The M-A Orchestra and Band hosted their annual Winter Concert on Tuesday night, filling the Performing Arts Center with festive spirit, lively arrangements, and a variety of musical genres. The night featured performances by the Concert Band, Jazz Band, Jazz Ensemble, and Orchestra, showcasing everything from film soundtracks to jazzy tunes and classic holiday songs.
M-A Music Director William Flaherty conducted all four music groups. “I thought the kids played great. We have a really great group of students this year,” Flaherty said.
The Concert Band opened the evening with a burst in John Powell’s “How to Train Your Dragon,” arranged by Sean O’Laughlin. The piece’s soaring melodies and bold brass lines are brought together by the drums’ robust percussion. They followed with the traditional holiday song “Carol of the Shepherds,” arranged by Philip Sparke, bringing a jaunty seasonal spirit to the audience through bright woodwinds, lyrical rhythms, and song-like melodies of the flutes, ultimately ending with a dramatic crescendo. Their final piece, “Oogie Boogie’s Song,” composed by Danny Elfman, was a mysterious and playful melody that rang through the PAC, with a sudden percussion tempo change in the middle.
Flaherty explained that the groups began preparing months in advance. “We rehearsed in class for months, and students are expected to practice outside of class as well,” he said. “We also brought in professional instrumental coaches on different instruments to help the students prepare.”
The first Jazz Band continued the momentum with a heartfelt rendition of Richard Rodgers’ “My Favorite Things.” The set then shifted from the festive classic “Deck the Halls” arranged by Mark Taylor, to Horace Silver’s “Señor Blues,” and ending with Herbie Hancock’s funky and dynamic “Chameleon”. Each song featured solos from members of the ensemble, including senior Zoe Jannink on the alto saxophone, junior Leilani Wallace on the baritone saxophone, freshman Aviva Hornstein on the alto saxophone, and several others.
Freshman Mattias Sharp, who plays the tenor saxophone, described the biggest challenge for his classmates. “I think that we had nerves in the concert from the crowd,” Sharp said.
“Everyone was super nervous, which affected how we played a lot because we were breathing faster,” freshman Sage Lee said.
The Jazz Ensemble followed, opening with Duke Jordan’s “Jordu,” a sharply articulated and energetic piece, before moving into the lush harmonies of “Dance of the Floreadores,” composed by Duke Ellington. Their performance of “Feeling Good” by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley brought one of the loudest reactions of the night, as senior Kealy Bryman brought her vocal talents to the stage, giving a rich and powerful performance accompanied by the Ensemble.
The group closed with the exhilarating “La Fiesta,” composed by Chick Corea, ending on a fiery note.
The Orchestra brought the night to a close with movements one and two of “Winter” from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, arranged by Joshua Choe. The performance juggled the melody back and forth between the sections, cut through with a dramatic, fast-paced solo from Concertmaster Kate Behnke, representing the cold winds of winter, contrasting with the warmth of the next piece, the lyrical “Greensleeves,” sweeping the audience away with the piece’s grace.
Flaherty highlighted Greensleeves as one of his personal favorites. “I really liked the arrangement of Greensleeves the orchestra did. I thought that was a really pretty arrangement,” he said.
Closing the night, the orchestra performed “A Christmas Tiding,” arranged by Tyler Arcari, with a slow, subtle beginning into a quick and powerful arrangement, marking the end of the concert.
Freshman Elizabeth Strebulaev plays the piano for the Orchestra. “I had a little more than a week to prepare, so I was practicing every day for one or two hours,” she said. Strebulaev’s brother, senior Daniel Strebulaev, was busy with college auditions, so E. Strebulaev was invited to play last-minute instead. Before being able to practice with the orchestra, she had gotten sick, leaving just one rehearsal altogether. “I only had one run through with the orchestra for 40 minutes,” she said.
Strebulaev shared her favorite song of the concert. “I’d say they’re Christmas tidings because it’s very energetic and joyous, or Green Sleeves because of how lyrical and beautiful it is,” she said.
Other musicians preferred similar songs. “I like the first song, which was ‘How to Train Your Dragon,’ because it was really exciting,” Lee said. “My favorite was probably Green Sleeves by the Orchestra, which was really good.”
This year’s Winter Concert celebrated the talent of M-A’s musicians and offered a festive start to the season.
The next M-A concert will be on Feb. 28.
