Every autumn and spring, fam- ilies in the community gather in Haldane’s crammed auditorium to see w hat th eir high scho ol students have been working on. In the Spring Concert on May 1st, each musical group selects music to encapsulate the light feelings of the season.
To start the night off, students of Band Instructor Jessica Stein played songs featuring themes of nature. Senior Robert Freimark chose the song Gershwin’s “Prelude No. 2,” arranged specially for this Haldane performance by Barton Green. For his last solo at Haldane High School, Freimark performed on the clarinet. Even though the song had not been originally com- posed for a whole band to perform, Green’s arrangement allowed the complete band to perform. For their third piece of the night, Four Shaker Songs was performed, a four-movement piece composed by Frank Ticheli. Each movement had a unique melody and was related to nature. The students concluded with a fun, student-choice ren- dition of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” delivering a strong performance.
Following the Wind Ensemble’s appearance was a performance by the Haldane High School Cho- rus, conducted by Music Teacher Sam Sauer. Presented first was a Latin piece called “Jubilate Deo,” composed by Peter Angela. Senior Amelia Alayon remarked, “Singing in Latin was a big adjustment from English. However, we were able to carry it out as everybody tried their best”. The students then sang a contemporary piece, “Oh Love” by Elaine Hagenberg, with the piano accompaniment performed by Robert Friemark. The poetic lyrics of this piece, sung with great emotion, echoed across the gym. The witty and fun song “Lollipop” was sung next, where the students used clapping and snapping to compliment the rhythm. To end th e chorus per formance, “Th e Storm is Passing Over,” a tradition- al African spiritual, was then sung, followed by a moving rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now.”.
The last group of the night was the Jazz Band. Under the direction of Eric Starr, students performed various solos within the music. Senior Amelia Alayon notably sang for the Jazz Band’s performance of Dave Wolpe’s arrangement of “At Last,” a piece made famous by Etta James. Overall, the band exemplified the qualities of jazz with its lean, back-to-basic characteristics and freedom to swing.
All three of these groups kept the audience engaged, making an hour feel like 20 minutes. These students prepared for the concert while balancing academics, sports, and social lives, producing a com- mendable performance. In each section, they put their specific skills together to create music. The songs chosen by each program at- tempted to embody the themes of spring. This year’s spring concert was one to remember, marking the start of a new season and leaving the community excited for what’s to come.
