From the beautiful strains of the African-American spiritual that opened the winter concert to the rollicking fun of “Let It Snow!” at the very end, the Upper School’s musicians gave it their all in a performance that delightfully showcased their wide-ranging talents.

An appreciative audience responded with bursts of applause and cheers at several points throughout the program on December 14 and a standing ovation for the entire group — singers and musicians — on the Muller stage at its end. An exclamation point on the night was the obvious fun the chorus was having with the finale. The students’ exuberant choreography prompted much laughter from the audience.

The night’s program, called “The Sounds of Change,” offered a broad sweep of music, from the lilt of the Scottish ballad “Loch Lomond” to a Norwegian song that lifted up the lessons of a humble birch tree. The opening spiritual “I Know I’ve Been Changed” gave way to the brass-rich sounds of the jazz band, fronted by senior Ella Pokrifka singing out “Just Friends” to big applause.

Along the way, the chorus, chamber singers and a chamber ensemble performed innovative arrangements featuring the words of Emily Dickinson, Charles Dickens and the Bible’s Book of Ruth. The student orchestra’s rich sound interpreted works by Mozart and Bizet while the concert band showed its rhythmic precision in offering a lively “Fanfare for the Third Planet.”

The faculty involved in the program were Choral Director Jayne Swank Borras, Instrumental Director Mark Kraft, Strings Director Franklin Niño and Middle School Math Teacher Justin Solonynka, accompanist.

Video from the evening’s concert can be viewed on the AFS Youtube channel.