On February 22, 2026, Belmont Hill musicians put their talent and skill on full display during the Winter Concert. As blizzard conditions began to move in, the concert was moved up three hours. Despite this change, the musicians were able to adapt and display a wide range of musical styles. The Orchestra kicked off the concert with “The Waltz of the Wicked” by Kirt Mosier and “Palladio” by Karl Jenkins. Before cueing the orchestra, Mr. Fiori noted that the latter was commonly used in TV commercials in the 1990s. In fact, even today, “Palladio” is played before Fulham F.C. home matches as players enter the field.
The B-Flats followed this performance with “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars with a solo from Zach Park ’28. Ryan Li ’28 remarked, “Zach’s solo in the Bruno Mars song was sensational.” The B-Flats continued with an arrangement of “Mama” by Boyz II Men, with a myriad of solos, including Arun Lenhart ’29, Andrew Agular ’28, Owen Popkowski-Smith ’27, Chinweikem Anyanwu ’28, and more.
Following the B-Flats’ performance, the Middle School Rockband delivered a wonderful rendition of “Hotel California” by The Eagles. Will Skordos ’27 impressively stepped up and played the essential guitar chords in the absence of Middle School Rock Band members, who were not able to attend the concert due to the timing change.
A jazz classic, “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder, was performed by the Middle School Jazz Band. Pierce Morris ’28 noted, “It was a great tune that the crowd was able to get into.” The Upper School Jazz Band followed this performance with “Perdido” by Juan Tizol, a swing feel song. The Upper School Jazz Band finished with “Stolen Moments” by Oliver Nelson, a tune that they had put together in only two weeks.
To end the Winter Concert, the Upper School Rockband played “Tuesday’s Gone” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. The performance featured an outstanding ensemble that included a guitar trio of Morgan Rich ’27, Sebastian Vuono ’28, and Pierce Courtney ’28, along with JJ Pena ’26 on the bass and Coby Kelly ’27 on the drums. In addition, Beckett Britt Webb ’27 and Zach Park ’28 serenaded the audience beautifully with the well-known lyrics. The Panel would like to congratulate all the performers on an outstanding show, as well as Mr. Patterson and Mr. Fiori for their hard work in putting the production together.
