Winter concert advertising

We’ve started our public relations work for February. Feel free to download and share the artwork Rebecca created! We are working to send the press release out before the winter holidays break.

Rehearsal on Monday

See the rehearsal plan for Monday’s rehearsal here on the home page. I also shared some details for a number of the upcoming rehearsals.

Rep for West Point concerts in March

Finding the right balance of works that integrate with the program being played by the West Point Band was not so easy. I had to consider what we’ve already rehearsed or will be rehearsing, be mindful of the obvious Americana connection, find a balance of energetic and lyrical works, avoid piling on additional pieces or adding rehearsals, and arrive at a duration of about 28-30 program minutes. So we will be going with:

• Day – Shimmering Sunshine (from Fall 2023 program)
• Giroux – Riften Wed (from Spring 2024 program)
• Markowski – Desert Sage (from 2022-23 season)

I decided to go with the Markowski because the current season’s anchor works do not fit well for various reasons. I also think playing this significant work written for our ensemble is appropriate for this unique performance opportunity, and reprising it will be much easier in terms of rehearsal than starting another new work.

We will also be performing two final works, combining forces with the West Point Band players:

• Aaron Copland, arranged by Noah D. Taylor – Simple Gifts
• John Philip Sousa, edited by Keith Brion and Loras Schissel – The Stars and Stripes Forever

A performance commitment form for the West Point concerts and further details will be sent in a separate email.

Hudson Valley Saxophone Orchestra

Please remember the Hudson Valley Saxophone Orchestra concert on Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 pm. It sounds like great fun!

Rehearsal on Monday

We are coming up on the final rehearsals of the calendar year, rehearsing again at TMH on Monday. I appreciate the help of those who arrive consistently early to assist in setting up. If you can, please consider coming a little earlier than usual to help. But definitely arrive in time to warm up and be ready to start at 7:30 pm! Please continue to contact Katherine directly — not me — if you have a last minute traffic issue.

The rehearsal plan is posted. We are rather Bernstein-heavy on Monday. Fair warning!

West Point concerts repertoire

I’ve been struggling a bit to finalize the program for these concerts on March 9 & 16. There are a lot of factors contributing to making this a tricky proposition, including some critical personnel issues, programming issues with the current season’s focus pieces, and finding the right lyric/evocative work. I’m hoping to finalize this at Tuesday’s board meeting, and then I will share with everyone.

Hudson Valley Saxophone Orchestra

Charlie Gray, who has recently subbed with us on bari sax, sent us this invitation to the Hudson Valley Saxophone Orchestra concert on Sunday, December 17 at 3:00 pm. (For reference – Charlie was the contrabass saxophone player in November 2022!) Check out the flyer below and consider attending. And be sure to note: audience member saxophonists are welcome to join in on the final selections (but bring your own music stand).

I hope everyone had a warm and wonderful holiday. Back to work on Monday!

Monday at TMH

Our rehearsals continue at TMH on Monday. The rehearsal plan is posted. Our work on the Bernstein this week continues with the Dance Trilogy section, including Cool. It’s another challenging section of the work.

West Point performances

I will have more information to share on Monday evening about our March 9 performance at Eisenhower Hall and March 16 performance at White Plains High School, both shared with Commander Toven and the West Point Band.

Marist College concert

You may remember that Malcolm Jones, director of bands at Marist College, visited our rehearsal in September. His first concert of the season with the bands at Marist will be next Friday, December 1 at 8:00 pm in the Nelly Goletti Theater (Murray Student Center) on the Marist campus. Please consider attending, and remember that Malcolm is looking to schedule local school visits with bands in Westchester to promote his program.

This post is short and sweet. I’m tied up all weekend with the Zone 10 Area All-State Band.

We’re back on the TMH stage on Monday evening. The rehearsal plan is posted. As promised, the Bernstein part of rehearsal includes the “Dance at the Gym” section, including Mambo.

If you haven’t done so yet, please read through the NU Errata and USMB Errata, and mark your parts accordingly. Although the errata lists are long, there are relatively few errors per instrument. I will assume starting on Monday that everyone has marked all parts with corrections.