Tag: choir

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Celebration of Community

Thank you to all the families who joined YHS students and staff for our annual Celebration of Community on Wednesday, December 14. Each year, we begin the holiday season with this festive event, which invites our community to share in the gifts and talents of our students. We were thrilled to bring this event back to the Chan Centre at UBC this year.

The afternoon featured performances from Grades 1-12 and included traditional carols, “The Night Before Christmas”, “The Winter Solstice Song”, “The Nutcracker”, “The Polar Express”, a Chinese folk song, as well as a performance that incorporated a traditional Middle Eastern song. All students joined together to sing Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” for the finale. Interspersed throughout the afternoon of performances were sing-along carols as well as reading from our Poet Laureate, Emma, of her poem “The Light We Share” (read the poem below).

Thank you to the very hard work and dedication of our wonderful music teachers Benila Ninan, Jacqueline Mirtic, and Jenna Baumgartner. This event was a manifestation of the great love and passion they have for our students, for music, and for our school. 

A very big note of gratitude to all faculty, staff, and volunteers who extended their support in so many ways with rehearsals, logistics, communication, back-stage prep, decorations, set up, and all the last-minute details. A special thanks to RBC PH&N Investment Counsel, our sponsor for this event. 

The impressive venue, carol singing, and festive atmosphere continue to make for a wonderful holiday tradition. This was truly a celebration of community! We have so much to be grateful for. Thank you, everyone, for making this year’s Celebration of Community so amazing!

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The Light We Share 

Time passes–
Days become years
Centuries dissolve into millenia 

And the world changes…
Letters to laptops
Steam engines to spaceships
Telegraph to texts  

In times when change challenges–
Sometimes threatens and unmoors us
We hold fast to our traditions:
Our lighthouses guiding us through the raging storm 

They link us to our family past, our communities, and cultures,
Bind us together so we are something more than just ourselves,
Assure us we are not alone,
Illuminate the way into the future…  

The shining star of Bethlehem
The flickering flames of the Menorah
The glowing lamps of Diwali 

This season,
Let us tend the lights of our own traditions
For we need each one, and each other, to overcome the world’s darkness with
Brilliance

Emma, Grade 12
YHS Poet Laureae

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Senior Fall Music Concerts 2022

Students performed a variety of pieces during our Fall Choir Concert. The Concert Choir performed “Sleepy Song” by Sherryl Sewepagaham, “Come Follow Me” by John Hilton, ‘Oh, How Lovely” by Anonymous, and “I’m Goin’ Up a Yonder” by Walter Hawkins. The Chamber Choir performed “Just Give Me a Reason” by Alecia Moore (Pink) and featured a solo by Emilie (Grade 12). The evening concluded with a fantastic performance by the Concert Choir singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.

During the Fall Band Concert, Grade 7-12 Band students performed a selection of pieces that have helped band members grow as musicians and become more self-confident performers on stage. The Grade 8 band started the evening with a performance of ‘Ten Masters in Two Minutes’ and ‘City of Stars’ from La La Land, which was followed by a festive show by the Grade 7 Band. The Grade 9 Band played both ‘Final Countdown’ and ‘The Phantom of the Opera Medley’ while the Senior Band conducted a riveting performance of the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean Medley’ and “Midway March’. The evening concluded with a performance of ‘Superstition’ by Stevie Wonder, performed by our Jazz Band.

A big thank you to our Choir Director, Benila Ninan, and Band Director, Jacqueline Mirtic, for putting together two wonderful evenings of music as well as Music Teachers Ellie Jung and Jenna Baumgartner who led our Grade 7 Band.

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