The LSRHS Winter Pops concert held on Thursday, December 14th in the Auditorium displayed the vast musical talents of our students. The audience delighted in performances by the L-S Concert Choir, L-S Chamber Singers, Orchestra, Select Chamber Orchestra, Concert Band, and Symphonic Band. Each ensemble showcased solo and small group parts. The performances also surprisingly featured comedy as well. The concertmasters added many practical jokes throughout the performance.
The L-S Concert Choir, led by the joyous, choral concertmaster Michael Bunting, knew how to put on a show! First, Mr. Bunting pulled reindeer antlers out from the back of his suit jacket, revealing that he was actually wearing winter onesie pajamas. The Concert Choir then performed their first piece, Viva La Vida, featuring an ensemble of Kate Murphy, Meredith Row, Katelyn Zidow, Isabelle Molina, Abby Vestein, Mikhal Shvartsman, Tahmin Uddin, and Sam Varner. The tenor and base sections of the Concert Choir performed the next piece, Stand By Me. Soloists Daniel Valz and Kannan Chockalingam sang independent parts of Stand By Me. Next, the sopranos and altos of the Concert Choir caroled a version of Girls Just Wanna Dance, before the final piece, September! This performance featured spectacular dancing from the choir, including some moves from the choral concertmaster. All songs performed by the Concert Choir were accompanied by the incredible pianist Christine Hogan. The L-S Concert Choir meets regularly on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday before school, so their hard work and dedication from those early morning rehearsals was evident throughout their warm holiday show.
The L-S Chamber Singers are a select group of singers, so they had to audition to join their ensemble. Again, Michael Bunting served as the choral conductor for the Chamber Singers, accompanied by Christine Hogan on piano. This group added two unique pieces to the evening’s repertoire, the first being And So It Goes performed by soloists Jonah Rotondo and Ainsley Sullivan. Second, the chamber took It Don’t Mean A Thing, featuring soloists Daniel Valz, Theo Bowne, Zach Jones, and Justin Miller. Despite these successful performances, students in the L-S Chamber Singers reflected that their favorite part of the group was the friends made and the fun times during rehearsals.
Next, the string segment of the concert began. Orchestral concertmaster Kyung Oh conducted the 39-person orchestra. Violinist Ian Huang performed the first orchestral solo of the evening in Bohemian Rhapsody, featuring student-pianist Katherine Chen. Junior drummer Julia Rydzewski also contributed to Bohemian Rhapsody, and the orchestra’s second piece, Bond… James Bond.
Then, as the curtains snapped shut, the Select Chamber Orchestra came forward to showcase their advanced piece, B Rossette. The Select Chamber Orchestra also requires auditions, and their talents feature many complex selections of music. Starting off strong, the concert band performed an instrumental version of Aladdin Highlight, their favorite parts of the Disney motion picture. Conducted by the band concertmaster Thomas Grandprey and featuring trumpet soloist Kurt Ledebuhr, Aladdin Highlights contained segments of Arabian Nights, Friend Like Me, and A Whole New World. Sticking with the theme of animated movies, the concert band played tunes from How To Train Your Dragon, featuring the creative additions of trumpet soloist Finn Doyllove. The concert band certainly wowed the audience with an amazing, spirited performance!
The Symphonic Band was yet another ensemble featuring selected students, such as trumpet soloists Lily Sullivan and Declan Zurn, who performed during the Symphonic Band’s first song, ABBA on Broadway. The Symphonic Band concluded with The Blues Brothers Revue, and their small ensemble proved talented and powerful.
After a quick intermission, the band and orchestra performed Sleigh Ride with the help of many unique musical instruments, such as the whip (played by Connor O’Beirne), the temple blocks (played by Caleb Buttner), the sleigh bells (played by Matthew Conti and Lena Stephens), and the Horse Whinny (played by Harvey Andrews, Lily Sullivan, and Declan Zurn). For the finale, the Concert Choir joined to perform Circle Of Life from The Lion King, started by soloist Zach Jones. A slideshow behind the choristers showcased different stages of their lives, including baby and family pictures. The slideshow was compiled by Chuck Despotopulos and Michael Bunting, and was a wonderful way to recognize the performers and their families while ending the LSRHS 2023 Winter Pops Concert!
