Annual Winter Concerts: December 12 and 14

On December 12 and 14 the music department will present its annual Winter Concerts. A tradition in the school for many years, the Winter Concerts occur the last weekend prior to the holiday break.

Friday night's concert features the Academy's Chamber Singers, performing music of the Renaissance masters, Palestrina and Lassus, a madrigal by the English composer Thomas Morley and two movements of the "Mass in G" of Franz Schubert. In addition, the chorus will make a premiere performance of a Missa Brevis written by its conductor Ted Whalen.

After intermission the Academy's Orchestra will perform. The first piece on the program will be the beautiful "Concertino for Flute and Orchestra" by the French composer, Cecile Chaminade. This haunting piece will be performed by Emily Phelps, Class I. After the concerto, the orchestra will perform four dance works, Leroy Anderson's "Blue Tango," "the Hungarian Dance #5" of Brahms, the Waltz from Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin," and finally a rarely heard "Hopak" of Modest Mussorgsky. Friday's concert begins at 7:30 PM

On Sunday afternoon at 4:00 PM, the Chamber Orchestra, Class IV Chorale and Glee Club will perform. The concert will open with the Chamber Orchestra playing the Mozart "Bassoon Concerto" with Peter Kruskall, Class I as soloist. The concert continues with a very contemporary piece by the American Barney Childs. The Chamber Orchestra will then complete the first half of the program with the entire "Symphony #1" of Beethoven. This landmark work in the orchestral literature was premiered in Vienna in 1802, just over 200 years ago.

The second half of the program will be presented by two vocal groups. The Class IV chorale will sing three selections, an African Folk Song, "Meda Wasa Ase," a madrigal arrangement of the Beatles tune, "Ticket to Ride," and the "Fugue for Tin Horns" from "Guys and Dolls." The Glee Club concludes the concert with four pieces, two classics by Mozart, the "Lacrymosa" from Requiem and the "Laudate Dominum" from Vespers, and two folk works, "The Water is Wide" and "Elijah Rock".

In addition, during each performance, there will be a silent auction to help raise money for the upcoming spring break concert tour to Hawaii by the Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Singers. Many parents have done a great deal of work in putting together some wonderful items from vacation homes to concert tickets etc for this auction. There also will be a bake sale to further benefit the cost of the upcoming tour.

Please come to either one or both of the concerts. King Theatre, 7:30 PM Friday 12/12, and 4:00PM Sunday 12/14.