As the streets fill with festive decorations and snow sparkles on the pavement, Hingham High School adds its own touch to the holiday cheer with the Orchestra and Band Winter Concert! With excitement for the nearing Winter Recess accumulating, the high school’s music program students showcase the hard work they have put in over the fall semester.

While in the past Orchestra has performed a separate concert, this year they shared the night with both the Concert Band and the Wind Ensemble. Families and friends of the programs flooded the auditorium on the night of December 19th to watch the festivities. Even some music program alumni on break from their college studies made an appearance.

The orchestra opened the night with a haunting version of Sergel Rachmaninoff’s Prelude followed by the first movement of Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished”. While both pieces were well-played, Sophomore Caroline Bastardi reflects, “I like Unfinished better because it has a brighter melody in the middle, while Prelude has a darker tone”. 

As the third selection, orchestra students played Rinsky-Koraskov’s Scheherezade featuring a large violin solo played by Amory Ling and a viola solo by Emma Sommers. Orchestra director Phaedre Sassano explained that “Scheherezade creatively delays her death by distracting her powerful husband with stories. This back and forth conflict is reflected by lilting melodies violently interrupted with the musical motif of the Sultan’s anger.” 

Next in the spotlight, Concert Band took the stage. A primarily underclassmen group, this band captured the audience’s attention with three selections featuring many solos from Claire Fennelly, Nathan Tesler, and Trevor Buckeridge. First playing Brian Balmages’s upbeat Blue Ridge Reel followed by a skilled performance of David R. Gillingham’s At Morning’s First Light,  the Concert Band reflected talent and diligence. Lastly, Concert Band awed the audience with David Maslanka’s Rollo Takes a Walk, a quirky piece composed to reflect the fictional character “Rollo” and his opinion on modern music.

Wind Ensemble stepped up next to finish off the main portion of the concert. With solos from many members including Maja Nielson, Paula Garcia-Cachero, Gwen Moyer, Emma O’Horo, and Raphael Alexander, the Wind Ensemble’s three pieces were expertly delivered. A Festival Prelude by Alfred Reed featured a prevalent percussion part and rang true to the “festive” in its name! Andrew Boysen Jr’s A Song for Lyndsay followed, offering a sophisticated melody accompanied by the piano. Lastly, the Wind Ensemble closed with Samuel R. Hazo’s Arabesque, a selection filled with rapid flute melodies, percussion undertones, and an entertaining musical story. 

Finally, Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and Orchestra combined to end the night with a booming, festive rendition of Paul O’Neill and Robert Kinkel’s Christmas Eve. With bows decorated with christmas lights and almost 200 musicians on the stage, the auditorium overflowed with holiday cheer. Surrounded by friends and family, Amory Ling shows her love for her classmates and the music stating, “I thought everyone played really well and Christmas Eve especially was a blast. I’m so proud of everyone’s hard work and I think that we all really enjoyed the concert”. Although, as band director Brian Cincotta commented, the band and orchestra had never rehearsed this song together before the performance, the audience praised the students with a standing ovation. On that note, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year everyone!