There’s no snow! So I think we’re ready to roll! See my notes below about the sound check tomorrow, which must start promptly at 6:00 pm.

I thought the Zdechlik, Gjeilo, Villa-Lobos, de Meij, and Williams sounded great on Wednesday. But between the curve balls we had with the stage preset for a film, and the head-on realization of playing all three movements altogether, it was not an ideal dress rehearsal for the Reed. Yes, it’s a long, involved, and complex work, but so well written, and so deserving of what this ensemble brings to it. So I have posted a specific plan for 8 sections in La Fiesta that I want to review during the sound check. Please check that plan so you’re prepared for the work we still need to do. Two of these sections ask for you to sing rather than play, as I am conscious of how your chops are affected right before a concert.

The TMH staff is pulling the piano, setting up risers/shells, and bringing up all chairs/stands and percussion. I’ve asked that the crew have everything in place by 5:00 pm for us to finalize the setup and prepare. If you can, please arrive early to help finalize the setup. But I’d like to ask everyone to be in the Hall by 5:45 pm, so everyone can warm up effectively without rushing, and facilitate our downbeat start at 6:00 pm. Please remember to allow plenty of time to park. Having the bank lot open again will certainly help, but don’t assume a space will be waiting for you lat minute. To be honest, we do not have a good track record for having 100% of players in seats and ready to play at the announced sound check time — so let’s change that with this concert.

Enjoy the day — see you tomorrow. We’re going to have an amazing concert!

The snow/ice storm did not live up to expectations — fortunately! So, we are good to go tonight with our rehearsal at TMH. We’ll do our best to get the heat cranking early, but think ahead when panning your rehearsal attire tonight; layered flannel and down might be a better choice over shorts and t-shirts.

Remember that the front doors will be locked at 7:30 pm, and the rear door at 7:45 pm. Text David if you have any issues — not that we’re inviting them, mind you!

And the weather is looking good through the weekend, so we are set for our dress rehearsal on Wednesday at 7:30 and sound check Saturday at 6:00 pm/performance at 8:00 pm.

Because of my ongoing battle with my chronic condition, bandus performitis complexitus, this is yet another concert with lots of moving parts. Tonight we add a guest conductor, four soloists, and eight off-stage band performers. Wednesday we add harp and piano. So please arrive with plenty of time to spare, well-prepared, warmed up, with open hearts and minds, so we can use our time together efficiently and purposefully.

See you later tonight!

I’m copying the three important items I just emailed to everyone, without David’s number, to make sure that everyone has access to this information.

First, I’m writing to remind you that, starting this coming Monday, we’ve been asked to close/lock all entry doors while we rehearse.

So, as announced, we will lock the front marquee doors at 7:30 pm when we start rehearsal, and lock the back door (near the dressing rooms) at 7:45 pm. If you have an unexpected delay and are late, arriving between 7:30-7:45 pm, just come in the back door. If you are later than 7:45 pm for some reason, contact David Church by text or phone (text preferred, because we’ll be rehearsing at that point) and he will send someone to open the back door for you. This plan will allow us to follow Karina’s directive, but still create a manageable plan for anyone who can’t find a parking spot at the last minute.

Second, the weather is far from tropical for the weekend. Please plan ahead to protect yourself, your family, and your property. I understand the big concern this weekend is icing, strong winds, and potential power issues. We fully expect to rehearse on Monday, but I’ll email everyone again by 5:00 pm on Monday to confirm the status of rehearsal. If you don’t have mobile access to email in the afternoon, plan to call a friend who can check email so everyone will be aware of the plans for the evening. Hopefully, the holiday will play in our favor this time.
The rehearsal plan is published on the home page of my blog at wsw.ebernet.biz, but here it is as well:
7:30 – Zdechlik with Lt. David Regner
8:00 – Reed I (with HHHS off-stage band players)
8:25 – Reed II
8:40 – Stretch
8:45 – Villa-Lobos with West Point soloists

Third, I am going to cancel the February 4 rehearsal, which was intended to be the first reading rehearsal for Caramoor. I’m cancelling because one of the tunes is out of print, and we haven’t found a source for parts yet (American Originals by Sammy Nestico), Matt Podd will not have the vocal arrangement completed until April 1, and all the other pieces are reprises from this season or previous seasons. My plan had been to introduce the three overlapping concerts in reverse order (Caramoor, Spring, ACB Convention) but that plan now seems unwieldy and impractical. Instead, we’ll concentrate on rehearsing the shared repertoire between the Spring and ACB concerts at our next rehearsal on February 11, and then move forward with the new Les Miz arrangement on February 25 (there is no rehearsal on February 18 for Presidents Day). I’ll review this on Monday, but I wanted to put it in writing so you can be aware of the change.

Stay warm, stay dry, keep the lights on! See you Monday.

Thanks for a great rehearsal last night. I was especially happy with the Gjeilo, and I think we all felt it. Next Monday is our last working rehearsal, and as I announced, all the additional players will be coming on Monday night.

I forgot to post the Winter Concert flyer. Please share liberally!

• Flyer – JPG (for Facebook, twitter, inserts for other media)
• Flyer – final hi-res PDF (for printing)

And if you are you looking for concert details: Press Release

And here’s the information on the job openings Mislav described on Monday evening. Please contact him if you have someone to recommend.

I recently started working at Music & Arts in Bedford Hills, and there are two job opportunities that I’d like to forward to the ensemble:
1. Teaching private piano lessons on Saturdays from 10 AM to 6 PM (mostly in the earlier part of the day) with flexible pricing.
2. Full-time retail associate – 40 hours/week.
Both of these jobs are the Mt. Kisco Music & Arts which is located at 720 N. Bedford Rd. in Bedford Hills, NY.

You can expect Zdechlik, Villa-Lobos, and Reed Monday night. I’ll update the rehearsal plan by the weekend. In the meantime, have a great week!