As per tradition, the music department hosted their annual Winter Music Concert on December 20. The concert showcased multiple performances by students, ranging from choral to instrumental pieces to the art department’s pieces along the auditorium. There were two showings of the winter concert: one during Band 4, which was split into two halves, and one in the evening.
A concert preview showcased performances of classics such as Allegro Con Brio from Symphony No. 5 and iconic holiday songs from The Nutcracker.
One highlight of the show was chorus teacher Dr. Mariko Sato’s class which performed: “A Change is Going to Come” by Sam Cooke and “Snowman” by Sia.
“A lot of students in my chorus class were inexperienced, as in they never had solos or pieces like this before. I am very proud of every single one of them for how they performed and all the effort they put in,” said Dr. Sato. “I think that ‘A Change is Going to Come’ by Sam Cooke is a very powerful piece.”
Many Harrisites who performed in the concert reflected on the success of the day-long performance.
“I think that we all did a good job,” said junior Philip Dancel, “Everyone was very prepared, regardless [of whether] they liked singing. The lighting and the scenery perfectly embodied the songs we all sang. Snowman’ by Sia gave clear meaning to the winter season,” he said.
Cello player and senior Hillary Hong said, “the winter concert was performed extraordinarily well. Our practicing and well-coordinated orchestra truly brought the holiday spirit to the concert. My favorite piece is ‘Bells of Wonder,’ a festive and catchy tune.”
Concert attendees also shared their opinions of the concert.
“I really enjoyed the concert; the music was really good, and you could tell they practiced and put lots of effort in,” said freshman Anjali Jagmohan. “[Overall], it was a great experience.”
This year, the winter concert was accompanied by a Rock Concert to bring closure to the fall semester and welcome the winter break. The concert took place from Bands 1 to 4 and consisted of group performances, each of which played three songs of their choice and a few holiday classics.
Freshman Humayra Bhuiyan said, “I really liked the concert, and I also think it was a good way to see what people in the band and [other departments] are doing since I’m taking art.”
More reasons to come back to the concert next year, as Philip puts it, “is to see the work that every Townsend student worked hard on and celebrate everyone’s accomplishments in the winter season.”
