The annual Winter Chorus Concert took place at LBHS on Thursday, Dec. 14 in the Artists Theatre. The overall theme for this year’s concert revolved around the recent hate expressed through multiple terrorist attacks in the U.S. and in foreign countries. A handful of the songs were examples of how many individuals have been misguided from a young age to think a certain way about others. “Carefully Taught,” written by Rodgers and Hammerstein and performed in the musical South Pacific, was a selected solo piece that expressed how children can be taught to discriminate based on their upbringing. Senior Savannah Johnson sang this song to send the message that our society needs to change its ways after being misled and taught how to hate by the older generation.

“It’s based on the younger generation because they have to learn the most important things in life so they do not have to learn them later. I believe the songs we are singing send a powerful message to everyone in the audience,” said Johnson. “Our school has come a long way from where we have started regarding kindness and acceptance.”

Another impactful song that was selected was “Children will Listen,” written by Stephen Sondheim and performed in Into the Woods. This song discusses how children are impressionable from a young age. If the public and media are acting inappropriately, children will start to act like the outside influences in today’s society. The song explains how parents and young adults need to be humble role models for the younger generation.

Senior Jaimie Langner and Junior Rylee Bullington also sang solo pieces that they carefully selected. Langer sang “Love,” written by Ned Rorem, while Bullington sang “River,” by Joni Mitchell.

The songs were carefully practiced over the course of three months on Mondays and Wednesdays each week. It was an arduous process to learn the different melodies and methods of singing, and it challenged choir students to sing outside of their comfort zones. The choir performed the following holiday songs as well: “I Want to Stare at My Phone with You”; “Glow”; “When I Hear the Sounds of Christmas”; “Allelujah”; and “From an Irish Cabin.” A selected group from the high school choir also sang “S’vivon,” a beautiful piece that is dedicated to the celebration of Hanukkah.

“It’s about the story of the holiday and the meaningful spirit it brings,” said Langner.

The band also performed a winter concert on Monday, Dec. 11 at 7:00 p.m. in the Artists Theatre. It focused on performing holiday classics and contemporary songs. Preparation for the winter concert began after the first six weeks of school, once football season had ended.

“The students have been working really hard. They have come a long way since the beginning of the school year, and I was excited for this performance,” said band teacher Jeremy Chung.

The performance started with the string ensemble, followed by the symphonic band, wind ensemble, and lastly, the jazz ensemble. The following songs were performed: two selections from La La Land; a selection from Kiki’s Delivery Service; “Sleigh Ride”; “Abracadabra”; “This Christmas”; “Libertango”; “On the Sunny Side of the Street”; “A Child is Born”; “Hot Chocolate” (a selection from The Polar Express); and other holiday tunes.

“We are a phenomenal group who has put in countless hours and made our community proud. It’s always a great time swinging with my fellow cats,” said senior Charlie Rounaghi.