Lifting holiday spirits, Westwood Band performed at their annual Christmas concert at the Raymond E. Hartfield Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Monday, Dec. 4.
The Concert band began the performance with two pieces, Wintertide by Randall D. Standridge and Fantasy on a Burgundian Carol arranged by Michael Story. The Symphonic band followed by performing A Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson and Robert W. Smith, as well as A Holst Christmas by Douglas E. Wagner and Gustav Holst. Lastly, Wind Symphony took the stage performing Holiday Delight by Caleb Hammer, Carol Of The Night by Richard L. Saucedo, and Sleigh Ride arranged by Leroy Anderson.
“My favorite piece [of the concert] was probably Sleigh Ride,” Lauren De La Torre ’25 said. “It’s super nice to listen to and is a long-standing tradition.”
All of the different bands in the program performed except for Wind Ensemble, the top band, due to their preview performance for their Midwest program. Despite being the first concert in a very long time without the top band there to help usher in the holiday spirit and festivities, the other bands still managed to elevate the holiday energy.
“The concert was really fun and still had a lot of great music even though the top ensemble was missing,” Noah Revelett ‘26 said.
Decked in holiday apparel ranging from Santa hats to ugly sweaters, students stray away from their traditional performance uniforms and wear Christmas attire as a tradition for this annual concert.
“I like the traditional uniforms, but wearing Christmas sweaters was so fun for the holiday concert,” Lynn Lee ’26 said. “Seeing people with Santa hats and Christmas bulb necklaces made it feel more festive, fun, and relaxed.”
One activity that brings the whole band together for one of the first times after marching season is Secret Santa, where members give out three gifts on different occasions. The first two gifts are given to someone anonymously and finally, after much anticipation, students reveal themselves at the end of the Christmas concert.
“I had fun participating in Secret Santa this year,” Kylie Bojorquez ‘24 said. “It was fun but a little nerve-wracking because I wanted to get the gifts right. It is always fun when you figure out who your Secret Santa was as well as revealing yourself to your person.”
The band’s next concert featuring the Wind Ensemble will take place on Thursday, Dec. 14 at the PAC.
