On May 5, members of the instrumental and choral music programs convened in the Saperstein Theater to showcase their talent. With performances from multiple ensembles, the concert displayed the musicians as a unified community.
Symphony violist Alice Lee ’27 truly felt the bond between her classmates throughout the process of preparing for the concert and performing. She felt that her ensemble’s overall friendship led to an improved quality of playing, as opposed to other experiences where her group was less united.
“In the previous performances, I didn’t feel as much of a connection with my orchestra mates,” Lee said. “I really got to know my classmates this year, and I think that gave us a stronger connection onstage.”
In contrast to past performances, the Symphony ensemble, comprised of string and wind instruments, combined with the Madrigals choir to present one of their songs, “Summertime.” With the addition of singers to the concert which is normally solely instrumental, the concert provided a chance for artists of all media to experience each others’ talents.
“It was really fun for [Paul] Keilbach to conduct the orchestra and have that interaction between groups,” performing arts teacher Starr Wayne said.
Brando Bowse ’26, a baritone bass of the Madrigals choir, thoroughly enjoyed performing with the Symphony ensemble.
“Performing with the symphony was absolutely amazing,” Bowse said. “I loved working with them because they are truly great at what they do.”
With the concert theme “One Voice: A Celebration of Community,” the instrumental music teachers aimed to recognize that the school community is still recovering from COVID-19. They viewed the performance as a chance to revel in the fact that the middle school musicians can congregate and share their talents once again.
“I think everyone is still getting over COVID-19,” Wayne said. “It almost seems like this is the first time we’re performing again.”
The week following the winter concert, the instrumental music teachers began to plan for the spring performance by choosing and introducing new music to the ensembles. The conductors aimed to find pieces that provided a decent challenge while also fostering a love of music in the students. In terms of variety, the teachers included songs with many tones to portray multiple emotions and chose music from composers of differing backgrounds.
“You don’t want every song to sound the same,” performing arts teacher Starr Wayne said. “You want there to be a mix of style and feel, and you want music from composers of different backgrounds.”
