On Thursday, Dec. 11 and Friday, Dec. 12 at 7 p.m., Lake Oswego High School was transformed into a winter wonderland, beautifully decorated for the annual Winter Glow concert that features performances from choir, orchestra, band and theater. Walking into the auditorium, a green and red backdrop was displayed, with projected snowflakes on the wall, handmade snowflakes hanging from the ceiling and mini Christmas trees. To enhance the experience, the instruments were decorated with bows and little Santa hats. As Harmony Yount said, it was “a shared experience” filled with joy, mixing familiar songs and holiday traditions. 

Returning songs from last year’s programs that were crowd favorites, such as “Sleigh Ride” and “Believe,” definitely excited the audience. Another addition to the holiday experience was the Windjammers performing around the audience, holding candles, returning from last year with Callie Schmitke playing the tambourine. Not only did they continue traditions from last year’s performance, but they also incorporated a variety of activities that the crowd hadn’t seen before. 

While past concerts have included little skits after performances, this year humor was emphasized. The skits were interactive, engaging and of course included holiday humor. There was a fun little performance with students dressed as Whos from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” followed by the Grinch and his dog Max, surprising everyone. They all walked down the aisles and handed out candy canes to the crowd. 

This concert involved a variety of ensembles and different styles of music. It had orchestra and wind ensembles, with jazz, A Capella and even more. There was such a variety throughout the night where the music would flip from being calm to upbeat, keeping everyone engaged. Multiple quintets, quartets and trios were performing, whether this was the clarinet ensemble, flutes or jazz band. The jazz band even performed a song without the conductor, with Dan Zelyanovskyy on guitar and Jack Weber and Julian Powell on piano. 

As the concert continued, it was clear that there were many vocalists showcasing their amazing talent. There was a vocal trio singing “Silver Bells” and “White Christmas,” which was put together without instructions from a teacher. Another song performed was “A Very Laufey Christmas,” which was arranged by Eden Choi and had solos from both her and Maya Ye. Another awesome performance was a vocal quartet by Callie Schmitke, Sadie Hovey, Jack Weber and Adam Koh. There were absolutely beautiful harmonies, and let’s not forget a returning favorite from last year, “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo,” with swaying, hand gestures and once again solos from Kalea Chow and Sadie Hovey. Ending the song, Henry Robinson popped up wearing a Santa hat and imitating Santa Claus.

However, let’s not ignore the additions outside the auditorium. Of course, there were concessions, but people were also handing out little goodie bags and cocoa grams. There was a fun activity where people could anonymously write down a strange hobby, an activity or a skill that a lot of people may not know how to do. There was also a poster board outside where the Thespian Club partnered up with Schnitzer Cares to raise money to donate to their choice of a non-profit organization. 

Finally, Winter Glow concluded with a full performance of Sleigh Ride, incorporating the entire choir, orchestra and band. It was such an exciting and upbeat song to end the night. Highlighting tradition, students and the community, everyone had a great night and will be back next year! Amazing job to the choir, band, orchestra and Thespian Club.