WSW concert this Sunday!

I’m conducting again this Sunday — our Winter Concert with the Westchester Symphonic Winds. The program is Sunday, January 25 at 3:00 pm at Tarrytown Music Hall, 13 Main Street, in Tarrytown, NY. This “Warm Sounds of Winter” program features Tom McCauley, guest conductor, and MSgt Bill Owens and SSgt Chris Venditti, from the West Point Band, are our guest trumpet soloists. The program is filled with exciting music from Bizet’s Carmen, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, and much more. If you live in the area, I hope to see you there.

I have a lot going on in the next couple months:

• I am the principal clinician for a conducting symposium in NYC this month (my first “solo” flight as the conducting clinician). I owe the invitation to my friend, Brian Worsdale.
• I’m going to Australia in March to speak at the University of Sydney Conservatorium of Music and visit my friend, John Lynch. I will also be doing some recruiting for The Masters School while I’m there.
• I have a band festival adjudication gig, seated on a panel with my first clarinet teacher, Otis Kitchen, in NYC in April at Brooklyn College. This is a national adjudication and the first time I’ve had the opportunity to sit on such a panel (similar to all the festival adjudications I did with the NVOT bands over the years).
• Mallory Thompson is coming to clinic my MEBCI Wind Conducting Symposium on May 30 & 31. This is the 24th year we have worked on this conducting workshop together.
• I’m taking WSW to Northwestern in June to perform on an exchange concert with Mallory and the Northshore Concert Band. This exciting trip will include some sight-seeing with Northshore members in Evanston and Chicago, and will culminate in a joint concert at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall on June 14. It will be a thrill to return to Northwestern and bring WSW with me for this performance, and to see old friends in Northshore at the same time.
• WSW is playing again at Caramoor on July 4! We are so excited to be invited back after last year’s sold-out performance.
• I’m speaking at Temple University’s conducting symposium in July with Emily Threinen. I’m very excited to be working with Emily who will also be our guest conductor with WSW at our May 16 concert in Tarrytown.

So much for “retirement” for now!

The NVOT Music Parents sponsored a wonderful dedication ceremony and reception for me on November 8 when the plaque honoring my work at NVOT was unveiled. At Thanksgiving, I took my mother, Helen, to see the new installation, and it was a wonderful moment to share with her.

I hope everyone is staying warm — and I hope to see you Sunday!