Atkinson Intermediate School and Dodd Middle School presented their Winter Festivals of the Arts on consecutive nights at Freeport High School, providing the community with a holiday double header abundant with homegrown talent.
If these performances are an indicator of the future, then the high school will be stocked with accomplished musicians, singers and dancers for many years to come.
The troupe from Atkinson presented a variety of orchestral, band and chorus groups spreading more holiday cheer with each successive number. Highlights included the concert orchestra, directed by Mahendra Morales, playing Carrie Lane Gruselle's "Saint Nick's Canon on the Housetop"; the mariachi band, directed by Justin Friedman, performing Jose Feliciano's "Feliz Navidad"; and the sixth-grade Atkinson chorus, directed by Dr. Talonda Thomas, closing the show with Stillman and Allen's "Home for the Holidays."
Dodd Middle School, not to be outdone, took the stage the following night with spirited performances by its orchestra, mixed chorus, Vocal Tapestry and instrumental jazz ensembles, select chorale and concert band. The orchestra opened the show with three songs, including Lowell Mason's "Titanic Theme." The Vocal Tapestry Jazz Ensemble, directed by Sherill Spruill, sang Michele Weir's arrangement of "Jingle Bell Rock." The concert band, under the direction of Adam Rubin, triumphantly finished the program with Sean O'Loughlin's "Achilles' Wrath."
