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!
