan is posted. We are rather Bernstein-heavy on Monday. Fair warning!

West Point concerts repertoire

I’ve been struggling a bit to finalize the program for these concerts on March 9 & 16. There are a lot of factors contributing to making this a tricky proposition, including some critical personnel issues, programming issues with the current season’s focus pieces, and finding the right lyric/evocative work. I’m hoping to finalize this at Tuesday’s board meeting, and then I will share with everyone.

Hudson Valley Saxophone Orchestra

Charlie Gray, who has recently subbed with us on bari sax, sent us this invitation to the Hudson Valley Saxophone Orchestra concert on Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 pm. (For reference – Charlie was the contrabass saxophone player in November 2022!) Check out the flyer below and consider attending. And be sure to note: audience member saxophonists are welcome to join in on the final selections (but bring your own music stand).