In celebration of the holiday season, UHS’ Band, Orchestra and Choir programs presented their annual winter concerts throughout December. Performing a vast array of beautiful numbers in hopes of spreading holiday cheer, each group brought to the stage concerts that highlighted the incredible musical talent present at UHS.
Choir
UHS Choir’s annual holiday concert, “A Winter Celebration,” took place on Dec. 7 and Dec. 8 in the Big Theatre. Spanning over two hours, the concert consisted of 24 performances, including timeless holiday hits like, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” “All I Want for Christmas is You” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.”
UHS Choir President and senior Jennifer Kwon shared what the choir hoped to accomplish with their concert.
“We always have one main goal with our concerts and that is to show our friends, family and fellow students what we’ve been working on,” Kwon said. “With this concert specifically, we hoped to put people in the spirit of the holidays.”
Kwon shared that while the majority of the songs performed were chosen by UHS Choir Director Rob Blaney, choristers also had the opportunity to perform a self-selected song. This year, they brought to life “The Latke Recipe,” a clever parody of the song, “Shut Up and Dance.”
“A lot of time was spent on preparing for the concert because we all had to learn multiple songs,” Kwon said. “For our self-selected song, ‘Latke Recipe,’ we learned the music on our own and came together during Office Hours to run it with everyone.”
Apart from numerous group pieces, the production also included a handful of solos, which were a fantastic way for individual singers to showcase their skills in front of a large audience. Junior Chloe Schiffman, who released her song, “Our Story,” earlier this year, performed a solo to “The Man with the Bag.”
“I love performing live because I’m able to build off the energy from the audience,” Schiffman said. “To prepare, I like to watch videos of my favorite performers in the dressing room to channel their stage presence.”
As a member of UHS Choir’s acapella pop rock group, Vocal Eclipse, junior Deya Nurani took part in the group’s performance of “White Winter Hymnal.” The performance was especially engaging as an intricate clap and set arrangement accompanied the vocals, creating a unique rhythmic flow throughout the song.
“[The choreography] was challenging to learn in terms of coordination, but I’m proud that we were able to include creative methods of performance in the final concert,” Nurani said.
One aspect that makes UHS Choir concerts special is that they are the only time the entire Choir Department can perform together. Because of this sense of camaraderie, such experiences serve as amazing bonding opportunities for choir members.
“Before each concert, we do a little tradition of gathering in a circle and doing a short activity to get our nerves out and get ready for the performance,” Kwon said. “It is really fun to be able to perform with the entire choir, as that is something we [only] get to do during concerts like this one.”
Band
Following the spirited tone of UHS’ Choir, UHS Band’s annual winter concert took place on Tuesday, Dec 12. in the Big Theatre. This concert featured a variety of songs from all three bands at UHS: Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony.
The bands performed many iconic holiday songs, such as, “A Christmas Tale” and “Sleigh Ride,” as well as Hanukkah-themed songs”
Led by Orchestra Director Christine Maneewongwathana, the Symphonic Band opened the concert with Randall Standridge’s “Choose Joy,” setting the standard high with a steady beat and joyful rhythm. This performance set a precedent for the remainder of the concert, which was filled with high energy yet calm execution.
Symphonic Band continued the captivating performance with their next two pieces, as they carried out the lively tone of “Rippling Watercolors” and “A Christmas Tale.”
After a brief intermission period, the Wind Ensemble took the stage, led by Co-director of Instrumental Music Maxwell Lowe. The members of Wind Ensemble certainly did not disappoint, starting confidently with “A Carol Triptych” and maintaining the same vibrant energy with “Greensleeves.”
Wind Ensemble member Britney Lim described her experience performing with the other flute players, highlighting their memorable rendition of “A Gaelic Offering.”
“I felt confident in my dress, especially for our flute quintet playing ‘Gaelic Offering,’ considering how many hours of work we put into the piece,” Lim said.
Wind Ensemble continued by performing selections from the film, “The Night Before Christmas,” which students performed in quintets instead of with the whole ensemble.
Finally, the Wind Symphony was the final band in the winter concert. The group began by performing Robert Thurston’s Hanukkah-themed piece, “Dreidel Dance.” The lively rhythm and enthusiasm of the symphony were heard throughout the Big Theatre and remained after the group finished the piece.
Next was “This Cruel Moon,” preceded by a concise description of the piece by senior John McPhie. In contrast with the previous numbers, “This Cruel Moon” offered a serious undertone and featured a solo clarinet representing the moon, inspired by the romanticized tragedy of Odysseus and Calypso in “The Odyssey.”
The music lightened up after a performance of “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson, invigorating the audience to hum along to the symphony’s melodies as the concert gradually neared a close.
French horn player Jude Vijay, a member of the Wind Symphony, describes his experience on the stage.
“I was kind of nervous about how we would do, but seeing all [the] hard work pay off was something that made us feel proud of the effort we put in,” Vijay said.
Throughout the evening, the band’s winter concert not only showcased the talent of every performer but also unified them into a remarkable ensemble that left a lasting impression on the audience. Sophomore Cameron Weng sums up his view on the impressive performance of the UHS bands.
“I liked the modern takes on festive classics as well as the small ensemble features [that showcased] the hard work and success of the UHS Band Program,” Weng said.
The Winter concert was more than just a display of music. Instead, it was a way to bring together the community at UHS with holiday warmth, unifying not just the performers on stage but also every audience member in attendance.
Orchestra
Last but certainly not least, the Big Theatre found itself packed again on Dec. 14 as UHS Orchestra’s annual winter concert took place, with a shorter performance for the student body having taken place earlier that day during Office Hours. The concert included three performances from each orchestra and was a delight all around.
The String Orchestra, which consists of skilled violin, viola, cello and double bass players, opened up the concert by performing “Echoes of Bartok,” “Mystic Fawn” and “Kindle the Hanukkah Night.”
Junior Quinne Davis, a member of the Cello Octet, explained that although her performance lasted seven minutes, countless hours were spent behind the scenes to bring it to fruition.
“Our orchestra worked hard to prepare our winter pieces from right after the Fall Concert up until [Winter] Concert day,” Davis said. “As well as in class, our cello octet met up several times at lunch, after hours and after school to rehearse.”
The concert continued with performances of “Troika,” “Adagio from Symphony No. 2” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” by the Philharmonic Orchestra. Finally, the concert concluded with three incredible performances from the Symphony Orchestra, which, unlike the other orchestras, consisted of wind, string, bass and percussion instruments.
The hard work of the orchestra members paid off, with each performance receiving a standing ovation from the audience. The show’s popularity led to the Big Theatre being filled, with some attendees needing to stand in the back to view.
Junior Amy Lantz, a member of the Symphony Orchestra, shared what it was like performing for such a large and excited audience.
“I enjoy performing live because applause and engagement from the audience makes performing feel much more exciting and real,” Lantz said. “I’m also able to play off the energy from the crowd, which makes my performance even better.”
Of the three pieces performed by the symphony orchestra, the fan-favorite seemed to be “Christmas at the Movies,” a compilation of iconic songs from classic holiday movies including “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Home Alone” and “The Polar Express.”
Lantz expressed the pride she felt for all the hard work she and her fellow musicians put into preparing for the concert.
“In the beginning, we could barely end the pieces together, so it was rewarding to see how much we improved as a chamber group in just a few weeks,” Lantz said.
After the concert, a reception in the MPR featured jazz music, refreshments and an opportunity for the audience to ask questions to the orchestra members.
Overall, the concert was a stunning success, showcasing the incredible musical talent at UHS and creating a memorable conclusion to 2023.
