Will Winter continue to drag on, or are we getting an early Spring? Come join Awesöme Orchestra for Session 73: Groundhog Day on Sunday, February 2 from 11:00–2:00pm at Sports Basement in Berkeley to find out! We'll ask you to channel your inner Bill Murray for Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini (I mean, ya'll remember this scene, right?) featuring Naomi Stine on piano. Next, we'll dive into a premiere reading of Aeaea, by local composer Holly Mead, and continuing our Awesöme Big Band trend, we'll also highlight "Venus," another movement of Jeremy Levy's arrangement of The Planets by Gustav Holst. As an extra little surprise for 2020, we're excited to read our first mystery mirco-arrangement by Brian Adam McCune. What's that? Well, you'll have to attend the session to find out!
——————> Click Here for Musician Sign-ups <——————
SESSION 73 DETAILS
WHEN: Sunday, 2 February 2020, 11am–2pm
WHERE: Sports Basement Community Room, 2727 Milvia St., Berkeley, CA
COST: Free for musicians and audience.
TRANSPORTATION SUGGESTIONS: It's a 0.5 mile walk north of Ashby BART. Limited paid street parking is available, but as always, we strongly suggest public transit, biking, or ride-sharing.
Repertoire, instrumentation, and schedule are as follows, with Founding Artistic Director Dave Möschler and Associate Artistic Director Brian Adam McCune conducting:
11am-11:50am - Gustav Holst: "Venus" from The Planets (arr. for big band by Jeremy Levy) (~7')
instrumentation: 2 alto saxes, 2 tenor saxes, 1 bari sax, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 1 drum set, 1 piano, 1 electric guitar, 1 double bass
12:00-12:05pm - NEW SURPRISE MICRO-ARRANGEMENT by Brian Adam McCune!
12:05-12:50pm - Holly Mead: Aeaea (~4.5') (premiere reading)
instrumentation: 1 piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 1 English horn, 2 clarinets (B-flat), 1 bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 1 contrabassoon, 4 horns (F), 2 trumpets (B-flat), 2 trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 tuba, strings
1:00-2:00pm - Sergei Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini, Op. 43 (selected movements, ~20') featuring Naomi Stine, piano
instrumentation: 1 piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 1 English horn, 2 clarinets (B-flat), 2 bassoons, 4 horns (F), 2 trumpets (C), 2 trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 tuba, timpani, 3 percussion (triangle, snare drum, cymbals, bass drum, glockenspiel), 1 harp, strings
SHEET MUSIC and reference recordings for upcoming open sessions can always be found on Google Drive at bit.ly/AOCOpenSession
Reference recordings can be found linked above.
We'll provide chairs, sheet music, and free beer for players. Just bring a music stand and layers. Audience members can make a donation of any amount for a beer!
The sign-up deadline for all sections is Monday, January 27. Once that has passed, expect an email from your Awesöme Ambassadors with specific info and part assignments within a few days (check your spam filters if this is your first session). Email your ambassadors if you haven't heard back by Wednesday, January 29. (Please be patient—they have a lot of information to collect before emailing everyone.) Their information can be found here.
The official after-session social hang will begin at 2:30pm at Cornerstone (2367 Shattuck Ave.) This is open to everyone––the more the merrier!