So what is the Penn Cove Brass playing & when? Glad you asked. They perform on Friday at 4:30pm in the CWU Music Building's Recital Hall, a room that I just love. They are playing this arrangement of the Toreador Song from Carmen, which I found in the Rubank Concert Repertoire for Brass Quartet book. It's a pretty decent arrangement, although there are many things I would have done a little differently. But, oh well.
This trip will also be fun because my wife is tagging along, so we will visit many old places we used to like to go...plus, she'll get to hear my group!
Do I expect my ensemble to win? Well, it's not fair to expect anyone to win anything, really. Realistically, I'm training these guys to win, although I know it's unlikely, for several reasons. Mainly, it's because 5 of the 6 players are freshmen, and this is the first time we've ever done anything like this. Plus, we only get to meet once a week, and we'll be going up against groups who probably have the capability to meet more than once a week. I didn't start rehearsing this piece with these guys until a couple weeks ago, which I probably was mistaken in doing; should've started it earlier. But I think they will give a winning performance. It's just not like anything they've ever done. So, we'll see how it goes. Anything can happen!
Take care and value music.