NRHEG Music presents Dec. 8 concert

In back-to-back concerts presented the evening of Dec. 8, the vocal and instrumental music departments at NRHEG shared an array of lively holiday tunes performed by students in grades 6 through 12.

 

The instrumental department, directed by district music instructor Seth Schaefer, presented fourteen tunes performed by five combinations of musicians.

 

The Jazz Band played “Hometown” and “Georgia on My Mind.” 

 

The chairs were then handed over to the sixth-grade band, who entertained the audience with “Embark,” “Gingerbread Men on Parade,” “Frere Jacques” presented in rounds, and the energetic piece “Dragonblood.”

 

Grades 7 and 8 presented “Air of Nobility,” “In Search of Yeti,” and “Winter Morning” before being joined by the high school band for a few familiar holiday tunes.

 

The final five numbers of the band concert were played by musicians in grades 9 to 12:

“Flashpoint,” “Silver Bells,” “Softly Speaks the Night,” “Pure Imagination,” and “Wintertide.”

 

The vocal portion of the concert also featured combinations and recombinations of musicians, with vocal music instructor Krista Reeder both playing the piano accompaniment and directing.

 

The Senior Select Choir began with “O Come, O Come” and “Long Ago.”

 

They were then joined by the additional members of the Senior Choir for “Winter With You” featuring Christian Cully playing the viola, “Snow on Snow,” and “A Celtic Silent Night” featuring Faith Phillips on the violin.

 

The Senior Chamber Choir performed “How Many Kings.”

 

Members of the Junior Choir took the risers to perform “Snow,” “Carol of the Bells,” “On a Snowy Evening,” and “Take You on a Sleigh Ride.”

 

The Treble Choir presented “An Irish Cabin” and “Mary Sat A-Rockin.’”

 

Senior Sophia Williams acted as guest conductor as the Junior Chamber Choir sang “Sleep, Little Baby, Sleep.”

 

The Senior Choir returned to the stage, this time without their robes and instead dressed in brightly colorful Christmas attire including elaborate hats and other headgear. Director Krista Reeder burst out in delighted laughter before seating herself at the piano keys to continue accompaniment, this time for “African Alleluia” with Christian Cully and Paige Johnson featured as percussionists. The senior choir sang “Sing of a Merry Christmas” before being joined by the junior choir and even some vocal music graduates for “A Very Merry Christmas.”

 

During a brief pause between performances, members of the NRHEG Music Boosters brought out two handcrafted quilts which are the prizes in a long-term raffle. Tickets were for sale before and after the concert for those wishing to support the music program’s project to acquire new choir robes; the red and white ones currently owned by the school district were acquired in the 1980s. Raffle sales will continue at upcoming events until a drawing takes place later in the semester.

 

The program for the Dec. 8 concert also listed upcoming music department events. These include a “Merry Bandmas” event on Dec. 22; caroling during the Dec. 23 school day activity day; the Gopher Conference fine arts showcase on Feb. 6 and 7; the Feb. 26 mid-winter junior high concert; and music contests and showcases set to take place in March.