On Thursday, May 12th, the Dick and Jane LeVan Theatre at Trinity College School was once again buzzing with energy and excitement as students representing a wide range of ensembles and musical styles presented the Spring Concert, performing live for staff, students and parents for the first time since 2019. With a running time of close to two hours, the evening’s eclectic program was a testament to the students in the music department and their many talents.
Hosted by members of the arts committee (Nehya Billing, Ava Becker and Bria Chalovich), the concert led off with a performance by Trinity Winds that featured two pieces: Kinetic Dances (a real toe-tapper!) and Theme from Peter Gunn (with a solo by Lily Wright). A special thank you to Xander De Beer for his versatile contributions to the percussion section.
A small but mighty Trinity Strings ensemble paid homage to the changing of seasons with Vivaldi’s Spring, alongside a more upbeat selection entitled Mexican Hat Dance. Thank you to Chip Mihailescu for once again leading this ensemble and running rehearsals throughout the year.
The curricular contingent of the music department was also well represented with performances by Ms. Nicola Lee’s Grade 10 band class (Butter, Hunger Games), Mr. Jeff Biggar’s Grade 11 band class (Hey Jude, A Night in Budapest and I’m Still Standing), Ms. Lee’s Grade 11 band class (Take The A Train and Bubbert Goes Retro) as well as Mr. Biggar’s Grade 10 guitar class (Sweden from the video game Minecraft).
The current success and growth of the music department at TCS is in large part a result of the initiative taken by its students to work above and beyond expectations. To that end, the stage was graced with musical performances by a select group of individuals who worked on their own time to contribute to the evening’s concert. Sara Yang graced the stage on her own to perform a personal and emotional interpretation of Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Darren Du assembled his own band to perform a cover of Common Jasmin Orange, and Barry Zhao’s band “6pm” played an eclectic set that included Gravity, My Jinji and Althea.
The concert finished with a performance by the Rock Band that had the audience tapping their toes and singing along the anthemic lyrics of That Song, Learn to Fly, Black Sheep and Teenage Dirtbag.
A very special thank you to those behind the scenes who were pivotal to the success of the concert: the arts committee; Mr. Joel Wesley and Mr. Christian McFadden (lighting & sound); the music stewards (backstage help); Phillip Whan Tong and Canon Don Aitchison (photography); and the property department.
And last but certainly not least, a sincere thank you to all of the students who graced the stage during the concert, and to those in attendance who continue to support the arts at TCS! Until next time!
- By Jeff Biggar & Nicola Lee, TCS music department
