{"id":32,"date":"2006-04-20T16:00:12","date_gmt":"2006-04-20T16:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2006\/04\/20\/a-tight-ship-and-a-tigher-timeline\/"},"modified":"2006-04-25T20:20:20","modified_gmt":"2006-04-25T20:20:20","slug":"a-tight-ship-and-a-tigher-timeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennethwoods.net\/blog1\/2006\/04\/20\/a-tight-ship-and-a-tigher-timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"A tight ship and a tigher timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"

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 other.<\/font>We\u2019re using seated risers for the Mahler, which the OES does not own. At the Holiday concert we borrowed a set from the school district, which worked fine. After that, we asked if we could use them again for the Mahler, and then our office called last week to arrange pick up. Several days went by and a number of calls weren\u2019t returned, but that\u2019s okay. In a small town you know that people usually know your timeline and will get back to you just at the last minute. Sure enough, today we had a call first thing from the district. It\u2019s good timing, since tonight is the first rehearsal with the chorale and the orchestra together on stage.<\/font>Unfortunately, we have to pick them up by 2:30 when the resource center closes. Unfortunate, that is, because we have a tour with the youth orchestra that doesn\u2019t get back until 3:30, and our stage manager needs to be out with the youth orchestra since he is the stage manager for that, and the percussion coach.<\/p>\n

So- we all load up and head West on I 84 to Hermiston with the preparatory orchestra. We have a great concert there, mostly because the middle school audience is so polite and responsive. Middle school age kids are usually the toughest audiences because it is such a socially awkward time for young people. However, our host, the local band director, runs a very, very tight ship, and by the time she\u2019s said her few words to the kids you would be able to hear a pin drop but for the fact that we are playing next to the school kitchen, which is going full blast. I do wonder how we expect kids to learn anything when our schools are so chaotic..<\/p>\n

After that we have lunch at a beautiful new convention center and resort on the shore of the Columbia River, then one last performance at the local elementary school. We have quite a good schtick worked up to introduce Egmont, and the little kids seem to particularly like the bit where Egmont is decapitated. Just as we\u2019re starting the performance I remember it is our last show of the year- it feels so abrupt.<\/p>\n

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