Saturday’s dress rehearsal, 10 am – 1 pm

We’re ready to roll tomorrow with our dress rehearsal for Sunday’s concert. The rehearsal plan is posted; note that I expect that we’ll be done by 12:30 pm, but please keep your schedules open until 1:00 pm, just in case. The good news (well, really, it’s fantastic news) is that the stage is already set with the risers and shells, and everything can stay in place after Saturday’s rehearsal for Sunday’s performance. There’s no show at TMH Saturday night, and Megan and her crew acted proactively on our behalf. John Palatucci will be with us to run Carnival, and Brad Ethington will join us, with an extended period of time to rehearse and run the Holst.

Winter Cycle

We expect to have the Winter folders ready to hand out tomorrow, so you will have a chance to look at these parts before our first rehearsal on November 14. These next three rehearsals on November 14, 21, & 28 are Random Farms Theater performance dates, so we won’t have access to TMH until they are done at 7:30 pm. As before, we’ll move quickly to set up, and hopefully start before 8:00 pm. This next cycle is a short one, with two weeks off in the middle, and with winter comes the possibility of weather woes. With all this combined, please plan on rehearsal going 15 minutes later until 10:00 pm each of these three nights. If it’s possible to end earlier, we will, but we need this cushion, just in case. Lastly, I will be be teaching and conducting at Syracuse University, November 13-16. I have invited Jeff Ball, our guest conductor for January, to lead the entire rehearsal on November 14, including his piece (Maslanka – On This Bright Morning).

Media Alerts

It’s been a busy and successful month with WSW in the news! Rachel Eckhaus was featured this past week in an excellent spotlight article in 914 magazine, a division of Westchester magazine. And our Fall Concert was featured on page 213 of the November issue of Westchester magazine. And, we made the rolling broadcasts of News 12 yesterday. I’ve been looking for a video link, but none has come up on their site yet.

Lastly, if you’re a fan of the movie Whiplash, I hope you’ll enjoy this parody we shot at The Masters School, as part of our Halloween celebration this past week. Apparently, I was typecast. And WSW makes a guest appearance at the beginning. (WSW video credit – Eric Milkie.)

See you tomorrow! I’m truly excited to perform this program with you!

News and updates for our rehearsal on Wednesday:

• I visited the New Rochelle HS campus on Monday, and took some photos to help guide you. See below.
• The Board will meet in the Band Room at 6:15 pm. Rehearsal will follow at 7:30 pm.
• Through a connection with our Exchange Concert host, Kendra Farn, we are now expecting a Channel 12 news crew to be visiting rehearsal tonight. They are expected at 7:00 pm; I have no idea how long they will stay, and I don’t know how distracting they will be. We will have to finish the Board meeting when they arrive, and it’s my goal to minimize their impact on the effectiveness of our rehearsal.
• New, unfamiliar site + Channel 12 + final working rehearsal = leave early, allow plenty of time!

Click here for directions supplied by NRHS. Remember, DO NOT USE GPS to go to the school’s street address. The directions in the linked document are very good for getting you to the entrance onto campus at North Avenue at Braemer Avenue.

Drive onto campus at Braemer:

Drive in past the tennis courts and park in the parking lot at the north end of the “new wing,” labeled the Museum of Arts and Culture:

Walk along the length of the lake side of the wing, passing the doors that say “Faculty Entrance Only” and continuing to the far corner of the building:

Go around the greenhouse and head for the “keyhole:”

Walk through the “keyhole,” and look for the double doors on the right:

The Band Room is just inside, first doors on the left:

See you on Wednesday!

On the front page/Rehearsal This Week: I’ve added the complete rehearsal plans for Wednesday’s rehearsal at New Rochelle HS (including directions), Saturday’s dress rehearsal at TMH, and Sunday’s sound check and concert at TMH.

Please take care of yourselves this week! Avoid heavy lifting, children who sneeze, and spouses who cough. We need each and everyone of you to be at the top of your game at our final rehearsal, dress, and concert. I’m looking forward to the great music we’re going to make together this week!

Rest, practice, and I’ll see you Wednesday!

Monday: We’re back in the Music Hall for our penultimate working rehearsal. The rehearsal plan is posted. It includes run-throughs of Parts 1 & 3 of PAAE. Please remember that we are rehearsing next week on Wednesday, instead of Monday (because of Halloween), and that this rehearsal will be in the New Rochelle HS Band Room. Then, later that week, the dress rehearsal is Saturday at 10 am and the concert is Sunday!

Ads: Monday is the last day we can accept last minute ads for the program. Please give your ad form, payment, and copy to Tom Sweezey, who is organizing it all for me.

Parking: For many years, we’ve tried to warn players not to park in the lot behind the CVS in Tarrytown, but it bears repeating. Unfortunately, several players who parked there were ticketed two weeks ago. A slap in the face, I know. Please be careful. There’s still no news about the lot which was closed at Broadway and Neperan. Hopefully that will be resolved by the concert, but who knows.

And thank you to the WSW members who played for the convocation at The Masters School today. You were a tremendous asset!

Brrrrrrr. What happened to Indian Summer? Enjoy the weekend anyway. See you Monday!