The Winter Concerts were wildly successful this past year. The band led off, with unique and exciting pieces that entertained the audience. The choir and orchestra followed, mixing pop with classical performances to create a fun diversity of genres.
The LMHS band returned this year with more show-stopping performances. The specialty wind ensemble performed “Precession of the Sorcerers”, an exciting piece that featured soloists Brinda Dass, Nick Gazzara, and Patrick Xie. Another piece they performed was “Kvetchers”, a traditional tune inspired by Hebrew music. The full band performed a challenging piece called “Prophecy”, that displayed the versatility of the band. They also featured the popular song “Sleigh Ride”, as they aimed to include holiday music in the mix of modern classical, as well as jazz. The band did an outstanding job this winter concert!
The orchestra and choir concert was also a hit this year! The orchestra’s chamber strings group performed a fusion rock and classical piece called “A Flat”, which featured Mehataab Singh on drums and Alyssa Lee on electric bass. They also performed “Tchaikovsky Medley”,s a mix of the composer’s greatest pieces. The full orchestra performed “Gymnopedie” with guest harpist Candace Lark, as well as the classic piece “Swan Lake”, and lastly, “Baresha”, an Albanian folk song with soloists Mehataab Singh, Emma Aguayo, Sarah Shehu, Daniel Zhao, Anthony Zhang, and James Lin. The orchestra perfected their mix of genres, including classics and pieces from other cultures, and overall did an excellent job!
Later in the night, the choir blew everyone away. The honor choir performed “Apple Tree”, a piece that involved a difficult rhythm and tempo. The concert choir performed “Glow”, which had a challenging melody that the singers worked hard to master. They also performed “Hope”, also a complex piece that included many varying parts. One of the big highlights of the night was the combined piece with the orchestra. They performed Darlene Love’s classic, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”. The choir featured many freshman soloists this year, including Vivienne McGarrigle, Valentina Munoz, Milania Soto, and Vivienne Gasparyan. Congratulations to the choir, they did an amazing job!
On a special note, the LMHS ensembles featured two guests this year. The band featured Dr. Peter Boonshaft, who travels around the world conducting bands of all levels. He loves to share his knowledge about music and is very experienced. He also happens to be an LM alumni and shared his excitement about coming back to conduct. Thank you to Dr. Boonshaft! Additionally, the orchestra featured professional harpist, Candace Lark. A month prior, she taught the orchestra history about the art of it, and the musicians learned a lot. They expressed their gratitude and overall enjoyed the experience of learning “Baresha” with her. Thank you Candace!
Overall, all three groups did a fantastic job this winter. They skillfully blended genres and mastered difficult parts, which was all worth it in the end. Let’s look forward to seeing what the spring concert has in store!
