Winter Concerts Strike a Chord
January 30, 2018
On the nights of Wednesday, January 10th, and Thursday, the 11th, students, parents, and teachers alike filed into the Fitzgerald Theatre to watch Rindge’s musical talent live on stage. The winter concerts are always an enjoyable showcase of all the hard work student-musicians have done throughout the first semester. This year, the instrumentalists were a much-needed respite of warmth during this record- breaking January cold.
The bi-annual performances include five different ensembles from every corner of the musical symposium. Wednesday night featured performances by World Jazz Ensemble, led by Mr. Nojechowicz (Mr. N), and big band, led by Mr. Powers.
Junior Ezra Rudel says he has been playing the trumpet for exactly six years and four months. “Honestly, I think my favorite part is standing up while I’m playing,” he remarked.
Rudel joined Big Band at the start of his sophomore year because he wanted to play music that was more upbeat than what he had played in middle school. Going forward, he hopes that the band retains its cheeriness. “I hope this semester we can play more fast swing music, because I think that’s when the Big Band sounds the best,” he added.
The following day, Dr. Stefanov’s chorus, Ms. Umbro’s string orchestra, Mr. Powers’s concert band, and Mr. N’s drum ensemble took to the stage. The show started off with a bang—on the drums—and continued with beautiful melodies played and sung by the orchestra, band, and chorus, including the orchestra’s mash-up of a few songs from the iconic movie, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Senior Lila Lifton is in the orchestra. She joined as a freshman, and she has been playing the violin for more than thirteen years. “I joined because it seemed like a great way to get involved with the string department at Rindge, and I’ve always loved playing in the orchestras.” As for what keeps her coming back, even after four years, Lifton said, “We have a lot of geeky inside jokes, and Ms. Umbro always tells the same classic Umbro stories, which definitely add to the sentimental value of being a part of the group.”
Junior Micaela Leon Perdomo performed on the same night as Lifton. She had a solo during the chorus performance. “My favorite part of singing in the chorus is probably the amazing people I got to work with and really seeing that passion for music in us all,” she said, concluding, “It’s always exciting to get that harmony just right or to finally get our voices to blend … for us, it’s genuinely fun.”
This piece also appears in our January print edition.
