The gentle murmur of voices begin to hush, and the bright lights of the auditorium dim. However, one light becomes brighter: the one illuminating the stage, revealing 140+ orchestra members, bows held aloft, ready to strike a note. A warm applause welcomes performers from the orchestra, which includes select members of the Stone Hill Middle School strings department. 

“I loved the joint concert [between] the middle school and the high school, [as well as] the diversity at the concert [which] was very inclusive — and that’s what we always aim to promote and to be a part of our culture,” Stone Hill Middle School principal Kathryn Clark said. 

After a brief performance of “Jingle Bells” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” by the middle school orchestra, biology teacher Everette Callaway made his debut as Santa Claus. Callaway recited the classic poem “Twas The Night Before Christmas,” accompanied by short sound effects from the orchestra. “It’s supposed to be kind of silly and fun,” orchestra teacher Teresa Gordon said.

Following Callaway’s story recital, junior Parv Gosai performed “Gabriel’s Oboe,” a song traditionally played on the oboe but was adapted for the flute for this performance. Gosai was accompanied by the orchestra for the entirety of the song. 

Brothers Jai and Pawan Kashyap played “Bhavanutha,” a classical South Indian carnatic piece. The Kashyaps performed on the violin and the mridangam, a percussion instrument of Southeast Asian origin. “This is the first time my brother and I are playing together as an ensemble, so I’m pretty excited about that,” Pawan Kashyap said. 

The Rock Ridge orchestra followed with a performance of “Arabian Nights,” employing the use of violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. 

Ending the concert with a bang, the orchestra played a rendition of “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24.” This performance incorporated the traditional strings featured in the classic “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24,” but added a rock twist to it with senior Matthew Farley playing the electric guitar, freshman Andrew Takach playing the electric bass, and music teacher Michael Williams as the percussionist. 

The performance also included bits of the classic carol “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Not only is this song a timeless Christmas classic, but the history behind the carol shows a tale of the triumph of music against sorrow. “The story goes that during the [Bosian War], the city, Sarajevo, had been bombed and there was a beautiful fountain in the town square that was reduced to rubble,” Gordon said at the concert. “And the professional cellist stayed in the city while many fled, and he climbed to the top of the rubble…with his cello and began playing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

As  performers took turns taking bows at the conclusion of the concert, the auditorium rang with thunderous applause from the standing audience, who clearly enjoyed the night of festive music from the talented orchestra programs.