This Thursday evening, the Middle School and Upper School presented Sacred Heart Greenwich’s annual Christmas Concert. The performances included the Upper School Madrigals, Hip Hop Dancers, Christmas Dancers, Orchestra, Bell Choirs, A Ca-Bellas, Chorus, Middle School Bell Choir, Nightingales, and Madeleines. The concert brought the holiday spirit to the community through its joyful production.
Working both backstage and onstage to help run the concert in the Lennie and John de Csepel Theatre were Miss Danielle Gennaro ’05, Middle and Upper School Bell Choir Director, Mr. Sean Lowery, Director of Upper School and Middle School Orchestra and Upper School Chorus Director, Miss Annette Etheridge, Middle and Upper School Music Teacher and Choral Director of Madeleines, Nightingales, A Ca-Bellas, and Madrigals, and Ms. Cynthia Alonzo-Fay, Upper School Dance Director.
The concert began with the Madeleines, Nightingales, A Ca-Bellas, Upper School Chorus, and Madrigals singing “O Come O Come Emanuel” by Mr. John Mason Neale. The singers were accompanied by the Upper School Bell Choir during the performance, followed by the Nightingales, who performed “Sweet Silent Night” written by Mr. Andy Beck. Next, the Middle School Bell Choir, directed by Miss Danielle Gennaro ‘05, played “O Little Town of Bethlehem” by Mr. Lewis Redner and arranged by Miss Gennaro. The Bell Choir also performed “Jingle Bells” by Mr James Pierpont, arranged by Miss Gennaro. The Upper School Chorus then sang “Do You Know the Songs That the Angels Sang” by Mr. Allen Pote and “Calypso Lullaby” by Mr. Jester Hairston and Mr. Joel Raney.
After the Chorus, the Upper School Duchesne Bell Choir performed “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” by Mr. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arranged by Miss Gennaro. The Madeleines then sang a cheerful rendition of “Snow Globe” by Mr. Chad Cates, Mr. Matt Wertz, and Mr. Tony Wood, arranged by Mr. Andy Beck. The Upper School Stuart Bell Choir performed “The Holly and the Ivy,” adapted by Mr. George Winston and arranged by Miss Gennaro. Halfway through the concert, the Upper School Dancers performed “Sleigh Ride” by The Ronettes and choreographed by Ms. Alonzo-Fay. Sophomore Chloe Clark, a member of the Upper School Dancers, emphasized how important their preparation for the concert is.
“To prepare for the upcoming concert, we started choreographing our dances in September and have continued to keep up with practicing them weekly,” Chloe said. “We have also found time during break to have additional practices, all together. I truly think the most important part of preparing for a concert is practicing with your peers, who help you grow in the dance and perfect the choreography. [I] can’t wait to showcase the dances that we have been working hard on this year.”
Next, the A Ca-Bellas sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Mr. Hugh Martin and Mr. Ralph Blane, and arranged by Mrs. MaryAnne Muglia. Following this song, they also performed “Here Comes Santa Claus” by Mr. Gene Autry and Mr. Oakley Haldeman and arranged by Mr. Kirby Shaw. The Upper School Dance group then performed “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year ” by Andy Williams. Following the performance, the Orchestra played “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” by Mr. Johnny Marks and arranged by Mr. Lowery. The Upper School Hip Hop dance group took to the stage and performed to a Christmas Mashup Mix created by Alymarie Media, ShowMusik and Ms. Alonzo-Fay. After that, the Madrigals sang an a-capella rendition of “Vuelie” from Disney’ s Frozen by Mr. Frode Fjellheim and Mr. Christophe Beck. Their next a-capella performance was “White Winter Hymnal” by Mr. Robin Pecknold and arranged by Mr. Alan Billingsley. This performance included sections of body percussion by five Madrigals.
To end the concert, the Madrigals and Upper School Chorus performed “Carol of the Bells” by M. Leontovich with words and arrangement by Mr. Peter J. Wilhousky. For the grand finale, the Middle and Upper School performed “Christmas…In About Three Minutes,” arranged by Mr. Mark Weston, with senior Nidhi Ray playing drums.
These groups work on their music for many months leading up to the concert. The students involved were able to express themselves through their performances and showcase their hard work to an audience of friends and family. The concert brings the Sacred Heart community together to celebrate the coming of the holidays. Chloe shared how performing impacts her and how she thinks it affects the community.
“It allows me to share my passion and talents with the community,” Chloe said. “It opens me up to performing what me and my peers work so hard to perfect and make stage ready.”
Featured Image by Gianna Rodrigues ’27
