Students excited to perform in annual Spring concerts

By Luke Tan '24

As April turns to May, it is time for the Spring Concert for all three divisions. The Upper School concert was held on the night of April 27, the Middle School concert follows on May 11 and two Lower School concerts, one for PreK-Grade 1 and the other for Grades 2-5, a week after. All three divisions have been hard at work preparing, with the Upper School facing unique circumstances as AP testing is the week following the concert and many seniors have had college-related events

However, Mr. Rick Fontaine, Mrs. Sharon Byrne, and Mrs. Shannon Sari are confident that the shows will be enjoyable for all, showcasing the skill and hard work of our students.

This year, the Upper School Concert and Jazz Band in particular have several seniors who have been important parts of the school’s music program. Annie Gu ‘23 has been part of the music program since Kindergarten, and she now plays both flute in Concert Band and piano/bass in Jazz Band. She noted, “Although this will be my last concert at Wardlaw+Hartridge, I’m extremely thankful for the opportunities I’ve been given through the performing arts department and cannot wait for the spring concert!”

Naischa Puri ‘23, a member of both the Concert Band and Jazz Band playing percussion and keyboard bass, hosted the final remarks of the event with dedications to faculty who made the event possible: Mr. Matt DiFabio, Mrs. Byrne, Mrs. Sari, Mr. Fontaine, Mr. Matt Bergman, and Mr. Julian Jenson.

The bands have also had a significant number of instrumental additions from new students and freshmen, including Justin Lustgarten ‘26, the school’s first tuba player in several years. Many underclassmen are beginning to fill in roles once occupied by seniors, such as Vinay Karthik ‘25, who said, “This year is my first time playing the alto sax lead and I have enjoyed taking up harder and challenging pieces of music. I am looking forward to playing my solo for Peg, one of the jazz pieces we will be performing. I have spent lots of time working on it since Spring Break and I’m hoping it will turn out well!”

The Concert Choir has also ventured into new repertoire with Mrs. Byrne: “Every performance has many moments where our students shine and impress themselves and our audiences. In particular, I’m looking forward to the Concert Choir’s performance of September and the Middle School finale Climb Higher.

“I’m looking forward to the Spring Concert because of our amazing repertoire, ranging from Latin pPereces to contemporary folk,” Aadithya Srinivasan ‘24 said.

Mr. Fontaine added, “The progress that these students make every year gives me hope that the program will continue to improve each and every year.”

In addition to setting up future years, all the concerts are sure to be a treat for all who come to support! As Matthew Piccoli ‘23, who has been at W+H since fifth grade, reflected, “We have been hard at work…I am ready to go up one last time and play along with my fellow seniors and peers.”