On Tuesday, May 13, Belmont Hill hosted the Spring Concert, a culmination of the hard work all the bands had done throughout the school year. The orchestra opened with renditions of Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve and Oblivion by Astor Piazzolla, with clarinet player Ernest Lai ’25 starring as the lead soloist. Led by Zach Park ’28’s incredible vocals, and joined by members of the Upper School Jazz Band and Jazz Combo, the orchestra closed with Remember Me from the movie Coco. The Middle School Rock Band followed with a sublime performance of their own, playing Sweet O’ Child of Mine by Guns N’ Roses. Sebastien Vuono ’28 opened the song with its distinctive introductory riff, and Arun Lenhart ’29 jumped in with the vocals shortly after. Next came the Jazz Combo playing the One Note Samba by Antonio Carlos Jobim, with soloists Jake Ma’27, Babi Saeed ’26, and David Luo ’25 all showcasing their skills on the trumpet. Per its name, the One Note Samba has a catchy melody of one note, and the Jazz Combo was able to play it masterfully without making it too repetitive. Next up, the Upper School Rock Band performed Layla by Eric Clapton, led by Will Skordos ’27 and Morgan Rich ’27 playing another iconic riff, and Alex Tosi ’25, who displayed his variety of talents as he both sang and played the tambourine. After, the Middle School Jazz Ensemble played Treasure by Bruno Mars, Ari Levine, Philip Lawrence, and Phredley Brown. With Patrick Gaulin as the guest musician and notable solos from Ben Qin ’29, Jiajia Shen ’30, and Joseph Gallagher ’30, the famous pop song was a hit at the concert. The Upper School Jazz Ensemble finished off the instrumental part of the concert, playing Impressions by John Coltrane and Pick Up The Pieces by Average White Band. Patrick Gaulin also helped as a guest musician to help with percussion. All Upper School Jazz players were able to perform solos. Lastly, the B-flats were called upon to finish off the night. Before the entire choir joined them on stage, Alex Tosi ’25 and Thomas Sheehan ’25 sang a stunning rendition of Man or Muppet from The Muppets, describing the internal struggle of a “very manly Muppet” and a “Muppet of a man.” After the duet, the B-flats lit up the room with three uplifting gospel songs: Smile by Kirk Franklin, Could’ve Been by Kirk Franklin, and The Best Is Yet to Come by Donald Lawrence.
The Panel congratulates all Belmont Hill bands for a great year!
