On April 30th, the LHS Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble and Symphonic Winds joined forces to perform a multitude of songs at the POPS Concert.
First to perform was the LHS Jazz Combo, a small subset of the Jazz Ensemble directed by Mr. Luzietti. They performed two songs (including “Left it Better”, an original piece by Mr. Luzietti) before being joined by the rest of the Ensemble. The full Jazz Ensemble performed the songs “‘Round Midnight” and “No One’s Watching Me”, the latter being arranged by ensemble trombonist Daniel Fisher. The Chamber Orchestra then performed “Howl’s Moving Castle” from the titular Studio Ghibli film, as well as “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis”, the J-pop song used as the opening of the popular anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
The Symphonic Winds concluded the first part of the program with performances of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and John Philip Sousa’s “Liberty Bell March”. The concert continued after a brief intermission, where LHS Encore offered complimentary snacks (although donations were encouraged).
The Jazz Ensemble returned for the beginning of the second act, performing “Spain” and “Arnge Drank” (so named for the creative pronunciation required to get something to rhyme with “orange”). The Chamber Orchestra performed “Birds of a Feather”, aptly followed by “Of Glorious Plumage”. The Symphonic Winds finished with “Minimalist Dances” and a collection of Billy Joel’s music, before the annual senior slideshow video was shown. The slideshow featured pictures of the graduating seniors (all chosen by the seniors, though some pictures had parental involvement in their choice), accompanied by music. The ensembles then combined to finish the concert with “Jyn Erso & Hope Suite” and “Smooth”.
In my opinion, everyone did great – all the songs were well chosen and well played, and the audience was great.
