Arcadia High School (AHS) Orchestras and Choirs performed its Winter Concert on Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center (PAC). 

The choirs performed the songs “Jingle ALLLL the Ways” by James Pierpont, “Silent Night” by Daniel Cantor, and “Ubi Caritas” — a traditional Gregorian chant— by Ola Gjeilo, among others. 

The Premier Orchestra played modern holiday songs such as “The Christmas Song” by Mel Torme and Robert Wells and “Deck the Hall of the Mountain King” by Edvard Grieg, a unique twist on the mix of the Halloween and Christmas seasons.

Freshman Emily Wong, who plays violin in Premier Orchestra, described the whole concert as a “unique and festive celebration for the start of the season,” and said that her favorite song to perform was “The Christmas Song.”

 “I really liked ‘Deck the Hall of the Mountain King’ and ‘Jingle ALLLL the Ways’ because they were so creative,” said Aileen de la Cruz, who attended the concert.

The Concert Orchestra performed “A Shakespeare Song Suite” by Martin Ellerby, which included five separate movements, and “Fanfare for the Festival of Lights,” which is a traditional Jewish song. Meanwhile, the String Orchestra played “Plink, Plank, Plunk!” by Leroy Anderson, a lively and energetic piece made up solely of string plucking.

Another draw for the concert was the final musical piece, the “Theme from Elf” by John Debney, the movie known by many to be a holiday classic with its signature songs. 

In addition to their regular class practices, students also had scheduled rehearsals with the other orchestras and choirs, which allowed the conductors, Ms. Connie Tu and Ms. Pin Chen, to bring everyone together. On Dec. 9, they organized a full run-through of the show, including all orchestras, choir, and percussion.

“We wanted this to run as smoothly as possible, so we put everything together, all the moving parts to connect everyone,” said director Ms. Chen.

During the concert, the choirs not only performed their songs, but also surprised the audience with small choreographed dances. 

The last few songs were composed of music from all of the orchestras, choirs, and even some brass instruments. They played “Angels We Have Heard On High,” “I Will Light Candles This Christmas,” and the “Theme from Elf” alongside the orchestra.

“I enjoyed seeing my daughter, and I really liked the song ‘Angels We Have Heard On High.’ It was so beautiful,” said concert attendee Carla Salonga.

The night was filled with joyous singing and spirited music from Orchestra and Choir performances.