By Nancy Dahal ‘28
Wyoming Seminary’s Music Department certainly made their mark this past holiday season, spreading cheer with each of their annual holiday performances. December’s chapel combined beautiful music with heartfelt proclamations of faith and provided students with a magical experience prior to their departure for Winter Break.
Principal cellist Hannah Salesky ‘26 “thought that the concert went really well, and had so much fun playing!.” Salesky noted The Toy Symphony as a personal highlight of the program, but also “loved the combined choral and orchestra pieces and the way that the sound filled up the entire auditorium.” Under Mrs. Vaida’s instruction, the group worked for months before. Their hard work paid off – from fun melodies such as the “Libertango” by Astor Piazzolla to contrastingly slow and smooth sounds such as the “Adagietto from Symphony No. 5” by Gustav Mahler, the compositions were executed with grace and ease. Violinist Zuzana Havlickova ‘26 “really love[d] the way that the music in the concert brought different people together.”
Along with the string ensemble, the chorale contributed to the fantastic spectacle. Notably, the Madrigals select ensemble touched audience members’ hearts with “The Snow” by Edward Elgar and the Chorale brought fun holiday cheer with Andy Beck’s arrangement of “Sleigh Ride” with its own horse soloists. Chloe Caputo ‘26 also performed an incredible solo as a part of “The Bleak Midwinter,” arranged by Mark Hayes, prior to the full choir/orchestra’s performance of “Silent Night” that closed the concert. Thanks to the hard work of Dr. Hall, Mrs. Hall, and Ms. Tsukasa as well as all the students and faculty involved, the Chorale continues to bring festivities to our campus.
These two different ensembles fused their talents to present a showcase that truly wowed the community. The variety of pieces performed ranged heavily in manner with somber declarations to triumphant celebrations all packed into an explosive demonstration of technique and passion. Students and faculty involved sang their hearts out for the holiday season, a testament to the countless hours spent perfecting sequences on their individual instruments.
