FALK AUDITORIUM — A talented array of Winchester Thurston high school and middle school students performed Wednesday night in the school’s annual Evening of the Arts.

The auditorium was packed shortly before the show started, filled with excited parents, friends, and colleagues. It was imbued with a hushed, anticipatory mood. The tuning and restless fiddling of the Middle School Orchestra’s instruments contrasted with the audience’s quiet chatter.

After a short introduction by Music Director John Maione, and as the lights dimmed to a dark lilac hue, the Middle School Orchestra began to play a rendition of Strauss’s Radetzky March. After playing two more compositions, including the timely It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, they were succeeded by the Upper School Orchestra, a larger and more technically advanced body of players. Notable pieces of theirs included Vivaldi’s La Primavera and a unique performance on the Chinese guzheng, a plucked string instrument, by Yixin Cai ‘20.

The Upper School Jazz Band also performed. A fantastic array of saxophones, pianos, guitars, and other instruments played four rousing pieces. The brass instruments glinted in the stage lights. On the Gershwin brothers’ They Can’t Take That Away From Me, the ensemble was joined by Head of School Dr. Scott Fech, who dazzled the audience with his clarinet skills and took on a solo. The Jazz Band also performed an original composition of Mr. Maione’s, titled Da Fish.

Other performances included the Middle School Chorus and Upper School Chorus. Both ensembles delivered interesting interpretations of modern and traditional songs, ranging from the traditional O Come, O Come, Emmanuel to September by Earth, Wind & Fire. Several students soloed, bravely stepping up to the microphone to accompany the rest of the students. Music was provided to the choruses by a panel of instrumentalists in front of the stage.

Winchester Thurston’s students practice at least twice per six-day cycle, and many of them have been singing or playing their instrument for several years. The Evening of the Arts was the perfect way to showcase the unique and extraordinary talents of the school’s ensembles.