VHS Music Department prepares, rehearses and performs a festive concert in one week
On Wednesday, Dec. 20, the VHS Music Department held a holiday concert with a week’s notice before the performance date. Wind Ensemble One and Two performed three pieces together, the Concert Choir directed by Miriam Arichea performed three songs and String Ensemble One and String Orchestra Two performed six pieces together.
The concert was split into three parts, each part featuring one of the different music groups who performed. In between each group, there would be a small intermission to allow guests to browse the lobby, use the restroom, purchase snacks, donate to the music department or stretch their legs.
Simpson and Saenz conducted the three pieces performed by the combined wind ensembles. Simpson conducted “A Mad Russian’s Christmas “ by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and “Christmas Exhilaration” by Sean O’Laughlin. Saenz conducted “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson.
Arichea played piano for the Concert Choir, made up of six students: Finn Alleman ‘26, Rosary Dolan ‘27, Gianna Garman ‘24, Axel Martin Contreras ‘24, Leah Murphy ‘25, Kezhiah Mabata ‘26 and Alexis Zapata ‘25. The choir performed “Calypso Lullaby” by Jester Hairston, “Last Christmas” by Wham! and “Jingle Bells” by James Pierpont.
The concert also featured a jazz band in between the performances by each musical groups, with Wicks on guitar, Nicco Boccali ‘26 on tenor saxophone, Adrian Herrera ‘24 on trumpet, Josh Stewart ‘24 on drums, Contreras on piano and Alex Saenz ‘24 on bass performed “Baby It’s Cold Outside” by Frank Loesser.
Music director Paul Hunt conducted all pieces performed by the string orchestra. String Ensemble One and String Orchestra Two performed “Carol of the Bells” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” by Mykola Leontovych, “Prelude to Christmas,” “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies,” “Waltz of the Flowers” and “Christmas with the Nutcracker” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky as well as “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey.
First chair clarinetist Katie Wicks ‘24 said, “I think it’s a great opportunity to play music that everyone likes and knows, a lot of the symphonies and pieces we perform are fairly long and arduous and not necessarily the most interesting to listen to for a non-musician.” The concert showcased classic holiday music, including “Sleigh Ride,” by Leroy Anderson, as well as several pieces from Tchaikovsky’s well-known ballet, “The Nutcracker.”
First chair violinist and concertmaster Riley Simpson ‘24 said, “The level of most festive string repertoire falls fairly low on the difficulty scale. The most challenging piece of our strings selection would be ‘Carol Of The Bells’ with a wonderful solo provided by Axel Martin Contreras.”
Rather than having paper programs, there were QR codes around the lobby for audience members to scan, taking them to an eight page digital program. “The idea to perform a festive concert was, unfortunately, very last minute. After the idea was set in motion last week, we had to immediately find music, gophers, MCs, student conductors, lighting and promptly [begin] rehearsing for our performance. We’ve been very busy with getting everything set up but it’s also been very fun and exciting to work with all the ensembles with setting up our Festive Concert,” said Simpson. An unusual aspect of the concert, it was entirely student-run, meaning students were able to have input on the music they performed.
In the lobby of the auditorium, the music department had a concession stand with snacks and water available for purchase. The stand also had a box to collect donations for the music department. “There was a lot of effort put into this concert and it’s great to see it was so readily enjoyed by the massive audience,” said Simpson.
Mia Kish ‘24 is the second chair violinist for String Orchestra Two, as well as Associate Concertmaster. “My favorite piece from this concert is ‘All I Want for Christmas is You.’ The hardest piece from this concert is ‘Carol of the Bells,’” said Kish.
“Putting the performance all together in seven days with my friends and fellow students was a rollercoaster of stress, time crunches and arduous joy. As difficult as it can be to take on big projects such as this, there is a certain happiness that comes with knowing these trialing objects ultimately lead to your own personal growth, such as with time management, logistical organization and dealing with stress,” said Simpson.
