BY LAILA MOHAMED-ALI
The annual instrumental winter concert, organized by the instrumental music teacher, Melissa Thatcher, took place at 7 pm on December 17. An audience gathered around in the auditorium to enjoy the nostalgic Christmas feeling everyone craves during the holidays.
The successful concert presented a large variety of holiday songs performed by instrumental groups. “My favorite piece to perform would probably be eight candles,” said Camila Hernandez, who plays the flute for wind ensemble.
To ensure a smooth and successful performance, the band took the time to rehearse their sequence of songs. “We practiced for months, making sure we played in time and in tune together. We also practiced playing loudly, as we had the main melody,” said Tyla Lovetere.
“We had solos this year and last year we didn’t have any!” said Ahrabella Pagano, a viola player. The string orchestra’s performance of the song “All is Calm” featured solos by four different students.
Dylan Woyce, a trumpeter, performed the solo “Concert Etude” by Goedickie. “At first, when I went up on the stage, it was pretty nerve-wracking, especially in front of all the people and my friends,” said Woyce. “After and during the solo, though, it felt good to perform and be up there.”
Some potential complications called for extended tweaks to make sure the concert could run smoothly. “Tuning all our instruments was challenging due to the cold weather. However, we used tuners to make sure all of us sounded perfect,” said Lovetere, “If one of us sounded a little off, we fixed it.”
In total, 92 students performed in the concert, grouped into percussion ensemble, string orchestra, wind ensemble, concert band, and solo performance. “I’m in strings and I play viola. I think we did amazing!” said Pagano. “As a section we played rhythms really well and were very in tune! As an entire orchestra it all came together really well!!”
Posted on January 16, 2026
Photos Kaylee Weingarten
Knight Life 