After months of hard work, the Damascus High School music department showcases the student’s music throughout the Winter Concerts. The concerts can be attended from Dec. 1 to Dec. 13. There will be performances from various choruses, orchestras, and bands.
Many hardworking music students are looking forward to this year’s winter concert and have been hard at work all semester. This is the seniors’ last winter concert and senior band member Bella Janss highlights how much practice it takes, practicing for up to 3 hours. As a Symphonic band member, Janss takes pride in her choice of instruments, which include “flute, piccolo, and alto saxophone.” Interestingly, when asked what other instruments she would play, Janss shows a preference for deep instruments, listing the trombone or cello as alternative instrument choices. A long-time player since the fifth grade, Janss’ experience spans over seven years and she shows a love for “Chaminade’s Concertino, jazz, and romantic music.” As for her thoughts on the band concert, she says lightheartedly that it was “atrocious,” believing the younger generation students may not be as experienced but should keep practicing. Janss further elaborates that she did enjoy the concert, especially when playing “Sleigh Ride” and “The Night Before Christmas.” Janss has a few last words for the younger generation, stating “[they should] just have fun. A lot of people put so much pressure on themselves. Just have fun with it. You don’t have to stick with one particular style or instrument.”
The winter concerts are due to the amazing teachers in the music department. Sarah Goldsmith has been teaching music for fifteen years. She currently teaches three courses—Chamber Singers, Bel Canto, and Concert Choir as well as AP Music Theory and History of Rock ‘N Roll. When asked about what her favorite part of teaching was she said, “As a music teacher, I often get to work with students all four years of their high school experience. Making connections, building relationships, and seeing the growth that happens from freshman to senior year is truly a gift.” Goldsmith also says that “planning for this concert has been the same as in years past,” but the most challenging part of putting a concert together “actually happens well before the performance. Choosing the right repertoire is essential for success. The songs can’t be too easy or too difficult and should represent various cultures and languages.” According to Goldsmith, the students have been preparing all semester. This winter’s repertoire consists of the following: “Concert Choir will perform ‘Carol of the Bells’ and ‘Elijah.’ Bel Canto will perform ‘Blessings over the Lights,’ ‘The Bells,’ ‘Iraqi Peace Song,’ and ‘Does the World Say?’ Chamber Singers will perform ‘Bonzorno Madonna’,’ O ‘Magnum Mysterium,’ and ‘Winter Wind’. Full chorus will perform ‘Tollite Hostias.’” Her favorite songs being performed this year are, “‘Elijah’ performed by Concert Choir, ‘Does the World Say?’ performed by Bel Canto, and ‘Winter Wind’ performed by Chamber Singers.” The winter concert has many traditions, and according to Goldsmith, “Every year, we sing ‘Tollite Hostias’ from Camille Saint-Saëns’s Oratorio de Noël accompanied by the orchestra. If alumni are in the audience, they are invited up to the stage to sing with us.” Aside from the music and traditions, her favorite parts of the concert are “seeing and hearing everyone work together as a team to create inspiring music and lifelong memories.” Goldsmith is excited about the concert and is confident that the students will do amazing this year, answering with, “Absolutely—they have worked really hard and are excited to perform for their friends, family, and community.”
Charlie Doherty is the band and orchestra director and has taught for nineteen years. He currently teaches “Band, Concert Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and Guitar 1, 2, and 3.” The band’s concert was on Dec. 4 and according to Doherty was “great,” and “the students played a great concert.” Both the jazz band and band played that night and it was full of a rich variety of music to enjoy. Doherty’s favorite pieces that the students performed were “ an arrangement of Radiohead’s Paranoid Android for the Jazz Ensemble, and a piece called Paper Cut by composer Alex Shapiro. Paper Cut uses sheets of paper to create sounds and visual effects and is played with an electronic accompaniment.” The orchestra concert is on Dec. 11th, with plenty more music. Doherty says that some of“the most notable are a piece by Richard Meyer called Guest Soloist which will feature someone who works at DHS. The Symphonic Orchestra is performing The Christmas Concerto by Arcangelo Corelli, featuring Isabella Kim, Kyle Li, and Jacob Luce.” While planning hasn’t changed much compared to the prior year Doherty notes that the most challenging part is, “finding a balance between challenging an ensemble and overreaching, making the music too hard for the group to learn in the amount of time we have. It can be difficult to get right.” Similar to the chorus and orchestra performing the decades-long tradition of performing Tallite Hostias, the band have a similar tradition of ending their concert with Mr. Kachadorian narrating The Night Before Christmas accompanied by Sleigh Ride. When asked about what his favorite part of teaching is he responded saying “My favorite part about teaching is when we’ve been working hard on a piece and the group finally “gets it”. It’s a great feeling.” He is very confident that his students will do great at this concert and is excited to see them perform.
Chorus student Khushi Kapoor is in the chamber singers choir, singing as both an alto and soprano. As a chorus student last year and this year, she is especially excited about the concert. “I am, I really like the pieces that we’re—the entire choir—is gonna sing this year,” she states. “One of my favorite pieces that we’re doing is ‘Winter Wind.’ It’s actually the entire class’ favorite song.” Kapoor reminisces on her experiences with singing in the past. “I never believed I could sing well…until freshman year when I went into drama. I thought then, that maybe I was a little bit decent. And then I decided to join the concert choir, and I thought I wasn’t terrible. Then I auditioned for one of the audition choirs, chamber singers. Then I auditioned for the musical and got a really big part and I was like, oh, does this mean that I’m good?” She states that she prefers to stay humble and not to sound egotistical, therefore labeling herself as “decent.” These hardworking chorus students, based on Kapoor’s experience, practice “forty-five minutes,” which is time provided in class, and “at least fifteen to thirty minutes at home.” As a senior, this is Kapoor’s last year of being in chorus. She expects the new generation of singers to excel, giving this piece of advice, “ Don’t be afraid of singing, It’s super fun. As long as you’re willing to put in the work…”
Senior Brian Peterson is a student in the Symphonic Orchestra, playing the dramatic double bass. His experience with instruments spans seven to eight years. Peterson states that he is not excited about the upcoming concert, “‘cause I can play all the music [already]. I know it’s gonna go well. I’m prepared.” However, he does have preferences when it comes to concerts, stating that his favorite part of concerts is “playing the music part.” Furthermore, his favorite song to play is “the fourth part.” He states that he “[likes] the concerto, accompanied by a soloist.” As a double bass player, Peterson describes being a part of the Symphonic Orchestra as making him feel “average, I guess. I don’t really gain superpowers from it. It’s the same way as you doing math.” It seems that Peterson has a very relaxed view of playing instruments, stating that he “never practices” and additionally “can’t practice,” due to not having space to accommodate his instrument. Despite his statements, Peterson notably seemed proud of himself and was excited after the concert. His peers said that he did well in the concert.
The music teachers and students worked incredibly hard this year to provide the best performance they can in the upcoming winter concerts. Come see the future winter concerts for a fun night of music.
