Author: Elizabeth

The weather is looking good!

As in other years, one of our percussionists and his brother are involved in a musical theatre production in November. This year, it will be Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (music by Andrew Lloyd Webber).

I would encourage everyone to support our bandmate if you are able. (He made a great narrator for Zoolantis! so we know he’s got talent! I’m expecting a fun show!) It really does mean a lot to have friendly faces in the audience! I’m tentatively planning to attend the Saturday matinee if anyone is interested in sitting together!

Here’s the information that was shared:

About Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Told entirely through song with the help of a main character Narrator, the musical follows the preferred son Joseph. After being sold into slavery by his brothers, he ingratiates himself with Egyptian noble Potiphar, but ends up in jail after refusing the amorous advances of Potiphar’s wife. While imprisoned, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams, and he soon finds himself in front of the mighty but troubled, Elvis-inspired Pharaoh. Joseph’s solution to Egypt’s famine elevates him to Pharaoh’s right-hand man and reunites him with his family.

Rating: G – Joseph is fun for the whole family!

Approximate Runtime: 2h with intermission

Shows: Thursday, November 20, Friday, November 21, and Saturday 22 at 7 pm, or 2 pm (Matinee).

Location: Jubilee Place at MBCI, 173 Talbot Avenue. There is accessible seating at the corners of the theatre and also platform seats after Seat 12 for those who are unable to do stairs.

Tickets: $25 for Adults, $15 for Children – If you purchase tickets directly via our bandmate, processing fees are waived.

Although there is no canteen, as the school doesn’t allow food or drinks inside the theatre, there will be a 15 minutes intermission, so feel free to bring a drink, water, and snacks for yourself if you need them.

If you’re interested and not able to attend our remaining two Millennium events (this Thursday and Saturday), please reach out to info@mbmillenniumband.com and we will connect you with the individuals involved.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth.

Our performance at Concordia was a smashing success! Every single one of you should be proud of yourselves! The residents had lots of good things to say. They seemed really into it- singing and swaying from what I could see.

Our recording of Zoolantis! turned out well. We’re looking into ways to share it appropriately – stay tuned for more news on that score.

Our final rehearsal for 2025 is this week.

Please make sure you leave your binder! Please arrange all music in numerical order and ensure that the assigned parts are in the correct binder (if you swapped parts around in your section).

This week will be dedicated to sight reading, so there’s no formal rehearsal plan for me to share. Don’t worry – we’ll start out with some lighter pieces before we get into more meaty material, so there will be a warm up period!

Our librarian has prepared 1 folder per section containing parts for the pieces we’re reading. At the break, we’ll ask that you place the parts in the score folders (we hope to have these set up in the kitchen) for the pieces we read in the first half. At the end of rehearsal, please place parts in the appropriate score folder (in the kitchen). This will help with music sorting.

I think this is going to be a lot of fun! I’ve taken a look at what we have in preparation for next year already (yep. Planning does start this early. In fact, I’ve already determined which new to us pieces I’d like to add to our library for next season).

This will be the second year we’ve had an extra week (last year, it was 2 weeks. I think one is better) to start looking toward next season. I find it really helpful (as long as I take notes!) as I look to select our repertoire. It also allows me to get some feedback from you on those choices, which I do consider. (A couple of years ago, I posted a whole discussion on what I consider – there are a surprising array of factors! You are big part of that equation. Yes, I consider the level of music and what we can realistically achieve, but I also hope you have fun and grow on your musical journey).

I’ll also take this time to remind everyone about the barbecue!

Wind Up Pot Luck Barbecue Details:

We are planning a Wind-up Barbecue! This is an opportunity for us to enjoy one another’s company without the structure of a rehearsal getting in the way. Friends and family are welcome!

When: August 30, 2025 – arrive 2 pm (or later) – meal to be served at suppertime.
Where: A certain trumpet player’s house in Unicity. Address and directions will be provided at rehearsal on Thursday. If you want this delivered electronically please email info@mbmillenniumband.com as we will not be publishing the address on the internet.

Bring: Chair, weather appropriate clothing (hats, sweater, etc), sunscreen, insect repellant, BYOB, something to share.

Cost: $5 per person (to be collected at the event).

RSVP: ASAP. The band will be supplying protein, so we need to have a count of people attending in order to purchase the supplies. If you were polled at the concert on August 21, or emailed your attendance, please do not RSVP again!

We need to know:

• how many people (including yourself) are coming
• By email please –if there are any dietary requirements (e.g. gluten-free, vegetarian, etc) – how many people this applies to
• By email please – if there are any food allergies so we can be sure to take extra precautions – how many people this applies to

If you have not yet responded. and you will attend the barbecue, please email us your response.

Our email address is: info@mbmillenniumband.com.

This event is weather permitting! Cancellation notice will be posted on the Blog Page by Noon on August 30.

I think that’s all the business I have for the moment!

See you Thursday!

Elizabeth.

PLEASE IGNORE!

Hi Folks!

I’ve been advised that one of our members in the Crescentwood area is unexpectedly without transportation to our gig tonight.

If you are able to help, please reach out to info@mbmillenniumnband.com (please include your phone number) and I’ll connect you.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth.

Time has really flown by! We are nearing the end of our time together, with only 3 events remaining in our season. As such there’s some administrative business that needs addressing, which I’ll get out of the way first. Concert information will be found at the end.

End of Season Business:

Music – If you aren’t sure you can attend further Millennium events this season, please turn in your binders. Please make sure that: the music is in numerical order and that the binder contains the correct part (so if you swapped parts with someone else, the assigned part is in the correct binder).

As you may have gathered from the binders, our Librarian puts in a herculean effort every year to make sure that all our dormant pieces are removed, new active pieces are inserted into the page protectors, and that each binder gets a new index for the year. It’s a lot of work, so it’s on all of us to make this job as easy as possible.

If you end up with a binder at the end of the year, please contact info@mbmillenniumband.com so we can arrange to get it back! There will be changes to repertoire for next season so we’ll need to prepare for that. In addition, some of the parts we have in the binders are the only copies we have and while we are scanning all our new acquisitions as we go, we have not had the opportunity to fully digitize our library. It does matter that we get all the binders back.

August 28 – We are going to rehearse on Thursday, August 28. This is our final rehearsal of the season and where we will collect all the binders. We’ll be looking at sight reading some pieces that are being considered for inclusion next season and there will be opportunities to shape what that will look like.

Wind Up Pot Luck Barbecue Details:

We are planning a Wind-up Barbecue! This is an opportunity for us to enjoy one another’s company without the structure of a rehearsal getting in the way. Friends and family are welcome!

When: August 30, 2025 – arrive 2 pm (or later) – meal to be served at suppertime.
Where: A certain trumpet player’s house in Unicity. Address and directions will be provided at the concert on Thursday. If you want this delivered electronically please email info@mbmillenniumband.com as we will not be publishing the address on the internet.

Bring: Chair, weather appropriate clothing (hats, sweater, etc), sunscreen, insect repellant, BYOB, something to share.

Cost: $5 per person (to be collected at the event).

RSVP: Deadline to respond: August 23. The band will be supplying protein, so we need to have a count of people attending in order to purchase the supplies. We will be polling the band on Thursday at the concert. Please only respond once!

We need to know:

• how many people (including yourself) are coming
• By email please –if there are any dietary requirements (e.g. gluten-free, vegetarian, etc) – how many people this applies to
• By email please – if there are any food allergies so we can be sure to take extra precautions – how many people this applies to

If you are not attending the concert and you will attend the barbecue, please email us your response.

Our email address is: info@mbmillenniumband.com.

Concert Details:

If anyone knows of someone who is willing to record Zoolantis! (the second piece after 7 pm), we would really appreciate it. We have some cell phone footage from our last gig that has a couple of small skips in it, so it would be great to have another kick at the can! (And I won’t be mad if we have more than one recording!) This would be for the purpose of sharing it with Mr. Yeo (composer of Zoolantis!), who obviously isn’t attending in person, and with the band. I can get people in for free!

Where: Concordia Village Centre, 1125 Molson Street just North of Concordia. (Map included below – there has been additional construction since the map was generated but the entrances and parking are the same). Enter through the Village Centre doors.

Call Time: Arrive at 6:30 pm. Organised warm up will begin at 6:50 pm, and the baton drops at 7:00 pm.

Dress: Forest green short-sleeved shirt (Millennium preferred) OR black shirt with Black bottoms.

Concert Program:

• Scale: F Major
• 68 – Jazz Chaconne
• Scale: Bb Major
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 79 – Zoolantis!
• 51 – Entrance of the Gladiators
• 77 – Sesame Street Celebration
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik
• 54 – The Drunken Sailor
• 76 – Sweet Caroline
• 36 – Space and Beyond
• 80 – O Canada

Phew! That was a mouthful! But I think I’ve covered everything for now!

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

Elizabeth.

Well, Folks, the reviews are in:

“Beautiful!”

“Perfect!”

“When all the instruments come in, it makes your face want to explode!”

– One resident at Holy Family Care Home

I’m still not sure what that last one actually means – or whether it’s truly a good thing – but there’s no doubt she was having the time of her life, so I’ll take it in the spirit it was offered.

That was our very best performance to date (and we’ve had a summer of really incredible performances!) I am so proud of all of you!

This week will be a dress rehearsal for our concert at Concordia Village (on Thursday, August 21).

We’ll run through the following list in order and spot check as we need to:

• Scale: F Major
• 68 – Jazz Chaconne
• Scale: Bb Major
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 79 – Zoolantis!
• 51 – Entrance of the Gladiators
• 77 – Sesame Street Celebration
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik
• 54 – The Drunken Sailor
• 76 – Sweet Caroline
• 36 – Space and Beyond
• 80 – O Canada

See you Thursday!

Elizabeth.

Hi Folks!

In effort to reduce the email noise, this post will serve two purposes:

• 1 – Provide rehearsal details as per usual for August 7
• 2 – Provide concert details for Saturday, August 9

Dress Rehearsal

Thursday this week will be our dress rehearsal for the concert on Saturday afternoon. As such, we’ll run the program (I don’t expect to stop) before the break. After the break, we’ll spot-check as needed. Concert order is at the end of the post.

Concert – Saturday, August 9

We were incredibly well-received at Holy Family Home last year. It was a beautiful venue (we performed in an atrium) and the audience really got into the performance!

When: Saturday, August 9 – Call time: 1:00 pm. We will start our collective warm up at 1:20 pm and the baton drops at 1:30 pm.

Where: Holy Family Home, 165 Aberdeen Ave. There is a paid parking lot across the street.

Dress: Black bottoms (modest). On top, in order of preference: Millennium Band Polo or T-shirt, Forest green top, black top. We’ll be playing inside, so temperature should be okay.

Bring: Instrument, music stand, stand light.

Concert Order

• Scale: F Major
• 68 – Jazz Chaconne
• Scale: Bb Major
• 51 – Entrance of the Gladiators
• 57 – Wade in the Water
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 54 – The Drunken Sailor
• 77 – Sesame Street Celebration
• 36 – Space and Beyond
• 79 – Zoolantis!
• 76 – Sweet Caroline
• 17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik

See you on Thursday!

Elizabeth.

Wow, Folks!

Our performance last week was something to be really proud of! Congratulations to each of you! I received a number of really positive comments about how much they enjoyed our performance and wanting us to return. Each one of you contributed tremendously to our success. Thank you.

Rehearsal this week will be back to our regularly scheduled programming, as follows:

• 17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik
• 36 – Space and Beyond
• 51 – Entrance of the Gladiators
• 54 – The Drunken Sailor
• 57 – Wade in the Water
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 75 – Fanfare for the Unsung Hero
• 76 – Sweet Caroline
• 77 – Sesame Street Celebration
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 79 – Zoolantis!

See you on Thursday!

Elizabeth.

Well, Folks, we are well prepared for our concert this week!

I am SO proud of the work we’ve done together this season so far! I know it sometimes feels that in a large group like ours, one person doesn’t matter, but I’m here to disabuse you of that notion. Each of you brings something really special and we noticed when your “voice” is missing. I appreciate you all more deeply than I can express and I’m honoured to stand among you.

There’s one newsy bit to share (the 2025 Season and 2025 Performances pages have been updated on our site): we have a gig confirmed on Thursday, August 21! This will be our traditional last concert at Concordia Village (1125 Molson St) at 7 pm.

Apart from that, it’s down to the good stuff:

Concert Details:

Where: Lindenwood Terrace -490 Lindenwood Dr E

When: Call time- 6:30 pm. Our collective warm up will start at 6:50 pm and the performance proper begins promptly at 7:00 pm.

Wear: Black bottoms preferred. (Bottoms are mandatory). In order of preference: Northwinds top (polo or t-shirt), forest green top, black top. (Tops also mandatory).

As always, please dress for the conditions. If the weather and air quality cooperate, we will likely play outside under a pergola. Hats, sunscreen, insect repellent, sandals – all fine!

Bring: music stand, sunscreen, insect repellent, water, clothespins or plexiglass (to wrangle your music in the wind), your instrument, stand light (if you need)…

Concert Order

The first three items on this list constitute our warm up phase.

• Scale – F Major
• 68 – Jazz Chaconne
• Scale – Bb Major
• 42 – Northwind
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 54 – The Drunken Sailor
• 36 – Space and Beyond
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 51 – Entrance of the Gladiators
• 77 – Sesame Street Celebration
• 79 – Zoolantis!
• 76 – Sweet Caroline
• 17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik

I think that about covers it for this week! See you on Thursday!

Elizabeth.

I’m feeling very comfortable about our next performance (July 24 at Lindenwoods Terrace).

End of Season Barbecue – Save the Date

Mark your calendars! The 2nd annual Millennium Band (and Friends) Wind-up Barbecue will be held on Saturday, August 30th starting at 2 pm (until whenever). One of our members (who will not be doxxed) has offered to host in her spacious backyard. (Spoiler alert: it’s the same place as last year). This will be a partially pot luck event. Cost will be $5 per person (to help cover supplies including protein).

Please reach out to info@mbmillenniumband.com if there are special dietary requirements or allergies (e.g. vegetarian, etc).

More details to follow (including RSVP date).

Baba Yetu

As promised at our last rehearsal, I’m including some links for those who are interested in some additional context for Baba Yetu.

Here’s the previously shared link to the recording of the arrangement we’re playing.

Here’s the previously shared link to the Civilization IV trailer, featuring Baba Yetu.

Here’s a link to the video of a performance conducted by Christopher Tin in 2017 in Wales.

Rehearsal Order

Since this is a dress rehearsal, the plan will be to run through everything in the order below, take a break, then work out any spots that need some last minute shine.

• Scale – F Major
• 68 – Jazz Chaconne
• Scale – Bb Major
• 42 – Northwind
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 54 – The Drunken Sailor
• 36 – Space and Beyond
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 51 – Entrance of the Gladiators
• 77 – Sesame Street Celebration
• 79 – Zoolantis!
• 76 – Sweet Caroline
• 17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik

I hope to see most of you on Thursday!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth.