Sitting in Centennial Hall, awaiting the Middle and Upper School Winter Concert, musicians and audience members listened to some familiar carols and observed the beauty of the spectacularly lit stage.
The concert kicked off with the Fantastic Fords, directed by lower school music teacher Mrs. Valerie Case, playing “Glorious Things,” “Louie Louie,” “Jingle Jive,” and “World Holiday Celebration.”
“[I am] over the moon with how the Fantastic Fords performed,” Mrs. Case said. “They put so much effort and heart into it.”
According to Mrs. Case, the group began preparing for the concert in early September.
“[I] tried to challenge the boys who excel on their instrument and try to provide parts that are attainable for the boys who are newer to their instrument,” Mrs. Case said.
First Former George Taylor, a Fantastic Ford percussionist, said, “[The performance] went well, and sounded good.”
Next up was the Sixth-Grade String Ensemble, directed by Ms. Beth Dzwil. The ensemble played the “Prelude to Te Deum Laudamus,” “Air” from Water Music and, of course, “Jingle Bell Rock!” Although it consisted of only four students, the ensemble was incredibly strong considering its size.
The Upper School String Ensemble, directed by Ms. June Bender, came up next, showing off their skills through “A Northern Song,” “Waltz No. 2” from Dimitri Shostakovich’s Suite for Variety Stage Orchestra, and the wonderful holiday carol “Lo! How A Rose E’er Blooming.”
The Haverford Boys Choir was next to perform with the songs “Alleluia, Mister Santa,” and “Jingle Bells.” Director and middle school music teacher John Stroud expressed his support for the boys. “The Centennial Singers and the Haverford Boys Choir worked on repertoire at a higher level than you would find in most middle school programs,” Mr. Stroud said.
Mr. Jean Francois Proulx accompanied the choir on piano.
According to Mr. Stroud, “Mr. and Mrs. Case hand off guys from Treble Choir who are passionate and ready to take it to the next level. In turn… [I] help my guys achieve the highest level of their capabilities for the hand-off to Mr. Holdren in the upper school.”
Mr. Stroud seemed very proud of the choir’s performance. “My guys have never let me down when we finally step in front of a crowd.”
The Centennial Singers joined the Haverford Boys Choir and sang “Chanukah Medley,” “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” and “Choral Suite” from The Polar Express, with Fifth Grader Benny Pollard on the solo.
“We begin preparing for the Winter Concert the second Monday of the school year,” Mr. Stroud said. “It takes a lot of dedication for our performers to reach the level of excellence we always strive to achieve.”
“It’s not the journey, but the destination that’s the best part,”
Mr. Jonathan Stroud
People often say that EA Day isn’t the first week of November for every Haverford student. For the actors and technicians, the fall musical is their EA Day; for the singers and musicians, the Winter Concert is theirs.
The Glee Club and Notables closed out the evening. The Glee Club performed “Ad Astra,” with Fourth Former Kevin Chan accompanying on the piano, and “Measure Me, Sky!” along with the upbeat “A Doo-Wop Christmas With You,” with soloist Fourth Former Mookie Dombar.
The Notables ended the evening with three songs, “Little Saint Nick,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and “Movie Medley.”
Notables member Sixth Former Zac Fuscaldo said, “[I was] very pleased with our performance. In Glee Club, we had never done an a cappella song, and in Notables, we worked really hard to prepare the “Movie Medley,” making sure that the music still sounded good while all of the theatrics were happening.”
“It’s not the journey, but the destination that’s the best part,” Mr. Stroud said. “The concert itself is always great, but singing together throughout the year and sharing our common passion as brothers of Haverford is really what it is all about.”
