For the Middle School Winter Concerts on January 23 and January 24, musicians dazzled audiences with a collection of diverse pieces that showcased their varied talents. Strings, chamber singers, chorus, concert band and orchestra took to the stage with delightful arrangements that spanned many genres.

A highlight of Wednesday night’s performance was “Tango and Cha-cha” by D.R. Bellwood and arranged by AFS’s own Franklin Niño. Franklin accompanied the musicians on the güiro as they skillfully played the upbeat dance music. Appropriate for the season, the chorus sang a moving and unforgettable rendition of a traditional Seneca chant titled “Neesa,” which translates to “winter moon.” The concert band transported audiences to a galaxy far, far way with Star Wars by John Williams, and jazz band ended the night by bringing a funky riff to the Muller with “Groovin’ Kat” by Victor Lopez, which they also played on Thursday night. The chamber singers performed “Seasons of Love” from the broadway show Rent on both Wednesday and Thursday, after a choral student requested that they learn to sing it. On Thursday night, movie magic came to the stage with selections from Harry Potter and The Avengers.

The faculty who helped to bring this music to the stage in such an impressive way were Choral Director Jayne Borrás, Instrumental Director Mark Kraft, Strings Director Franklin Niño and Middle School Math Teacher Justin Solonynka, accompanist.

Video of the concerts can be viewed on the AFS Youtube channel.