The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Production course.
by Micah Gallebo
Staff Writer
The holiday season is fast approaching at Hilliard Bradley High School and with it, Winterfest Musical Festival is right around the corner. Winterfest is a holiday concert that takes place over two nights and features the Hilliard Bradley Bands, Choirs, and Orchestras. The concert is unique in the fact it is a non-stop celebration of music with groups performing one after another seamlessly transitioning between holiday carols with no applause in between. The concert will take place on Tuesday December 13th and Wednesday December 14th at seven o’clock at night.
Bradley staff share exactly what Winterfest is. Assistant Choir Director, Miss Schott explains what Winterfest is, “Winterfest is the annual concert that the band, choir, and orchestra put on together. It’s a lot of holiday, winter, and seasonal music.” The groups have been hard at work preparing music such as “Sleigh Ride”, “Christmas Festival”, and “The Work of Christmas”. Winterfest is no doubt one of the biggest events of the season. “It's the only concert we have all year that we get to have all the groups together for one big event.” Miss Schott explains. “It’s an extravaganza,” says Ms Ysseldyke, a Hilliard Bradley media assistant. “It's an extraordinary opportunity for you to enjoy the music department and arts department and song and dance and entertainment”. Winterfest truly is one of the highlights of the year, and so many people enjoy watching.
Students performing in Winterfest are very excited about performing and seeing other groups, and weigh in on their favorite part of Winterfest. James Goodwin (12) an Symphonic Choir Member shares, “My favorite part of Winterfest is getting to see the orchestra and bands [as well as] the small ensembles because they’re really good, and I never get to hear them”. Winterfest is split into two halves, with the band, choir, and orchestra all participating in each. Getting to hear the other groups is something Winterfest highlights perfectly. With the groups continually and seamlessly transitioning from one piece to the next, all the performing arts are highlighted for students and audience to enjoy. Julian Perez (11) Shares, “My favorite part of Winterfest definitely [has been] helping to decorate the PAC. It really helps set the [holiday] mood”. The auditorium has been decorated with Christmas trees, light, and garland for the holiday season. Reagan Parsell (11) shares, “My favorite part about preparing for Winterfest is the Christmas music itself, it’s always fun to sing Christmas themed songs in choir”.
All of the performing arts are excited to share the gift of music this holiday season. Winterfest will take place tonight, Tuesday December 13 and Wednesday December 14 at 7pm. “It is a must, must attend event” Ms. Ysseldyke says. Don’t miss your chance to see the celebration that is Winterfest and see just how hard students have been working this year.