Viewpoint’s Music Department closed out the fall semester on a high note with three Middle and Upper School concerts in December, bringing student musicians from the strings, band and choral programs to the Carlson Family Theater ahead of winter break.

The Middle and Upper School Strings Concert, directed by Dr. Kristin Herkstroeter and Ms. Marisa McLeod, opened the series on Tuesday, December 2, featuring Sixth Grade Strings, Middle School Beginners, Middle School and Upper School string quartets, and the Middle School and Upper School orchestras. The program included introductory pieces such as “Frog in a Tree” by Edmund J. Siennicki and the traditional “Old Joe Clark,” along with works by George Frideric Handel and Edvard Grieg, including “Entrance of the Queen of Sheba” and “Holberg Suite.” The string quartets performed selections by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, while the Middle and Upper School orchestras closed the program with selections by Percy Grainger and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

Held Tuesday, December 9, the Middle and Upper School Band Concert featured a wide range of ensembles, including the Combined Beginning Middle School and Sixth Grade Band, Middle School Concert Winds, Upper School Wind Ensemble, Pep Band Selections, The Four and a Half, and Middle and Upper School jazz ensembles. The program opened with selections such as “Cumbia” by Jorge Vargas and “Creepy Crawly Creatures” by Brian Balmages. The Upper School Wind Ensemble performed “Night on Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorgsky, arranged by Mark Williams, as well as “Spring Will Come Again” and “The Simpsons.” Pep Band Selections, directed by seniors, and The Four and a Half featured pieces including “Morning of the Carnival” by Luiz Bonfa and “Crimson,” composed by Jishnu Mukherjee ’26. The concert concluded with performances by the Middle School Jazz Lab and Upper School Jazz Ensemble, including “Take the ‘A’ Train.”

The concert series concluded on Tuesday, December 16, with the Middle and Upper School Choral Concert. The program featured performances by Voices Now, Sixth Grade Choir, Middle School Vocal Ensemble, Upper School Concert Choir and Combined Choirs. Selections ranged from contemporary and popular works, including David Bowie’s “Changes” and “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers, to choral repertoire by composers such as Franz Joseph Haydn and Stephanie Mabey. Voices Now performed arrangements by Music Director Bill Brendle and were joined by a guest beatboxer, while student soloists were featured throughout the evening. The concert closed with combined ensemble performances that brought our Middle and Upper School vocalists together.

As the spring semester gets underway, the Music Department will continue the concert season with several upcoming performances. Student musicians will take part in the CAIS Honors Music Festival on Saturday, February 7, followed by the Five through Twelve Grade Strings Concert on March 3, the Middle and Upper School Band Concert on March 16, and the Middle and Upper School Choir Concert on March 18.