By Andrea Genovese Soares (December 17, 2002)

Opus Zero, the Madrigals, and the George Mason Symphonic Band came together to celebrate the holidays by presenting "A Winter Concert" last Thursday night. Choral director Frank Marino and band director Mary Jo Webster conducted their students through various seasonal numbers in front of a packed house.
 

Opus Zero sang "Carol of the Bells" at the Winter Concert.  (All photos by Mery Kanashiro)	Members of The Madrigals sang "Shalom Cavarim." The group will perform this Friday afternoon as they spread spirit through the school’s hallways.

Accompanied by music instructor Connie Jenkins on the piano, the 48 Opus Zero members sang holiday tunes such as "Carol of the Bells," "A Classic Kyrie," and "Hava Nashire," including flute and clarinet solos by (respectively) junior Rachel Leonard and sophomore Jason Martinez.

The Madrigals, a select group of 18 choir members, sang "Festival Madrigal," "What Child is This?" and "Shalom Cavarim." The Madrigals had performed in public every day last week but Wednesday, yet they came out in full voice Thursday night. Watch for them this Friday, when they will be singing in the school hallways, beginning at 2:10 in the lower H wing.
 

Mason’s Symphonic Band, with 58 participants, played "Canadian Brass Christmas" and "Greensleeves." The former included solos by the Brass Quintet, made up of freshman Maggie Person (French horn), sophomores Alex Nette (trumpet) and Nathan Ballou (tuba), juniors Rahul Gupta (trumpet) and senior Mark Murchie (trombone). The latter included a medley of well-known tunes such as "Jingle Bells," "Silent Night," and "O Come All Ye Faithful," with clarinet solos by junior Peter Windle and sophomore Jason Martinez.

Mason’s Symphonic Band played " Greensleeves," a perennial seasonal favorite.

The Percussion Ensemble (Peter Hammill, Charlie Himel, Edmond Jong, Kellan Meador-Pabon, David Oglethorpe, and Doug Thompson) performed "Latinology," a tune made up of Latin-American rhythms like salsa and samba. These seven participants played a striking total of 13 instruments during this short song. 

The Jazz Quintet performed "Feliz Navidad" and "Cameleon" featuring Cynthia Rose’s improvised jazz solo. This group is made up of Rahul Gupta, Alex Nette, Dan McDonald (clarinet), Tina Parson (tenor sax), Chad O’Hara (trombone), David DeLeon (piano) David Oglethorpe (drum set), Charlie Himel (bass), and Cynthia Rose (guitar).

Band instructor Larry Allen assisted in the production and stage director John Ballou and his crew were responsible for light and sound.