As every Vocal Music student from sixth to twelfth grade formed a circle in the Laverty Center for the Performing Arts, Vocal Music teacher Scott Joiner leaned towards the microphone. He invited the audience to use the next song, titled “Humming Chorus,” as a moment of reflection, saying, “Let music suffice when words cannot express what we’re feeling.”
The piece, from Italian composer Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly, was sung in honor of the late Jeff Mercer at Chadwick’s annual Choral and Orchestra Concert on Jan. 25, 2026.
Not only was this the first time Instrumental Music Ensembles and Choral Ensembles performed back-to-back in a combined event, this “Day of Music” also featured both traditional and contemporary music, all with diverse origins and artists.
The Upper School Orchestra, for instance, performed “Flower Duet” from the tragic opera Lakmé by Léo Delibes and a Wicked medley that recalled some of the musical’s most iconic moments, as well as “Angel City” by Soon Hee Newbold, a composition that explores Los Angeles’s heritage.
Orchestra member and saxophone player Winston Lin ’26 said, “Musicians have a really interesting role in the orchestra, because it’s not just about playing the music.… Another big part is figuring out how you want to play it and the expression that comes with it.”
The Vocal Music groups focused on a theme of “Songs from the Stage,” so their performances featured pieces inspired by musicals and operas.
Drawing from her own performing arts experiences, Upper School chorus member Lena Zaidi ’29 described, “When you do pieces like that, you kind of have to act with your voice… because it’s such a theatrical piece.”
Upper School chorus member Niki Ferdows ’26 reflected, “When you think of theater, you would think of show tunes, but the way our [concert] is means that we have a big range of different songs.”
For instance, the Middle School Tenor/Bass Ensemble performed the humorous “Modern Major General” from the classic opera Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan, while the Middle School Treble Ensemble sang the powerful “This is Me” from the film The Greatest Showman. Afterward, the Upper School Chorus sang “Sunday” from the musical Sunday in the Park with George by Stephen Sondheim.
Notably, the song “Super Trouper” from the musical Mamma Mia! was the first performance of the all-female a cappella group Wick Women.
“I love the variety,” Ferdows says. “I think it helps the group, too, because you have to sing every song in a different way and you have to learn different skills with different songs.”
One of the most beloved pieces performed was “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?” by Lin-Manuel Miranda from the musical Hamilton.
Narrated by Eliza Schyler Hamilton, the song serves as both a meditation of the characters’ choices and the culmination of the Hamiltons’ journey. Eliza’s lines were shared between Lena Zaidi ’29, Alex Grant ’29, and Sydney Maas ’28.
Choral members, many being theater fans, were already familiar with the song, bringing the passion to another level.
“That one, I love, not because of the actual music, but because of the energy I get from everybody when we’re singing it,” Ferdows said.
The Choral and Orchestra Concert was an emotional display of the depth and breadth of arts at Chadwick. By centering the performance around connection and collaboration, the concert created a positive, emotional experience for both the music groups and the audience.
Lin says, “Maybe sometimes you can’t identify a piece’s narrative, but you can feel the emotion. And I think that’s all you need with music.”
