As the lights dimmed and the murmurs in the audience lowered to a hush, beautiful music began to emerge from the stage. Bronx Science’s chorus, jazz band, orchestra, and concert band rehearsed all during the fall semester in order to prepare for this one moment, this year’s Winter Concert on December 15th and 16th, 2017. While many students in these four musical programs practiced outside of school, all practiced daily during class time.

The concert began with the chorus’ exquisite songs. They first sang the  holiday song ‘Winter Wonderland’ before they transitioned to the more upbeat pop songs, “Don’t Stop Believing” by J. Cain, N.Schon and S. Perry, and “All of Me,” by John Legend.

“It was really awesome watching all my classmates show off their talents. It’s clear that they really worked hard,” Alex Mak ’17 said.

“My favorite piece to sing was ‘Don’t Stop Believing,’ because I just really liked the high energy of the song. I also love the message of the song, which is to never give up no matter what,” chorus member Kavindra Sahabir ’17 said. Sahabir was one of the many soloists featured during the concert. Each year, several chorus members receive a solo. “I have been in chorus since my freshman year, and I always looked up to the seniors who had solos, so it’s a cool feeling to be one of those people now,” chorus member Sophie Malki ’17 said. She was one of the group soloists during ‘Don’t Stop Believing.’  

The jazz band played second. Like the chorus, they did not fail to entertain the audience. Although they had also performed during the Fall Open House for prospective students, they had practiced all fall mainly in preparation for the Winter Concert. Their music was fun, upbeat, and interesting. Some of their songs included ‘Sir Duke’ by Stevie Wonder and ‘The Incredibles’ by Michael Giacchino. The band’s music was enchanting and captivated the audience. Many audience members closed their eyes and nodded their head along with the beat. Others tapped their feet or excitedly squirmed in their seats when a different song began to play.

“I was particularly pleased with the Jazz Band’s performance. All of our hard work for the past few months came through in an amazing performance,” trombone player Eden Augustine ’18 said.

The orchestra, the biggest group in the concert, played next. When their conductor, Mr. Paul DeSilva, and their Violin I principle,  Jasmine Yanase ’17, entered the auditorium, the musicians started stomping their feet in a show of respect.  Once they settled, music began to fill the auditorium. Most of their pieces were holiday music except for ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’

“Pirates of the Caribbean is such a fun piece for a brass player to play, because normally when you play brass you’re supposed to be quieter than everyone and blend in more with the rest of the orchestra, but in ‘Pirates,’ I got to go all out, and that was so much fun,” trombone player Hugh-Jay Yu ’19 said.

Finally, the concert band took the stage. They played popular music like a Lion King medley, ‘My Favorite Things,’ and music from Jurassic Park. The Lion King medley was a favorite for many because it contained several related songs, and it brought nostalgia to many audience members who grew up watching the Lion King. “My favorite piece was ‘Jurassic Park’. It had a great brass part and a lot of energy, and I also really enjoyed the movie, which made the music even more fun to play,” French horn player August Padua ’18 said.

“It was really awesome watching all my classmates show off their talents. It’s clear that they really worked hard,” Alex Mak ’17 said.