The JP Stevens Guitar Studio held its annual holiday concert on December 21. The event, led and arranged by guitar studies director Mr. Huaman, was successful in executing a joyful concert with a great turnout from both students and parents. 

The concert was designed to show off the capabilities and talents of the students who take the guitar class at JP. It also served as a way to ease into the winter break and with the holiday season right around the corner, the festive songs spread holiday cheer to the audience. 

“I believe the concert was a success since it was not supposed to be an uptight performance where we aimed for perfection,” said sophomore Vansh Singhal. “We all had fun both on stage and backstage. Still, I think we all tried our best and played great.”

The event took place in the auditorium where the guitarists were set up on stage with the stage lights cast upon them. As 7 p.m. approached, the parents and students filed into their seats, ready for the concert to begin.

The concert began with the Guitar Ensemble playing several songs. A few of these included the intriguing piece “Pavane” by Francis Poulenc, “Trilonga,” a melodious song by Roberto Goldar, and “Talarbol,” a more lively piece by Martin Vazquez. Following this came solos accompanied by the rest of the ensemble. The soloists featured included junior Owen Wang who performed “Sonata I” by Leo Brouwer and sophomore Vivian Wang who performed “Etude No. 7” by Heitor Villa-Lobos.  

After a small intermission where the students rearranged the chairs, the entire ensemble broke up and the Music Technology Ensemble began their performance. This ensemble performed the works “Personal Doomsday” by Mahima Muddu and “Be Your Light” by Harshil Kamdar. Following this ensemble came the electric bass duet, senior Mazatlazul Champa Jaramillo and sophomore Sophia Veloso, who performed the song “Love Like You” by Aivi Tran from the well-known animated series “Steven Universe”. 

To close the concert, all the students of the guitar ensemble joined together to play a few holiday songs. These familiar songs included “Christmastime is Here” by Vince Guaraldi in addition to “Carol of the Bells” by Mykola Leontovych. These songs delivered the cheery and festive spirits that holiday concerts are sure to entail. They concluded the concert with the song “The Scientist” by the popular band Coldplay. 

“Overall our concert went pretty well,” said senior Suhitha Reddy. “Last year, it felt like none of us knew what we were doing because it was our first year back from COVID, but this concert was a lot better. We played more confidently, and the energy was a lot more upbeat because we knew one another better.”

The students apart of the guitar ensemble enjoyed their time on the stage and accomplished their goal of showing off their skills. While featuring guitar players with experience, new players were also given the chance to experience what it is like to play in front of an audience.

“The event was important to me because it was the time when I got to enjoy the music with my new peers and have fun,” said freshman Rohan Sajith. “The fact that I was a freshman did not change the attitudes of the people I played with and I still felt like I belonged.”

The concert was an amusing and delightful experience for both the audience and the guitarists. The success of the concert set a precedent for future concerts to come for the JP Guitar Studio.