Highlights From Bronx Science’s May 2025 Spring Concert: A Showcase of Student Talent

Students in Bronx Science’s performance groups put on a stellar Spring Concert.

Gretchen Kamm, Staff Reporter • July 4, 2025

The jazz band rises for applause after their performance.

The Spring Concert at Bronx Science was an incredible two nights of performances on Thursday, May 29th, 2025 and Friday, May 30th, 2025, featuring the Chorus, Jazz Band, Concert Band, and Orchestra. Their musical skills were put on full display as students played the pieces for which they had spent the past semester perfecting.

The Jazz Band, conducted and taught by Mr. Juan Mantilla, started off both nights. Cece Beauchamp ‘25 sang, ‘Girl From Ipanema’ with the group. The chorus followed, conducted and taught by Mr. Paul DeSilva. Violinist Salvia Chen ’28 played along with the chorus during ‘Time After Time’ by Cyndi Lauper, a special occasion. Mr. Mantilla came back on stage to conduct the Concert Band in their amazing performance, the second of his ensembles. Last but not least, the Orchestra closed off the night with their performance, conducted by Mr. DeSilva again, with cellist Persephone Chan ’28 performing double duty by singing a solo in ‘O Mio Babbino Caro.’

Both evenings’ concerts were a success, showing off our Bronx Science music students’ talent and their hard work and dedication throughout the 2024-2025 school year. With the guidance of Mr. DeSilva and Mr. Mantilla, students in the performance groups at Bronx Science are able to develop their musical talents, flourish in artistic environments, and explore their different interests in music and performance.

About the Contributors

Gretchen Kamm, Staff Reporter

Gretchen Kamm is a Spotlight Section Editor for ‘The Science Survey.’ She finds the creativity of informative storytelling in journalistic writing to be fascinating. Gretchen also enjoys being able to highlight candid but interesting moments through journalistic photography. Outside of school, Gretchen plays classical violin at the Manhattan School of Music and she is a current captain of the Girls’ Varsity Cross Country team. In college, Gretchen plans on going into a humanities-related field, and she hopes to continue her interest in writing as an adult.

Allegra Mark, Staff Reporter

Allegra Mark is an Arts and Entertainment Editor for ‘The Science Survey’. She loves all forms of writing, particularly journalistic and creative writing, because writing helps with expressing viewpoints and opinions to the world in the writer’s own form and methods. There is no “right answer” on how a piece is written. She uses journalistic photography in order to create clear and vivid messages and ideas that would not be expressed through writing alone. Some of her hobbies outside journalism include performing, drawing, practicing her pieces on the Speech and Debate team, and spending time with people she loves. Allegra plans to pursue a career in journalism, creative writing, photography, or acting.

Lucas Benjamin, Staff Reporter

Lucas Benjamin is a Copy Chief for ‘The Science Survey.’ He seeks to use journalistic writing and photography as a way to dive deeper into fascinating topics that fill our world. Outside of journalism class, he enjoys playing and watching sports, specifically football. He also loves exploring and listening to music, his favorite genres being house and hip-hop. Lucas also loves traveling and trying new foods, Japan being his favorite travel destination. While not certain, Lucas is interested in studying economics or business in college. In his future, he hopes to pursue a career in either real estate, investment banking, or sports media.

Krisha Soni, Staff Reporter

Krisha Soni is an Editor-in-Chief for ‘The Science Survey.’ She loves storytelling and journalistic pieces that bring their subject matter to life; in her opinion, there’s nothing more valuable. Journalism, and its ability to depict aspects of the world through different lenses on paper, has intrigued her since she was young, and she hopes to create pieces that live up to that standard. In addition, Krisha finds photography to be essential for journalism, as she believes that it fully fleshes out an article and is the final step to bring the reader into the shoes of someone experiencing the subject matter. Outside of school, Krisha enjoys reading, baking, and playing basketball. She can be found making cookies and listening to podcasts in her home in Queens. Although she is still looking through possible career options, she loves astrophysics and history and wishes to eventually work in either of those fields.

Ella Goodstein, Staff Reporter

Ella Goodstein is a News Editor for ‘The Science Survey,’ where she brings her passion for writing, persuasion, and analysis to a single outlet. She believes that journalism is a core step in learning how to express one’s ideas and communicate one’s opinions to the public eye. She sees journalism as a powerful tool to inform and influence public perception, where reporting accurately and thoughtfully can shape readers’ understanding of complex issues. She believes that journalism should be taken seriously, as it bears the responsibility of presenting truth and fostering informed perspectives. She believes that every writers’ contributions to accurate, unabashed journalism ultimately contribute to a more conscious and informed society. Outside of her editorial duties, she enjoys practicing the piano and exploring various forms of art, using mediums such as colored pencils, pens, paints, and pastels. With general interests in law and music as potential future fields of study, Ella is passionate about the intersection of structured analysis and creative expression in journalism.

Danny Lin, Staff Reporter

Danny Lin is the Student Director of Internet Technology, a Chief Graphic Designer, and a Groups Section Editor for ‘The Observatory’ yearbook. He is also a Staff Reporter for ‘The Science Survey’ newspaper. He finds the straightforwardness of journalistic writing to be one of its most appealing features because of how effective it is at enabling writers to efficiently present their information. Danny loves the immense details that journalistic photography can present, and the different meanings that can be extracted from such photographs. Outside of journalism, he enjoys robotics, coding, music, and watching movies and T.V. shows. Danny plans on studying computer science in college, with career interests in research or software engineering.

Audrey Lu, Staff Reporter

Audrey Lu is a Features Editor for ‘The Science Survey.’ She loves journalistic writing, because it not only informs the reader, but it also expresses ideas and emotions. She believes that only when a reader connects with the topic emotionally, the writing is considered engaging and appealing. She also enjoys taking photographs, especially ones that tell a story, because they can evoke emotions that words are sometimes unable to do. Outside of school, she enjoys drawing, traveling, and eating delicious food. Although she is unsure about what career she will choose in the future, Audrey has a variety of interests, such as architecture. In the future, she plans to continue pursuing photography and writing as a hobby.