Music Department Takes Center Stage at Milton High School

On Thursday, May 13 the Milton High School Music Department held its annual Spring Concert in the Charles C. Winchester Auditorium at 7 p.m. This musical extravaganza attracted a large audience, filling a good majority of the seating available in the auditorium.

The evening began as the Jazz Ensemble performed two pieces, both of which showcased solos. In the first piece, "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin, the group welcomed vocalist Rebecca Liberman as she added to their enticing sound.

The second piece was "Caravan" by Ellington (arranged by Tizol), and featured smooth solo transitions by Ciaran Conners, Liam Walsh, and Carolyn Traux. This group shined under the direction of Rebecca Danimiani.

Then, after their captivating performance, the Jazz Ensemble made way for the Girls Chorus. This large group, all wearing black dresses and standing on risers, was conducted by Noreen Diamond Burdett as they started off with their upbeat number called "The Trolley Song" by Blane and Martin (arranged by A. Billingsly).

They then continued by singing "The Tiger," a poem written by William Blake and set to music by Lauren Bernofsky.

The group ended their segment with a haunting rendition of "The Glory," a piece from "The Civil War: An American Musical" by Murphy and Wildhorn (arranged by Emerson). This piece featured soloist Amanda Vasconcelos along with Willie Archibald on trumpet.

Next up on the program was the Concert Band, conducted by Gary Good and Damiani. The large group filled up the entire stage and started off with "Overture to Candide" written by Leonard Bernstein and transcribed by Clare Grundman. The fast paced piece was then followed by "Grant Them Eternal Rest." This piece was composed by Andrew Boysen, Jr. in memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and consisted of three movements: I. Introit, II. Dies Irae and V. Agnus Dei, which featured soloists Steven Staffa and Allison McIntyre.

The fourth group to perform was the Mixed Chorus, accompanied by Good on the piano. The group, directed by Burdett started with "Ubi Caritas" by Mark Burrows. They then performed a lively piece called "Handful of Keys" from "Ain't Misbehavin'" which is "all about the joy of playing the piano," Burdett explained to the audience.

The piece showcased Good on piano, and was highlighted by a few singers stepping down from the risers to dance along with Burdett as the group sang. Soloists included Liana Gineitis, Braedy Taughter, Lauren Stafford, and Conor Walsh. Their last piece was "Heaven Somewhere," an acapella song that featured finger snapping. The spiritual was arranged by Stephan Hatfield.

The String Ensemble then took the stage with conductor Patricia Ostrem. The group started off with a piece entitled "Ghosts of Brandenburg" by Richard Meyer. They then continued their captivating performance with a second piece called "Serenade for Strings, Opus 20" by Edward Elgar. This piece also featured soloist Dylan Crapps.

The ensemble then made way for the Symphony Orchestra. This large group wowed the audience with an impressive performance of Franz Schubert's "Unfinished Symphony."

The evening ended with the grand finale when the Mixed Chorus and Chamber Ensemble gathered together to perform the Spring Concert's final number: "The Last Words of David," II Samuel XXIII 3, 4.