As the virtual snow fell from the black brick wall, the seats were filled with chattering parents and friends. The soft murmur of music played, while the band prepared their instruments.
On December 9th, there was a lovely concert in the Liu/Cheung Theater. It was hosted by Sean Burns, Linda Silvia, and Kyle Champion. Immediately after the concert, there was a reception in the Price Dining Hall.
The Webb Schools Orchestra and the Chamber Singers were playing classical masterpieces from Gustav Holst and Sebastian Bach. To make the concert festive, holiday tunes were incorporated. The first half of the performance was the orchestra performances and the second half was the Chamber Singers.
The highlights of the night featured a men’s ensemble performing “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz and the orchestra playing “Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity” by Gustav Holst.
One of the several standout vocal performances was Molly Mitchell (‘20) and the VWS ensemble’s rendition of Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman.” Mitchell’s powerful voice was put on display in a tribute to legendary singer Aretha Franklin, who popularized the song, resulting in an excellent performance.
The brief intermission highlighted the orchestra’s saxophone quartet, featuring JD O’Donnell (‘20), Mary Davis (‘19), Sydney Wang (‘20), and Kris Smith-Reichartz (‘19). The few pieces they performed provided a relaxing atmosphere for parents and students while they waited for the vocal performances to begin.
This performance was not just a simple event. For many people, it meant a lot more. With around 85 students participating and performing, a lot of hard work was put into this concert.
Edison Adler (‘19) “I really like to perform the final piece, a ‘Christmas Festival.’ The arranger did a good job at piecing it together, which made its really fun to play. ‘Mad Russian’ Christmas was also really fun to play, but it was really difficult to learn. It had a lot of string crossings and it mixes a fast place interpretation.”
Abbie Oh’ Arroyo (‘21), said, “I guess I can speak for tech and orchestra. We’ve been practicing from early in the year. We started rough but we really built ourselves up from the bottom.”
Ms. Linda Silva, the orchestra conductor, said,“We have a ton of international students, and they don’t have parents here. It’s nice to get an audience. That’s a reason why we play, so the student body can make friends … Another reason is, for teachers and students that are not on stage, they get to see these people do something through the eyes of performing arts. You might have a friend, you might have never heard them play. You may know them to be good at math and good at science, but have you heard them play music? I think that is pretty cool.”
With winter break around the corner, students and staff are exhausted. The Candlelight Concert was the perfect way to end the week and start the last thrust forward.
