NHS hosted a holiday concert on Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in Pickard Auditorium that advanced everyone’s holiday mood for the season.

Concert organizers celebrated everyone’s attendance to embrace the happiness that holiday music brings.

“I always look forward to watching all the groups perform,” Claudia Miller, a senior band student in the Neenah Music program, said.

“It is nice to be able to see all the music programs at NHS come together to perform a stellar holiday concert every year. It shows a sense of unity between the vastly different ensembles.”

This year, performances featured the four advanced music ensembles – Advanced Wind Symphony, Symphony Orchestra, Advanced Chamber Choir and the Advanced Jazz Ensemble. There were also be performances from Fairest of the Fair and the Madrigal Singers in between each of the ensembles.

The Advanced Chamber Choir, directed by Amy Westcott, opened the concert with Ring Those Christmas Bells written by Mac Huff, and Mary Did You Know, which is a popular contemporary song that has been made popular by the acapella group Pentatonix.

Proceeding the choir, the Advanced Wind Symphony, directed by David Dunning, performed two pieces entitled Laughing All The Way, which features the main melodies of Jingle Bells, with fun twists and turns.

Their second piece was entitled Fantasia on Kingsfold, which is a beautiful theme and variation of the Christmas hymnal O Sing a Song of Bethlehem.

Also directed by Dunning, the Advanced Jazz Ensemble performed two pieces after the Wind Symphony. Their first piece is Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow originally recorded by Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. It is a hip arrangement that is featuring Kadin Yach on piano and Nathan Gehrke on alto saxophone.

Advanced Jazz’s second piece was Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, which was originally recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, and features Lily Schneider singing the vocal part.

After the band program the Symphonic Orchestra, directed by Phil Smyth, performed the Christmas Concerto; a popular piece in the orchestral holiday repertoire. They also performed Carol of the Bells mashed up with God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Their last piece was the Overture To “The Messiah,” which leads toward the ending of the concert with a performance of the combined group of the Hallelujah Chorus.

This year’s concert showcased a holiday line-up that anyone who loves the holiday season enjoyed.  Clearly, it is a highlight of the season!