By Angelina Tang
As the holiday season progresses, East’s music department has been getting busy preparing for Winterfest XLIX! This year, our iconic winter concert will take place on Wednesday, December 20th, at 7pm, in addition to two assemblies the day prior for Transit Middle at 9:20 and East High at 1:15, during 8th period. Despite the shortened program this year, our ensembles and small groups are all working hard to make this Winterfest the best it can be.
In addition to acts from Symphonic Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Concert Band, Chorale, Mixed Chorus, and Women’s Chorus, fifteen small group acts will be performing Wednesday in the concert, with more playing prelude music in the Commons and the assemblies on Tuesday. Some of the small acts in the evening show include a vocal septet singing “That’s Christmas to Me,” a string quintet performing Mozart’s “String Quintet in g minor, K.516,” and eight saxophones performing “Carol of the Bells.” Also, this year’s Grinch will be Miles Seifert, and the Grinchettes Leah Small, Brianna Minneci, Katelyn Lee, and Sophia McVige. Out of the 35 groups who auditioned on November 27th, about 25 in total were accepted between all of these performance opportunities, so student involvement has stayed high despite all of the changes this year.
For one, this is the first year that Ms. Reilly, who has planned Winterfest for the last 29 years, is no longer working at East. The honors of planning the show have been delegated to Mrs. Ieda, the conductor of Symphonic and Philharmonic Orchestra. She said that last year, Ms. Reilly gave her a test run to practice organizing it independently, describing how “it was like being mentored by the expert.” This year, she’s done a marvelous job putting everything together; “It’s like a puzzle,” she aptly described it. “We don’t want to have people running from one act to the next, especially if it’s something like the West Aud to the Stage. It’s inevitable, but… having a couple sets of eyes on it [really helps].” Overall, the process wasn’t any different from what it’s always been, and Mrs. Ieda said that it “…came together pretty quickly. I think we have a winner.”
Mrs. Ieda, of course, is no stranger to Winterfest–“I’ve been involved in the process for eight years so I was not unfamiliar with it. We definitely have all of the templates and procedures that we always do the same way.” However, this year, we have two new teachers in our music department–Ms. Girzone, who is conducting mixed chorus and teaching music theory, as well as Mr. Buckley, who is conducting the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble. Mr. Buckley transferred to East from Mill Middle School only in October, but he has fit into the music department seamlessly, preparing his students for Winterfest just like any other year. He said that he “cannot wait… to give back musically” for the welcome our community has offered him, and that he has heard much about the concert in the past and seen footage from previous years. Overall, Mr. Buckley is “most looking forward to seeing the community gather and take in the magic of Winterfest.”
Of course, it isn’t just our new staff who are looking forward to the production–our freshmen this year have also expressed their enthusiasm, with many participating in activities like decorating the orchestra room and exchanging Spirit Boxes. One freshman violinist in Symphonic Orchestra, Muling Lu, said, “I’m excited to see all the different types of acts… I also [saw the show] when I was in fifth grade… and I thought it was really awesome.”
As illustrated, many of those new to this building have known of Winterfest for a long, long time. Traditionally, this concert has always been two nights, as the pride and joy of Williamsville East. For years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Winterfest would be a community gathering every holiday season, as two nights of performances both saw packed audiences from parents, classmates, and community members. Demand was so great that some people would stand by the doors and stairs to watch the show. Many current students’ favorite memories of the show came from watching it as a kid, knowing that it would one day be them on the stage: senior and Chorale president Tulesi Suresh’s favorite memory was always “watching the Grinch performance,” while senior and Symphonic Orchestra Danielle Guo recalled “ all of the diverse performances, ranging from tap dances to the glow in the dark band” with fondness. After the pandemic, attendance was greatly reduced, which has resulted in our one-night show. Of course, the stifling of this precedent has resulted in many students expressing their discontent; Tulesi and Danielle both agreed that they felt the music department did not get as much of a say in the decision. Tulesi expressed that, “I think it’s important to keep traditions alive… and I feel like that has been slightly dampened.” The timing of this change–among others at East that are largely due to how different the post-pandemic world is–has left some students feeling as if the school culture that had made East so unique is falling away, and whether or not this is a positive thing is up for debate.
Of course, none of this has stamped any of the excitement and buzz in the music wing. Coming off of the high of the musical auditions and the Monday dress rehearsal, East is full of energy for Winterfest and excitement is at an all-time high. The holiday season–and anticipation of the one-week break–has brought a wonderful warmth to East. As Mr. Buckley puts it, “There is nothing quite like looking out into the audience and seeing friends, family, and community all get together for an artistic celebration. Something special seems to happen in this season, no matter who you are, where you come from, or how you choose to live.” We at the East Side News wish everyone in Winterfest good luck and happy holidays!
