Hello, Philharmonia Musicians and Families
Thank you for another excellent rehearsal last night! Your ability to stay focused and work hard from 6:30 – 9:00 pm is awesome – keep up the great work!
As I mentioned on Thursday, we have three more rehearsals before our performance on October 30 at the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center. We will perform at 5:35 pm, and your report time will be 4:50 pm. More details coming soon.
We’ve reached the point in our rehearsal cycle when it becomes very important to focus our efforts on the sections of music that need the most attention. I’m sending this message today so you know which sections to practice, and to give you more time to achieve success. Please review and practice the following sections before our next rehearsal, as best you are able:
Danse Macabre
- Letter C to letter D (everyone)
- Letter E to letter F (everyone)
- First violins at F
- Melodic fragments in the violin and woodwind sections between letter F & G
- First violins at G
- Descending chromatic eighth notes in the woodwinds before letter I
- Off the string eighth note passage starting in the 13th measure of I
- Woodwind eighth notes 16 before K
- Woodwind eighth notes starting in the 5th measure of K
- Violins L to the Animato
- Everyone faster at Animato!
- Section entrance and rhythmic accuracy N to the end
Slavonic Dance No. 8
- Confident and more refined melody throughout the piece
- Lighter and shorter offbeats throughout the piece
- Violin and viola sections softer and improved rhythmic accuracy at letter A and letter K (all notes placed correctly after the down beat of each measure)
- Confident and more refined woodwinds at G, H, etc.
- Improved accuracy, strength, and forward motion Coda to the end
Thunder and Lightning
Aim for a performance tempo marking of quarter note = 158. (if not now, then over the next few weeks)
An additional musical point for everyone: Please continue to improve your ability to accurately count rests and be ready to play exactly when your music calls you to do so. I’ve noticed we’re spending more time than we should working to fix mistakes, or in some cases, poor counting of rests. Accurate counting is an important aspect of advanced musicianship 😊
Listening Links “do you hear what I hear…” 😊
- Danse Macabre – Camille Saint-Saens
- Slavonic Dance No. 8 – Antonin Dvorak
- Thunder and Lightning – Johann Strauss
Attendance Information: Please continue to make Philharmonia rehearsal attendance a high priority in your very busy lives. We do our best work when everyone is present and working together to achieve our musical goals. Please notify attendance@myso.org to report any unavoidable absences. (leave your name, instrument, MYSO ensemble, and reason for the absence)
How are you coming along in getting your Play Your Part Fundraiser page set up? This is a very important fundraising campaign for MYSO, and we need everyone’s help! Please look for recent communications from MYSO that show how to set up your fundraiser page, and do your best to meet or exceed the $150 goal set by MYSO. Everyone who sets up their page and adds a photo by Friday October 7 will be entered into a special drawing for a “Milwaukee Fun Day” package – including two 90-minute jump passes to Skyzone Trampoline Park AND a $20 Pizza Shuttle gift card. Prizes and pizza parties are within your grasp!
Thanks for all your hard work! I’m looking forward to seeing you at our next rehearsal on October 13! Have a great weekend!
All my best,
Mr. Duffy