The summer sessions are being opened to non-members as well as to members for the time, so any requirement to register or pay dues does not apply.
I’ve found over the years that a fair number of our members seem to want to attend a few of these summer sessions to keep their playing skill from getting rusty, and for the relaxed camaraderie that exists in a rehearsal that doesn’t have a concert immediately looming on the horizon.
After two years' hiatus, I'll be reviving our old practice of opening Tuesday night rehearsals during the summer break to members of either the Saskatoon Concert Band Auxiliary or the Saskatoon Concert Band who want to come to the hall and play their instruments from 7:30 - 9:30 pm. The music that we play will not go home with the players, and you can come for as many of these rehearsals or as few as you like. There is no final summative public concert — we play just for ourselves during summer sessions.
In addition to Saskatoon Concert Auxiliary Band members, the invitation to attend summer sessions is now being extended to non-members for the first time.
I have in the past utilized the summer sessions to experiment with new repertoire that might become part of the Auxiliary Band’s next season, which starts after labor day and continues to the end of our summer concert in June, but this is a kind of "side benefit" of the extra time afforded in the summer, and not its major focus.
There is no upcoming concert attached to this project, so the sheet music we use will remain at the band hall. Needless to say, there'll be a fair amount of sight reading involved. No matter your past experience, as long as you have played band music at about the high school level before, you will probably find the music within your ability.
If on a particular Tuesday, 7:30pm rolls around and there are not enough players present for a musical "quorum", I'll call the rehearsal off and you can return home (or if you're a traditionalist, you can adjourn for a beverage).
The dates of these summer sessions will be as follows:
June 17
July 8
July 15
July 22
July 29
July 1 is omitted for obvious reasons.
See you there!
Nicholas Todd
(him/his)
