Anyone who walked into the SV High School auditorium in a humbug kind of mood December 8, left an hour later in much better spirits, thanks to the talented musicians and singers that treated an appreciative audience to a very entertaining winter concert.
The SV Chamber Orchestra launched the program with Mozart's Serenade No. 9 "Posthorn" Finale, with Conductor Eileen Miller counting the musicians in and then leaving the stage, trusting the students to finish the piece on their own, which they did flawlessly. Additional musicians joined the orchestra for its final two pieces: A Maid in Bedlam and Santa's Classical Christmas.
Up next was the Percussion Ensemble, which pounded out Jolly Ol' St. Nicholas with pool noodles and pvc pipe, followed by the SV Concert Choir, under the direction of Jenn Perkins. They were beautifully accompanied by Jim Apicella on piano and Robert Johnson on flute for their first number In the Dark of December. Mrs. Perkins snuck up to the risers to join her students in singing Dies Irae, before resuming her spot as Conductor for their third and final song Bring a Torch, Jeannette, Isabella.
Closing the program in rousing fashion was the Susquehanna Valley Concert Band, which made its way beautifully through a challenging opening piece called Brave Spirit. They followed with La Matriarca before the fun and quirky finale: The Thirteen Days of Christmas by Wolfbane Armadillo Mozart/Paul Jennings. And yes, it featured a lot of cowbell, but we could have used more.
Thank you to our supportive audience for giving the students a great group to perform for! CONCERT PHOTOS HERE