First Full Rehearsal

Rehearsal starts with the last movement from the entrance of the chorus. We have the last chord of the off-stage brass and flute, then they’re in. The first section is not yet spectacularly good- at a couple of key moments, the altos are dropping their pitch quite a...

Three crazy hours

Back around 4 PM to PDT and we’ve had a bit of a problem. Our office coordinator had called a friend of the orchestra who often has to save the day for us and asked him if he could get to the school to pick up the risers. When he arrives they try to give him the wrong...

A tight ship and a tigher timeline

One thing that is nice about working in Pendleton is that local organizations help each other out- for instance the schools can borrow our chairs or we can borrow their risers. The bad thing is that sometimes you have two organizations who may talk past each...

Stuck in traffic

Board meeting tonight- an important one as we have a season to announce for next year and a need to agree on a budget. We’re also trying to make a new long-range plan, update our bylaws and we’re looking at making some significant changes in how we staff the office....

Life and Death

Of course, it is an absolute certainty that on a big project one will always have things come up: cancellations, crisis and so on. Most of them are the results of either good things that get in the way like Amy’s big break in New York, or flaky behavior, like the horn...

Mom’s Pension

Mom’s pension is safe by noon Monday.    Another early start- this time a radio interview in Hermiston. It’s me and our harpist, who also helps with publicity on the air. Our host is quick to inform me that he prefers Merle Haggard to Mahler, but he’s very gracious...