Harmonious tunes were heard within the walls of Archer when choir and orchestra students held their annual Winter Concert. After previewing a segment of their performance during Community Connections last month, the groups were ready to hit the stage for the actual show, which took place on Jan. 19 in the Dining Hall.

The ensemble consisted of a mixture of both middle school and upper school choir and orchestra, as well as the a capella group, The Unaccompanied Minors. The finale combined all of the groups with the performance of Shawn Mendes’ “Life of the Party.”

Despite their age differences, both middle and upper school students encouraged each other during the performance. According to Gwen Strasberg ’19, a member of The Unaccompanied Minors, everyone enjoyed supporting the group as a whole.

“On stage, the older girls were cheering the [middle schoolers] on like crazy,” she said.

This year’s show was different from previous ones largely due to the variation of songs. The pieces selected this year were more current than in years past.

“[We] were able to put our own spin on [the show],” Dominique White ’18, a choir member, said. “The new songs added more flare.” 

Strasberg echoed White’s comments, noting that the show felt much more unique and attributes this change to the switch of musical directors. This year is Theresa Bailey’s first year at Archer as the new Choir and Music Director. She was preceded by Kate Burns. 

According to the students, much preparation went into the success of the concert; they have been practicing since the beginning of the school year three to four times a week in order to perfect their sound.

“In any group of people, communication is key in order to receive good results, but with such a large group, it can be difficult to be heard at times,” Strasberg said. “It was crucial that everybody ensured we were all on the same page and continued to encourage each other.”

Next year, Strasberg hopes to see more “complex arrangements” because she believes that the group has a lot of talent, and she wants them to utilize their abilities.

The next performance will be the Spring Concert, which will take place on April 17 and April 18 in the Dining Hall.