Thursday, December 8, 2016, was the annual Winter Chorus Concert at the Montclair Kimberley Middle School. Choral director Charles Postas and the MKA Concert Choirs and Chamber Singers presented a wonderful and joyful program of seasonal music from around the world. Mr. David Stolarz provided an accomplished piano accompaniment to the singers.
The US Vocal Music Winter Concert was Friday, December 9th. Under the direction of Choral Director Maria Gilmartin, 55 student performers from The US Chamber Singers, Concert Choir, Unaccompanied Minors and the Advanced String Orchestra (who accompanied a movement from Handel's "Messiah") were featured. There were also a dozen of additional students who volunteered their time by assisting as the tech crew to help prepare for the concert. Songs spanned over 200 years of work including songs by Mendelssohn, to those that have been newly released. The Unaccompanied Minors sang two brand new songs by Maroon 5 and Beyoncé. It was an amazing night of singing and Weiss Auditorium looked stunning. Congratulations to all on an unbelievable night!
Directed by Chuck Olsen, The Upper School Concert Band and Jazz Band presented it's annual Winter Concert on Wednesday, December 14th, in Weiss Auditorium. The MKA Jazz Band performed several Jazz standards like "Groove Merchant" from the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, and Ray Bryant's "Cubano Chant" with a little Stevie Wonder thrown in for good measure. The Concert Band featured classics such as Mussorgsky's "Night On Bald Mountain" and The Beatle's "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," as well as some lesser known composers who had everyone dancing in their seats! Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of these students!
The MKA Middle School Band presented their Winter Band Concert on Thursday, December 15th and it was a festive occasion for all featuring a variety of musical repertoire directed by Linda Larkin. It was the debut performance for our fourth grade instrumentalists who just began learning their instruments in September. They always amaze us with their accomplishments in such a short amount of time. The concert was a wonderful mix of traditional folk songs and spirituals from around the world, works from the renaissance and baroque periods as well as current day compositions.
On December 16th, Primary School students rang in the holiday season with voices, bells and violins. Mrs. Jane Smith once again expertly directed and beautifully accompanied each grade in special, joyful holiday selections, both vocal and instrumental. Mrs. Marie Ihnen ended the concert with a violin accompaniment as the faculty sang.
To see pictures from all of the performances please click the links below:
MS Winter Choral Concert
http://www.mka.org/cf_media/index.cfm?g=856
US Winter Choral Concert
http://www.mka.org/cf_media/index.cfm?g=857
MS Winter Band Concert
http://www.mka.org/cf_media/index.cfm?g=859
US Winter Band Concert
http://www.mka.org/cf_media/index.cfm?g=858
PS Winter Concert
http://www.mka.org/cf_media/index.cfm?g=860