On December 4th, Littleton High School’s Instrumental Music Department held its final concert of the semester, the 2025 Winter/Holiday Concert. This performance was a beautiful display of the insane amount of work and effort put in by every single student in the department.
The show began with the LHS Orchestra, featuring three beautiful pieces to get everyone in the audience into the spirit of the holidays. While none of these songs were generic holiday music that would be heard on the radio, all of these songs inspired a feeling of joyousness. These pieces leaned towards inciting a spirit of giving, something that is particularly treasured during the holiday season.
The second feature of this show was by the organization of Jazz Combo, not a formal class at Littleton, but a small group of students passionate about music. They performed two songs, neither of which were particularly festive, but you could see the effort put into the performance by both the students and the volunteer director Brian Luzietti.
This led to a performance by the ginormous Symphonic Winds, where they performed three songs, all in the spirit of the holidays. All of these songs were upbeat and inherently jolly, truly kicking on the holiday vibes that were felt throughout the rest of the show. One of these songs even featured a narrator to tell the story of “Son of Santa the Barbarian,” arranged by Randall Standridge.
After a brief intermission, the concert continued with performances from Littleton’s Jazz Ensemble. This led to more beautifully performed songs, featuring a blend of the classics, such as a jazz medley of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and more diverse pieces. This small group of students displayed an endless amount of joy and spirit through these pieces, no matter how popular the songs may be.
The final two songs of the night featured every single member of all of the bands. This was the combined ensembles of the entire instrumental music department, and they ended with a bang! Their first song was “Sleigh Ride,” a classic for all ages, which even utilised audience participation for some sound effects. Their second song was the always beautiful “Carol of the Bells.” This song showcased the importance of every section of the band, highlighting all the individual sounds from both the string and wind instruments.
Anyone watching could see the immense practice and effort contributed by each and every musician in the room. It was a beautiful performance, arranged by the amazing Don Emmons, performed by the amazing Littleton High School Instrumental Music Department!
