Getting Ready for the Season!

It is time to get ready for the 2009-2010 SCSO Concert Season!

Actually, we have been working on this for the last few months. It all begins in January when I start to look for venues for the orchestra. It ends when the conductor walks on stage for the first concert. In between those two events there is a lot of work! We must decide on the program, engage musicians and soloists, sell ads to the season program, market the program to sell tickets, and find the money to pay for everything else. Whew! But it only sounds overwhelming. We just take it one step at a time and try to break the big jobs down into little ones. And eventually it all gets done, thanks to the musicians, the staff and the board of directors.

I met with our new conductor, Andrew Altenbach, for several hours this week just to discuss the logistics of the season. We talked about everything from rehearsals to pre-concert lectures. Andrew is planning the actual work in rehearsal. Hillary Vermillion, personnel manager and librarian, is organizing auditions, ordering music and working on finding extra musicians to fill in where we may be a little short on personnel. And our dear friend, Dr. Charles Echols, is writing our program notes. He is an expert in music history and has done the notes for the orchestra for many seasons.

All the planning would not matter if it were not for the musicians who give a lot of time and talent to the orchestra. They are an amazing group of people. They are different from each other in many ways but when they sit on stage they play as one. Without them we would be without any hope of a season. This season we will feature two of the SCSO's most talented musicians: Peggy Doerrie, Principal Flute, will perform on our October concert and Marion Judish, Concertmaster, on our December concert.

You can see that preparing for the season is a group effort. No one could do this alone. I am grateful for the staff, the musicians and the board of directors. Without this team there could not be a St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra.

I hope you will join us this season. We would love to have you come and hear what a little team work can accomplish.

Have a great day,
Sandy Nadeau