On December 18, 2014 in the Heller Auditorium, Francis W. Parker’s Holiday Vesper Concert paired music with community — two intangibles that are so often found together. It began and ended with all the performing ensembles. However, in between, the ensembles were interspersed with one another. The sixth grade followed the opening and Grape Jam followed them. The concert’s form was most telling of its communal significance: it placed the emphasis on creating music and interconnectivity, rather than making the 6th graders feel as though they were less talented or impressive than Special Chorus.
It began with all the choruses singing “Bonse Aba” by Victor C. Johnson, and continued with the 6th grade singing “Lanterns by Birds of Tokyo” and “Gaudeamus Hodie,” Grape Jam singing “What If I Never Speed” by John Dowland and “Circle of Life” by Elton John and Lebo M, 7th grade singing “Sing Ding-a, Ding-a, Dong!” by Lynn Bailey and “Sir Duke” written by Stevie Wonder and arranged by Audrey Snyder, 8th grade singing “Come to the Music” by Joseph Martin and “21 Guns” by Bowie, Philips, Armstrong, and Pritchard and arranged by Roger Emerson, New Chorale singing “Somewhere Out There” by Horner, Mann, and Weil and arranged by Ed Lojeski, Special Chorus singing the seven movements of “Ceremony of Carols” by Benjamin Britten, and, finally, all the choruses sang “Let the River Run” by Carly Simon and arranged by Craig H. Johnson as a finale.
Starting with the 6th grade and continuing through the finale, each grade represented more than one culture, religion, or genre with their set. During the seventh grade’s performance of Sir Duke, there was a young boy standing amidst the sea of seventh graders. While all the performers seemed to be enjoying, this boy embodied the purpose of music most obviously. He danced. He smiled. But most honorably was that he did so without caring what his peers may have thought. It was clear that no other force besides music could disable the insecurities that so often prevent us from living in the present. Vulnerability and the willingness to experience emotion so greatly is part what makes a powerful individual a valuable community member.
Combined, the concert’s ability to place value on all contributing member, as well as its ability to free the performers and audience members from the disengaged nature of our generation, sent a powerful message that I have witnessed and embraced infinitely. That is, music is unlike any other tool to which we have access: it brings together Greenday and Britten just as it brings together 6th graders and seniors.
