Student Talent Showcased at HHS Winter Concert

Be it with dance steps, a musical instrument or vocal song, every student who participated in Tuesday night's winter concert at Harrison High School had a special talent to put on display.

More than 100 high school students took to the stage as part of either the orchestra, dance company, school chorus or concert band during the 90 minute performance. Songs performed ranged from classics composed by John Philip Sousa to a modern dance correlated with a Shakira song.

Led by Concert Master Kiersten Colotti and Principal Second Violinist Kendra Deschamps, the high school's string and chamber orchestra started the evening with performances of Palladio, Ashokan Farewell and Postcards from Russia.

That was followed by two songs performed by a well-staffed dance company directed by Jacqueline Gregory. An astonishing 43 students took part in the performances of Waka Waka by Shakira and Dog Days are Over by Florence and the Machine.

The high school chorus, led by Director Lynn Fusco, performed two classics in Ave Verum Corpus and Water Night before finishing with a more modern classic You Can't Always Get What You Want. The finale was highlighted by seven solo performances including a verse by Girard Vernali that brought out cheers and whistles from the audience.

While the stage was adjusted for a final performance the high school marching band's percussion group walked through the crowd for a song. When things were set on stage, Directors Ferdinand Pasqua and Charles Briem led the concert band as it played four songs.

The concert band, which is well-known for performing during Harrison football games, has built a strong reputation for its college-level program. It was announced before the performance that two senior band members are considering joining bands at Division I colleges next year.

The band closed their portion of the performance with an arrangement from The Wizard of Oz, which incorporated several notable songs from the 1939 classic film.

A traditional rendition of Hallelujah closed the performance, as students from the chorus, orchestra and concert band all took to the stage.