A Message from the Maestro
As the nearly 500 of you who attended our Mother’s Day concert know, our celebration of women who changed the course of history was a wonderful tribute to women of the past—and to those of you women of today who made our “Season of Independence” so successful. The complimentary roses and beautifully packaged candy were simply our way of saying “thank you”. In order to give equal time to our men subscribers and friends, we’ll have a special gift package for them at our June 18 Father’s Day concert. And the music promises to be no less exciting.
The LA Winds 584 Jazz Band will kick things off with big band standards that will remind many of us of the upbeat sounds of the 40s, 50s and 60s. And when the full complement of the LA Winds takes the stage, guest soloists Theresa Dimond of the LA Opera Orchestra and Christina Roszhart of Center Stage Opera will offer a tribute to great men of history in an exciting and uplifting program of symphonic band classics.
As we look forward to our 2017-2018 season I’m happy to tell you that we’re already 2/3 of the way to our subscription goal. Let me urge those of you who have not yet subscribed to do so at your earliest convenience so that you get the best seats possible. You can get more details about the new season’s concerts & seating charts on this site.
Click here to download a subscription form
Finally, let me especially thank those of you who are, or are planning to be, members of the Maestro’s Circle for your special support. We’d like all of you at the Platinum, Gold and Silver levels to attend a special post-concert, season-ending reception in the lobby after the concert. This will give you a chance to meet the soloists, our Operations Board and some of the Valley’s most influential arts patrons. See you all on the 18th!
A Letter from the Editor
This is the last issue of TEMPO for the season. The LA Winds will take a break after our June 18th “Father’s Day” until our “Sundays Live” concert at LACMA on September 24th. Come see us in the beautiful Bing Theatre – it’s free! Check this site for more info as it becomes available. The performance will also be live-streamed on KUSC 91.5 that day.
I want to take a moment to quickly reflect on the past season, look ahead to our exciting plans for the 2017-18 season, and express my gratitude.
This past year the LA Winds experienced an important transition as the band became it’s own entity. It has been our “Season of Independence.” We also joined with the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra and Center Stage Opera to create a dynamic group that provides superior musical opportunities throughout the year. The band is now fortunate to have non-profit status under the umbrella of the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra.
We have learned so much as a group. Our Operational Board has found it’s “sea legs” and is prepared to tackle the new challenges and prospects for the future. We rely heavily on the operations team to make things happen. Our (newly forming) Executive Board will point us in the right direction and keep us on the path to remaining one of the San Fernando Valley’s musical gems while expanding future opportunities.
Our audience members have proven their loyalty and patience as the LA Winds began to establish the Calabasas HS Performing Arts Education Center as it’s new home (with a few detours along the way). The members of the band have shown their dedication while rehearsal spaces spanned across the valley (and then some!) and learned challenging, exciting music.
Our band family has seen friends pass this year. We’ve also celebrated weddings, birthdays, graduations (we have a new UCLA Bruin in our midst) and even welcomed a new baby!
TEMPO has been a new experience for all of us. Thank you to all of you who have volunteered to step into the spotlight. We loved getting to know our subscribers better and hope you found the member spotlights interesting, as well. The feedback has been positive but we’re still taking suggestions for future issues. Most of all, we welcome more volunteers for the “spotlight” sections.
We also have a new website! We encourage you to take a look around as we continue to build it. You can get to it as you did previously or go directly to lawinds.com. Rest assured it will be updated regularly and we will be sharing new recordings and videos as they become available.
As Steve mentioned, the next season promises to be filled with exciting “sonic splendor” (Steve’s words)! We think you’ll love the idea of themed concerts that offer more than just fantastic music. Check out the new season here.
You, our subscribers and members, are the reason we exist. As much as the players love playing, the LA Winds would be nothing without our loyal and supportive audience. Thank you.
Until September – Ciao!
