On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the ninth-grade Orchestra, Choir, and Band gathered in the performing arts center for their Winter Concert. They performed songs such as “Deep River,” “My Funny Valentine,” and “Ashford Celebration.” Apart from a few appearances during other concerts throughout the year, this night was a special time for the ninth-grade ensembles to showcase their talents and hard work. 

The ninth-grade Orchestra kicked off the night with “Lion City,” a piece inspired by Singapore’s culture and history. Next, they performed “Deep River,” a traditional African American spiritual, featuring a violin solo by Maggie Gulis and piano accompaniment by Valentina Gao. Then they played, “Mari’s Wedding,” a popular traditional Scottish folk song. 

Alongside the orchestra director, Emma Van Allen, student teacher Julie Dzikowski worked with the students and was a part of the concert.

Next, the ninth-grade Choir took the stage and sang “Since I Saw Your Face” by Thomas Ford, a famous English lute song that describes devoted love. 

Following this, they performed “Three Madrigals,” a three-movement piece, with student teacher Noah Fry conducting. 

“I think ‘Three Madrigals’ was our toughest song, definitely. That was the one that Mr. Fry did,” freshman choir member Teagan Long said.

“We had a student teacher this year, for this concert specifically, and it was just fun to get to do it,” Long said. “He was doing the ‘Three Madrigals’ piece, which had three movements, so that was a challenging one. But yeah, he did a great job, and it was fun.”

Long described her experience working with the choir student teacher. “It was very challenging at first, just working with somebody other than Mr. Clayton because of all of the differences in the teaching style. So that was definitely hard to overcome,” Long said. “I think we all got to know him and build a connection, and it got better as the weeks went on.”

The choir wrapped up their performance for the night by singing “My Funny Valentine,” with solos from Sanai Purkait and Christopher Clayton.

Following this, the ninth-grade Band took the stage and performed “Festival Esprit” by Travis Weller, a celebratory piece that Band Director Paul Leskowicz felt represented the night. 

Tuba player Carter Hanford described the preparation: “We spent many hours practicing each piece, like repeatedly over and over again, [with the] band and on our own time.”

Next, the band performed movements two and three from Aaron Copland’s “Old American Songs.” They closed the concert with “Ashford Celebration” by Ralph Ford, a piece dedicated to Ashford, Alabama’s high school concert band director. 

Long gave her perspective on the music ensembles: “It really provides another whole community for you. Obviously, with clubs and things, people get that community, but with choir being a class, there’s a lot of community within that and your sections, because you get to know all of those people. And then it also builds up to master singers and different choirs, so that’s really fun.”

The ninth-grade ensembles gave the audience a night full of amazing performances, uplifting music, and celebratory spirit. With the spotlight solely on them, the freshman musicians were able to fully showcase all the hard work and dedication they have put into their music.