As we end the semester, Arcadia High School (AHS)’s talented choir and orchestra programs came together to perform the last concert of the year. Directed by Ms. Pin Chen, the orchestra teacher, and Ms. Connie Tu, the choir teacher, the Winter Concert took place at the Arcadia Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Dec. 13 from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Students got a sneak peek during the AHS Winter Assembly earlier in the day, but the choir and orchestra delivered an assortment of other additional amazing pieces at the Winter Concert.
“We all had a very busy day running around doing three school assemblies, but by now we are all warmed up and ready to do the last concert of the day,” Ms. Tu said.
The crowd was buzzing with excitement before the show, but as soon as the lights dimmed and Ms. Tu walked onto stage, silence quickly swept across the room. Ms. Tu introduced herself and the Chanteurs, who started off the show dressed in black suits and dresses, accessorized with red ties and Santa hats. The choir performed “Sky Full of Snow” and “Lux Aeterna,” and on the third song, the combined choir and pianist took to the stage, singing a selection songs from Frozen, including “Song of the Earth”, “Into the Unknown,” “Some Things Never Change,” and “Show Yourself.” The choir showcased their beautiful symphony of voices with soloists Anni Chen, Sophia Zhao, Aeryn Advincula, Eva Hernadez, and Kary Cheung.
During intermission various performers in choir came out, including Chanteurs, who sang “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas”, “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree”, and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” Concert Choir also performed “Last Christmas,” which the crowd joined in on, clapping and singing along.
Following the choir’s performance, the Premier Orchestra, conducted by Ms. Chen, played “Spinning Song,” “Care Selve,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “Jingle All the Way.” “Care Selve” was a very difficult song for Orchestra since it was slow with a lot of sharps, but luckily they were able to perform perfectly.
Junior Nicolas Lo, who played the trumpet for the symphony said, “I was really nervous. You can’t see the people, but you still know that they’re there and it’s nerve racking, but once we started getting in the groove, I didn’t feel as nervous and was just focusing on the music”.
Following Premier Orchestra, String Orchestra played “Il Re Pastore,” “Orchid,” and “Hava Nagila,” which usually gets played at a bar mitzvah, was selected by Ms. Chen to play for the Winter Concert, featuring the section majors.
Ms. Chen said, “During rehearsals I had my students dance to the song.”
The Concert Orchestra followed with Concerto Grosso No. 1, “Prelude” and “Dance of the Tumblers.”
Senior Juliana Wong from Concert Orchestra said, “My favorite song to perform was definitely “Dance of the Tumblers” since we worked so hard to perfect the rhythms and notes. We all had a lot of fun performing it and it came together pretty cleanly.”
The orchestra also performed “Angelus,” a piece from Annees de Pelerinage III, a song about a prayer to a guardian angel. Ms. Chen and some of the orchestra wore handmade haloes for this piece.
Symphony Orchestra played Concerto Grosso No. 1, “Pastorale and Rustic Dances,” “Danses caracteristiques” from The Nutcracker, and “Waltz of the Flowers.”
For the final performances, the four orchestras, and two choir groups combined to play “So this is the Great and Wide Sea” and “Joy to the World.” While “So this is the Great and Wide Sea” opened the piece with quick and light melodies, it was followed by the choir’s deeper tones singing about the wonders of the sea. “Joy to the World” was a great final piece as it showcased the performers’ talents.
After the show, Wong said, “I had a lot of fun performing; the hard work definitely paid off! I am very proud and happy to see everyone’s hard work come together.”
Ms. Tu ended the night by thanking Mr. Martin Tyler, Mr. Keith Deluca, stagecraft, volunteers, band, and all the performers. If you’re interested in listening to more music be sure to look out for tickets for Orchestra’s Benefit Dinner on March 8, 2025 and the Spring Choir Concert on April 2!
PHOTO COURTESY OF DCI.
