Costa choir, orchestra, band, and drama held winter performances to kick off the holiday season from Dec. 2-16.

COMPILED BY: JENNA WALTER/EXECUTIVE THEME EDITOR, CHARLOTTE LEVY/THEME EDITOR, AND AMELIA WARD/ONLINE EDITOR IN CHIEF

Costa choir, orchestra, band, and drama held winter performances to kick off the holiday season from Dec. 2-16.

On Dec. 2, Costa’s band held its annual 2022 winter concert at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. The concert featured jazz 1 band, percussion and wind symphony.

“The annual concert has never looked better,” sophomore percussion player Rylan Mendoza said. “I’ve been coming since middle school, and something about this year’s performance was unforgettable.”

Jazz 1 band performed “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow,” “Silent Night,” “Chanukah Joy,” and “Yo Tannenbaum!” Jazz band focuses on the fundamentals and structure of jazz music.

“It’s so nice to be back in the auditorium,” Mendoza said “It was a great experience and showcase of our hard work.”

Wind symphony and ensemble performed “Rocky Point Holiday” and “A Rhapsody on Christmas Carols.” Both ensembles are composed of wind and percussion instruments and complex rhythms and dynamics.

“My favorite part was when the symphonic band, wind ensemble and wind symphony bands came together,” said parent Dawn Murphy. “The performance was magical.”

At the end of the concert, combined bands performed “A Home Alone Christmas” and “Bashana Haba’ah.” The winter concert is an annual event used to raise funds for the band and demonstrate the students’ progress.

“The bands all worked together leading up to the concert, which really made a difference,” Mendoza said. “When we were up there playing, we felt in sync with the music, and that’s what made it shine.”

Costa’s choir program held its winter concert, “This Shining Night,” on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. “Santa Tell Me,” sung by Coterie,  the higher voices a capella group, kicked-started the night, followed by “O Holy Night,” sung by the Muscle, the lower voices a cappella group. After both a capella groups came together as “Cotuscle” to sing “Last Christmas,” director of choirs Kate Crellin thanked the choir founders for supporting the program.

“I enjoyed [Coterie and Muscle combining] because it allowed the two groups to become one and produce a unified sound,” said vocal ensemble and Muscle performer sophomore Jaxon Stroyke. 

Mira Costa Voices sung “‘Tis the Season” and “Feliz Navidad.” Choral union then performed two Norwegian songs, “Vuelie,” a song featured in “Frozen,” and “Days of Beauty.” These were followed by “You Do Not Walk Alone,” a traditional Irish blessing song, and “Hodie,” a Latin narrative musical piece that tells the story of the nativity.

“I think our most difficult song to learn was ‘My Lord Has Come,’” said junior choir president Kate Christensen. “It was an a cappella piece that had really complex parts, but it was so fun to learn.”

The vocal ensemble performed “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” “Huron Carol,” one of Canada’s oldest Christmas songs, “My Lord has Come,” which featured dynamic intensity and harmonies, and “Mary Had a Baby,” featuring a solo by sophomore Samantha Probst. All the choirs joined to sing “The Chanukah Song” and invited alumni on stage to sing “Silent Night” for the finale.  

“My favorite part of the concert was getting to hear the songs we had worked so hard on in class, now in the resonant auditorium store,” Coterie and vocal ensemble member Samantha Probst said. “Each song is so specific and rehearsed, and getting to hear the blend within our voices felt so rewarding.”

Costa’s Drama Tech Department expressed its holiday spirit with the annual variety show in the small theater on Tuesday. All proceeds from tickets and concessions will be used to buy gifts for families in need. Students gave holiday-themed performances, which they been preparing  since auditions for the show in the small theater on Dec. 5.

At the auditions, students went into the small theater one by one to perform their act in front of senior drama students Jack Searer, Lizzy Flemming and Lia de Fonce Martini, who judged the acts. According to junior Siena Fredrick, each audition scene was similar to those performed at the show and took days worth of practice. 

“People have taken a lot of time to perfect their acts,” junior Ava Ford said “There is so much talent in the Drama Department that each actor has a great chance of getting a role.” 

On Dec. 10, the cast members did their first walk-through, where each act got time to practice under show conditions: lights, costume and music. According to senior Ariel Dupin, there was not as much rehearsal time for this show as a play or musical, but the final product was just as successful. 

“The Winter Show is always a good time,” Dupin says. “It’s more laid laid back than a musical or play, but I love seeing everyone’s comical scenes or the choir group as well.”

Along with holiday scenes from drama, Costa’s choir, Coterie and Muscle sang “Last Christmas.” According to Dupin, the Drama Department wanted some variety in its show, which is why it chose to include songs from choir. 

“I really liked that [Coterie and Muscle] were able to come and perform with us,” Dupin said. “I love when our shows are engaging and not just performances from drama.” 

One comical holiday act came from Dupin, Halkias, Brown, and Strokye. Strokye, Halkias and Brown played three kids on the “naughty list” and asked “Santa” what they could do to get onto the nice list. Santa made them rap to try and get back onto the nice list. According to Dupin, this was one of the best scenes as it was composed of humor and some singing as well. 

“I loved getting to play the role of Santa,” Dupin said. “As a senior, it was cool to have my final holiday show end on a positive note.”

According to Fredrick, the night was an overall success. Drama raised money for “Adopt-A-Family” while getting to put on a spectacular show. Each scene/performance was well-rehearsed and enjoyable, according to Fredrick.

“There are so many talented actors in drama,” Frederick said. “My favorite part of the show is hanging out with all my friends backstage and watching them perform.”

Today, Costa’s orchestra program hosts its annual winter concert. A majority of the concert is strings only, but some songs are played with strings and wind symphony.

According to junior percussionist Abigail Ostrick, the orchestra has been preparing for the concert since September Each orchestra (philharmonic, sinfonietta, symphony and chamber) received their songs in September and have been practicing ever since. 

“Everyone is responsible for preparing individually by practicing at home,” Ostrick says. “From there we all come together to rehearse as a group in class and during after-school rehearsals.” 

Orchestra began practicing in the auditorium on Tuesday. According to Ostrick, playing in the practice room and in the auditorium is very different. The sound waves are different on certain instruments, and they must be played either louder or softer based on how they sound in each location. Also, the musicians play on risers, which also affects how the sound is being projected into the audience.  

“Listening to our instruments is definitely a challenge, but also the most crucial part in having a great performance,” Ostrick says. “[Listening] and sound quality takes the most time to perfect in the auditorium because of how different it sounds in the practice room.” 

According to junior violinist Zoe Fan, orchestra will be playing Christmas-themed songs in addition to classical music. Most of their songs will be easily recognizable to the audience, as the orchestra will play a selection of popular holiday repertoire. 

“[The orchestra] has been preparing for basically the entire first semester,” Fan says. “Although we may look very serious, we have a lot of fun when we rehearse and play together.”