On the night of Tuesday, December 8, in the Harriton auditorium, 58 singers and 23 jazz musicians performed in the first winter music department concert. The event will be followed by the band and orchestra concert next Wednesday, December 16.

The stage was decorated with poinsettias and green trees, the musicians wore black and sometimes red, and the songs displayed many hours of hard work. First, under the conducting of Mr. Bizich, the Freshman Choir, Concert Choir, and Chorale joined in three songs. They were accompanied by Ms. Kat Bowman on piano. The moving lyrics of the final selection, “Inscription of Hope”, were from Jews hiding during the Holocaust: “I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining… I believe in love, even when there’s no one there.”

The chorus department’s highest class, the Chorale, then presented four songs. The students sang “Wanting Memories”, the third, without a conductor – as Mr. Bizich said, to display their skill and cohesion as a group. In the fourth, “Alleluia, Alleluia!”, Max Flora and Olivia Prendergast soloed.

Marking a pause in the vocal music, the jazz band came up next. Directed by Mr. Joseph, the brass and rhythm sections performed three pieces. Soloists included Chase Hoehn on tenor sax, Pranav Pillai and Connor Todd on trumpets, Emma Anisman on electric guitar, and many more.

The concert moved into the second part of the night with performances by the small vocal ensembles: “The Pink Panther” by Vocal Jazz and “And So It Goes” by Pitch Please (directed by Olivia Prendergast). Both groups are extracurricular and audition-only.

Finally, the combined choirs returned, with “White is in the Winter Night” describing the colors of the winter season and “Jubilate, Joy We Bring!” rounding off the night.

The jazz band will perform in Philadelphia next Thursday, December 17, and the Harriton choral ensemble’s next appearance will be in their spring concert at the end of April.

Ricky Sayer’s highlights of the jazz band and chorus’s performance can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6SkBa9ZmoQ.