A word or three from Steve

First off, Jo and I would like to thank band members for the generous Christmas card, and the many good wishes and witty comments. We enjoyed reading all of them, and will definitely enjoy the enclosed gift cards. It goes without saying that working every week with such good people and motivated musicians is reward enough. Mondays are truly a joy.

The Christmas Concert was very well received. The band earned many nice complements following the program. The crowd was larger than I thought possible in the wake of such dire weather predictions. The worst of the weather held off until we finished dinner and headed home, at about 40 miles per hour.

I will listen to the CD several times, probably on our way to Florida, and re-live the experience. About Florida…have you been noting the balmy temps down there? Thirty-six degrees in Miami as I type this newsletter. It had better warm up in a hurry. We can just as easily be cold up north.

Back to business. Rehearsals will resume January 3, same time, same place. Dick Parman has kindly agreed to take rehearsals on January 3, 10, and 17. I will take January 24, 31, and February 7 leading up to the concert, February 13. Dick will then have some time to visit his children and grandson out in Vegas.

About the program. A few of the proposed titles are Folk Festival, Shostakovich; Hands Across the Sea, Sousa; American Salute, Gould; Malaguena, Nestico (ala Kenton); The Federal, Sousa; In Memorium, Bentz; Michel Legrand in Concert, Polster; and more.

The Commons will soon be finished, and in reading various news reports concerning performance fees, I think it’s safe to say confusion reigns, at least among the groups who are classified non-profits. One report listed $125 on the low end, and today’s paper listed $300. One would assume that premium days and fees would be Fridays and Saturdays. Hopefully, our Sunday afternoon performance time would be considered non-premium, and result in a lower fee. I think it’s safe to say that returning to the Commons is highly desirable, but premature until more facts are available. Let’s hope we can “afford” to make the move.

There, I’ve managed to say much more than intended. Please accept our best wishes for a Happy Holiday season, and mark your calendars for January 3. See you all soon.

Steve