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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On December 6, a row of cars lined up on Nahatan Street with their turn signals flashing. One by one, cars pulled into the Westwood High School parking lot, searching for a space to park and head inside for a jaw-dropping performance from Thurston Middle School’s and Westwood High’s most talented singers.
The WHS and TMS chorus concert featured many winter and holiday songs for friends and family members of the singers to enjoy. The annual concert featured performances from Westwood High’s a cappella group, Passing Notes, the high school’s chorus, and Thurston Middle’s chorus, as well as their select chorus group.
Music teacher Rob Goldman thanks the community for supporting the music program and sends them off with well wishes for the holiday season.
TMS’s eighth grade chorus commenced the concert with “Windy Nights” and “Share the Light of Hanukkah.” Accompanied by Alicia Winslow, the chorus completed their performance with “All I Want For Christmas,” featuring soloists Angie Sylva, Brian Cole, and Jake Nihen.
The talented students of Passing Notes, an a cappella group, gathered in the orchestral pit to perform instead of singing on stage. With the guide of WHS music teacher Rob Goldman, singers performed The Pentatonix’s “Take Me Home,” “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” with beatboxer Eli Feldman, and Katy Perry’s “Firework,” with solos from Lauren Cotter and Chloe Goodman.
Thurston Middle School students then took the stage again as TMS’ chorus teacher, Diana Legere, conducted “Seasons of Love” with soloist Alex Mansour.
Eighth grader Alicia Sylva sings a solo in the chorus’s performance of ‘All I Want For Christmas.’
For the WHS chorus’ performance, Rob Goldman asked the class’ seniors to propose songs for them to perform with original written introductions. Accompanied by tenor saxophonist Michael Lahiff, bassist Adeline Vamenta, and percussionist Eli Feldman, the chorus performed a medley of Christmas favorites with “Swing Into Christmas.” From the beloved musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” the chorus also sang “Sunrise, Sunset/Sabbath Prayer” with clarinetist Noah Stone.
Next, the chorus sang “Shine On Me,” followed by a heartwarming performance of “The Christmas Song,” which was accompanied by a slideshow of holiday photos from the chorus members’ childhoods. WHS seniors and Tri-M Music Honor Society members Erin Fitzgerald, Rachel Barnardo, and Nani Doursounian performed solos in “Hear My Song” from “Songs for a New World.”
To end the concert, WHS and TMS joined together on stage to perform a medley from the motion picture “White Christmas.” Percussionist Eli Feldman joined the singers, and Tri-M members Sarah Wasserman and Anna Meglan performed “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep” together.
With such harmony between the WHS and TMS choruses, the concert proved to be an unforgettable display of the students’ musical talent and the perfect school function to promote the holiday spirit.
Members of Westwood High School’s a cappella group, Passing Notes, performs Katy Perry’s ‘Firework.’
