Arcadia High School (AHS)’s Performing Arts Center (PAC) filled with both excited audiences and beautiful melodies as the Orchestra and Choir Winter Concert began on December 15. This event was arranged and executed by most of AHS’s musical groups—including, of course, the Symphony, String, Premier, and Concert orchestras, in their first-ever joint concert with the choir.
The combined choirs, directed by Ms. Connie Tu, opened up the concert with a performance of “Joy to the World,” followed by “Children’s Chanukkah March,” arranged by Matthew Gelfer, and wrapped up the stage with one of the world’s favorite holiday songs, “Last Christmas.” Just as expected, the audience was dazzled by the group’s seamless synchronization and resonating voices, of which boomed across the PAC to completely immerse them in the music.
The Winter Concert was a great experience. I had a lot of fun singing with my classmates. Choir is a class that you are able to have a lot of fun but still learn.
— Charlene Lei
Choir member and freshman Charlene Lei remarked, “The Winter Concert was a great experience. I had a lot of fun singing with my classmates. Choir is a class that you are able to have a lot of fun but still learn.”
“It was a cool experience to work with an orchestra instead of just singing to the piano playing,” Lei added.
Of course, Lei recognized the contributions of their devoted music director, Ms. Tu. “ She was patient when we were learning the songs and helped us whenever we asked. Overall, as this was my second concert at AHS; I think that this was the best concert experience!”
Following the choir, Premier Orchestra continued with “The 12 Days of Christmas”, then “Christmas Overture” by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, with conductors Ms. Pin Chen and Ms. Tu to direct their performance. Their time on stage concluded with music from Home Alone, originally composed by John Williams and arranged by James Kazik, and was met with a wave of applause from the audience.
A brief intermission by the choir had spectators enjoying the carol “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” while the string orchestras joined with classic Christmas songs like “A Joyous Sleigh Ride” by G.F. Handel, and arranged by Anthony Susi, and “Carol of the Bells” by Mykola Leontovych.
The choir yet again provided an array of holiday tunes during intermission with “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Concert Orchestra continued the procession of music with “Holberg Suite Op. 40” by Edvard Grieg and the highlight of the show, an assortment of music from Frozen by Kristen Anderson-Lopez. They completed their performance with the intense and powerful movements of “Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons) Winter” by Joseph Hadyn.
Everyone in orchestra and choir had practiced very hard in preparation for the winter concert. I thought it was pretty fun performing on stage for the second time this year, although it was pretty stressful as our [section] has the least people.
— Aaron Dai
Countless hours of practice went towards the concert, and it was well worth the effort for the orchestra players. Concert Orchestra member and freshman Aaron Dai said, “Everyone in orchestra and choir had practiced very hard in preparation for the winter concert. I thought it was pretty fun performing on stage for the second time this year, although it was pretty stressful as our [section] has the least people.”
Overall, the Winter Concert was a massive success for AHS’s music groups and an absolute enjoyment for the audiences that joined them on this festive occasion. Not only was the orchestra able to perform with the choir in perfect cooperation and synergy, they were able to do so in their first joint performance. This quality, paired with the iconic wintertime songs that were executed faultlessly at the concert, made for an unforgettable experience.
Photo courtesy of @arcadiaorchestras on Instagram
