On Dec. 16 in Fick Auditorium, the Concert Band, Orchestra, and Choir ensembles joined together to produce the Winter Jubilee, a collaborative concert celebrating the season. The Jubilee is unique in its unity, being the only concert in which all three ensembles perform together at Edina High School.
Origins of the Winter Jubilee
The Jubilee was initially created in 2013 by EHS music department directors Paul Kile, David Henderson, and Sarah Duffy. The goal of the concert was to raise funds for new acoustic shells in Fick Auditorium. “There’s no budget for Fick, so the whole auditorium was slowly dying. It’s a way for us to build money and help upkeep the place,” Kile said.
The first Jubilee had a great turnout and soon became an annual production. Although Duffy no longer directs the EHS orchestra, she remembers the first Jubilee fondly. “It was a unifying event, with the band, choir, and orchestra coming together and showing the depth of the music department,” she said. “At EHS, we’re fortunate to have three powerhouse programs. It’s great to be able to put everyone on stage together [and it] allows everyone to hear the other [ensembles].”
Many of the traditions established by the first Jubilee have persisted; for example, the opening song is always “Christmas on Broadway” and the concert is usually closed by “Holiday Favorites” or “Sleigh Ride.” The funds earned from the Jubilee are still dedicated to maintaining Fick; currently, they are being used to purchase a grand piano for the auditorium. After Christopher Piela became the choir director, he, along with the other music directors Nick Gaudette and Kile, formed a group called the “Three Wise Men” and established a tradition of playing a piece together in the middle of the concert. “It’s important that the students know that we also love to perform and that the directors collaborate as well,” Piela said. “It’s [a] good connecting tie for all three different departments.”
Preparation for the 2023 Winter Jubilee
Although the ensembles start preparing for the Jubilee mid-fall, the music directors are constantly considering music for the production. “This year, we did a piece called ‘What’s This?’ that I’ve been wanting to do for the last couple of Jubilees,” Gaudette said. “We’ve never had the right kind of students to put it forward, and this was the year where we were gonna go for it.”
Three of the songs played during this year’s Jubilee were performed together by the band, choir, and orchestra. Since all departments face tightly packed performance schedules, there was only time for one rehearsal with all the ensembles. Despite the time constraint, the music department managed to put together a successful production. “On a few of the songs we did have a bit of trouble staying together,” sophomore bassist Eric Zhao said. “It was tough, because at the time we had only rehearsed separately and then we had to put all three pieces together. But in the end, I think that it went pretty great.”
Apart from mastering the repertoire, students strived to boost the festivity of the concert. Some members of the orchestra decorated their instruments with bows and hats. The trombones surprised the rest of the band by wearing light-up cowboy hats for “Cowboy Christmas,” and senior percussionist Bennett Smalley started the show by narrating “‘Twas the Night Before Winter Jubilee” in a homemade elf costume along with senior French horn player Margo Musolf.
Community impact
The Jubilee is a heartwarming event for both the students playing and the Edina community as it allows for the celebration of winter and recognizing the musical talent within EHS. “There are orchestra parents who haven’t heard the band before, or band parents who haven’t heard the orchestra or choir,” senior flutist Katherine Doom said. “You get to bring together these three different communities.”
Within the student body at EHS, the Jubilee is a popular concert, especially if students are familiar with the participants. “People get hyped about it. Especially if they’re friends with people in the performing arts,” senior Asoka Mba said.
The Jubilee also serves as an opportunity for EHS alumni to return to the school in celebration of the holidays. After attending this year’s Jubilee, EHS alum and oboist Jacob Wohlrabe gained a new appreciation for the amount of work required to create such a large production. “So much time and preparation goes into the [Jubilee],” he said. “You don’t really understand how much effort you’re putting into something until you actually witness it from the outside.”
The music directors share a similar sentiment. “I end up loving my students more by watching them do what they can do,” Kile said. “Even when I just sit down on that stage and listen to them, I just feel like ‘Wow, this is a very special place.’”
Jubilee spotlight thing: Senior Norah Smith has attended eight consecutive Jubilees, and her two older brothers both played in the concert before they graduated. Her favorite aspect of the production is the celebratory “vibe” of the repertoire. “[Attending the Jubilee] is a tradition my mom and I have… it’s a lot of fun and a way to spend time together with music,” Smith said.
Side box description thing: The EHS music department is divided into band, orchestra, and choir. Within each division, there are underclassmen, Varsity, and Concert ensembles, among others. Placement is dictated by proficiency and grade. In spring and early summer, the department will perform a variety of concerts, including POPS in February, Ro-So-Vo in March, and Current Jam in May. “I really appreciate how much skill our musicians bring to the table,” Piela said. “We have a great orchestra and band and choir and when you’re watching everybody, you’re like ‘Wow, it’s pretty impressive to have this many talented musicians.’”
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on January 25, 2024.
