Soon after returning from the School’s Thanksgiving break, Middlesex has annually celebrated the winter season and its holidays with a special concert that highlights the vocal and instrumental talents of students, faculty, and staff. Directed by Music Department Head Pierson Wetzel and Jazz Ensemble and Chapel Chorus Conductor Pedro Lobato Gomes, the 2022 Holiday Concert included such favorites as “Jingle Bells,” “Carol of the Bells” (the Ukrainian Bell Carol), and “Chanukah, Oy Chanukah,” as well as jazz standards like “My Funny Valentine” and “Água de Beber.”
Over the years, these concerts have presented a wide array of musical styles and featured one central piece. This year’s program featured two larger, transcendent works: Gregorio Allegri’s “Miserere Mei Deus” and Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs.” Performing together, 100 students and adults filled Memorial Chapel with beautiful solos, harmonies, and improvisational surprises – a wonderful weekend treat for the Middlesex community.
