Eighty-five students from four different ensembles came together on Thursday, Jan. 25 to deliver a charismatic rendition of Joseph Haydn’s Mass in Time of War for the annual Winterfest concert.
The show consisted of the Family Singers, Concert Choir, Vocal Ensemble, and the Orchestra playing the highly renowned melodist’s anti-war compositions. The concert was conducted by Adam Grossman.
“It felt good [to perform] and everything flowed really nicely,” said sophomore Lasya Thavanati, who was a soprano in the choir. The concert opened with a strong performance of “Kyrie,” with seniors Martha Bennett, Adrian Scott, Jeremy Gordon and junior Madeleine Alexander-Latta, as the soloists. Each section had its own dress code, with the orchestra in black from head to toe, the choir with white tops and black bottoms, and the family singers in suits and long green dresses.
The second part of the mass was a lyrical piece called “Gloria,” which was led by senior Jonathan Champion and junior Kiley Smyth.
Freshman Edie Pike, who is a soprano in the vocal ensemble said, “I liked singing ‘Gloria’ because it was a really inclusive part. Everyone was singing and it was a super upbeat part of the whole mass.” The pace of the song had an optimistic feel to it compared to the rest of the symphony. At the end of “Gloria,” the Concert Choir and Vocal Ensemble left the stage, leaving the Family Singers to perform the third song, “Credo.”
Rich vocals from the soloists, senior Marguerite Quigley, and juniors Renée Dwyer, Achille Ricca, Maya Lozinsky, Madeline Ranalli, and Daniel Thompson, echoed throughout the auditorium, with the rest of the orchestra following with precision.
“We work really well as a concert choir, we sound really good, and we work really hard. We’ve definitely pulled together for the past few weeks,” said sophomore Anna Weylman-Farwell, who is an alto in the choir. “There were some pieces we learned just a week ago, but we’re still able to sound really good.”
The fourth song, “Sanctus,” opened slowly but gradually increased its dynamics and tempo. It was led by seniors Rose Mooney and Thacher Andreae. The harmony of Family Singers and orchestra was incredible and the soloist’s voices resonated around the room. “Benedictus” was the second to last song and had soloists seniors Mooney, Andreae, Gabriella Avelino, and Dustin Ledgard.
During the final piece, “Agnus Dei,” the choir and ensemble returned to the stage. Seniors Jeremy Gordon, Sarah Rosenstrach, Adrian Scott and junior Laura Schwartz performed solos during the piece, putting an impressive end to the performance.
The members had only two and half rehearsals to prepare before the performance. “We missed 20 minutes of rehearsal due to the fire drill, but we all cooperated together and worked our butts off today. It really paid off though,” said Mooney. Despite the slight roadblock, the concert was well presented, and went off without a hitch.
Overall, the performance was a testament to the teamwork of the choir and band, making it one of the best concerts of the year.
“It was breathtaking. I was nervous but really excited at the same time. It was really nice being in a small group and being able to sing,” said Mooney.