As winter settles in at FHHS, the music department brought warmth and holiday spirit to the stage with its annual Winter Concert on Dec. 17 and 18. Students from various ensembles spent weeks rehearsing to present an evening filled with festive melodies, powerful harmonies, and impressive musical talent. The concert promised to showcase the dedication and creativity of FHHS musicians while bringing the school community together to celebrate the season through music.
During the school day on Dec. 16, there were in-school performances by the choir, the orchestras and the bands. They played during the third and ninth periods, respectively. Classes were invited to see a snippet of these students’ amazing performances before the opening night.
On Dec. 17, the choir and orchestra performed. The night started off with Intermediate Choir, directed by Mr. Koch and Mr. King. They started the night with an amazing rendition of “A Light of Hope, A Song of Peace,” a piece by Mark Burrows. The first half continued with Intermediate Orchestra and then Advanced Orchestra, both directed by Mr. Chen.
This group started their first performance with “Legends of Glory,” and had two performances to end their recital.
The advanced orchestra and concert choir stunned the audience with their joint performance, where they performed “Silent Night,” “Gloria,” and lastly “Hallelujah.” The concert choir and advanced orchestra ended the night with the Hallelujah finale. The energy throughout the night was truly captivating and could be seen throughout the performances, and the hard work by both the students and staff was evident.
“The most energetic [performance] was the finale [‘Hallelujah’] and ‘Gloria.’ The most difficult to lead was ‘Gloria’ because of its fast pace since the original tempo is around 120 [bpm],” said Lesly Sanabriga-Arenas, a junior violinist and the second violin section leader.
“I like collaborating with the choir, since it’s a yearly tradition. At first, I only expected us to play Hallelujah, but I didn’t expect to play two other pieces with them, but it also reminded me how the year before, for the Spring Concert, we did two pieces with the concert choir,” she added.
Mr. Chen, Mr. King, and Mr. Koch did a spectacular job alternating and conducting their students throughout the performance.
On Dec. 18, the intermediate band, jazz band, and the PlayPro team performed. The cast of “The Addams Family,” FHHS’ upcoming musical, performed first, starting the night with excitement and exhilaration. The performance consisted of a dance number with the main cast and ensemble. “The Addams Family” is scheduled to run at FHHS on April 30, and May 1, and 2 in 2026.
After PlayPro debuted their opener, Mr. Goss took the stage with jazz band, where they dazed the audience with their performance of “Bradley’s Blues Shop,” and “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,”
“We had energy and spirit throughout the performance. My favorite song to perform was ‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.’ It was such an upbeat piece, and we had many solos with it. The preparation of the performance was pretty difficult for me since this was the first time I ever performed with the jazz band. But I think the preparation paid off in the end. I was able to put on a good show with my fellow members and enjoy the pieces that we worked hard on,” Tony Li, a senior on trombone, mentions.
Lastly, intermediate band took the stage with the guidance of Mr. Goss once again. Gerrard Ascenio, a sophomore on trombone, was in both the intermediate and jazz bands.
The concert ended with the leadership of Mr. Arzberger of the concert band with the advanced percussion ensemble.
On this night of the winter concert, students played music by Ozzy Osbourne as tribute. The group performed a Black Sabbath medley, including renditions of “Paranoid,” and “Crazy Train.” Junior Daniel Figaredo took center stage on electric guitar, leading the tribute alongside the advanced percussion ensemble.
The electrifying performance earned a standing ovation, bringing night two of the winter concert to an unforgettable close.
Overall, the FHHS Winter Concert was a powerful showcase of the talent, dedication, and collaboration within the school’s music department. From moving choral and orchestral performances to energetic jazz and percussion pieces, each ensemble left a lasting impression on the audience.
The concert not only celebrated the holiday season, but also highlighted the hard work and passion that FHHS musicians bring to the stage year after year.
