News Reporter
Every year on Parents Weekend, the various music departments come together to put on a concert that impresses vast audiences. According to Mr. Valentine, who conducts both the festival and chamber choruses, “This year’s Parents Weekend Concert was one of our very best.”
The concert band, the orchestra, the chamber orchestra, the chamber chorus, the festival chorus, and the jazz ensemble all performed; during the reception afterwards, the a cappella groups put on a dazzling show in the gallery. The piece that combined two groups, the chamber orchestra and the festival chorus, was the favorite of many in the audience. Before the concert, many members of the chamber orchestra had said that they were nervous about this Bach Cantata, but contrary to their worries, the two groups sounded amazing together.
There were many notable soloists, including Kashi Elliott ‘09 and Miki Ito ‘07, but the most impressive were those who were sick yet managed to perform with passion. Elizabeth Stern ‘08 was not listed on the program, yet her piccolo part rose above the orchestra with such serene beauty that it was impossible for anyone to tell that she was sick. Dan Selinger ‘09, the multitalented tenor saxophonist and singer, could not even speak properly before the concert yet soloed on his tenor sax so outstandingly with the Jazz Band that Mr. Ventre said, “He played it with soul!”
Each group received tons of praise. Mr. Partridge gushed, “I love working with Choate’s band! All of the kids are very intelligent, and you can hear that when they play.” Rachel Kauder-Nalebuff ‘08, a singer herself, said, “The chorus actually moved me to tears on one of their pieces. Some of the soloists had especially beautiful voices.” The best praise came from a parent who is on the Board of Trustees at the renowned Mannes College of Music in New York: “We loved the concert! I especially loved the attention and respect that every student on that stage accorded Mr. Ventre. The full orchestra is amazing, and I thought that they played the Rossini Semiramide wonderfully.”
