Next Thursday evening Ai Horton will perform in her first Belmont secondary winter concert, a time-honoured tradition at the Langford high school. Grade 12 student Jordan Beischer will take the stage in his last.
“It’s a very professional experience,” Horton said. The Grade 10 student is vice president of Belmont music executive and part of the jazz band ‘B’, jazz band, concert band and concert choir. “It’s something you don’t always get to do … It’s a big step up from middle school.”
The annual event is highly anticipated by parents and alumni and runs like “clockwork” according to Mandart Chan, one of the Belmont musical directors.
“It’s a culmination of all the rehearsals all of our performance ensembles geared toward in the first semester,” Chan said. The multitudes of performances include vocal jazz, jazz band, R&B, jazz combos, concert band and concert choir.
In his final winter concert at Belmont, Beischer is jazz band A representative and is involved in pulling together the much-anticipated event.
“It’s hectic but we love it,” he said. “We would hate not to do concerts, we have to show off everything we have.”
The concert will have everything from Latin to funk and classic to contemporary, Chan promised.
Admission is by donation at the Spotwood gym in Belmont secondary on Thursday, Dec. 13. Doors open at 6:30 with a couple of jazz combos providing pre-concert entertainment.
“The lineup usually starts around 6 p.m.” Chan said. “It’s a West Shore tradition.”
They will also accept donations to the food bank at the door as part of Belmont’s 10,000 Tonight program that will also have students out collecting food the night before the concert.
“We like to collaborate with as many departments as possible,” Chan said. “This worked.”