As leaves on trees return with lively flowers signaling the warmer months, the New Hyde Park Music Department simultaneously rings in the end of the school year by unveiling a concert with a new repertoire of songs.
This year’s spring concert was once again broken into three days, each showcasing different ensembles. On Monday, May 20, the senior high band, junior high orchestra and senior high chorus performed a wide variety of musical selections. Next was Wednesday, May 22, where the junior high chorus, junior high band and senior high orchestra showcased their talents. The final day was on Tuesday, May 28, when the extracurricular ensembles played, including chamber singers, jazz band and string ensemble.
The senior high orchestra performed a collection of challenging pieces, such as “Beethoven Symphony No. 1,” “Summertime” by Gershwin and other varying pieces by Handel, Warlock and Vivaldi. The choruses showcased a variety of different genres and styles, including singing in languages like Latin, French and English. The bands played a variety of pieces such as “Courtly Dance” and “Procession” by Brian Balmages, “The Royal Tower” by Micheal Sweeney, “Olympia” by Brian Balmages and “Groovy 8” by Randall Standrige.
Each student devoted themselves to refining their skills through practice rehearsals hosted by their teachers along with hours practicing on their own.
“When it came to the last two weeks, we performed multiple days a week so that we can memorize and perform our music with perfection,” sophomore Anusha Pandya said.
“The most challenging part for preparing for this concert was that the students had to memorize all the lyrics and the music,” chorus teacher Mr. McLeer said.
After months of preparation and practice, the concert was received highly amongst the NHP student body, showcasing the success of the students and teachers’ dedication to the cause.
“One of the most memorable highlights were the eight graders performing ‘Baby Shark’ with students dressing up as live sharks,” sophomore Sophia Ye said.
“I hope that they can take away an awareness of just how talented and hard working their children are and how dedicated these students are to achieve these high level performances,” orchestra teacher Ms. Tomkiw said.
One highlight of the concert were the exceptional solos and duets that were played throughout the different ensembles, adding a unique and memorable twist to their performances. For instance, seniors Jaiden Thomas and Nathaniel Park played a duet to the song “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen which included Jaiden playing the piano and Nathaniel playing the trombone.
“The concert was so much fun. Things went pretty smoothly and all worked out in the end,” senior Jaiden Thomas said. “It was kind of bittersweet, though, because it’s my last time performing at a concert for NHP Memorial.”
