Each year, the Kennebunk High School Music Department puts on a winter concert with an overarching theme. This year’s theme was “We Are The World.” Each song in the program was listed with their country or city of origin.

The concert opened with the Wind Ensemble percussion section performing “100 Years” by Five For Fighting, which originated in Los Angeles, and by the end of the concert we had made it around the world and back to Boston with the KHS band’s performance of “Sleigh Ride” by Leroy Anderson.

After the Wind Ensemble percussion section’s performance, the Chamber Choir took the stage, or rather, risers. They sang “Light in the Hallway,” which is from Texas, “Prayer of the Children,” from Croatia, and “Good Night, Dear Heart,” from New York. Each song was sung a cappella, which is quite impressive for a high school ensemble of that size.

The Wind Ensemble followed the Chamber Choir with a song from Ireland, “Molly On The Shore.” It featured several soloists, including Timothy Moyer, Madalyn Chapman, Elizabeth Cain, Gabriel Vasenka, and Ethan Eickmann. After a short transition period, the Kenne-Funk Jazz Band performed “Crystal Silence,” from Norway, and “Critical Mass” from San Francisco.

The KHS Chorus performed next with four more songs from very different places. The first was “Down to the River to Pray,” which originated in Appalachia. Next, they performed “Nine Hundred Miles,” which came from the American West. They then performed a very well-known song from New York City: “Seasons of Love” from the musical RENT, and ended with “Still, Still, Still,” which came from Austria. “Still, Still, Still” is a traditional piece for the KHS Chorus, and they sing it every year at the winter concert.

The KHS Band ended the concert with another four songs, completing our trip around the globe. First was “Prelude and Fugue in Bb Major” from Germany, then “Solas Ane,” which was also from Ireland. They ended the concert with a few festive songs, the first being “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” from New York. The concert closed with our first song from Boston, “Sleigh Ride,” for which the ensemble donned festive hats, some a little humorous, and some more traditional.

The concert had a lot of variety, and it was fun and entertaining. Every musician involved should be very proud of their performance. Congratulations on an excellent evening!