Students Explore the Different Meanings of Joy at the Winter Music Concert

Ruminating on the theme of joy, the annual Winter Music Concert featured music from different cultures and traditions. Like the Winter Dance Concert, the annual Winter Music Concert is a culmination of classwork for students across grades and divisions. The performance features over a hundred instrumentalists and vocalists from Lower School Orchestra, Chamber Players, Lower School Chorus I/II, Lower School Descants, and Upper School Illumina.

The Winter Concert is traditionally performed twice, which means students have two chances to showcase their work. Friends and family are invited to a full-length performance over the weekend, which is available to watch here. An abridged version is performed for the community during all-school assembly—read on for more details and watch the abridged version here.

Lower School Orchestra performed “Shine You No More,” by Danish violinist and composer Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen to kick off the show. Emcees Sisi Ansari ’28 and Hattie Jackman ’29 introduced the piece, which is based on a song by English composer John Dowland called “Flow My Tears.” “Sørensen’s piece turns Dowland’s mournful composition into a lively, spirited work that draws inspiration from Scandinavian folk music,” they explained. Sisi sings alto in Upper School’s Illumina while Hattie sings alto in the Lower School Descants—both performing later in the show.

The Chamber Players performed two pieces which explore different aspects of joy: “Oogway Ascends,” written by Hans Zimmer and featured in the movie Kung Fu Panda, and “La Puertorriqueña: Reverie,” by Sister Marie-Seraphine Gotay, the only Black female composer known to be active in New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century. “Listen for the joyful, waltz-like feel of this piece and notice how the melody passes between soloists Kathy Wang ’28 on saxophone, Iris Shen ’26 and Emily Jiang ’28 on piano, and Ayaka Hatabu ’28 and Eileen Lee ’28 on violin,” urged Sisi and Hattie. 

Stage crew pulled out the risers and rolled in a grand piano as they flipped the stage from chairs and music stands for the next part of the show. The Upper School Theater Tech class was responsible for the production, which is entirely student run. Emcee duties transferred to Sheyree Williams ’28 who plays flute in Chamber Players and Gisele Francois-DeVane ’29, who plays double bass in the Lower School Orchestra.

Sheyree and Gisele introduced the Lower School Chorus I/II, directed by Yufen Yen. The chorus sang “Kuwa Furaha,” which means “be joy” in Swahili, composed by Jim Papoulis. “When Mr. Papoulis worked with children from Africa, he noticed the beautiful way of expressing joy by simply tapping the heels of their hands together, reaching upward toward the sky, and gently letting their hands fall back to their sides,” they explained (pictured). The lyrics say, “Be joy, feel joy, joy is music, joy is hope.” 

Lower School’s Descants directed by Andrew Marshall performed next with the classic “My Favorite Things” from the musical The Sound of Music, composed by Richard Rodgers.

Afterward, Lower School Chorus I/II and Lower School Descants joined their voices for a combined performance of “The Happy Wanderer,” directed by Ms. Yen. Emcees Sheyree and Gisele explained, “the song was composed shortly after World War II and, though often thought to be a German folk song, it is an original work by Friedrich Moeller. It became an instant hit after the composer’s sister performed it with her children’s choir at a choir competition that was broadcasted over the radio.” At the end of the piece, the audience was invited to sing along as Mr. Marshall and Ms. Brady-Lopez increased the tempo as they played together on the piano. 

The final part of the show featured the Upper School vocal groups starting with Illumina, directed by Andrew Marshall. They performed two pieces a capella: “Laudate Dominum,” composed by Andres Lemba, an Estonian composer still active today, as well as a traditional African American spiritual titled “Good News, the Chariot’s Coming” during which Claire Park ’28 performed a stunning solo. The emcees explained, “This song’s theme has inspired happiness for generations as its original performers looked forward to a time when they would be taken away from trials and hardships.” Accompanied by Ms. Brady-Lopez on piano, Illumina also sang “They All Laughed,” a Tin Pan Alley classic composed by the famous American duo Ira and George Gershwin. Its bluesy rhythms showcase traits of American music at the turn of the 20^th century, along with its catchy chorus and lyrics that humorously reference key characters and happenings of the day. The piece’s choreography was created by senior Amanie Yusef ’25.

To conclude the program, Senior Small performed “I’ll Fly Away,” a pop song by Nelly Furtado, accompanied on piano by Mr. Marshall. 

Thank you to all the musicians, vocalists, and performing arts faculty for an incredible show!