Band and Choir Concerts

The Narthex swelled with the sounds of music echoing from the farthest corners to reach the audience. Chords were struck and harmonies melded together seamlessly to make a beautiful sound. And with unexpected tumultuous weather creating a natural light show visible through the windows, this year’s band concert was truly something to behold.

“We spent this semester working in class on the music, balancing each section and learning to listen for intonation,” said Band Director Mark Lewis.

“We prepared for the concert by listening to the pieces, learning our individual parts, being assigned solos, playing through the music together, working on the musicality and practicing performance etiquette,” said Kate Binau ’20. “My favorite parts of the concert were listening to the middle schoolers play and thanking Mr. Lewis for his years teaching. And I really liked the fact that there was a storm, because the lightning added some suspense and mystery to the music.”

In this year’s choir concert, the Sanctuary came alive with songs new and old, a celebration of the arts with nods to famous composers and contemporary singers alike. Middle School Choir sang a beautiful “Music in You”, Vision Choir stunned with a rendition of “The Prayer” featuring soloists Scott Holcomb ’19 and Valeska Moya ’21, Freshman Choir performed “Rise Up” with soloists Kendall Felton ’22 and Autumn Malone ’22 and the Concert Choir sang a beautiful “I Want to Rise”.

In addition to the regularly scheduled and rehearsed pieces, the annual Senior Showcase, a treasured tradition, blew the audience away. The Class of 2019 selected pieces to perform in a low pressure, fun and encouraging atmosphere. From high energy “YMCA” to sentimental “For Good”, the seniors ended their SBS choir career on a high note!

“All of the choirs were given music to challenge their reading skills and level of musicianship and to make them think deeply about the text of the songs,” said Choir Director Becky Martin. “Taking music in written form and learning to perform it requires students to make real emotional connections with both the music and each other. I had extremely high expectations of each choir and they rose to the challenges presented to them. I am so proud of their hard work and of the final product the audience was able to share with them.”