On December 19, Paint Branch held its annual Winter Concert, as plenty of people packed into the PB auditorium to support PB’s music program.
The concert commenced with the Paint Branch Gospel Choir singing “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” which reminded everyone that the holidays truly are the best time of the year. The following three songs “From The Start,” “All We Ask,” and “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” featured soloists, before ending off with “Like A Mighty Stream.”
After the Gospel Choir performed, five piano soloists from the advanced piano program played pieces for the crowd. First up was Walenty Misidor playing “On Top of Old Smokey” and “Cockles and Mussels.” Shaswat Regmi followed with “Greensleeves” and “Spiritual Medley.” Jacob Smith then played “Harp Song”, “The Cuckoo,” and “Beautiful Brown Eyes.” Jeremiah Washington played “ Merrily We Roll Along”, “Jingle Bells”, and “Largo.” Lastly, Jean Nunez Marte played “Blues Medley.”
The Concert Band then took the stage and opened with “Amen,” which was followed by “My Favorite Things.” After they performed, a short break occurred to allow the Orchestra to set up as the curtains closed.
Unexpectedly during the intermission, senior Betzhy Diaz walked onto the stage and sang “O Holy Night” and then PB’s Choral and Piano Teacher Mr. Huh joined in to make it a duet, which immediately resulted in cheers.
Mr. Huh said that he observed Diaz singing in class and came up with the idea to perform a duet with her to fill in the space, showcase her talents, and fulfill student requests for him to sing.
As the curtains opened after the song, the Concert Band and Concert Orchestra stood on stage and joined forces to play the song “Polar Express” from the 2004 film of the same name. After that, the Orchestra by itself played “A La Media Noche,” “Snowflake,” and then “Carol of the Bells.”
Five more piano soloists from the advanced piano program followed with five pieces. Rae Wawayou played “Love Me Tender,” Rachel Nyarko played “Le Festin” and “Lullaby,” Cory Emmanuel played “Mary Ann” and “What Can I Share,” and lastly Michael Opare played “Fantasy in d minor K.397.”
Then, much to the delight of the crowd, the Jazz Singers took the stage, opening with probably the most famous Spanish Christmas song ever, “Feliz Navidad.” For this song as well as the other three they sang, the Jazz Singers performed choreographed routines that had them spinning in circles. The crowd continued to add to the atmosphere with loud cheers and excitement. After “Feliz Navidad,” the Jazz Singers performed an arrangement of the hit songs “Shut Up and Dance” from Walk The Moon, “You Will Be Found” from the movie Dear Evan Hansen, and then finished off the night with the 1957 Christmas song “Jingle Bell Rock.”
After the show, all of the singers gathered in the Choral Room to celebrate their performance.
Obviously, the performers thought they worked very hard to prepare for and then put on the show. This included Jazz Singer Shirley Wilson, who said that, due to preparing for the concert, she guessed that she “overused” her voice and had basically lost it.
They also wanted to express their gratitude for the audience’s support. Mr. Ayala, a PB Instrumental Music Teacher, stated that the audience’s positive energy contributed to an amazing experience.
Wilson added that “When you hear the shouting, the cheering, and everything, you just feel good. It’s like you’re actually accomplishing something.”
