I hope everyone’s power is back on. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for so many of you for the last week or more. Here’s hoping you’re warm, and didn’t have to light candles to practice this week!
Remember that the Connecticut Symphonic Winds concert is tonight at 7:30 pm. If you live near Fairfield, please consider stopping by.
We’ve heard back from Karina/TMH and hopefully I’ll be able to announce the adjusted dates for the Winter concerts in 2019 & 2020 soon. The Fall & Spring concert dates are confirmed, and I’ve added these to the homepage of this site (check the listings on the far right).
Our rehearsal plan for Monday night is posted. It includes Burns, Grainger (III & IV), Rudin, Canfield, and K-kov. Although the weather reports are flirting with snow conditions, the tide seems to be turning away from snow affecting us on Monday. See you then.
I just received this email from Charles DePaul, conductor of the Connecticut Symphonic Winds, advertising their concert on Saturday, March 10. Several of our members play in or are associated with the ensemble. See description and flyer for this free concert below.
Dear Subscribers and Friends of the CT Symphonic Winds,
The time has come! Our next concert is less than a week away and we invite you to be part of it! Saturday, March 10th at 7:30 we will present to you our latest program, “To A Higher Power!” Musical Reflections On High.
It’s a program of musical interpretation of a higher order where you will be able to hear different of composers ideas and musical thoughts of glory. You will be able to ponder the music of Galante, his Transcendent Journey and Resplendent Glory, reflect on Hansen’s Choral and Alleluia and contemplate Grace by Balmages and O Magnum Mysterium by Lauridsen. That’s not all, we will be presenting another slide presentation set to Sheltering Sky by Mackey, a work performed previously and a band and audience favorite. It all happens at the Roger Ludlowe Middle School Theatre, Fairfield CT, for free with no reservations needed.
Please find a concert flyer attached to this mail for you to print and pass along. As always, we ask you to forward this notice to people you may think may have an interest in CSW and ask them to do the same. Your participation in letting the public know about our performances has been the greatest way to increase our audience support. In fact we encourage the effort of many of our subscribers to invite and bring someone new to each performance. From what I hear, they have not been disappointed! Thank you all for this effort.
Something new! In As CSW considers itself an organization of innovation and incorporator of todays technology, we will have open that night and for several days after an electronic survey you can take to help us get in better touch with you, our audience. This will be available during future programs with questions changing to help us bring you the finest and most enjoyable experience we can offer you. You will be able to access that evening by going to: https://pollev.com/kak515
Thank you for your support!
Charles Brian DePaul Music Director, Connecticut Symphonic Winds
PS – Save the date for the CSW Spring Performance, Saturday, May 19th at 7:30!
I have to admit that I came away from last week’s rehearsal thinking, “Wow. I have so much to work on, and there were intonation problems, and those balance issues . . . ” And then I realized, “Dude, they just sight-read that entire program!” When I think back to ten years ago, and then compare it to the work you are doing now, it’s simply amazing. Yes, we have work to do, but I am so very proud of where we’ve come as an ensemble, and I think our 30th Gala program will truly be amazing.
With the Gala concert on the immediate horizon, Caramoor is not that far away. And as we return for our fifth performance in their garden of music, their expectations are naturally quite high.
Caramoor
Matt Podd finished the West Side Story arrangement this week, and sent me the parts and score. After I’ve had a chance to review the score, check the parts, and work out any wrinkles with Matt, I’ll distribute the parts way ahead of the first rehearsal on April 9. The medley was chosen along with the Overture to Candide to celebrate the Bernstein centennial, and is 9 minutes long. It features Cool, Something’s Coming, America, Maria, One Hand One Heart, Tonight, and Somewhere. I have not yet met our soprano and tenor soloists; they are both alumni of Caramoor’s Rising Stars program. Here are two YouTube videos to give you a taste of their voices. Miles Mykkanen is our Tony, and Meredith Lustig is Maria. I’m very eager to meet and work with them!
I’ve scheduled the Caramoor reading rehearsal for April 9. The program includes these works, which are reprises from previous concerts at the Music Hall:
Smith/Sousa/Damrosch – Star Spangled Banner
Bernstein/Grundman – Overture to Candide
Markowski – Famishius Fantasticus (yes, I warned Caramoor about the confetti)
Fillmore/Fennell – Americans We
Sheldon – Metroplex
Tchaikovsky/Lake – 1812
Sousa/Brion & Schissel – Stars & Stripes
and these new works, including Barton Green’s latest and freshest arrangement:
Wilson/Green – Selections from The Music Man
Bernstein/Podd – Vocal Selections from West Side Story
Ward/Rothman – America the Beautiful (a new arrangement which I heard at the Air Force Band concert last November)
We’ll then dig into rehearsals for this program after the the May concert is over. We have five rehearsals planned for the Caramoor cycle, but I will not hesitate to cancel one if the April 9 rehearsal produces a positive outlook.
This Monday, we’ll rehearse Burns, Grainger (movements I-II-III), Bernstein, Stamp, and Kalinnikov (first half).
I hope everyone survived the storm with minimal complications. See you Monday!
PS – Reminder: We have a Board meeting Monday evening at 6:15 pm, in the VIP room.
The Hudson Valley Music Club will present a concert this coming Monday, February 26 at 1:00 pm at the Dobbs Ferry Women’s Club (across the street from The Masters School). Marge Hone, our principal flute, and Joy Plaisted, who has joined us as harpist on several occasions, will be featured. Click the flyer at left for details.
The West Point Band has a concert this coming Saturday, February 24 at 2:00 pm in Eisenhower Hall. Billed as “Rhapsody in Blue,” the program is slated to include great works for military band. Visit http://westpointband.army.mil/calendar.html to reserve free tickets.
The Air Force Concert Band and Singing Sergeants has a concert coming up on Tuesday, April 3 at 7:30 pm at the Stamford Palace Theatre (performance site from our 2016 Exchange). Tickets are free, but you must RSVP to reserve. Visit The Palace Theatre for information and tickets.
And I’m the guest conductor tomorrow night, Thursday, February 22 at 7:00 pm for WindFest, at John Jay High School (2012 NY-52, Hopewell Junction, NY), which features the individual and combined concert bands of John Jay High School and Roy C. Ketcham High School. Holst, Hazo, Bryant, Arnold, Sheldon, and Sousa are on the program.
And don’t forget — we have the first rehearsal of our Spring cycle this coming Monday, February 26 at 7:30 pm at TMH. We’ll be reading through the entire program. Patrick Burns has kindly gifted a new fanfare to us, as promised last spring, in honor of our 30th anniversary. It is titled “Sennet,” which refers to the trumpet calls played to signal the ceremonial entrance or exit of an Elizabethan era actor, such as a play by Shakespeare. So we’ll be starting with a new fanfare and ending with a time-tested finale. I’m looking forward to seeing you all Monday evening!
I hope everyone’s power is back on. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for so many of you for the last week or more. Here’s hoping you’re warm, and didn’t have to light candles to practice this week!