On December 19, the JP Stevens Guitar Ensemble held its annual winter concert headed by the guitar studies director, Mr. Huaman. These concerts provide an entertaining experience for parents and students while also allowing the students of the ensemble to perform pieces that they dedicated hard work and time to. 

The concert was a combination of engaging and cheerful holiday music to get the audience into the holiday spirit as winter break approached. The event truly captured the talents of these students with a variety of different styles, from fast to slow-paced pieces or creative approaches such as using the guitar as a drum. 

As 7:00 PM neared, audience members began filing into the seats in the auditorium ready to watch the ensemble begin their concert. The guitar ensemble was set up in rows on the stage, with the focal point being Mr. Huaman as the director. With their music set in front of them, the guitarists tuned their instruments in preparation for their performance. After greeting the audience, Mr. Huaman then introduced himself and their first piece.

The concert kicked off with a slow, expressive piece called “Pavane” by Maurice Ravel. The full ensemble played a few more pieces following this including “Flute Suite from the Water Music” by George Frideric Handel and “Sellinger’s Rownde” by William Byrd. Other pieces that showed off their talent as an ensemble were “Calilegua” by Juan Gallino which called for a percussive use of the guitar, and “Silbos Andinos” by Roberto Goldar.

“I think that the harmony that we played as an ensemble was like a conversation expressed through chords and notes, and it felt like the easiest conversation,” said sophomore guitarist Gatik Grover.

Then, a few featured soloists took the stage with their own pieces. Featured on the difficult piece “Sonata I” by Leo Brouwer was senior Owen Wang who played both movement 1, “Fandangos y Boleros”, and movement 3, “La Toccata de Pasquini”. Following Owen was junior Vivian Wang, who was featured on “Fuoco” by Roaldn Dyens. Finally, junior Sophia Veloso was featured on “Questions for the Universe” by Laufey Lín Bing Jónsdóttir. 

Succeeding a brief intermission, the full ensemble then returned to play four pieces that were arranged by Mr. Huaman himself. The first piece was the emotional “Letter From Home” by Pat Metheny. The second piece was the delightful “Rises the Moon” by Liana Flores. These pieces included popular tunes that were bound to incite the holiday spirit within the audience. One of these tunes included the traditional American folk piece “Little Drummer Boy” by Katherine Kennicott Davis. To culminate the concert, Mr. Huaman got on the drum set to play “Santa Baby” by Joan Javits, Philip Springer, and Tony Springer along with the entire ensemble.

“This year, the winter concert felt unlike the others. I felt like I was performing with a united community, and through all the practice and the rehearsing, my ensemble members became my family,” said junior Venya Raghavan.“The concert itself also was very smooth sailing, with a supportive and respectful audience.”

The guitarists were satisfied with their performance and were proud of themselves for their hard work and dedication. The parents and students in the audience applauded and cheered for the ensemble as they were both entertained and proud of what these students had accomplished.

“Guitar has always been a big part of my life and as a senior, I have witnessed the growth of our ensemble as a whole. This winter concert was by far the greatest one we had during my years here and I am so happy to have made so many friends along the way,” said senior Owen Wang. “Even though this is my last winter concert, I will still come back in the future as an audience member and I have no doubt that this ensemble will go on to achieve many great things.”

Ultimately, the concert was a success in offering an appreciable experience for both the musicians and the audience. The JP Stevens Guitar Ensemble looks forward to holding future concerts that are as successful as this one.