A Very "Gleeful" Winter Concert

I am staying late at school today in order to attend an encore performance of our middle school's holiday concert. Under the direction of Rob Fragione, band; Lisa Serio, strings; and Brennan Orie, chorus, well over 50% of the student population is involved in performing in and/or producing this wonderful, entertaining event. When I first entered the auditorium this morning to take pictures, I wondered why nearly all the folding chairs were empty. It was because most of the kids who were performing in the concert were seated on the bleachers, ready to take their places on (or in front of) the stage when called. Here is a picture to illustrate my point:

The concert was comprised of wonderful band numbers, string pieces, and choral pieces - many inspired by the hit television series "Glee." There were also short skits and a video interlude which morphed scenes from Glee into scenes shot at BMS with our own talented youngsters,

Even though I saw the performance this morning, I like to support the kids by attending the evening presentation. They are usually all dressed up and shining for their moms, dad, siblings, and other friends and relatives. It's a really festive, feel-good time, and it's worth spending over a 12-hour day at school.
I got some really good photos this morning, and while I'll take fewer this evening and mainly sit back and enjoy the concert, I know I'll be tempted to raise the camera to capture a few more.

Here is an accidental shot I took this morning. It has not been PhotoShopped at all. I was capturing the kids as they filed down to assemble in front of the stage, and just as I pressed the shutter button, someone stepped in front of the camera. It wasn't until I downloaded the pictures that I saw what an amazing picture I'd captured. Perhaps the "ghost" of Christmas past, present, or future really exists and was in attendance.

I also want to mention the talents of our wonderful faculty who participated in the concert making it even more a family affair - Brian Goldstein on drums and Cornell Bialicki on the keyboard. What great additions to our arts program. Thank goodness the Amity District offfers such strong support for the Arts.
Oh, we are also having a book fair in the media center organized by our wonderful media specialist, Faith Miller. I'll probably shoot a few pictures to capture that as well.