Celebrating the Season with Traditional Performances

The Kent Place community has been celebrating the winter season with beautiful music, traditional performances, and holiday cheer.

On Thursday evening, the highly anticipated Upper School concert, STAR, took place, in the Field House. STAR is a time-honored tradition at Kent Place, and hundreds of parents, alumnae, faculty, staff, and students gathered for the annual event.

Kent Place singers and instrumentalists performed music that was born during troubled times as well as uplifting sounds and messages that inspire us all to make the world a better place, with themes of inclusion, trust, kindness, compassion, humanity, and mutual respect.

Vocal soloists were Abigail Wall ’23, in “Song for Justice” (from Tuvayhun); Gabrielle Liberman ’24, in “Ani Ma’amin”; Sophia Cozine ’23, in “Reconcile”; Lilly Fanelle ’23, in “I Choose Love”; and Sana Jaffrey ’23, in “O Holy Night.” Elina Kapur ’23, Mackenzie Thompson ’23, and Ishani Wadhwa ’23 performed a descant in “Come Dance and Sing.” Instrumental soloists were Charlotte Post-Lipnick ’23, cello, and Sofia Keri ’23, viola, in “Song for Justice”; Maya Yie ’24, violin, “Ani Ma’Amin”; and Evelyn Hickey ’24, oboe, in “There Will Come Soft Rains.” Terrence Thornhill, instrumental music teacher, enthralled the room with his cello obligato in “O Love,” performed by the Chamber Singers.

Kent Place was delighted to welcome alumnae back to STAR for the first time since 2019. They happily reunited with one another at a reception held on campus, and were then invited to come forward and join the Chorus and Orchestra in singing “O Holy Night.”

Thank you to all who made STAR 2022 such a successful event, 99 years and counting!

Middle School and Primary School have been participating in traditional winter performances as well. Just before Thanksgiving, the Middle School held its annual Fall Arts Celebration in the Great Room and Theater, with performances from Middle School singers, instrumentalists, playmakers, and dancemakers. On the day before winter break, the Primary School performed its Winter Concert in the Field House. The students sang festive songs from a variety of cultures.

Congratulations to all of the performers, and we wish the entire Kent Place community a happy and healthy holiday season.