Author: Elizabeth

Hi Folks!

Well, folks, we have 2 more rehearsals before our first performance of the year! I think we’re in very good shape!

I’m sorry for the delay in getting this sent out. I hope to do better this week.

LOCATION CHANGE!!!!

Bourkevale is unavailable to us this week, so please do not report there for rehearsal! Instead, we will be practising at the St James Legion – 1755 Portage Ave – 7-9 pm.

As always, I’ll be there at 6:30 pm if anyone wants some assistance with brass technique OR general practise techniques.

Uniforms

The new Millennium Band shirts come to every rehearsal and are available for $25. It is not mandatory, but if you’re interested, we have them available. (Our uniforms are black bottoms, and in order of preference: forest green tops, black tops).

I think that’s it for news for now!

I’ll be drawing our rehearsal from the following pieces:

• Scales will be a repeat of last week: Db, B, Bb (concert pitch)
• 51 – Entrance of the Gladiators
• 54 – The Drunken Sailor
• 57 – Wade in the Water
• 63 – Hallelujah
• 68 – Jazz Chaconne
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 76 – Sweet Caroline
• 77- Sesame Street Celebration
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 79 – Zoolantis!
• 80 – O Canada

See you on Thursday!

Elizabeth.

Hi Folks!

As usual, our rehearsal this past week went incredibly well! I’m really excited about what we’re accomplishing already and looking forward to our Canada Day gig!

Some newsy bits off the top:

We’ve been approached with an offer of coaching for Clarinet and Saxophone players. Our volunteer holds a degree in Clarinet performance and currently plays for a military band. They will be in the city for the summer and are looking to give back to the musical community. If you play Clarinet or Saxophone and are interested, please email us at info@mbmillenniumband.com.

We handed out a new piece #80 – O Canada. (Parts will continue to be available). If you are someone who prefers an electronic copy, please email us your request at info@mbmillenniumband.com (letting us know your instrument/part) and we’ll forward you the digital copy.

I think that’s it for news for now!

I’ll be drawing our rehearsal from the following pieces:

• 21 – A Disney Spectacular
• 36 – Space and Beyond
• 37 – Wade in the Water
• 51 – Entrance of the Gladiators
• 54 – The Drunken Sailor
• 63 – Hallelujah
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 76 – Sweet Caroline
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 79 – Zoolantis!
• 80 – O Canada

See you on Thursday!

Elizabeth.

Hi Folks!

As always, your work in our rehearsal this past weekend was phenomenal! That was our last Saturday rehearsal, so please note our next rehearsal details (both day and venue are changed):

Thursday, June 5 – 7-9 pm – Bourkevale Community Centre – 100 Ferry Rd

All our remaining rehearsals will take place on Thursday nights.

New Gig Booked!

We have also been booked to perform a gig!

• Date: Tuesday, July 1 (Canada Day)
• Call Time: 2:30 pm
• Place: St. James Kiwanis Courts – 90 Sinawik Bay

We will need to ensure that we have percussion coverage, so if you are a percussionist, please confirm your attendance as soon as possible.

If you are willing to take on percussion for this gig, please let us know so that Elizabeth can adjust repertoire as needed.

Rehearsal

Going forward, we’ll be adding sight reading to our warm up routine. We have inherited a bunch of scores so we’ve been reading through them to assess whether they’re a good fit.

I’ll be drawing our rehearsal from the following pieces:

• 3 – Classic Rock’n’Roll
• 21 – A Disney Spectacular
• 36 – Space and Beyond
• 42 – Northwind
• 51 – Entrance of the Gladiators
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 77 – Sesame Street Celebration
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 79 – Zoolantis!

See you on Thursday!

Elizabeth.

In spite of the change in time, once again, we had a very good turnout. We did really good work this week! Pat yourselves on the back!

Next rehearsal will be May 31 at the Legion #4 – 1755 Portage Ave, and return to our regular 10 am time slot. This will be the final Saturday rehearsal. (We’ll move to Thursdays thereafter).

A couple of housekeeping items:

Shirts

We do have shirts for sale ($25 each). We expect to have shirts at all rehearsals. We have been advised that they run a little larger than we had anticipated. We recommend that you try them on, and if they’re too big, we’ll exchange for a different size. Please note that there is no requirement to purchase a shirt – if you have a Millennium Band t-shirt, a forest green top, or a black top, you’re fine.

And we see an early return to a feature from our last year’s newsy bits:

Lost and Found

Lost: One grey sweatshirt. This was left behind at the legion.

Found (from last year): one alto saxophone stand.

Rehearsal List

We’ll be rehearsing from among the following:

• 3 – Classic Rock’n’Roll
• 17 – Eine Kleine Rockmusik
• 26 – The Rowan Tree
• 36 – Space and Beyond
• 42 – Northwind
• 54 – The Drunken Sailor
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 79 – Zoolantis!

I hope you all have a great week!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth.

Good evening, folks!

This week’s rehearsal was extremely productive. I’m thrilled with our progress so far! We have an embarrassment of riches in all of you!

Our next rehearsal is May 24 at the Legion Branch #4 – 1755 Portage Ave from  2 pm – 4 pm. Note the time change!!! (There is a function taking place at the Legion in the morning, which precluded us booking the space).

Here’s the list of pieces that rehearsal will be drawn from:

• 3 – Classic Rock’n’Roll
• 36 – Space and Beyond
• 37 – Wade in the Water
• 42 – Northwind
• 52 – 76 Trombones
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 76 – Sweet Caroline
• 77 – Sesame Street Celebration
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 79 – Zoolantis!

I’m looking forward to seeing you on Saturday afternoon!

Elizabeth.

*** CORRECTION: Rehearsal is May 17 (I’m 0nly contractually obligated to be able to count to four. These “teen” numbers are out of scope). ***

The previously published post has been corrected.

Apologies for any confusion.

Elizabeth.

*** CORRECTION: Rehearsal is May 17 (I’m 0nly contractually obligated to be able to count to four. These “teen” numbers are out of scope). ***

Hi Folks!

Well, we’re off and running on our 2025 season! And what a season it’s looking to be! We had a fantastic crew at our kick-off rehearsal and I think we really set the tone for the summer.

Our next rehearsal will be Saturday, May 14 May 17 from 10 am – 12 pm at the St James Legion – 1755 Portage Ave.

We’ll be drawing from the following list of pieces:

• 21 – A Disney Spectacular
• 42 – Northwind
• 51 – Entrance of the Gladiators
• 54 – The Drunken Sailor
• 57 – Wade in the Water
• 68 – Jazz Chaconne
• 70 – The Maple Leaf Forever
• 77 – Sesame Street Celebration
• 78 – Baba Yetu
• 79 – Zoolantis!

I would encourage you to do some listening to help you sort out some of the rhythms and feel in our new pieces as follows:

• Zoolantis! (no narration)
• Zoolantis! (with narration)
• Baba Yetu (This is the opening of Civilization IV, so is the original source)
• Baba Yetu (This is the arrangement we’re playing. I’d recommend having your part in front of you to see where it fits into the whole picture).

I think that’s about it for this week. I look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Elizabeth.

Just a quick reminder that we’ll be starting up in 7 short days!

Here are the details for our first rehearsal of the season:

May 10 –  Saturday – 10 am – 12 pm – Legion Branch #4 – 1755 Portage Ave – if possible, please try to arrive a wee bit early so that we can get music assigned and begin the fun as close to 10:00 as possible! 

You will definitely need a music stand!

I’m excited for the season and I hope it will be a fun one!

See you in a week!

Elizabeth.

Hi Folks!

I’m thrilled to announce that we’re all set to kick off the 2025 Millennium Band season!

Everyone is welcome, so please tell everyone you know and even those who you don’t know about it! (We’ve been chronically low on flute and horn players of late… hint hint).

We have also invested in new polo shirts! (If our prior uniforms were keeping you away). They’re pretty snazzy-looking! We’ll have more details about how you can take one of these babies home once we get the season rolling.

Without further ado, here are the season details, as we know them now (You can also find these details linked on the site’s landing page, as well as under the Members page):

Dues: $25.00

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Rehearsals:

May 10 –  Saturday – 10 am – 12 pm – Legion Branch #4 – 1755 Portage Ave – if possible, please try to arrive a wee bit early so that we can get music assigned and begin the fun as close to 10:00 as possible! 

May 17 – Saturday – 10 am – 12 pm – Legion Branch #4 – 1755 Portage Ave

May 24 – Saturday – 2 pm – 4 pm – Legion Branch #4 – 1755 Portage Ave ***NOTE the time change!!***

May 31 – Saturday – 10 am – 12 pm – Legion Branch #4 – 1755 Portage Ave

The following rehearsals will be held at Bourkevale Community Centre – 100 Ferry Rd. Rehearsal from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm on Thursdays unless otherwise specified. Free parking available.  Rehearsal space doors will be open 30 mins before start and 30 mins after the end. Help with arranging chairs is always appreciated!

June 5

June 12

June 19 – Rehearsal at Legion Branch #4 – 1755 Portage Ave

June 26

 July 3

July 10

July 17

July 31

August 7

August 14

August 21 – Tentative Concert – to be confirmed

August 28

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Gigs

Call time is 30 minutes prior to performance time indicated below.

Thursday, July 24 – 7:00 pm – Lindenwood Terrace -490 Lindenwood Dr E

Saturday, August 9 – 1:30 pm – Holy Family Home, 165 Aberdeen Ave

Please bring a music stand to all gigs!

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Wind up Barbecue

We planning to have a wind-up barbecue (friends & family welcome) at the end of the season. More details will be provided as planning continues.

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Stay tuned! This section to be updated as information becomes available!

Looking forward to seeing those who can make it out on May 10!

Sincerely,

Your MB Millennium Band Executive

Greetings from the dead of winter! We hope you’re all staying warm and enjoying your playing! Thoughts of our upcoming Millennium season have begun to swirl about in the Executive Committee’s heads already, which brings us to the reason we’re reaching out at this rather bizarre time (for us).

Our supply of uniforms has dwindled and the committee is planning to purchase new shirts. We have chosen to go with a polo shirt (they will be forest green with white printing).

This is where we need your help.

Not being clothing experts, we need to determine how many of each size to order. So, we thought we’d poll the band to see what the size breakdown is at this time. That will help us ensure we order an appropriate balance of sizes, and, ideally, not run out of one size right away.

The Details

1 – These will be unisex shirts. (Ladies typically wear one size smaller than a dedicated women’s cut shirt).

Here is the sizing chart from the manufacturer (we can’t guarantee that all sizes are in stock with the print shop):

2 – Your response to this request is not a commitment to purchase a shirt. We are expecting to have new shirts available in the 2025 season, so you will have the opportunity to purchase, but no obligation. (Our prior t-shirts, as well as any forest green or black top will continue to be acceptable performance wear). More details (including cost) will follow at a later date.

The Ask

We are placing an order jointly with another ensemble so as to reduce costs as much as possible for both groups, so there is some urgency in collecting size information as we coordinate logistics.

Would you please respond to this post with your preferred shirt size by end of day Friday, February 7? (No reminder will be sent).

Our season planning session usually takes place in March. You can expect to hear details for the 2025 season late in March or early in April. We’ll use this space to keep you posted. (We already have a couple of gigs booked! We are starting to be approached about performing rather than having to pound the pavement in search of gigs. This is a testament to your hard work and demonstrates the value we’re bringing to the community).

We’re looking forward to reconvening in the spring, and hope to see you then!

Happy playing!

Your Manitoba Millennium Band Executive Committee