I hope everyone has enjoyed the holidays so far. The New Year brings some particular challenges for me, and this affects all of us. Please be sure to read all of this post.

Percussion move

First, please join me in thanking Eric Milkie and the crew of volunteers who moved all of our WSW percussion equipment out of TMH on December 20, and transferred it to the storage area at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Westchester. This was the only viable storage possibility for us in order to meet the December 31 deadline. Please help me to thank Eric and his crew: Mike Benoit, his daughter Ava Benoit, Diane Surís, Chris Larsen, Nate Brewster,  and Russ Ebersole.

As announced, the board voted to accept the offer presented by UUFNW. Our percussion is now stored there, and we will alternate rehearsals between that site, White Plains HS, and New Rochelle HS. It is our intention to rotate around among these sites to try to be as fair to all members’ travel as possible.

January rehearsals

The sites for our upcoming rehearsals will be as follows:
January 5 – UUFNW*
January 12 – New Rochelle HS
January 19 – UUFNW*
January 26 – White Plains HS
February 2 – UUFNW*
February 4/Dress rehearsal – TMH**
February 8/Sound check & performance – TMH**
* Please bring a music stand. This can be your adopted WSW stand if you wish.
** Please bring all adopted WSW stands for this dress and performance.

We have acquired the acoustician report created for UUFNW from 2018. We will have an acoustician visiting the January 5 rehearsal to listen and then hopefully make some recommendations to deaden and balance the sound in the room.

Conducting reassignments for the Winter Concert

In late December, I was diagnosed with a basal cell carcinoma about 3 inches below my left collar bone. The surgeon determined that I am an excellent candidate for Mohs surgery, and he expects a full recovery. However, I found myself in a position in which I could not delay this surgery, and so it is scheduled for January 5. The surgeon told me that I will not be able to exercise or conduct for four weeks after the surgery, to allow for the site to heal completely, but it is my hope to return to conducting with my right hand only after two weeks of complete rest. In order to facilitate this development, I recruited help and have made some reassignments for conducting on the Winter Concert.

• I will conduct the Mackey, Beckel, Nelhybel mvmnt II, and Barker on this concert. Jessica and Alex Gray will assist me to rehearse these works through January 19, then I plan to take over for the final rehearsals and concerts. In these first three rehearsals, Jessica and Alex will conduct, and I will coach from the sidelines. (“Coach” and “Sidelines” were never words I ever thought I’d use in a self-description!)
• Devon will continue his rehearsals and will conduct the Sheldon at the performance. Jessica will now conduct all the rehearsals and performance of the Dunton and Nelhybel mvment III. Jasmine Britt, our guest conductor, will rehearse and perform the Barfield as scheduled, but will also take on the rehearsals and performance of the Nelhybel mvment I.

I am extremely grateful to Jessica, Alex, Jasmine, and Devon for stepping up to assist me during these next weeks in January. Thank you!

In order to help everyone anticipate what will be happening within these new conducting assignments, I have planned all the rehearsals from and including January 5 through the dress rehearsal on February 4. January 5 is already posted on the home page, but please click here to see the plans for the remaining rehearsals.

Midwest Clinic 2025

I had a very successful trip to Chicago earlier this month for the 79th annual Midwest. My clinic presentation, “Architecture & Inspiration: the Percy Grainger Home & Studio,” was very well attended and very successful. The Grainger Society would now like me to reprise this clinic at the Grainger Symposium in Provo, Utah in March and the NYSSMA convention next December.

I connected with many composers and conductors at Midwest this year. The most noteworthy meeting was with Viet Cuong, which was extremely positive and productive. I’ll reflect on this in person on January 5. I also spoke with Matt Maslanka and gained a number of insights about our performance of his father’s Symphony No. 4, and also made initial plans for a rehearsal collaboration with Dr. Daniel Cook and the Ithaca College Wind Ensemble, who will perform the same symphony a month ahead of us in April. And the closing concert was a special performance by the Northshore Concert Band, a thrilling performance which brought the attendees to their feet.

Symphony No. 4 on May 9

The rental parts from Presser have arrived, and I will post the parts asap on my home page. I’m making plans with Manny Ramos to help the clarinets prepare for the “babies” solos and will share that information when finalized. We have two Mondays off between the Winter Concert and the first rehearsal for the Spring Concert on March 23. Please plan now to use that time to prepare the Maslanka parts for that first rehearsal — especially the bebop section.

Monday, December 15 – full rehearsal at TMH

This will be our final Monday night rehearsal at the Music Hall. The rehearsal plan is posted.

IMPORTANT: Everyone please plan to take 2 music stands home with you after rehearsal. We are hoping everyone can take 2. If you can take more than 2, please plan to do so to help others who may not be able to do so. If your vehicle can only accommodate 1 stand, we still appreciate your help!

We will record (by name) the stands everyone takes. We will start to do all this at about 9:20 pm, while seated on stage, avoiding the certain mayhem that would ensue if we’d try to do this as everyone exits out the stage door, and still get everyone out by 9:45. We will ask everyone to bring these stands back to TMH for the February dress rehearsal/performance, and then take them home again until the May dress/performance.
Horns – Please plan to take one stand and one sound reflector. We also need at least one volunteer to take the wooden reflector stands.
Percussion – You should not take any stands because of all the other equipment that we must move.

Saturday, December 20 at 1:00 pm – Percussion move out of TMH.

• Speak to Eric Milkie or Chris Larsen if you can volunteer to help.
• Specifics will be shared via Slack with those who volunteered.

Mondays, December 22 and December 29 – No rehearsals. Happy Holidays!

Monday, January 5 – Rehearsal, site TBA.

• Site will be announced as soon as possible.
• Plan on a major focus on Beckel II and III at this rehearsal.

What happens in January?

Thank you to the 36 members who replied to the feedback form from last week’s rehearsal at UUFNW. The board read all results and comments, and met this past Wednesday to discuss our options. Hopefully I will receive the reply we need in order for the board to make a final decision by Monday evening, and then announce it and discuss with everyone.

We have found ourselves at a major crossroads, and crossroads are never easy. They test our mettle, but they often also bring out the best in us. Regardless of the path we take in January, the board is committed to continue to research options for rehearsals, storage, and performances for the future, in order to meet the needs and expectations of our members. Thank you for sticking with us so we can continue to share the best musical experiences for both you and our audiences.

If you didn’t get have the chance to offer your feedback regarding Monday night’s rehearsal at UUFNW, please consider completing this form: Click here. You can opt to be anonymous if you wish. The board is grateful for you input!

Monday, December 8 at UUFNW

As discussed last week, on Monday, December 8 we will have a full rehearsal at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Westchester (UUFNW), 236 South Bedford Road, Mount Kisco, NY 10549. Everyone must bring their own music stand — thank you.

Take a look at www.uufellowship.org/ to see details about the church. The purpose of this rehearsal is to audition the space as a possible long-term rehearsal site. We also need to assess the space they’ve offered for storage of our percussion equipment. They are looking for a consistent weekly long-term tenant, and our contact at UUFNW has attended several of our concerts, so WSW fits the bill.

I found UUFNW right away on my first trip there. GPS worked well using the Bedford Road address, which is 1.0 mile west of Exit 4 off I-684. When you pull in, there’s a large parking lot ahead of you, beyond the drop-off circle. From the parking lot, take the path on the right side of the building to the main entrance at the far end of the path.

Percussion/large instruments – You’re welcome to use the secondary entrance on the other side of the building, which leads directly into the Sanctuary. I’ll ask our host to open that door as well. See the building map here. “Hand carry percussion” is the rule of thumb for the evening, much like when we’ve rehearsed at Knights of Columbus.

The rehearsal plan is posted. I’m also posting the UUFNW Rehearsal Audition form here now. We’ll take some time together at the end of rehearsal to give you time to share thoughts and feedback, but please also use the form to share your reactions.

Leaving TMH

Monday, December 15 is our final Monday night rehearsal at TMH. Regardless of where we land for future Monday night rehearsals, we must get the music stands out on December 15. Please plan ahead for that date:

• Please come to rehearsal in a vehicle in which you can take two stands at the end of the evening.
• Horns: We will ask you to take your sound reflector in place of one of those music stands.
• Percussion: We’re asking everyone to take more than one stand so you don’t have to. You’ve got enough on your plate with percussion equipment. Eric has a plan.
• Everyone: The idea here is that everyone will help to store the stands until February, then bring them to TMH for the dress and concert. We’ll repeat the same plan in May.

Our WSW-owned chairs and risers will remain at TMH, and their crew will store them in the annex building until needed for the February and May concerts.

Volunteers needed on December 20

Eric has booked a truck for Saturday, December 20. We’re looking for volunteers to help that day at 1:00 pm to help load the remaining percussion out of TMH, follow the truck, and help unload at [destination TBA] for upcoming rehearsals. Speak to Eric or me to volunteer.

Matt Podd concert

Matt, who we first met at Caramoor in 2014 and was our accordion soloist in 2022, asked me to share this information about his concert coming up on December 14 at 5:00 pm in Manhattan. Matt and his friend Darnell White have put together a vibrant program with a fantastic choir and band. (Ironically, as you can see, the concert is being held at the Unitarian Universalist Community Church on Madison Avenue in Manhattan.)

Also, Matt & Mimi Hilaire were booked by Caramoor for a set of Afternoon Teas in December. All performances have sold out, but I wanted you to know anyway!