In this post

• Rehearsals and performance cancelled
• Zoom on Mondays continue
• Online collaborations

Spring concert and rehearsals cancelled

I can’t describe the sadness with which I must share this news. The Board met this past week, and we felt we had no choice but to come to this conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken such a huge toll in human lives, and has affected all of humanity globally. And so now it is affecting WSW in this way, right here at home.

All rehearsals are now canceled through, and including, the spring concert originally scheduled for May 16. Our next scheduled rehearsal, for the July 4 performance at Caramoor, remains scheduled for Monday, June 8. Please hang on to all of your music for now, including the Maslanka parts. We’ll make further announcements about collecting old parts and distributing the new parts for Caramoor. God willing, it is my hope that we will meet to rehearse in June and perform in July.

Zoom on Monday at 7:30 pm

We’ll sponsor another Zoom Meet & Greet this coming Monday, April 20 at 7:30-8:30 pm. Our guest this week is Trish Cornett, from Temple University. I remain committed to offering these hangouts, and I hope you’ll join us to maintain your connection with the ensemble. I will continue to send unique login information each week to assure security. Look for that invitation in a separate, direct email.

Online collaboration

As anyone who is teaching online right now knows, these slick “virtual performances” that are appearing in Brady Bunch style require enormous resources of time, technology, and editing. It’s simply not easy. I received seventeen recorded submissions for our Bach Chorale project, and you can find the compiled recording below. Thank you to everyone who participated. The recording we created is in no way a finalized, polished performance. The final release is a bit ragged, but that’s something to learn from to go forward. But it does stress how important it is to keep playing, to band together, and that no virtual performance an ever take the place of actually gathering together to make music. 

Especially in light of the cancellation of our May concert, I’d like to put out another collaboration project, and encourage as many of you as possible to give it a try. It will help you keep up your chops, help keep your spirits high, and help to focus our attention forward to the point when we will rehearse and perform together again. When I have that project ready, I’ll add it to this page, under the Resources tab, and send out a post with instructions. The flute section has already formed their own online collaboration group, so I hope we can harness that energy and interest for everyone. 

I hope to see you Monday evening on Zoom!

Everyone is in the same boat these days. We’re all trying to balance the health, safety, and economic stability of our families in the midst of the menace of COVID-19. At the same time, the WSW Board and I are trying to support your musical lives as best we can while the pandemic continues.

State of rehearsals/concert

We cancelled rehearsals through and including this coming Monday, April 13. The Music Hall has cancelled all events through the end of April, but all May events are still posted on their site. The Board is meeting this coming Monday evening, and will make further decisions about rehearsals and the Spring Concert at that time. I’ll share those decisions as soon as possible. If we are able to proceed with the May concert, the program will be revised.

Zoom – Monday, April 13 at 8:45 pm 

This week’s optional Zoom meeting is in the “late slot,” the last hour of our regular rehearsal time, from 8:45-9:45 pm. I”ll send the link via a separate email to continue to provide the best security possible. Our guest this week is Albert Nguyen. Please stop in to say hello to your friends in the band as well as Albert!

Online performance project

I’ve received 8 submissions for the Bach Chorale project. If you’re so inclined — and I hope you are — please visit the instructions page and make a recording to submit. Please note that I’m collecting audio recording clips via a Dropbox link. Please use the Dropbox link instead of emailing me audio files. This helps me a great deal.

Winter concert recordings

If missed it, last week’s post included several recordings from our Winter Concert in February. Please revisit that post to have a listen!

This is the beginning of spring break week in the public schools, but for many there is no break in sight on the front lines battling the pandemic. As I write this, I am mindful of the members of our communities — including many of your own family members — who are putting their essential duties ahead of their own safety, as they serve as medical caregivers, first responders, workers in the grocery industry and delivery services, and more. By supporting you, I am hoping to support them.

I’m offering several diversions this week:

1. We’ll have another Zoom Meet & Greet on Monday night, this week at 7:30-8:30 pm. I will send out the Zoom URL info in a direct email. Starting this week, I’m inviting a special guest to join us every week to check in, say hello, and reflect on how they are dealing with this situation with their own ensemble. This week’s guest will be Dr. Robert Ambrose, who was our guest conductor in November, 2018. I hope you’ll join us to say hello to Robert.
   In addition, if you’d like to have a Zoom session for just your section, or any kind of group within the band, independent of the Monday evening sessions, write me an email and I’ll set you up with a Zoom meeting from our WSW account.
2. We’re launching our first collaborate performance project – a chorale by Bach in F major. Many music educators are giving this kind of project a shot as part of their distance learning plans, so it feels right for us to give it a try. I will supply PDF parts and a click track. Select one of the SATB parts, play the click track, record your part and upload it to the Dropbox folder link. I’ll assemble it all in a sequencer and hope for the best. The process is more important than the product; please participate if this will give you a practice goal and a performance outlet. Find the instructions and files you need here. We’ve test driven this, but if there are glitches, please notify me.
3. A suggestion that came from last week’s Zoom: Upload some of the recordings from the February concert, especially those that are programmed for reprises at Caramoor. So, below are excerpts from our Winter Concert 2020. Enjoy — and I hope to see many of you on Zoom on Monday evening.

Shooting Stars, by Richard Saucedo, conducted by Nathan Brewster

Graceful Ghost Rag, by William Bolcom, conducted by Trish Cornett

Steampunk Suite, by Erika Svanoe
I. Charlie and the Mechanical Man Marching Band

II. The Strange Case of Doctor Curie & Madame Hyde

III. Bertie Wells attends Mr. Verne’s Lecture on Flying Machines

IV. Barnum & Tesla’s Tandem Bicycle

Zoom meetings

We’re going to continue the Zoom meetings on Monday nights, but will alternate times between the first hour and final hour of our regular rehearsal times biweekly to help accommodate parents who are in the midst of dinner / bath / bedtime at 7:30 pm. The next three Monday sessions will be:

• Monday, March 30 at 8:45-9:45 pm
• Monday, April 6 at 7:30-8:30 pm
• Monday, April 13 at 8:45-9:45 pm

I’ve pasted this information on the home page of this site as well.

I’ll send the Zoom URLs/meeting codes via direct email instead of posting them here. Watch for a follow up.

New York Philharmonic

Several members have pointed out that the Phil has begun fee Thursday evening webcasts of concerts. Last week was Mahler 5. Click here to get connected this coming Thursday at 7:30 pm.

Collaborative performance project

We’re going to move ahead to try to create a collaborative performance project of our own. Later this weekend, I’ll send out parts for a straight-ahead Bach chorale. If you wish to participate, you’ll listen to the click track (or possibly a video/audio track) and record your part, then upload the resulting MP3. I’ll send instructions with the parts.

This is admittedly a whole new arena for us, but many members have indicated their desire to participate in something while we’re not actively rehearsing. So we’ll start small and see where it goes. No pressure — participate if you feel so motivated — and let’s see where it goes. We’ll talk about this on Monday night on Zoom to answer questions and share tips.

Call for updated photos!

My blog site is looking dated. I haven’t renewed or updated the background photos in years. If you’d like to contribute some new photos, please email them to me. Thanks!

Watch your email – hope to see you Monday night!

I’ll send the Zoom details and project instructions via a direct email later this weekend. Once again, the coffee meet-up promoted earlier is cancelled, but we hope to see you on Zoom on Monday, 8:45-9:45 pm.