The halls were decked and the jolly season officially commenced on Thursday December 17, 2015 at 7pm with the annual STA Christmas Concert. Music students in Grade 9, 10, and 11 worked extraordinarily hard to prepare numerous musical pieces for the musical night, under the leadership of Mrs. Croskell and Mrs. Verhoeven. The Grade 9 band did a lovely job performing “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Yo Christmas Tree!” and “Bell Carol Rock.” The Grade 10 band belted out “Jingle Bell Jazz,” with class and precision. The Grade 10 and 11 musical classes performed the beautiful “Nutcracker Suite,” featuring “Elve’s Dance (March),” “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” “Waltz of the Flowers,” and “Trepak.” The Grade 11 instrumental music class followed that performance with “Sheep May Safely Graze,” and a jazzy number called “The Kings of Swing.” The Grade 10 Vocal music class sang an excellent version of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”
But in between the performances of the music classes, the choir and concert band also dazzled the crowd of parents, friends, and music-lovers. The choir, lead by Ms. Croskell, sang the haunting, “In the Bleak Mid-Winter,” as well as “Winter Song,” and “Voices of Earth (Snow).” They also performed a beautiful rendition of “Night of Silence (Silent Night),” “It’s Snowing! A Snow Medley,” and “Gaudeamus Hodie.” Flute soloist and Grade 11 student Emily Nix also played “Greensleeves” toward the end of the evening. And the concert band had the spotlight shine on them as they performed “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” and hit the high notes of “Sounds of the Season.” The young musicians of the concert band finished off the evening with a performance of “Hark the Herald Tubas Sing,” and the slow, sleepy melody of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
The performances of the Christmas Concert proved that music is not a solitary endeavor. It must be shared, like happiness. It cannot happen by itself. It is only possible with the efforts of many who are willing to nurture it and keep it alive for years to come. But the performances of the Christmas Concert also proved that music is more than counting beats. It is something that can be felt in the fragments of the human soul, and swallowed like a warm, comforting drink. Music is beautiful, and the parents, friends, and music-lovers of the Christmas Concert audience certainly realized that on Thursday December 17, 2015.