Orchestra News

Orchestra Parents and Students:

Welcome back to orchestra at LZHS. I am excited to see all the returning faces and welcome the Freshmen at LZHS. Orchestra here is truly a fantastic community where we work together to create great friendships, experiences, and art. I hope that everyone had a restful and fun summer. Mrs. S, Nora and I had the opportunity to travel to Australia this year and other than seeing a performance in the famous Sydney Opera House, we loved seeing all the unique animals- many of which could potentially kill you. It made for an exciting trip.

Plan on a newsletter every month, and occasional email updates with any extra information.

This is our big tour year with all students in orchestra having the opportunity to travel to Rome over New Years. For Freshmen who aren’t attending, don’t worry, you will have another opportunity to travel your senior year.

If you are interested in finding way to volunteer for the orchestra program, we have our first Orchestra Boosters meeting of the year on Monday, August 25 at 6PM on Zoom. The meeting is open to everyone and should last about 45 minutes or so.

Please see below for important beginning of the year information

• Orchestra Shirts and Hoodies: Once again this year we are offering LZHS Orchestra shirts and hoodies. They feature our orchestra logo and are comfortable. All students should purchase a shirt or sweatshirt for our performances outside LZHS. All orchestra will be participating outside performances again this year and so all students should have a shirt or sweatshirt. All orders are due by Tuesday, September 2.

• Private teacher forms (for all students) and Handbook forms are due by Friday 8/22. The links are posted in Canvas. Please make sure you are paying special attention to the new dress code for concerts this year.
• New Dress Code- We are no longer supplying tux jackets. Instead all students will wear all black: All clothing should be appropriate for a formal business setting and be free of prints, embroidery, or patterns. Please choose from the following options:

TOP: 

·       Black long-sleeved button-down shirt 

·       Black blouse – at least ¾ length sleeve

·       Black sweater (no sweatshirts)

.        The midriff must not show while standing or sitting

BOTTOM:

·       Black skirt – shin-length minimum while sitting

·       Black dress pants (NO JEANS, YOGA PANTS, LEGGINGS, ETC.)

·       Black sleeved dress (shin-length minimum while sitting, no sleeveless dresses)

·       Black Socks – Socks need to be high enough so that there is no skin showing when  a student is seated.·     Black dress shoes (closed toe) – no sneakers, no white soles, heels should be low  (not more than 2” heel)

• Private Teachers- if you are currently taking private lessons please make sure you are communicating your schedule with your teacher. Everyone will be back in the building over the next couple of weeks. If you are interested in private lessons, please make sure you state that in your private teacher form and I will send you some information.
• Orchestra Boosters (HOPE) If you would like to learn more about HOPE or support HOPE. Please see their welcome letter. We are just beginning our annual membership drive. Please consider becoming a member today!
• The orchestra Picnic will be on Friday September 12th from 4PM-5:30PM in Breezewald park. Pease signup by Tuesday, 9/9 so that HOPE knows how many hotdogs and veggie burgers to purchase. If you are coming, please consider bringing something to help with the picnic. Please signup and let us know what you are brining.
• Bear Strings starts on Thursday, 8/28 from 3:50-4:45PM. 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.
• 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. I am available to help everyday periods 4, 5, and 7. Orchestra Office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. All students auditioning must pay $10 on pushcoin. I will have a link up soon.
• All Freshmen will purchase a Sound Innovations Advanced book. I have ordered books already. I will send a bill through pushcoin in the next week or so.
• I would encourage you to add the orchestra calendar to your personal calendar. The calendar is will always be the most up to date calendar. Please pay special attention to the four LZHS concert dates for the year.

I hope everyone has a great year, and I hope to see everybody at our first concert on 10/07. Please feel free to reach out to me by email if you have any questions.

Nathan Sackschewsky, LZHS Orchestra Director

I can’t believe that we are already going to be in May next week. This is an D95 Orchestra Festival year, and I am excited to see all of the orchestra students in the district come together for a fantastic celebration of string playing in D95 on Friday, May 5. This is truly a special place to make music, and I hope that this will highlight the great orchestra family that we have at LZHS. Please also mark your calendars for the final orchestra concert on Tuesday, May 13, and the Orchestra Banquet on May 15^th. I will have more banquet information after the festival. See below as well from two chamber music concerts that I will be performing in May and June.

News:

Orchestra Festival information:

• Date: 5/2 at 7PM in the Field House
• Rehearsal times:
• Office Hour- All HS orchestra students will rehearse during office hour on 5/2
• Final Dress Rehearsal- 6PM all orchestra students
• Dress: Orchestra shirt, jeans or kakis (no sweatpants, or athletic pants), and tennis shoes
• Parking: All LZHS students and parents should park in the PAC lot and walk through the orchestra room/main gym to get to the field house. It will make getting out of the concert much easier.

We need everyone to pitch in and help with set-up, tuning, showing parents and students where to go, and taking everything down. Students can get Tri-M hours for helping Please sign up if you can help!

May Concert Information:

May Concert: Tuesday, May 13 at 7PM in the PAC

• Concert and Philharmonic call time: 5:45
• Symphony call time: 6:30

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.

Concert Treat- To celebrate the end of the year we will do post-concert refreshments. It has been a while since we have done them, but HOPE would like to help organize treats this year. We are going to have Sophomores bring some sort of snack or treat and juniors bring something to drink- small water bottles seem to work best, but juice boxes work as well. Please no soda. Please drop treats off in the lobby before the concert. HOPE volunteers will be there to help organize.

Senior Information:

Seniors, we need your information for the concert program. Please take a minute to fill out the senior bio that we will use for the program and banquet slideshow. Please submit your senior bio by Thursday, May 1st.

HOPE Program Messages

Personal Dedication

It’s hard to believe that the end of the year is almost here, and the last concert is right around the corner. For some of you, your musician’s high school journey has just begun and for some the time at the LZHS music program is coming to a close. A dedication in the concert program is a great way to create a special keepsake and honor the hard work of being a musician in the orchestra.

Below are some examples from previous years.

To STUDENT NAME: we have loved watching you perform in band and orchestra during your time at LZHS. You have grown as a musician and had some amazing experiences along the way. We are so very proud of you and can’t wait to see what your future has in store.
Love, Mom and Dad

To STUDENT NAME: We are so proud of you and all that you have done while following your love of music. It’s been so fun to watch you grow as you tried new musical styles and instruments! Congratulations and can’t wait to see where your next adventures take you. Love Mom and Dad

To STUDENT NAME: Every note has been a jewel, every scale a joy, every chord a blessing, that we will always treasure. Love, Mom & Dad

To STUDENT NAME: We are so proud of you! Thank you for sharing your music with us. We are amazed at how you’ve grown as a musician from when you were little. Love, Grandma and Grandpa

If you would like to include a dedication in the May 13 program, please click the link below

https://forms.gle/9bnm2hZ5RhahTkst8

Tri-M

Lake Zurich’s chapter of Tri-M Music Honor Society is accepting applications for membership next year.

This is a multi-year commitment from when you start until you graduate – fulfilling the requirements gives you the right to your pink cord at graduation…. continuous membership from joining through senior year is required!

The requirements are:

• Maintain GPA of 3.0 overall, A average in music courses
• Remain off of ineligible list
• Regular meeting attendance (once a month)
• Usher one 2 hour concert of your peers here at LZ
• 8 additional hours of service in many forms that are provided or that you can ask about qualifying events

This club represents Lake Zurich High School Music and relies on its membership to carry out that representation in many forms. See Mrs. Conover in PA127 if you have questions!

https://forms.gle/cjMNYmiyScPvVhxS9

Jan Sobieski String Quartet Performances

Every year the quartet that I perform in does two concerts in the spring. Our first performance this year will be on Sunday, May 11 at 3PM at Grace Luteran Church in LaGrange- 200 N Catherine Ave, La Grange, IL

We will be performing the Brahms Bb Major Sextet and a work the complete G Major Quartet by Florence Price. Admission is free.

We will also be performing a second concert on June 1^st, but we are still working out the exact location. I will keep you posted.

Other dates to keep put on your calendar:

• 4/24-26- “The Prom” musical performances
• 5/2- LZ D95 Orchestra festival at 7PM
• 5/11- Jan Sobieski String Quartet Concert (Mr. S’ string quartet) 3PM Grace Lutheran Church-200 N Catherine Ave, La Grange, IL
• 5/13- 7PM Orchestra Concert at 7PM
• 5/15- 5PM Orchestra Banquet at LZHS at 5PM
• 6/1- Jan Sobieski String Quart Concert at 3PM location TBA

I can’t believe that we are already into February. I attended the ILMEA Conference where Kaitlyn Lee performed with the Honors Orchestra. It was inspiring to see their work on some challenging music. Please see below for information about upcoming field trips, solo and ensemble, March Concert, and our 2025/26 Rome Trip.

News:

Concert and Philharmonic Orchestra clinic at NIU on Thursday, February 20. All Concert and Phil students will be attending a clinic and performance at NIU. Please see the information handout for more information. The permission slip should be returned in canvas, or hard copy by Friday 2/14. If you are interested in chaperoning, please let me know.

Symphony and Sinfonietta clinic at UIUC on Saturday, February 22. All symphony students (including winds) and Sinfonietta students will attend UIUC to perform in the Great Hall and have clinics with world renown conductors. The bus will leave about 7:15 and we will return about 7:30PM. The performances will be at 1PM and 2:30 if you have any alumni who would like to attend the concert it is free to attend. Please see the information handout for more information The permission slip should be returned in canvas, or hard copy by Friday 2/14. If you are interested in chaperoning, please let me know.

March Concert on Tuesday, March 4 at 7PM: More information in a couple of weeks. All ensembles will be performing on the concert. Call time for Concert and Philharmonic will be 5:45.

Solo and Ensemble on March 11: Solo and Ensemble entries must be completed by Friday, February 14. Please make sure you sign up on the google form for your solo or ensemble. If you have not done so, please pay for your solo and ensembles in pushcoin. Please contact your accompanist ASAP. We are going to have rehearsal sessions on 3/4 with Ms. Lakisova. Please reach out in the next couple of days to let her know if you are going to use her. Remember that Symphony students do not need to pay for their class ensemble. The honors concert will be on Tuesday, March 18.

Sinfonietta final concert, March 14 at 7PM: This special concert will be at the district office and will feature Sinfonietta performing Dvorak’s Serenade and featuring several student solos and chamber usic.

Rome Trip information:

1. Please pay your first large payment through the pushcoin link sent to you by Mr. Thompson. If you have multipole people you are paying for, please add each of those to the cart to pay.
2. It is not too late to join the trip. Let me know if you would like to join the fantastic group we have going. I look forward to seeing you in Rome next winter break!

Thank you, as always, for your support of the orchestra program,

My family is currently deep in preparation for Thanksgiving tomorrow, and I would like to wish all of you and your families a happy Thanksgiving. One of the newer traditions that Mrs. S and I have is celebrating a Friendsgiving with some of our closest friends. It is a reminder of how important it is to celebrate our related families, and the families and communities that we have created in our lives. Personally, I am so grateful for our LZ Orchestra community. I am inspired to see the dedication that every one of you have for creating a safe and inspiring place to learn and create great art. Thank you especially to our LZHS Orchestra Booster board for the time and dedication. I would like to single out and thank Christine Brodersen, who has gone above and beyond orchestrating the RaiseRight fundraiser. Don’t forget to consider using RaiseRight to help defray your costs for the Rome trip during your holiday shopping. As a thanks, and celebration of our orchestra community. Please enjoy our concert recording with high-definition audio of the Andante Moderato from our October Concert.

Remember that December 12^th is our winter concert. We have several concert and extra rehearsal dates (especially for Symphony) this month,  please make sure you have the orchestra calendar added to your calendars.

I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving break, and I can’t wait for an amazing couple of weeks of music to close out the semester.

Important News:

Rome Trip: If you have not done so already, please make sure you have filled out the Google Form please complete that soon. I am excited to see that we already have 30 orchestra students signed up. We are currently accepting the initial deposit checks for $200 per student. Please write the student’s full name in the memo. Parents, we are currently working through some administrative issues. Please hold off on your initial check. I will let you know when to send that in. After the initial payment we will set up payment through pushcoin and you will notices to pay through your school account. If you would like more information about the trip please see the tour information folder.

Symphony Evening Rehearsal- All symphony students are required to attend the evening rehearsal on Monday, December 2 from 6:30-8:30 PM in the Orchestra Room.

Winter Concert, Wednesday, December 12 at 7PM:

Concert information:

Dress:

Please follow dress code as outlined in the handbook.

Boys must show up in black pants, tux shirt, black dress 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.

Concert and Philharmonic Orchestra:

Call time is 5:40 for rehearsal on the stage in the PAC. 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 6:15 on stage to run the Christmas song.

Alumni- If you have any alumni who would like to join us for the Christmas Song, have them reach out and I will send them the music!

Bear Strings:

The Bear Strings, Bare Voices, Blue Notes concert is going to be a little different this year. We are going to offer a cabaret style performance with paid seats on the stage and free seats in the audience. We are initially offering every participant in the ensembles the opportunity to purchase 2 seats. Please fill out Cabaret Google Form by Monday December 2^nd so we know if we can sell extra tickets.

2024/25 Concerto Competition- The concerto competition will be on Wednesday, January 15^th from 4-6PM. Please register on the orchestra website. I will have a Pushcoin link after break.

Important dates:

• Monday, 12/2- Evening Symphony Rehearsal-6:30-8:30
• Wednesday, 12/12: Orchestra concert at 7PM
• Monday, 12/16: Bear Strings rehearsal and concert- 4:00-5:30 rehearsal- Concert at 7PM
• Wednesday 1/15- Concert Competition

Welcome back to orchestra. For our Freshmen, I am so excited to welcome you to the next chapter of your LZHS career. It has been fun to hear about what everyone did for their summers. My family and I had the opportunity to travel to Japan this summer, and we even went to a concert at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. One of my favorite things about travel is to hear new concert halls and it didn’t disappoint.

Plan on a newsletter every month, and occasional email updates with any extra information.

We have some great opportunities this year, beyond our four curricular concerts, both Sinfonietta and Bear Strings have special performances scheduled. This is also an Orchestra Festival, and I can’t wait to have all of the string players in the district together on May 2.

I look forward to seeing all of you at the HOPE meeting on Tuesday, and curriculum night on Wednesday.

Please see below for important beginning of the year information

• Orchestra Shirts and Hoodies: Once again this year we are offering LZHS Orchestra shirts and hoodies. They feature our orchestra logo and are comfortable. It is my goal that we have these shirts to wear for informal concerts, tours, and events. All orders are due by Wednesday, 9/4

• HOPE will have an in-person meeting in the orchestra room on Tuesday, 8/27 at 7PM in the orchestra room. Please enter through door 15. Everyone is invited to attend and learn more about what HOPE will be doing this year. If you would like to learn more about HOPE or support HOPE. Please see their welcome letter.
• The orchestra Picnic will be on Friday September 6^th from 4PM-5:30PM in Breezewald park. Pease signup by Tuesday, 9/5 so that HOPE knows how many hotdogs and veggie burgers to purchase. If you are coming, please consider bringing something to help with the picnic. Please signup and let us know what you are brining.
• Bear Strings starts on Thursday, 8/29 from 3:50-4:45PM. 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.
• Parents of freshman 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.
• ILMEA Signup is currently going on. Fill out this form and pay online to sign up.  Sign-up is due by Friday, September 12. All ILMEA participants must participate in at least one help session, or you will not be allowed to participate. I am available to help everyday periods 1, 4, 5, and 7. Orchestra Office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday
• All Freshmen need to purchase a Sound Innovations Advanced book. I have ordered books already. Please pay Mrs. McLeod $10 through PushCoin or directly at the bookkeeper’s office.

I would encourage you to add the orchestra calendar to your personal calendar. The calendar is will always be the most up to date calendar. Please pay special attention to the four LZHS concert dates for the year.

I hope everyone has a great year, and I hope to see everybody at our first concert on 10/09. Please feel free to reach out to me by email if you have any questions.

Nathan Sackschewsky, LZHS Orchestra Director

As we enter the final stretch of the 2023-24 school year. I would like to pause to thank everyone who has made this year so successful. Thank you to the students who have continuously pushed themselves to make great music, the parents for supporting the process, and our HOPE volunteers for making our extra activities so engaging for our students. Thank you for all you do! We have two final events on the orchestra calendar which provide opportunities to celebrate the year in orchestra and say goodbye to our seniors. Please mark your calendars for the May 14^th concert and May 16^th banquet. Please see below for concert information. I will email out banquet information in a week or so.

News:

May Concert Information:

May Concert: Tuesday, May 14 at 7PM in the PAC

Concert and Philharmonic call time: 5:45

Symphony call time: 6:30

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.

Concert Treat- To celebrate the end of the year we will do post-concert refreshments. It has been a while since we have done them, but HOPE would like to help organize treats this year. We are going to have Sophomores bring some sort of snack or treat and juniors bring something to drink- small water bottles seem to work best, but juice boxes work as well. Please no soda. Please drop treats off in the lobby before the concert. HOPE volunteers will be there to help organize.

Senior Information:

Seniors, we need your information for the concert program. Please take a minute to fill out the senior bio that we will use for the program and banquet slideshow. Please submit your senior bio by Thursday, May 2^nd.

HOPE Program Messages

Dear Orchestra Parents,

This has been an exciting and incredible year. We are proud of our students and we know that you are too. If you would like to include a special message to your student in the May 14^th final concert program of the year, see the attached form.  Price is $10 per dedication.

Thank you,

We look forward to seeing you at the concert.

H.O.P.E. LZHS Orchestra Booster Club

https://forms.gle/9bnm2hZ5RhahTkst8

Tri-M

Lake Zurich’s chapter of Tri-M Music Honor Society is accepting applications for membership next year.

This is a multi-year commitment from when you start until you graduate – fulfilling the requirements gives you the right to your pink cord at graduation…. continuous membership from joining through senior year is required!

The requirements are:

Maintain GPA of 3.0 overall, A average in music courses

Remain off of ineligible list

Regular meeting attendance (once a month)

Usher one 2 hour concert of your peers here at LZ

8 additional hours of service in many forms that are provided or that you can ask about qualifying events

This club represents Lake Zurich High School Music and relies on its membership to carry out that representation in many forms. See Mrs. Conover in PA127 if you have questions!

https://forms.gle/cjMNYmiyScPvVhxS9

Other dates to keep put on your calendar:

4/25-28- Sound of Music Performances

5/5- Jan Sobieski String Quartet Concert (Mr. S’ string quartet) 3PM Grace Lutheran Church-200 N Catherine Ave, La Grange, IL

5/14- 7PM Orchestra Concert

5/16- 5PM Orchestra Banquet at LZHS

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed having some time with my family and of course all of the great food. It is an often-begrudging family tradition in my house to talk about what you are thankful for. Of course, I am most thankful for a healthy happy family, however I am equally thankful for getting to make fantastic music every day with the students at LZHS. It is invigorating to be able see such growth and accomplishments from everyone. This is an exceptional place to make music and I am thankful for everyone who gives their time and energy to make the orchestra program so successful. Thank you as well to our HOPE board who do so much behind the scenes to make sure we can do so many amazing events.

This week we have two big celebrations:

Elise won the 2023-24 LZHS Concerto Competition and will be performing the first movement of the Bruch Violin Concerto with the orchestra in May.

Elise, Jonathon, Mira, and Jonah were selected perform with the All-State orchestras in January. They will audition later this month to find out if they made Honors or All-State Orchestras. Congratulations to everyone!

December 13^th is our winter concert. We have several concert and extra rehearsal dates (especially for Symphony) this month,  lease make sure you have the orchestra calendar added to your calendars.

Important Highlights:

Winter Concert, Wednesday, December 13 at 7PM:

Important concert information:

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.

Concert and Philharmonic Orchestra:

Call time is 5:45 for rehearsal on the stage in the PAC. 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 6:15 on stage to run the Christmas song.

Alumni- If you have any alumni who would like to join us for the Christmas Song, have them reach out and I will send them the music!

Other important dates:

• Thursday 11/30- Evening Symphony Rehearsal-6:30-8:30
• Thursday, 12/7- Choir Concert- For Sinfonietta Students-wear black be on stage by 6:10
• Wednesday, 12/13: Orchestra concert at 7PM
• Tuesday 12/18: Bear Strings rehearsal and concert- 4:00-5:30 rehearsal- Concert at 7PM

It has been a busy month in the orchestra department. We are preparing for our October concerts and enjoying some time getting to know everyone. Thank you to HOPE for sponsoring the picnic on September 8^th. Thank you as well to Echo USA for sponsoring the sectional lesson day. We were so lucky to have five amazing coaches who worked with all the orchestra students last Tuesday.

Our first concert of the 2023-24 season will be on Thursday, October 12 at 7PM. We have some early reporting times because we will be taking pictures. Please see below for call times and dress information:

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.

Concert and Philharmonic Orchestra:

Call time is 5:15 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

A reminder that ILMEA videos must be emailed to me by 10/2 so that I can make sure everything is OK and we don’t have to wait until the night of the concert to get everything all taken care of.

Tux Helper- Mrs. Oh has volunteered to help with tuxes again this year. We could use one more volunteer. It is a low-stress job, but we do need someone who can come and help with fittings and then hand out and return tuxes for every concert.

Sinfonietta Auditions: Auditions for the after-school orchestra here at LZHS called Sinfonietta are due October 13^th. The rehearsals will be every Tuesday from 3:50-5:15. Students should submit their ILMEA video, or the ILMEA scales and the first page of a concerto they are working on. Students will be performing advanced music composed for small chamber orchestras. Students can audition in person or by submitting a video. All auditions must be submitted/completed by October 13.

You must have the following contract signed by 10/13.  Rehearsals will begin Tuesday, October 17

Symphony Performance at Elmhurst University:  Please return field trip permission slips by Friday, October 6 . The field trip forms can be found in Canvas

Homecoming Dance Help: HOPE will once again be providing a bag check and snacks at the homecoming dance on October 7th. We are looking for families to man the booth and for donations. If you can help in any way, please register in the sign-up genius. You can drop off donations on 10/6 at the HS security.

If that doesn’t work, feel free to drop donations with Christine Brodersen

HOPE Donations: The October concert is our big push for HOPE donations. If you would like your name in the first program, please donate by 10/6. You can donate online, or in person at the concert.

 

Thank you as always for your support of the orchestras at LZHS,

Nathan Sackschewsky, LZHS Orchestra Director

Welcome back to Orchestra. It has been great hearing about how everyone spent their summers. So many of you took time to travel and spend time with family and friends. Although the start of the year is always a transition, we are going full speed and already preparing for our first concert on October 12. For those of you who are new, please keep an eye on your email, or the orchestra website for monthly newsletters with important links and information for the orchestra department.

We have some great opportunities this year, beyond our four curricular concerts, both Sinfonietta and Bear Strings have special performances scheduled, and Symphony will start the year with a performance at Elmhurst University on October 14^th.

I look forward to seeing all of you at the curriculum night on Wednesday.

Please see below for important beginning of the year information

• The orchestra Picnic will be on Friday September 8^th from 4PM-5:30PM in Breezewald park. Pease signup by Tuesday, 9/5 so that HOPE knows how many hotdogs and veggie burgers to purchase. If you are coming, please consider bringing something to help with the picnic. Please signup and let us know what you are brining.

• Bear Strings starts on Thursday, 8/31 from 3:50-4:50PM. 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.

• Parents of freshman 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.

• ILMEA Signup is currently going on. Fill out this form and pay online to sign up.  Sign-up is due by Friday, September 15. All ILMEA participants must participate in at least one help session, or you will not be allowed to participate. I am available to help everyday periods 1, 4, 5, and 7. Orchestra Office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday

• All Freshmen need to purchase a Sound Innovations Advanced book. I have ordered books already. Please pay Mrs. McLeod $10 through PushCoin or directly at the bookkeeper’s office.

• Saturday September 14 Symphony Orchestra will be performing with Elmhurst University. The concert will be on campus at 7PM. Students will take a bus from LZHS at 1:45PM on Saturday for a 3PM dress rehearsal. More information to follow.

I would encourage you to add the orchestra calendar to your personal calendar. The calendar is will always be the most up to date calendar. Please pay special attention to the four LZHS concert dates for the year.

I hope everyone has a great year, and I hope to see everybody at our first concert on 10/12. Please feel free to reach out to me by email if you have any questions.

Nathan Sackschewsky, LZHS Orchestra Director

Welcome back from spring break and happy holidays for all who celebrated last week and weekend. Our last two months of the year are very busy, so I wanted to make sure that you had some important times and dates on the calendar. I will also have an email towards the end of the month with detailed final concert and banquet information.

Bear Strings this week:

Our final Bear strings performances are this week:

-Tuesday 4/11- Tour of elementary schools. We need to leave about 8:45, so please arrive early if possible. We will be back shortly before 7^th period. Please make sure you have an LZ Orchestra or just LZ shirt and jeans for the concert. You must also have a music stand between you and your partner. We will be stopping in Dear Park for lunch. Please make sure you have money or bring a lunch along.

-Wednesday 4/12- Final concert at MSN. Please see arrival information from Mr. Monzel. The concert starts at 7PM, please arrive by 6 for dress rehearsal. You should wear the same/similar thing from the tour.

In-Person HOPE meeting on Monday May 17 at 7PM

• Come to our first in-person meeting this year. We are looking for some orchestra parents to step up and help keep hope running this year.
• If you are sure you can help, or just want some more information about HOPE please come to our meeting to ensure this great organization can continue in the future.

All District Festival Orchestra:

Friday May 5 at 7PM is our orchestra festival in the field house. All 600 orchestra students from across the district will be performing that night.

Important information:

• HS dress rehearsal office hours on 5/5
• 6PM Orchestra call time
• Dress is formal orchestra dress
• We need parents and students to volunteer to help. Please sign up if you can lend a hand.

Other dates to keep put on your calendar:

4/26-30- Frozen Performances

4/29- Jan Sobieski String Quartet Concert (Mr. S’ string quartet) 6:30PM at St Paul Lutheran Church in Mt. Prospect.

5/16- 7PM Orchestra Concert

5/18- 5PM Orchestra Banquet at LZHS