The upper school orchestra, lab band and jazz band as well as the middle school orchestra and jazz band performed in the annual Winter Concert held at the De Anza Performing Arts Center on Friday night.

The concert’s ensembles were directed by instrumental music teachers Mr. Chris Florio and Dr. David Hart and featured musicians from grade levels six through 12.

Jazz band opened the concert with “Struttin’ With Some Barbecue” by Lillian Armstrong and Don Raye, “Doodlin’” by Horace Silver, “My Funny Valentine” by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, “Just Friends” by John Klenner and Sam M. Lewis and “Spain” by Chick Corea.

Jazz band singer Kelsey Wu (11), who was featured in “My Funny Valentine” and “Just Friends,” spoke of how she prepared for her performance.

“Singing is a little more intimidating, just because there’s emotion involved as well as an element of acting,” she said. “When we were rehearsing in class, I’d record the whole track and then I’d try to sing over it at home while also trying to use the instrumentals I found.

The group was followed by lab band, who played Thelonious Monk’s “Bye-Ya,” “I Mean You” and “Bemsha Swing,” along with “Cool Struttin’ by Sonny Clark, “Little Sunflower” by Freddie Hubbard and David Torres’s “Hey Bud.”

The orchestra performed “Scherzo à La Russe,” by Igor Stravinsky, “Má Vlast” and “Vltava” by Bedřich Smetana, “Night on Bald Mountain” by Modest Mussorgsky, “Russian Easter Festival Overture” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Arturo Márquez’s “Danzón No. 2.”

Flutist Katie Li (9) commented on the level of the pieces that the orchestra played during the concert.

“Compared to last year at the middle school, there’s definitely been a lot more pressure this year in the larger upper school orchestra. The pieces are a lot more advanced, and everyone plays amazingly; it’s often hard to keep up,” she said.

Upcoming performing arts events include a choral concert featuring groups Acoustics, Bel Canto, Camerata, Cantilena and Guys’ Gig next Friday and the upper school’s annual dance production on Jan. 26 and 27 at the Blackford theater.

Gallery • 3 Photos

The upper school orchestra performs at the Winter Concert. Today's Winter Concert featured performances from the middle school orchestra, the middle school jazz band, the upper school orchestra, jazz band and lab band.