Seoyeon Kim ‘25
After five weeks of adjusting and settling into the school year, the St. Mark’s community celebrated one of its most beloved events, the Family Weekend Concert, on the evening of the 15th of October at the Class of 1945 Hall, Putnam Family Arts Center (PFAC).
The concert was an excellent opportunity for families to socialize and experience and take a peak into the daily lives of the St. Mark’s community. But, it was even more heart-warming for the international families and students who hadn’t seen each other in over a month.
Families engaged in various exciting activities such as college counseling sessions, advisor conferences, art galleries, mini-lessons, and, of course, attending the remarkable Family Weekend Concert.
As the Head of School, John C. Warren ’74, Ed.D. commenced the concert with a warm welcome and praised the performers for their “wonderful talent and enthusiasm.” It was truly outstanding that the performers had “only been at it for a month or so,” Mr. Warren said.
St. Mark’s Jazz Band performing “St. Thomas” by Walter Theodore “Sonny” Rollin
The St. Mark’s Jazz Band made a bright, lively opening to the event featuring the score “St. Thomas” by jazz musician Walter Theodore “Sonny” Rollin. Despite the group’s large membership, members of the Jazz Band masterfully collaborated and made the listeners sway and dance away before they knew it.
Four soloists gave strong performances throughout the evening, highlighting Lillia Fisher ‘26 on the tenor saxophone, Jeff Lei ‘26 on the trombone, Ian Choe ‘25 on the vibraphone, and DJ Shin ‘24 on the guitar. In addition, all four musicians added tremendous variety to the original “St. Thomas” with their excellent improvisation skills.
Sherry Mi ‘26, one of the attendees, said she “really liked the tenor saxophone solo.” Mi, an excellent pianist, commented that she particularly appreciated the piano part, which was “hard to discover in all of the instruments, but [significant regarding] its contribution to the rhythm.”
St. Mark’s Choir singing “Day by Day.”
Following the jazz band, the St. Mark’s Choir, led by the Director of Music, Mr. James Wallace, charmed the audience with a soulful rendition of two hymns, “Age Quod Agis,” by J. Stanley Sheppard and “Day by Day,” by Lina Sandell.
Ian Cho ‘26, an orchestra member, recalls himself as dumbfounded and staring at the performance in awe. “The choir took the concert to another level. My previous exposure to choir performance was of modern, non-religious songs. The concert Hymns were a pleasantly new experience.
St. Mark’s Symphony Orchestra performing “Bacchanale” by Camille Saint-Saëns
Capping off two incredible performances, the St. Mark’s Symphony Orchestra finished the evening with a dazzling finale, preparing two pieces, “Farandole” by Georges Bizet and “Bacchanale” by Camille Saint-Saëns.
In response to the marvelous performance, parents praised the performers for their professionality and energetic attitude. All concert participants were warmly greeted with a compliment rather than unenthusiastic how-are-yous.
Jimin Seo, one of the parents attending the show, commented that “the way the performers were completely immersed into their music” made her do the same.
The performers were genuinely happy about the performance, with a slight dissatisfaction with the fact that they were better in their rehearsals.
“It was worse than our choir rehearsals, but it is probably because we didn't have enough time to warm up and practice,” Sara Hatsu ‘26, who sang in the choir, said.
Nevertheless, the performers also enjoyed the evening as they were allowed to share love and care through music. One of the aforementioned students, Ian Cho ‘26, watched the recorded version after the concert since he had to perform and hence could not attend the show as an audience.
For those who missed the concert like Ian, HERE is the recording of the whole event!
