I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! We’re back to work on Monday with our first working rehearsal of the new cycle. We’re working on deMeij, Gjeilo, and Reed only.

I created a new recordings order form for the 30th anniversary season CDs. We couldn’t include everything, but the CDs do include:

• Sennet
• Famishius Fantasticus
• Brooklyn Bridge
• Our Reply
• A La Machaut
• Lincolnshire Posy
• Overture to Gypsy
• Music for Prague 1968
• The Dream of Oenghus, Part 1
• Overture to Candide 
• Prayers for a Troubled Nation
• Concerto after Gliere, Taratella (including the smoking jacket reprise)
• Kalinnikov Finale

That’s a rather impressive list! The double CD set is priced at $30.00, and you won’t find this on Amazon! Place your order here, or use the order form below. We’ll announce on Monday when orders are due, so be sure to place your orders by that announced date!

See everyone on Monday!

Our friends in the Connecticut Symphonic Winds and Northwinds Concert Band have concerts this weekend, tonight and tomorrow respectively. Here are the flyers once again, in case you are able to attend. Bob Bennett is conducting two works on the Northwinds program, and we have several WSW members who double in the Connecticut ensemble.

Remember that we gather at 7:30 pm Monday, to enter the Hall as soon as they have cleared, as close to 7:45 pm as possible. We will be sight-reading the Winter concert program.

I want to congratulate everyone on a fabulous concert on Sunday. Thank you for your dedication, endurance, professionalism, and positivity which contributed to yet another successful program. 

My thanks go out to many people, in no particular order (and please forgive any omissions!):

• Thank you to Joe Bergamini for his outstanding rehearsals and performance of the Jager!
• Thank you to Gina Serafin for her beautiful and artistic oboe playing!
• Thank you to Robert Ambrose for his beautiful crafting of the Whitacre!
• Thank you to Tom for organizing the ad submissions and researching the WWI song lyrics!
• Thank you to Ed & Michelle Herko for hosting Robert Ambrose!
• Thank you to David Church for his thorough weekly accounting of our personnel, and especially for leveraging our use of the NRHS Band Room once again, on super-short notice!
• Thank you to Dan Daly for his wonderful introduction of the WWI medley.
• Thank you to Marianne Lepre-Nolan for her outreach research, which brought us Dan Daly and more Westchester County band students in our audience.
• Thank you to Chris Larsen and Jim Savage for their introductions of our honorees, Rob LaPorta and Capt. Ken Force.
• Thank you to Marge Hone for managing our Friends & Family tickets, Will Call, and CD sales. 
• Thank you to Bethany Larsen, Jean Sweeney, Rachel Eckhaus, and all the volunteers who helped with the 50-50 raffle, one of our biggest jackpots ever!
• Thank you to Dan Harrison for the opportunity to hear the NY Phil with Robert on Thursday night.
• Thank you to Emily Harrison for saving my butt on Sunday!
• Thank you to everyone who indulged my whim to program and perform the Schelle. Contemporary work for 2018-2019 . . . CHECK! 
• Thank you to everyone to invited concert patrons, promoted our concert season, sold ads, practiced diligently, and contributed to the positive team spirit of our ensemble!

Our next rehearsal is next Monday, November 19 at Tarrytown Music Hall. We cannot enter until 7:45 pm because of a 6:15 pm children’s theater performance, so please gather under the marquee by 7:30 pm so we can enter as soon as they are done and set up quickly.

Also note that we are holding a second round of auditions/call-backs at 5:30-7:00 pm in the 2nd floor Studio at the Music Hall, prior to our rehearsal on November 19. We are still in the process of casting singers in several roles. If you have someone to recommend, contact me as soon as possible!

I’m writing this from Atlanta, where I’m having a great time this week with Robert Ambrose and his wonderful Symphonic Wind Ensemble and graduate conducting students. Last evening I taught the undergrad Instrumental Methods class. Today, I joined Robert to teach three grad conducting lessons and conducted a rehearsal of the Cichy with his Symphonic Wind Ensemble. The kids were great, and very responsive. I’m teaching the grad Conducting Seminar on Thursday morning, our concert is Thursday evening, and I return Friday morning. See you Monday evening!

I have reason to believe that the message has not gotten out completely. We are not rehearsing at TMH tonight, we are rehearsing in the New Rochelle Band Room. Make sure you follow these directions.  

In addition, David has warned me that the custodians will be pushing to have us out of the building by 9:45. We need to end in time to clear/reset the room and clear the building by 9:45 pm to accommodate them, especially as this was a late/emergency request to use the space. Because of this, take extra precautions to arrive earlier than usual to set up/warm up, so I can start on time at 7:30. In order to expedite things further, there will be no break tonight. Please anticipate your personal needs. If you find you must leave mid-rehearsal, please plan your exit and return to coordinate with the updated rehearsal plan, and expedite your exit and return quickly and carefully.

Thanks for your diligence and flexibility. We are a well-oiled machine when we have to be! See you tonight in New Rochelle!