The lights dim in the auditorium and dozens of instrument-touting students clad in suits and long black dresses file into their positions onstage. This is a night North Penn High School’s band, orchestra, chorus, CMT performers, and variety of specified ensembles have been waiting a long time for: it is the annual Winter Concert, an evening to show off the skills so carefully honed over years of practice and months of preparation. And, of course, to drum up some holiday spirit as the season gets underway – after all, it is the most wonderful time of the year.

But the wonders of this night never come without a great deal of hard work in the preceding months. All groups featured spend a great deal of the prior school year learning selections for the concert, and the teachers in charge have even more preparations to tackle.

Choral director Mr. Matthew Klenk explained his lengthy pre-show process. “It’s an enormous amount [of preparation,]” he said. “I usually start actually at the end of the previous school year in terms of making sure that I’ve selected the right kind of repertoire. I look at my class registrations to see what the numbers are going to look like, how many guys versus girls, and start to plan that way. I usually don’t put the whole program in place until we start the year, because I like to hear what a group sounds like before I finalize everything. But there’s obviously then just every day in class – every day in class is its own rehearsal.”

But the hours spent by the directors of all groups carefully curating the selections for the night certainly paid off, for the show premiered an immensely popular program featuring a diverse variety of pieces, including everything from multicultural pieces like the chorus’s Italian “Tu Scendi Dale Stelle” and orchestra’s German “How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place” to classic favorites like CMT’s gospel-inspired rendition of “Joy To The World” and the band’s charming performance of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

The musicians also made sure to honor the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, which began on the 16^th, with special selections such as band’s “The Eighth Candle” and chorus’s “Hayo, Haya.”

The musicians’ appeal to all different cultures, denominations, and ages made their performances ubiquitously well-received by the crowd. The directors were pleased with their students as well, generally raving about the performances and the hard work of their students. All agreed that they hoped the music would be rewarding to the parents who had put much of their time into their children’s musical passion.

Band director Mr. Michael Britcher spoke of the concert’s appeal to the many supportive parents in the audience. “I think [it does mean a lot to the parents] – band is demanding; there’s a lot of time, a lot of preparation work that goes into it. There’s a lot of expense that goes into it, getting instruments for the students, and a lot of the students study privately and take lessons. So I hope it’s rewarding for the families, when they see the end product.”

Orchestra director Miss Erica Milbourne agreed. “The strings students, many of them start playing in kindergarten – so by the time they get to high school, parents have been to lessons and rehearsals and driving here and driving there,” she said. “So for them to be able to come and see the fruits of all of that labor and to see their kids be proud of something they’re doing and to be loving what they’re doing and working together – I think it’s really important.”

She also elaborated on the appeal of the event to alumni. The evening attracted a multitude of former North Penn students, who returned from college or careers to watch their high school friends follow in their footsteps.

“The alums love to come back,” said Milbourne. “They remember what it’s like to be onstage, and they have friends here still, and it’s just nice to still feel like you have a connection. It’s like going on vacation, and then you come home.”

Senior band member Jared Boyden made sure to reconnect with many of his old friends and former fellow band members. He mentioned the concert’s ever-popular finale, which invites faculty and alumni to come onstage and join in singing with the chorus.

“‘Hallelujah Chorus’ is the song for alumni – everyone loves it. I saw that even people in the audience who didn’t come up, they knew it anyway,” said Boyden. “You can really just feel that everyone loved the whole concert.”

The enthusiastic response of the audience attested to their appreciation of their children’s, peers’, or students’ talent and hard work – and the fully-packed auditorium said a great deal for the wide and devoted support for North Penn’s music program.

Milbourne expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the overwhelming encouragement received from the school and community.

“We’re very grateful to have the support we have in this district for music, and that’s everybody from parents to administrators to NPTV and Knight Crier,” she said. “We just love having the support of everyone here.”