As Malden High School students prepared for winter break, the instrumental and choral art programs prepared to showcase the hard work they have demonstrated over the first semester of the year. On December 17th, 2025, the choral arts program, directed by Todd Cole, presented their work during their annual winter concert. The concert did not consist of only Christmas music, it also included pieces honoring Hanukkah.
The show began after the lights in the Jenkins Auditorium dimmed and soon members of Concert Choir began to walk down the aisles with fake candles while they sang “Silent Night” as Cole directed while he stood on the stage lit by a spotlight. This piece focuses on the calmness and tranquility of Jesus Christ’s birth as he is accompanied by his mother, The Virgin Mary, and his father, Saint Joseph.
This peaceful performance by Concert Choir was a soothing transition into the next group: Mixed Chorus, a group that Cole described as “a wonderfully hard working group of singers…combined of two different periods.”
These two class periods had not performed together until the dress rehearsal that happened only the night before the concert. The group began by performing “Sweet Silent Night” by Andy Beck. As seen by the title, this piece explores a similar theme of the tranquility of Christmas by maintaining a slow tempo and soft dynamic but avoids focusing on the birth of Jesus Christ, presenting a similar feeling that is not directly tied to religion.
The group then transitioned to a less somber piece, “Jingle, Jingle, Jingle,” a piece arranged by Greg Giplin. While the last two pieces contemplated the calmness and religious aspect of Christmas, this next one was faster and told the story of Santa Claus on Christmas as he rides around in his sleigh and his bells “jingle jingle jingle.”
The Mixed Chorus then switched to the Nigerian Carol, “Betelehemu,” which was also arranged by Andy Beck and translates to Bethlehem—the birthplace of Jesus Christ. This carol was sung in Yoruba, a language spoken by nearly 50 million people in West Africa. Throughout their performance, the Mixed Chorus swayed from side-to-side and clapped rhythmically while accompanied by seniors Kenny Wong, Daniel Flores, Bass Section Leader Matt Jason Chan, and Christopher Arruda-Ciulla who played percussion alongside freshmen Simon Nyoike and Ernest Chen.
As Mixed Chorus came to their two final pieces of the night, the group transitioned to a softer piece, “Kindle the Candles Tonight” by Linda Marcus and Ruth Elaine Schram while accompanied by senior Erica Littlejohn on piano. This Hanukkah piece described the holiday’s traditions and the importance of lighting the candles on the Menorah.
The group ended their performance with a lively piece, “The Holiday Tango” by Greg Giplin. This theatrical tango piece captures the excitement of the holidays as people complete their shopping and observe sleigh bells. During this piece, the Mixed Chorus was joined by two teachers who danced along to the song.
The spotlight was then shone on the Madrigal Singers, a group of nine upperclassmen who began a performance of “Silver Bells” arranged by Mac Huff. This piece captured the comfort felt from snowy streets, happy children, and the sound of silver bells.
This calm and nurturing environment then became a source of haunting in their next piece “Coventry Carol” by Darmon Meader. This piece tells the biblical story of King Herod’s orders to murder all male infants in Bethlehem. This piece is written from the perspective of a grieving mother after she fears that her son will face the same fate that many other infants did.
The Madrigal singers then began a different lullaby, “Lullaby, My Liking” by Shaw. While this lullaby may sound similar to the previous one, they present drastically different themes. Rather than expressing an attitude of mourning, this lullaby is sung with joy as it is about the birth of Jesus Christ.
This performance included solos performed by senior Ash Mejia Serna, junior Jack Colantuoni, a duet by seniors Katelynn Vo and Moisha Howse, and a solo by senior Kail Boswell. After performing their next piece, “Fum, Fum, Fum” arranged by Parker/Shaw, the group performed their final piece, “Carol of the Bells” arranged by Wilhousky.
Finally, the Concert Choir took the stage to perform seven final songs, beginning with, “Somewhere in my Memory,” arranged by Mark Hayes. This soft piece from the movie “Home Alone” moves the audience to a place of nostalgia as many have grown up with the joy of being surrounded by loved ones.
Their next piece “Y’mei Hachanukah,” arranged by Robert Applebaum, entered the theme of enjoying the festivities of Hanukkah with family and loved ones. The song mentions certain traditional holiday foods such as Levivot and Sufganiyot.
The group transitioned back to Christmas with a performance of “Jubilate Deo” by Sonja Poorman. This piece is a call to joy and invites people to acknowledge and praise God.
The group then switched languages with their performance of “Feliz Navidad,” a Christmas piece that wishes a prosperous year and happiness toward the audience.
One of the challenges for some of the singers was singing in different languages. “For other languages, we typically review the song with Mr. Cole to make sure our pronunciation was right,” noted Boswell.
After their performance of “Borukh Ate, Zingt Der Tate,” and “I Saw Three Ships,” the Concert Choir finished the night with their traditional performance of “O, Holy Night” in which alumni from past years returned to the stage to sing and be directed by Cole one more time.
“I knew what I was doing from my experience before, which allowed me to help other people make sure they did the right thing,” reflected Boswell.
The audience left the Jenkins Auditorium that night with the warmth of the holiday spirit in their hearts after being serenaded by the instrumental and choral arts programs, an experience that will remain a highlight of the holiday season for attendees and performers alike.
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