Reflections on Saturday

I am so very, very proud of your performance on Saturday! You made incredible strides from Wednesday to Saturday, and absolutely nailed it! The positive energy on stage was palpable. From the start, I could feel your determination and focus filling the stage. I could write on and on about each piece, but I will save that for later, because I have to share this news . . .

WSW is a Semi-finalist for The American Prize!

You may remember, back in September, I announced that I had submitted three applications for us for The American Prize competition. The first of our three category announcements was made today: we are one of six semi-finalists in the community band division! Read the blog post announcement here, or visit their main website.

Last year, the finalists and winners were announced in June/July, so we may have to wait a bit for final results. But for now, we are definitely in the running. So, congratulations! Your amazing work and immense dedication has been recognized!

Next rehearsal: February 11

We’re off until Monday, February 11. We’ll have new music ready to go at that rehearsal. Until then, stay warm! And congratulations again!

There’s no snow! So I think we’re ready to roll! See my notes below about the sound check tomorrow, which must start promptly at 6:00 pm.

I thought the Zdechlik, Gjeilo, Villa-Lobos, de Meij, and Williams sounded great on Wednesday. But between the curve balls we had with the stage preset for a film, and the head-on realization of playing all three movements altogether, it was not an ideal dress rehearsal for the Reed. Yes, it’s a long, involved, and complex work, but so well written, and so deserving of what this ensemble brings to it. So I have posted a specific plan for 8 sections in La Fiesta that I want to review during the sound check. Please check that plan so you’re prepared for the work we still need to do. Two of these sections ask for you to sing rather than play, as I am conscious of how your chops are affected right before a concert.

The TMH staff is pulling the piano, setting up risers/shells, and bringing up all chairs/stands and percussion. I’ve asked that the crew have everything in place by 5:00 pm for us to finalize the setup and prepare. If you can, please arrive early to help finalize the setup. But I’d like to ask everyone to be in the Hall by 5:45 pm, so everyone can warm up effectively without rushing, and facilitate our downbeat start at 6:00 pm. Please remember to allow plenty of time to park. Having the bank lot open again will certainly help, but don’t assume a space will be waiting for you lat minute. To be honest, we do not have a good track record for having 100% of players in seats and ready to play at the announced sound check time — so let’s change that with this concert.

Enjoy the day — see you tomorrow. We’re going to have an amazing concert!

The snow/ice storm did not live up to expectations — fortunately! So, we are good to go tonight with our rehearsal at TMH. We’ll do our best to get the heat cranking early, but think ahead when panning your rehearsal attire tonight; layered flannel and down might be a better choice over shorts and t-shirts.

Remember that the front doors will be locked at 7:30 pm, and the rear door at 7:45 pm. Text David if you have any issues — not that we’re inviting them, mind you!

And the weather is looking good through the weekend, so we are set for our dress rehearsal on Wednesday at 7:30 and sound check Saturday at 6:00 pm/performance at 8:00 pm.

Because of my ongoing battle with my chronic condition, bandus performitis complexitus, this is yet another concert with lots of moving parts. Tonight we add a guest conductor, four soloists, and eight off-stage band performers. Wednesday we add harp and piano. So please arrive with plenty of time to spare, well-prepared, warmed up, with open hearts and minds, so we can use our time together efficiently and purposefully.

See you later tonight!

I’m copying the three important items I just emailed to everyone, without David’s number, to make sure that everyone has access to this information.

First, I’m writing to remind you that, starting this coming Monday, we’ve been asked to close/lock all entry doors while we rehearse.

So, as announced, we will lock the front marquee doors at 7:30 pm when we start rehearsal, and lock the back door (near the dressing rooms) at 7:45 pm. If you have an unexpected delay and are late, arriving between 7:30-7:45 pm, just come in the back door. If you are later than 7:45 pm for some reason, contact David Church by text or phone (text preferred, because we’ll be rehearsing at that point) and he will send someone to open the back door for you. This plan will allow us to follow Karina’s directive, but still create a manageable plan for anyone who can’t find a parking spot at the last minute.

Second, the weather is far from tropical for the weekend. Please plan ahead to protect yourself, your family, and your property. I understand the big concern this weekend is icing, strong winds, and potential power issues. We fully expect to rehearse on Monday, but I’ll email everyone again by 5:00 pm on Monday to confirm the status of rehearsal. If you don’t have mobile access to email in the afternoon, plan to call a friend who can check email so everyone will be aware of the plans for the evening. Hopefully, the holiday will play in our favor this time.
The rehearsal plan is published on the home page of my blog at wsw.ebernet.biz, but here it is as well:
7:30 – Zdechlik with Lt. David Regner
8:00 – Reed I (with HHHS off-stage band players)
8:25 – Reed II
8:40 – Stretch
8:45 – Villa-Lobos with West Point soloists

Third, I am going to cancel the February 4 rehearsal, which was intended to be the first reading rehearsal for Caramoor. I’m cancelling because one of the tunes is out of print, and we haven’t found a source for parts yet (American Originals by Sammy Nestico), Matt Podd will not have the vocal arrangement completed until April 1, and all the other pieces are reprises from this season or previous seasons. My plan had been to introduce the three overlapping concerts in reverse order (Caramoor, Spring, ACB Convention) but that plan now seems unwieldy and impractical. Instead, we’ll concentrate on rehearsing the shared repertoire between the Spring and ACB concerts at our next rehearsal on February 11, and then move forward with the new Les Miz arrangement on February 25 (there is no rehearsal on February 18 for Presidents Day). I’ll review this on Monday, but I wanted to put it in writing so you can be aware of the change.

Stay warm, stay dry, keep the lights on! See you Monday.