This week:

• First Curbside Concert a success!
• Zooms this week
• Help us build our email list to support the November 8 webinar
• Fall small ensembles at TMH on hold

Performance today

We played our first Curbside Concert today at the Masters School to honor the Head of School, Laura Danforth, on her birthday. Many thanks go to the volunteers to played, including Marge Hone, Barton Green, Tom Sweezey, Stan Serafin, Dave Marchiony, and Michael Lucke. We are also grateful to Marge for hosting our pre-performance rehearsal in her front yard (cheers from her neighbors!) and especially to Barton for creating these amazing four-part arrangements!

Today we played Largo, from Xerxes by Handel, Happy Birthday, and America, the Beautiful – all of them Barton’s creative arrangements. Two quick videos are included below.

Please promote our Curbside Concert idea to promote the group. In exchange for a donation of the donor’s choosing, we’ll send a group to play a short concert on the recipient’s front lawn. Especially now, we all need live music like this!

Zooms this week

We have another general member Zoom tomorrow evening, October 5, at 8:00 pm, and a Band Director Group Zoom on Thursday, October 8 at 8:00 pm. I’ll send the Zoom credentials in separate emails. Join us to see friends, share stories, catch up!

Email list

Please help us to reach a larger audience on November 8 by adding names of friends/family who may not have been to a WSW concert yet. Use the quick form below to add names and emails. If everyone could add 3-6 names, we could double our list!

Fall rehearsals at TMH on hold

We’ve been communicating with TMH regarding the fall rehearsals we hoped to begin this week. Although our protocols for the summer rehearsals are in line with the expectations of the stage manager, we haven’t gotten complete answers regarding air ventilation and fresh air exchange, and so we have put these rehearsals on hold until we can get more information.

Please stay tuned. It is still our hope to get these small ensembles up and running.

This week:

• Final call for remaining folders which have not been turned in
• Curbside Concert on October 4 — we need a couple more players!
• November 8 virtual event

Folders still missing

Thank you to everyone who returned their black music folders and Maslanka parts since the end of August. But we are still missing these folders: 9, 11, 18, 34, 37, 40, 41, 51, 53, 55, 58, and 59.

if you have one of these folders, contact Curt or David immediately. Principals/section leaders: if any of those numbers look like they belong to members of your section, please help us identify them and contact the players so we get their folders. Nancy cannot complete the library tear-down until we have recovered all folders!

There are still 3 Maslanka parts that have not been returned, and those players have been contacted individually.

Curbside Concert on Sunday, October 4 at 5:00 pm

We have our first Curbside Concert gig, but only 4 players! If you’re available that day, we could really use 4 more players. We’re meeting on Marge’s front lawn in Irvington at 3:30 pm to rehearse, then driving to Dobbs Ferry to play on the sidewalk at The Masters School to perform three of Barton’s arrangements at 5:00 pm, including Largo from Xerxes, Happy Birthday, and America the Beautiful. Future Curbside Concerts will also include his Mouse Mashup March. I’ve included recordings below. Barton’s arrangements are brilliant and deserve to be performed while we’re in pandemic mode!

Please consider 1) advertising our unique service to friends & family to “show up and perform” in exchange for a donation to the band, and 2) volunteering to play on October 4! Contact Curt or David for either/both.

We are still trying to work out details for interior rehearsals at TMH for the small ensembles. Information will be posted when available. 

Largo, from Xerxes

Happy Birthday

America, the Beautiful

Mouse Mashup March

November 8 – no concert, but there will be a virtual event

Please reserve Sunday, November 8 at 3:00 pm — the day/time previously advertised for our Fall Concert. We are working on a virtual event to update our audience on what we’ve been doing, what we’re planning, and that we need them. Please start to share that date with family and friends, and know that we will need every member to attend virtually that day to support our ensemble. Without your help, we have no future together.

Details regarding the format and content will be forthcoming. But save the date and start to share!

This week:

• The Ben Acrish ‘Quaren-tet’ will be playing again at the Black Rock Kitchen this Friday evening. You can find Ben, Chris, Mike, and Rich playing at 8:30 pm in the outdoor patio area at 171 Grand Street in Croton-on-Hudson.
• This past week, the WSW Board voted to transform our concert at 3 pm on Sunday, November 8 into a non-performance webinar event for our local and extended audience, to promote our ensemble and build our future. We’ll be sharing details about the event in the coming weeks, but please keep that date on your calendar, and tell your family and friends to do so as well. This event will be pivotal to our future, so please plan to participate.
• I’ve planned the music for the two upcoming announced events, and will send final details in a direct email early next week, including music download links.
• Finally, a new colleague at Masters is looking for housing in the area, a studio or one bedroom within 45 minutes of Dobbs Ferry. If you happen to know about an available apartment for rent, please contact me with details.