The Dec. 2 Jazz Winter Concert opened with the Aragon Jazz Band performing “Lester Leaps In,” and a feature of Aragon trumpetist Ryan Phung on “I Remember Clifford.” This was followed by a joint Aragon-Hillsdale combo, playing two standard jazz tunes. Finally, the Hillsdale Jazz Band and the Aragon Jazz Ensemble finished off the night with a variety of songs in sets of six each. The concert was the first of three Winter Concerts for the music department, which occur on the first three Fridays in December. Jazz perform ed with Hillsdale on Dec. 2, followed by the joint Choir and Orchestra Winter Concert on Dec. 9 and an upcoming Band Winter Concert on Dec. 16.
Music Department director Troy Davis, as well as Choir and Orchestra teacher John Chen, like to incorporate holiday music into the concerts but avoid doing so for entire concerts. Davis says, “One of the main reasons for that is that there are so many people of different faiths, and most holiday music is either Christmas music or Hanukkah music, and it’s okay to play that but it’s not okay to have a whole concert of that when there’s so many other people in the ensembles and in the audience.”
Junior Choir singer Lizzie Heen notes anxiety before the performance, saying, “People are usually stressed right before the concert because everyone wants to make sure that it’s perfect, but we pull through and the performance runs smoothly.”
Davis shares Heen’s confidence, saying, “I think by the time we get to the performances [they are] fine.”
Regarding whether the Choir and Orchestra was prepared for their concert, Chen says, “Yes and no. Yes we’ve been doing, we’ve been learning, we’ve been working for it; no in the sense that — and this is for every performer, every director — we can always use another month.”
Regarding the concerts as a whole, Davis says, “It’s a culmination of the semester’s work … I like to share our creativity and our expression with an audience, so that other people can see what a joy it is to make music.”
Chen shares similar sentiments, saying, “The Winter Concert is a huge testament of the small and big victories of the first semester.”
The bands often perform with guest artists and groups. Chen discusses the special guests playing with the Orchestra and Choir, saying, “We are closing with a piece by Leonard Bernstein with full orchestra and choir, and Leonard Bernstein instructed that the soprano solo needs to be sung by a boy soprano, so we have two boy sopranos from the Bay Area’s finest boy’s choir, Ragazzi.” Davis also talks about the special guests performing with the bands, adding, “the Hillsdale Jazz Band are our [Jazz] guests, and then for the band concert, we have our Superintendent, Dr. Kevin Skelly, narrating a piece with the wind ensemble. It’s ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’.”
For the students, the Winter Concert can be an enjoyable experience. Junior Jazz and Band participant Ryan Phung says, “I [was] excited for the upcoming concert because it [was] my first concert where I played jazz piano.” Phung also reflects on playing with Hillsdale in last year’s concert, saying, “I liked last year’s Winter Concert because I got a chance to listen to Hillsdale’s band and meet many musicians.”
Hillsdale musicians also enjoy playing in the joint concert. Hillsdale senior pianist Karinna Chong says, “I enjoy the Winter Concert because it gives us a chance to set aside the Aragon-Hillsdale rivalry and play together.”
Perhaps the temporary reprise from the Aragon-Hillsdale rivalry is just what students need, though. As the Aragon music department looks torwards the new year, the Winter Concerts will remain a pleasant culmination of the practice and hard work of 2016.
