(Cami S.)

Music filled Academy’s halls on  Tuesday, February 28, as both the Upper School choirs and the band had their winter concerts. 

The night began at 7:00 p.m. in the Schoedinger Theater with the choir concert, featuring both of the Upper School choirs, Camerata and Treble Choir. For the past few months, the choirs prepared serenades and ballads for the concert, aptly themed, “Songs of Love.” 

Choir director, Mr. Jenkins, introduced Camerata as the first group to take the stage. It opened with Bruce W. Tippette’s “Aquí Te Amo,” which means “Here I Love You.” It then mesmerized the audience with “Suliko,” arranged by Brent Wells, with different harmonies arranged in a round. 

The Treble choir followed with Bob Chilcott’s heartwarming, “All For Love of One.” Their second piece was “Omnia Sol” by Z. Randall Stroope.

The tenor and bass singers from Camerata returned to the stage to perform “Loch Lomond,” a haunting piece arranged by Earlene Rentz. The singers transitioned to “Set Me As a Seal Upon Your Heart” by Laurel Farnell. 

The sopranos and altos combined from Camerata and Treble Choir to perform the evening’s final two pieces. The choirs sang, “My True Love Has My Heart” by Eugene Butler, followed by “I Am Not Yours” by Victor C. Johnson, which featured Anna Tsukervanik of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra on violin. 

After the choirs exited the stage, the audience made their way to the Jones Gym for the band concert. Directed by Ms. Sneeringer, the players began with “Sunchaser” by Carol Brittin Chambers, a dreamy and ethereal piece. Their final song, “The Light Eternal” by James Swearingen, told the story of a 1943 American troop transport vessel that sank from a German U-boat attack and killed 605 soldiers. The piece captured the tragedy and honored the lives of the perished soldiers. 

The band will play at Disney over spring break and will take the stage one last time for its final concert in the spring. The choirs will perform in the annual Cabaret concert in May.