Yearly Archives: 2021

3 posts

November 2021 Newsletter

November Newsletter:

Congratulations again to everybody on a great performance in October. Please refer to my email for a digital download of the concert recordings. Thank you as well to HOPE for sponsoring the recordings.

ILMEA

On Saturday November 6th 10 orchestra students( Elise, Kaitlyn, Jane Jeanne, Lynette- violin, Isabel and William- viola, Louise-cello, Colin and Kaden-bass) participated in the district 7 ILMEA orchestra festival. Congrats on a great day of music.

Concerto Competition:

The concert competition will be held on Monday, November 29. Please submit your application no later than Friday, November 19. All students are invited to audition, and one student will have the opportunity to perform with LZHS Symphony Orchestra. The cost is $15.

Symphony Orchestra:

Please mark your calendars for the December 2 evening rehearsal. The rehearsal is mandatory and will run from 6:30-8:30. This is a rehearsal to combine with winds for our first concert of the year. 

Looking ahead:

December Concert Dates:

Monday, 12/13- Combined Orchestra Concert, 7PM

Wednesday, 12/15- Bear Voices, Blue Notes, Bear Strings Concert, 7PM

October 2021 Newsletter

Professor May working with Symphony Orchestra

Happy October! I can’t tell you how excited I am that we are going to have our first combined concert since March of 2020 on Thursday, October 21. It is going to be a fantastic performance top to bottom, with a few new additions from our normal concert schedule. I encourage all of you who are comfortable to plan on attending the concert. There will even be room for siblings. If you do not feel comfortable attending, or would like have a grand parent or other friend of family member see the concert live please feel free to share our concert link.

Thanks to HOPE we are also going to be able to send out free concert recordings that you can share with friends and family members. Your donations to HOPE help pay for professional recordings.

So far in preparation for the concert we have also had a sectional day for all students in the orchestra. We had Emily Nash, Bruno Silva, and Lisa Janisch, who are all private teachers at LZHS. We also had Jessica Popovich and Alan Steiner. We are so thankful for HOPE’s sponsorship of sectional day!

Symphony Orchestra also had Professor Joanne May work with us on the second string quartet by Joseph Bologne Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (such a cool name right??). She helped with articulation and phrasing in this fantastic piece that Symphony will perform conductor-less at the concert. If you don’t know about Bologne I recommend learning a little about his interesting life. Not only was he regarded as one of the premier performers and composers of his day, but he was regarded as the best fencer of France. Despite being of mixed race and dealing with doors being closed, he was championed by both Marie Antoinette and fought for the French Revolution. His music has allowed us to have a discussion on the Sturm und Drang movement in classicism.

News:

Concert Information: The concert will start promptly at 7:00-

Performance order:

  • Concert Orchestra period 1
  • Combined Concert Orchestras
  • Concert Orchestra Period 2
  • Bear Strings
  • Symphony Orchestra

Concert Orchestra:

Call time is 5:30 for rehearsal on the stage in the PAC. Please come dressed and we will take a picture for the yearbook at 6:00. Tux jackets can be picked up before the picture. Call times are the time that the rehearsal will start. Students not in their seats and ready to perform will be marked down on the summative concert attendance grade.

Symphony Orchestra:

Call time is 6:00 in the choir room. Please be dressed by 6:00 so that we can take the yearbook picture before the concert

Dress:

Please follow dress code as outlined in the handbook.

 Boys must show up in black pants, tux shirt, black shoes, and socks. We will distribute tux jackets and bow ties before the concert

Remember that boys must purchase their own black pants and tux shirt.

Girls wear solid black: Girls have the freedom to choose their apparel if sleeves extend below the elbow and skirts or slacks to the ankle, and the midriff must not show while standing or sitting. This may be a long sleeve all black dress or black blouse or sweater and ankle-length skirt. Full black slacks are also appropriate and encouraged for cello players. Girls must also wear black closed-toe dress shoes (not more than 2” heel) and black stockings or hose.

Sinfonietta Auditions: Auditions for the after-school orchestra here at LZHS called Sinfonietta will be the week of October 18th. The rehearsals will be every Tuesday from 3:30-4:45. Students should audition on an excerpt from a prepared piece and the ILMEA scale sheet (I will pick one major and one minor scale). Students will be performing advanced music composed for small chamber orchestras. This year the orchestra will the complete Vivaldi Magnificat with the choir on our March concert. We will also be performing at a festival. Students must sign up for an in-person audition.
You must have the following contract signed at the time of your audition along with reviewing the calendar:

Contract:

Calendar:

Rehearsals will begin Tuesday, October 26

News from HOPE:

We need your help:

The mission of the Orchestra Boosters is to give LZHS orchestra students opportunities for enhancing their musical experience. We sponsor fundraisers throughout the year and work directly with Mr. Sackschewsky to collect resources for underwriting professionally coached sectionals and visits by guest clinicians. Last year over $5000 was raised and spent on orchestra students. Booster members assist the orchestra program in funding GUEST CLINICIANS, INSTRUMENT SECTIONALS, FIELD TRIPS TO CSO, JUDGES FOR CONCERTO COMPETITION, SOCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR ORCHESTRA STUDENTS and MORE.

Please consider paying for your membership online!

Please become a member of HOPE. To get your name in the program you must register by 10/18.  

Thank you as always for your support of the orchestra program. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing everybody at the concert on the 21st.

Nathan Sackschewsky

LZHS Orchestra Director

August 2021 Newsletter

Welcome back! We have already had a musical week here in the orchestra department. All orchestras have been

Please check back on the website every month for a newsletter highlighting the important events of the upcoming month. There is almost always something coming up, so add and check the calendar for all of the orchestra events throughout the year.

See below for important beginning of the year information:

  1. Orchestra Shirts and Hoodies: Once again this year we are offering LZHS Orchestra shirts and hoodies. They feature our orchestra logo and are really comfortable. It is my goal that we have these shirts to wear for informal concerts, tours, and events. All orders are due by September 12 and can be competed online here.
  2. Bear Strings starts on Thursday, 8/26 from 3:35-4:45. Bear strings is open to all orchestra students and is a non-auditioned ensemble that focuses on pop, and other non-traditional styles of music.
  3. Join HOPE: The annual HOPE membership drive is now taking place. Your support of HOPE provides orchestra students with extra opportunities above and beyond what the school covers. This year HOPE will sponsor two sectional days, guest conductors, recordings of concerts, the beginning of the year picnic, and even a commission for the fall. You can join digitally, or by filling out and mailing in this form. If you own a business or know of a business who would like to advertise in our program the cost is $150 and they receive a business sized advertisement on the back page of the program. Please see the patron form for more information.
  4. Volunteers Needed: HOPE is looking for volunteers to join the board, and parent volunteers for events throughout the year. If you are interested and able to volunteer to help HOPE please contact HOPE President, Christine Chialdikas. We are especially looking for parents to help with tux jacket fitting and distribution. No experience needed!
  5. HOPE sponsored kickoff picnic:  HOPE and the orchestra are celebrating the new year on Friday, 9/10  with our 5th annual kick off picnic at Breezewald Park from 4-6. Sign-up here
  6. The school is selling year signs again this year. I would encourage everybody to purchase one for their front yard. How cool would it be to have streets filled with orchestra yard signs? They are only $30 and proceeds go back to LZHS. Buy your signs here. All purchases must be completed by 8/22
  7. Parents of freshman/sophomore boys, and boys who grew: Don’t forget to get your men’s tux shirt. This year it is up to students to purchase their own tux shirts in time for the October concert. A possible shirt is this option from Amazon.
  8. ILMEA Signup is currently going on. Fill out this form and pay online to sign up.  Sign-up is due by Friday, September 17. All ILMEA participants must participate in at least one help session, or you will not be allowed to participate. You can sign up for a help session here.
  9. I would encourage you to add the orchestra calendar to your personal calendar. The calendar is all over the orchestra blog, and it will always be the most up to date calendar.

I am so excited about the great performance and learning opportunities for orchestra this year. I hope to see everybody soon, but please feel free to reach out to me by email if you have any questions.

Nathan Sackschewsky, LZHS Orchestra Director