Zachary Nedell and Nathaly Tejada
Principal Christopher Mastrangelo opened the concert with a welcome and introduction to the Maldonians. “You have no idea what you’re about to see,” were Mastrangelo’s last words before the lights dimmed and choir members came down the auditorium aisles with candle lights, starting the concert off with a sort of eeriness by singing “Silent Night” and kicking off the night with a bang. The audience seemed to be amazed, as families, friends, and general guests of the concert all turned heads to see the talents of the Winter Concert.
After the lights came back on, the Mixed Chorus appeared on stage, dressed in shining white attire aligned against the backdrop, to commence their performance with the song “Wayfaring Stranger”, leading into their second song, singing “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” as they were joined by music teacher and director Cindy Horsman McKeen. This song truly caught the attention of the crowd as they reacted throughout the performance with joy and laughter.
After Mixed Chorus, the first solo was set in motion by senior Saia Hussain, who sang “My Favorite Things,” awing the crowd with a skillful and entertaining performance. She described her process in preparation for her piece, stating, “Cole, the music teacher, was looking for volunteers at the time to do some holiday solos, so I went and talked to him. After that, he helped me pick a song and helped me run it over and over.” Hussain continued, saying how in the “Sound of Music”, “Maria Rainer recited all of her favorite things to get her mind off of the storm. I took that and related it to what I'm passionate about. That's how I executed on stage.”
Following the performance of Hussain, the Madrigal singers of Malden High made their appearance and opened with “The Hanukkah Song”, continuing with Christmas classics like; “The World For Christmas”, “Fum Fum Fum”, “A Wish for Hanukkah”, and “Carol of The Bells”.
After the performances of the Madrigal singers, the audience welcomed soloist Matt Jason Chan with his staggering rendition of “Snowman”. Throughout the concert, the Choir’s performance of multiple songs included “Once Upon a December” from the film Anastasia and “O, Holy Night.”
The audience also witnessed solos from seniors Brian Vences and Emma Spignese-Smolinsky. When reflecting on her past with Cole, Spignese-Smolinsky said that she “has had Cole all four years of high school, whether it was for Choir or Play Production, and he is truly one of the best teachers at this school. I look forward to his class every day and he makes me excited to learn music. You can tell that he really cares about his students and I’m so grateful I get to have him as a teacher.”
As for Vences, he said his respect for Cole has only grown. “I have known Cole for three years now, having met him as a sophomore when I first started choir and Play Pro. Over time, obviously, we have gotten to know each other. As part of Choir, I can say 99% of students love Mr. Cole.”
Respect for Cole has also been shown by younger students. Sophomore Jasmin Diaz shared that, “alongside his sense of humor, Mr. Cole is very experienced in making his students feel comfortable either inside or out of class.” These notable aspects have driven young students like Diaz to consider Choir a strong part of their future at MHS.
