The Shining Night
Costa’s Music Department hosted their annual Choir Winter Concert, “The Shining Night,” in the school auditorium on December 11.
The event featured performances from Mira Costa’s various choirs. Choir Director Kate Crellin and A Cappella Academy teacher Taylor DiBernardo, conducted each performance, accompanied by Gordon Glor.
“Our concert brings the energy of the holidays as we sing a lot of familiar music like carols!” said senior choir president Eric Chu. “Compared to the other music concerts, this one has a more interactive element for the audience, with a sing along as one of the final pieces.”
The first half of the concert featured performances by Muscle A Capella and Coterie, including a rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath The Tree.” Choral Union also took the stage, performing Stephen Paulus’ “Day Break,” Shawn Kirchner’s “Brightest and Best,” and Anders Edenroth’s “The World for Christmas.” Costa senior and Orchestra member Noah Weiss accompanied the choir on violin for “Brightest and Best.” The set concluded with a lively performance of Bobby Helms’ classic “Jingle Bell Rock.”
“My favorite part of the performance was Muscle A Capella because we’ve been working on it so hard all semester,” said senior and choir member Jaxon Stroyke.
A silent auction was held during intermission, with raffle prizes including Tiffany and Co. jewelry, gift cards, artwork, and a trip for two to an African Safari. All the proceeds went into funding Choir’s spring break trip for the opportunity to perform in Ireland and England.
“This concert is really special because it’s my last, so it’s kind of a bittersweet moment because obviously we worked really hard on everything, and it’s all gone really well,” said senior Miles Hardin.
After intermission, Vocal Jazz performed “Christmas Waltz” by Frank Sinatra, and Vocal Ensemble performed “Gaudeamus” by Marek Raczynski, “Ma Oz Tzur” by Erran Cohen, “O Magnum Mysterium” by Tomás Luis de Victoria, “Rocka My Soul” by Alvin Ailey, and “Carol of the Bells,” by Mykola Leontovych. Special guests Emily Hucul and Megan Malik conducted “Carol of the Bells”, a priveledge they won in a previous raffle.
“Getting prizes for our auction and raffle was a long process, but it was so worth it. Working with the boosters to go to downtown Hermosa and Manhattan Beach to ask the local businesses for donations was so amazing as I learned how much the businesses love Costa Choir!” Chu remarked.
Next was a combined performance with Vocal Ensemble and Vocal Jazz, performing “Walking in a Winter Wonderland“ by Richard Himber, “Frosty the Snowman” by Gene Autry, “Jingle Bells” by James Pierpont, “Christmas Waltz” by Frank Sinatra, where the audience was invited to sing along.
To end the concert, all the choirs combined to present “Silent Night” by Joseph Mohr, in sign language. Costa Choir alumni were invited on stage to perform with the current choir members.
Band Concert
Costa’s music department hosted its annual band winter concert on Friday December 6th at 7pm in the Costa Auditorium.
The concert, organized by band director Joel Carlson, included performances from the Symphonic Band, Symphony Band, Wind Ensemble, Wind Symphony, and Jazz I. The different groups played an array of classical holiday favorites.
“We have many different concert ensembles that each play music at a different level of difficulty,” said Carlson, “The symphonic band is typically playing music at advanced high school level while our wind ensemble plays at collegiate repertoire level.”
The winter concert took months of preparation, with students rehearsing daily to perfect their music and familiarize themselves with the program.
“It is always a very rewarding experience after all the months of hard work,” said junior piano player Ever Bauer. “The feeling of celebrating a successful concert with the other band members makes all of the hard work worth it.”
To start off the concert, the Symphonic Band performed “Fantasy on Deck the Halls” and “Snow Day Celebration.” The next song, “Ave Verum Corpus” was played by the Symphony band, past Mira Costa Band members were acknowledged In the middle of these sets.
“My favorite song the symphonic band played was Ave Verum Corpus,” said senior and percussion player Mareen Shah. “This was a combined piece with wind ensemble and it sounded amazing.”
To close off the first half of the concert, the Jazz I band played a variety of songs including “Joy to the World,” “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” and “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” Following intermission, Wind Ensemble played “Midnight Sleighride from the Lieutenant” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
“My favorite part of the performance was during the piece ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’,” said sophomore and euphonium player Reyna Singh. “It’s a very fun piece to play with everyone.”
The most advanced group, the Wind Symphony, took the stage at the end and performed three songs: “Savannah River Holiday,” “Symphonic Prelude on Adeste Fidelis,” and “A Chanukah Celebration.”
“Our wind symphony group won the national concert band ensemble in 2021,” said Carlson. “Additionally they earned the National Jazz Festival presidents cup in 2022.”
To conclude the event, All of the bands joined the Wind Symphony on stage to play the song “Frosty” arranged by Dale Leaman. The concert ended with a standing ovation and all the band members took their final bows together.
“I love being a part of our band program because of its beautiful community and the many opportunities that it offers to learn new things and grow as a musician,” said Bauer. “My music classes, practices, and concerts are always the highlight of my day, I am very grateful to be a part of it.”
Orchestra Concert Preview
Mira Costa Orchestra is preparing to bring the season to life through a festive evening of music. In their highly anticipated Winter Concert, set for December 13, the orchestra will present a diverse selection of classical works, as well as some seasonal favorites, showcasing the immense talent of Mira Costa’s students.
This year’s concert will feature a variety of music, and festive favorites such as, Beethoven Symphony No. 5, under the direction of (director’s name), has been hard at work rehearsing these intricate and inspiring pieces. Attendees can expect a performance that blends technical skill with emotional depth.
The orchestra will perform a range of pieces, one of the works by the legendary Ludwig Van Beethoven. One of the highlights of the evening will be a captivating performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. Known for the bold energetic themes, and grandeur, this piece demonstrates Beethoven’s first symphony is an impressive piece that will demonstrate the orchestra’s technical precision and emotional depth.
Tickets for the Winter Concert can be purchased in person at the event.
The Mira Costa Orchestra Concert will take place on Dec 13 at 7:00pm in the school auditorium for a performance guaranteed to bring holiday cheer.
Elderly Melodies
Elderly Melodies, a student-led club at Costa, has been making a significant impact by performing at local senior homes and writing letters of appreciation to community members.
For the past two years, Elderly Melodies has partnered with Sunrise Senior Home, where members perform in small groups every other month. These performances bring joy to the residents, offering them a break from their daily routines.
Noah Weiss, the clubs outreach coordinator and advertising manager, organizes these events and facilitates communication among club members. As Weiss plans these events, he picks recital dates and locations in order to keep the club organized.
“I’m inspired to continue this club when I am playing in front of the elderly’s and their faces light up,” Weiss shared. “Afterwards it’s most inspiring when they say ‘that was the joy of my week,’ which makes me really happy to be able to give back to my community in that way.”
On campus, Elderly Melodies meets every other Wednesday at lunch in Room 3 to plan upcoming events and discuss ways to expand their reach.
“My favorite memory is definitely performing for the seniors and seeing their reactions,” said club member, junior Evelyn Green.
The club’s goal is to extend their performances to more senior homes, broadening their impact within the community. The members of the club strive to keep spreading the community love and cherish every moment they get to perform.
Elderly Melodies continue to build meaningful connections, creating lasting bonds between generations and in our community.
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