The music ensembles of Belmont Hill had their final concert of the year on Monday, May 16th. The concert culminated a year’s worth of hard work and dedication, and students put forth their best performances yet.
The Middle School Jazz Ensemble kicked off the event with Nathaniel Adderley’s Work Song, arranged by Mark Taylor. Consisting of students in Forms I-III, they gave thrilling and sophisticated performances. Musicians Jake Ma ‘27 (trumpet), Brandon Li ‘26 (alto saxophone), and Carson Yoo ‘26 (trumpet) delivered exciting solos.
Up next were the B-Flats, and each of the six songs they sang attested to their musical development over the course of the year; beautiful harmonies were sprinkled throughout the songs and, as they finished their final piece, the audience in the Chapel responded with resounding applause and approval.
Featuring many veteran performers, the Upper School Jazz Ensemble impressed the audience with a wonderful rendition of Don’t Get Sassy by Thad Jones (rescored by Mike Carubia). Soloists included Cameron Connell ‘23 (piano), Derrick Huang ‘25 (alto saxophone), David Carter ‘22 (trumpet), Daniel Bittner ‘22 (trumpet), Davi Ribeiro ‘23 (alto saxophone), Alexander Behn ‘24 (trombone), David Luo ‘25 (trumpet), Charles Geddes ‘22 (guitar), and Tawanda Masiiwa (tenor saxophone). They followed this up with I Wish by Stevie Wonder (arr. by Mike Tomaro), featuring a solo by William Lloyd ‘23 (tenor saxophone).
The B-Flats and Upper School Jazz ensemble took the stage next for a joint performance of Stevie Wonder’s Tuesday Heartbreak (arr. by Dan Fiori); soloists included senior David Carter (trumpet) and junior Davi Ribeiro (alto saxophone).
Rounding out a fantastic night of music, the Belmont Hill Chamber Orchestra took over the stage to present a riveting performance of Pulsar by Shirl Jae Atwell. They closed with the evening’s final piece: Libertango by Astor Piazzola (arr. by James Kazik), featuring soloist Brian Lee ‘24 (cello).
Although it is bittersweet that another year of music on the Hill has come to an end, it was truly impressive to witness the magnificent results of students’ countless hours of practice and rehearsal. Kudos to Brother P and Mr. Fiori for another year of musical stewardship, accompaniment, and boundless energy. As we say goodbye to our senior musicians, we congratulate our music ensembles and look forward to more music in 2022-2023!
