Walking into the Trevor Day School in New York City, senior Adam Sontag knew he wanted to pursue a musical instrument. He started off playing the clarinet but didn’t like the sound of it, so he decided to try the tenor saxophone. “When I started to play the clarinet, something just didn’t feel right,” he said. “I knew immediately once I tried the saxophone that this was the instrument for me.”
Despite his favoritism of the saxophone, he decided to continue playing both instruments up until entering KO. Adam decided to continue his passion for music by joining the upper school jazz band, and he chose to pursue just the saxophone. “I knew playing two instruments would be too much for me, so I chose to just pursue just the saxophone,” he said.
Joining the upper school jazz band allowed Adam to excel in his musical abilities. “The jazz band has given me an outlet to practice music during school as a part of the curriculum,” Adam said. Adam also said he enjoys playing in the band because of how fun and interesting Director of Music Todd Millen makes it for the students. “Mr. Millen makes it enjoyable by giving us new things to try and new ways of learning music,” Adam said.
Music Department Head Todd Millen spoke of Adam highly. “He contributes to the music department with his inmate talent and good musical sense” he said.
Being in the jazz band also gives Adam the opportunity to showcase his talent in front of the school. Besides performing at assemblies, there are two big concerts in the fall and spring. “I enjoy being able to perform in front of the other students, it’s a talent that I love showcasing,” he said. For the first two years of high school, Adam was a member of the Latin jazz ensemble at the Hartt School of music and took classes there as well. Being a part of this program outside of the KO community gave him the opportunity to perform in front of different crowds. “Besides playing and practicing music, we performed at concerts at the Hartt school and played live music at restaurants and other places,” he said.
Adam said he enjoyed the opportunity to perform with the Latin Jazz Ensemble but decided after two years to focus on his studies in school. Senior Andrew Holland had the opportunity to work with Adam in the jazz band and raved about his talents, “Adam Sonntag has a lot of talent and carries the sax section in many ways,” he said. “He has a great sound and really understands and appreciates jazz music.” Adam plans to continue his love for music after high school, “I plan to pursue the saxophone, maybe by joining a band,” he said.
