Strings and Choir Concert: Welcome Back, Jerry Julius!

It seems pretty pointless to stay for a concert if you are not performing, but it does make for quite a relaxing evening—it is also an easy way to show some support for your friends.

Every school year, the music department organizes 3 sets of concerts: a set in November, a set after the Chinese New Year break and a final set during spring (“set” referring to the fact that the band concerts are held on a different day from strings and choir concerts). The first concerts of 2019 were held during our fist week back, and I attended the strings and choir concert on Thursday night.

Passing through the backstage area a few hours before the concert, I heard gasps from older students as they saw alumnus Jerry Julius back on campus, dressed in concert attire. Although that hasn’t exactly been a rare sight in the past few years, as “[he’s] been in every talent show and was also in the school Orchestra for 7 years,” many performers and audience members were surprised to see him back. Instead of performing with the orchestra, however, Jerry was here as an accompanist to the middle and high school choirs.

As a visiting alumnus, Jerry noticed a few changes in the school: he pointed out that many of the teachers who taught him during his high school years had already left, “so it felt a little weird coming back to meet only a select few of the teachers who’ve taught [him].” However, he said that he really enjoyed working with the younger choir students during his visit. Despite problems such as “the restrictions [the choirs] had in terms of time,” Jerry noted an obvious improvement in students from the early practices to the concert performances. He wishes he could have more time to bond with the students, but who knows, he might come back to perform again next year!

Overall, I think going to the concert was definitely worth rushing my homework after getting home late. The middle school strings groups played first, followed by the high school orchestra. The high school orchestra played a variety of pieces; there was even a piece dedicated to the story of Beauty and the Beast. Personally, I thought the high school choir did really well, considering the fact that they were performing in an abnormal circumstance where their conductor (Mr. Bott) was also acting as their accompanist. I don’t remember how to use all the technical terms to describe music, but I genuinely enjoyed the performances and was very amazed by the immense improvement that both groups made from the last concert.

Mr. Bott was also very pleased with the concert and the performers—especially the choir performances. He said that the concert “actually surpassed [his] expectations…[He] was pretty thrilled.” Mr. Bott explained why he had to take on two roles on stage: one of the accompanists for the high school choir got sick and could not perform, so he had to play the piano while conducting the choir. Regarding the strings and orchestra performances, Mr Bott thinks that their progress has been astounding: “It’s so clear from year to year how much they improve.”

Concerts at AISG do not seem to be widely attended by students, but I think they’re definitely worth a try!