An Evening of Music
Photo Credits: Milton Academy
By Kevin Farmer ‘24
On Friday, December 9, Milton Academy’s music students performed at the Jean McCawley Annual Orchestra and Chorus Winter Concert. The evening showcased the hard work of the chamber orchestra, full orchestra, chamber singers, and Glee Club. The event honors Jean McCawley, who generously supported the Milton Academy music program.
Parents, faculty, and fellow students were greeted in the Kellner commons with beautiful performances by the Chamber Choir and Glee Club, both groups conducted by the masterful Mr. Whalen. The Glee Club sang “Jesu, Rex admirabilis” by Giovanni Perluigi de Palestrina, “Due pupille amabili,” and “Ecco quel fiero istante from 6 Nocturnes” composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. These songs were orchestrated by Mr. Whalen and accompanied by orchestra clarinetists Evan Zhang, Caroline Albright, and faculty member Mr. Copeland who played the bass clarinet. Next, the ensemble jumped two centuries ahead and sang “Coney Island Baby” and “We All Fall” by Applegate, Goodwin, and Meyer. The Glee Club closed their section of the event with Evening Prayer from the opera rendition “Hansel and Gretel” composed by Engelbert Dumperdinck Englebert Humperdinch, orchestrated by Mr. Whalen, and accompanied by string players Sophia Xie, Henry Dallman, Andre Zhao, and Elizabeth Gallori and “I Wonder What Would Happen to this World” by Harry Chapin and arranged by Mr. Whalen.
At this point, the chamber choir sang Gloria Tibi from “Mass” by Leonard Bernstein, Va Pensiero from the opera “Nabucco” by Giuseppe Verdi, another piece for which Mr. Whalen orchestrated a student string accompaniment. The group then performed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” written by Harold Arlen and arranged by Mr. Whalen. To close the choral portion of the evening, the Milton Academy Choral Singers, a talented group of sophomores, juniors, and seniors sang One More Angel from “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” by Webber and Rice and I’m a Believer from “Shrek” by Neil Diamond.
The audience then moved to King Theater to hear the Milton Academy orchestra, conducted by Dr. Anantawan and instructed and supported by Dr. Goode, Mr. Copeland, and Catarina Ferreira, presenting music from a variety of styles. Senior violinist Julia Torrey hosted the orchestral portion of the evening with a number of snowmen puns. A quintet comprised of seniors violinist Sophia Xie, cellist Elizabeth Gallori, and bassist William Charles as well as Mr. Anantawan and pianist Anthony Lee commenced the orchestral portion of the event with the third movement, Scherzo/Presto, of “the Trout” Quintet D. 667 in A Major by Franz Schubert. Next, the chamber orchestra of sophomore, junior, and senior musicians played “Palladio” by Karl Jenkins, the “Barber of Seville” by Gioachino Rossini, the “Merry Go Round of Life” (from Howl’s Moving Castle) by Joe Hisaishi, Waltz by Ilari Hylkila, the Finale (Allegro non troppo) of Shostakovich Symphony No. 5.
Finally, the full orchestra played the dramatic Waltz No. 2 from Suite for Jazz Orchestra by Dmitri Shostakovich and Selections from Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. The evening closed with hot chocolate in Kellner Commons. Special thanks were given to Darlene Anastas for lighting and staging support, Genevieve Healy for technical and A/V support, Julia Torrey (‘23) for hosting the orchestra, all of the musicians for their hard work, the administration for their continued support of the arts, and Bob Sinicrope, Eric Goode, Anna Freitas, Edward Copeland, Alan Rodi, and Catarina Ferreira.