The Kingswood Oxford community was treated to the annual Candlelight Concert on Thursday, Dec. 7 in Roberts Theater. The event featured a variety of both vocal and instrumental groups, along with the faculty choir, and provided an opportunity for musicians to showcase their talents and hard work to family and friends.
KO’s vocal ensembles worked tirelessly to prepare for the big night. In the days leading up to the concert, junior Julia Sohn, a member of the select ensemble Outlook, recalled the preparation in anticipation of the concert. “We did most of our rehearsals in Roberts, working to set up sound and get adjusted to working with the band and orchestra,” she said. While the concert was previously held in Alumni Hall, the new space allowed for a larger audience and provided the opportunity for all groups to perform together.
Despite these benefits, performing in the theater also posed some challenges to the singers. “The environment you’re in makes a massive difference in your singing,” Julia said. “It’s always much harder to sing in Roberts compared to Alumni Hall or the chorus room just because there’s no echo to carry your voice. Adjusting to that environment was pretty difficult.”
To add to the magic of the night, glitter was sprinkled over the stage to simulate snow in a piece titled “Winter Dreams.” Technical Theater Director Michael Bane spent countless hours creating backdrops to highlight the performers and stringing candles over the theater seats, all of which succeeded in enchanting the audience and fully immersing them in the event.
A highlight of the night was the performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s “Gloria,” which concluded the event and featured KO’s orchestra, band, vocal groups, and faculty choir. “I don’t think the orchestra, choir, and band has ever performed together at KO, so it was definitely a special moment,” Julia said.
Since the groups initially rehearsed separately, their first group run-through was a special moment. “It was a strange experience to hear it all come together,” senior Maia Killory said. “At first I honestly don’t think it worked, but then we could hear each other better as we rehearsed and it became easier to perform together.”
The faculty choir dates back to around the 1970s, but eventually died out until history Department Chair David Baker came back to KO as a performing arts teacher. “I begged him to renew the faculty choir, and it made me very happy when he did,” history teacher Peter Jones said. Mr Jones reflected on his participation in the concert. “Mr. Baker set aside a number of different times for faculty to rehearse,” he said. “Because of the reasonable simplicity of the song, singers could come when they had the time.” Overall, Mr. Jones thoroughly enjoyed the experience of performing alongside the student choir.
Maia also encouraged the community to continue to support KO’s musical groups. “Everyone should go out and see the spring concert,” she said. Finally, Julia reflected on the Candlelight Concert as a whole. “KO has an incredible musical and performing arts program, and the concert is integral to spreading amazing music within the community,” she said.
We look forward to supporting KO’s amazing performers in the upcoming Wyvern Invitational A Cappella Festival on Saturday, Feb. 10.
