During assembly on Friday, March 22nd, St. George’s students were treated to the Modern Music Ensemble’s performance of the Beatles song, “Here Comes From the Sun.” This served as a sneak peak for the Beatles themed spring concert that was on Wednesday, March 27th.

The spring concert was a production by the St. George’s music department. The performers included all of the members of the Middle and Upper School Jazz Bands, Modern Music Ensemble, Gryphons Choir, and the Concert Choir. The Beatles concert had been in development since the fall.

“We decided way back before we were finished getting the fall concert ready,” said Band Director and Artist-in-Residence, Mr. Tom Link. “We decided that we were going to do this, so it’s been been tacked up on my wall since before Thanksgiving, for sure.”

Students who performed in the concert were excited at the opportunity to sing Beatles songs and participating in a themed show.

“I always admired the Beatles’ work, and they’re really fun songs to sing in general,” Senior Elianna Hills who is a singer in the Modern Music Ensemble said. “It was really exciting to have a themed show because everyone got really into it and energetic and the overall performance vibe.”

The Beatles concert only was the first time the Middle and Upper School Jazz Bands had performed with the Modern Music Ensemble in front of an audience. During the winter concert in December, these groups performed separately.

“They’re really experienced, and they play a lot better than I do,” said seventh grader, Abraham Gracía who plays the guitar in the Middle School Jazz Band. “I was really excited to play with such talented and experienced people.”

The songs for the Beatles Concert included “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “With a Little Help from My Friends,” “A Hard Days Night,” and “All You Need Is Love” among others. The process for choosing these songs was a collaborative effort between Mr. Link and Choir Director, Nathan Dumser.

“We know we just picked like ones that were our favorites and what would be good for a show,” said Link. “We made a list of the ones we liked and picked the first eleven, and it kind of stuck.”

The Modern Music Ensemble, the Middle and Upper School Jazz Bands, Concert Choir, and Gryphons Choir practiced for the Beatles concert in different ways.

“I listened to the original tracks of the Beatles and mostly learned the words and format of the songs by ear,” said Junior and Concert Choir member Jada Hanes. “We also auditioned for solos in mid-February.”

The Middle and Upper School Jazz Band members practiced inside and outside of class in the months before the Beatles Concert.

“Everyday, we would go to band, and we would practice it,” said García. “I have another guitar at home. For the first week, I would take my sheet music with me home, and I would try to memorize it.”

The Beatles Concert included great performances of each of the songs, and it ended with a bang with “Hey Jude.”

“I was looking forward to the energy that song brings to the stage,” said Hills. “Everyone was really passionate about it. That was the most powerful song I have to say, ‘Hey Jude.’”

The audience for the concert was full, and they seemed to really enjoy the performances.

“I loved the entire thing,” said Senior Maggie Murphy whose sister is in the Middle School Jazz Band. “I think our music program at St. George’s is awesome.”