Each year, LHS’ three special musical ensembles craft unique and innovative sets for the Jazz ‘n’ Pop Concert, and this year was no exception. Consisting of Chamber Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and Show Choir, this year’s concert, which took place on Thursday, Mar. 27, celebrated music in all its diverse forms. After months of preparation, student musicians put their talents on display for the Lynbrook community.
To open the show, Chamber Orchestra, directed by orchestra teacher Veronica Underhill, took to the stage with its rock set. “These songs weren’t songs normally played [by an] orchestra, which was enjoyable,” sophomore Zoey Garver shared. “Paint It Black” by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards opened the show.
Throughout Chamber’s performance, the lighting crew immersed the audience in the music through calculated lighting changes. “Lighting changes occurred through each song, with the colors representing different moods. Some colors shown were red, blue, and yellow. It really created a performance,” Garver described. Additionally, the orchestra was entirely self-led on stage. Underhill reveled in her students’ talent from the wings, paying homage to a traditional chamber orchestra, in which there is no conductor.
After “Paint It Black,” the orchestra played “Dream On” by Stephen Tyler and “Creep” by Radiohead to close the set. Additionally, “Creep” featured two soloists: junior Eric Matern on the cello and sophomore Riley Moscheni on the string bass.
Following Chamber Orchestra was Jazz Ensemble, led by band teacher Zachary Rifkind. A cornerstone of the jazz genre is improvisation, and each of Jazz Ensemble’s five pieces had at least two improvised solos. Rifkind explained, “Improvising is one of the most complex elements in jazz, and there are no shortcuts to being a strong improviser. Being a talented improviser is a lifelong pursuit, an always changing one since every song has unique chords to negotiate.”
Jazz Ensemble opened its set with the blues classic “Splanky,” featuring five soloists, all on different instruments. Junior Elin Kim integrated the trademark “Basie piano style” into her solo on the keyboard. Alongside Kim in the rhythm section, freshman Elias Vandoros soloed on the guitar. Senior Liam Mylan (trumpet), junior Brandon Haviken (trombone), and sophomore Lily Sloan (alto saxophone) also took turns improvising through this piece. Jazz Ensemble’s set featured many other soloists, including seniors Gianna Longo and Aurore Baptiste on trumpet and junior Naseer Gaffoor on the tenor saxophone.
Jazz Ensemble continued its set with “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Hunting Wabbits,” and “The Chicken.” Additionally, Jazz Combo interjected the ensemble’s set with “Modern Swing”; the small group included Sloan, Gaffoor, Haviken, Baptiste, Kim, junior Timothy Neri on percussion, and sophomore Delia Kirkpatrick on electric bass. Kirkpatrick commented, “I am very grateful to have been a part of this year’s Jazz Combo. It was a very fun experience and cool to play music with a smaller group than usual. Our rehearsals were very relaxed, which made playing together fun and not stressful. This led to our performance going well, and all the soloists doing great. Combo is a great way to highlight musicians and engage more with the audience.”
The evening closed with Show Choir, directed by chorus teacher Barry Wyner. Show Choir has focused its set around a theme for the last three years’ shows, this year’s being, “A Celebration of Musical Styles.” “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder was the first bookend of the show, and highlighted genres included pop (“Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa) and Motown (“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terell). The 30-minute set featured nine styles of music and over 10 different songs and dances.
Longo, senior Angelina Patino, and junior Hayden Rosa all collaborated to choreograph this year’s dances. Some fan favorites were “Skid Row (Downtown)” from the Broadway era and “Thank You for the Music” by ABBA as the show’s final bookend. “Skid Row (Downtown)” featured soloists senior Bobbie Applebaum and junior Alexa Rutigliano as Audrey, as well as junior Nicholas Sferrazza portraying Seymour.
“Thank You for the Music” acted as Show Choir’s encore, and left many audience members and performers in tears. This song represented the “farewell” for the seniors, but also showed the love for music and dancing that Show Choir brings. Sophomore Jack Boll shared, “Show Choir is really like a family; it’s the only way I could describe it. I also enjoyed the dances and songs a lot despite them being challenging. I love the fact that we are all here for the same reason: for the love of music and performing.”
Every year, new talents are displayed at the Jazz ‘n’ Pop concert and give many musicians the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones. The months of hard work paid off for a successful evening, leaving lasting memories for the student musicians.
