Music and Community: A Recap of Kent Place’s Winter Performances

Music took center stage at Kent Place as students across all divisions ushered in the winter season with a series of joyful concerts and time-honored traditions, bringing the Kent Place community together in celebration.

On Thursday evening, the highly anticipated Upper School concert, STAR, took place in the Field House. STAR is a very special tradition at Kent Place — this was its 102nd year! — and hundreds of parents, alumnae, faculty, staff, and students gathered for the annual event.

“This year, our theme was The Beauty of Our Dreams: A Journey in Sound and Spirit,” said Edel Thomas, Director of Performing Arts and the Director of STAR. “Together, the selected works traced a path of searching and discovery, from aspiration to stillness, from solitude to a shared humanity.”

Vocal soloists this year were Anne Bugliari ’26, Lorelei Gustafson-Johnson ’26, and Tarika Nirula ’27 in “One Voice”; Talia Sarafian ’26 in “Be Like the Bird”; and Evelyne Mendelsohn ’26 in “O Holy Night,” who performed with alumnae, the Chorus, and the Symphony Orchestra. Instrumentalists Tessa Chow ’27, Jessica Choy ’26, Gracen Hill ’27, Audrey Hong ’27, Tara Khurana ’26, Kate Lee ’26, Ava Lewis ’26, Onelia Lupiani Khan ’26, Tara Nash ’26, and Olivia Zhang ’26 were featured during “Flight,” performed by the Kent Place Singers and Chamber Singers. Additional instrumental highlights were a clarinet solo by Lindsay Li ’26 in “Night” and a French horn solo by Lauren Herman ’26 in “The Psalm of Life.” A featured descant was sung by Reilly Dangler ’26, Laila Gandhi ’27, and Keira Kapur ’26 in “The Human Touch.”

Kent Place was delighted to welcome alumnae back to campus. They happily reunited with one another at a reception held on campus, and were then invited to come forward and join the Chorus and the Symphony Orchestra to sing “O Holy Night.”

On the evening before STAR, the Middle School held a Winter Concert with performances from Bel Canto (Grade 6), Select Chorus (Grades 7 and 8), the Middle School Chorus, the Instrumental Ensemble (Grades 7 and 8), the Brass Ensemble, and the Middle School Orchestra.

On the morning of STAR, Junior Pre-Kindergartners performed their winter program for their families. And 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. We’ll see you in 2026!