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Sitting on stage, Timothy Fan’ 26 plays his bassoon. For Fan and other concert-season only players, the Winter Concert was their first performance of this school year.
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Warming up his euphonium, Brody Jones ’28 practices his music before the concert begins. Each band had a chance to warm up together before heading to the stage to perform.
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Dressed in a furry, green Grinch costume, Nico Ham ’27 warms up in the Black Box. Ham played a solo of music from ‘The Grinch’ during his performance.
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Playing a melody, Ella Kim ’26 performs with the Wind Ensemble. The Wind Ensemble played three pieces, including the classic Sleigh Ride.
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Gasping with excitement, Naomi Hansen ’27 opens her Secret Santa present. At the Winter Concert, each Secret Santa participant gave their final present and revealed who they were.
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Accepting their applause, Wind Ensemble woodwind players stand and smile towards the crowd. Many students chose to dress in festive holiday sweaters and hats for the Winter Concert.
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Talking to the audience, Head Director Brittany Dacy shows off an ornament. Each student received one of the ornaments, which were designed to the theme of the band’s 2025 marching show, Red.
With notes of familiar holiday tunes ringing in the air, the Warrior Band hosted their annual Winter Concert on Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the Raymond E. Hartfield Performing Arts Center (PAC). The concert was the band’s first performance after marching season, and marked the official transition into the concert season.
After marching season ended, each of the four bands in the program had just a few short weeks to prepare their music for the Winter Concert. They each performed two or three pieces for the many parents and friends who attended. The selected pieces were all holiday and winter themed, ranging from cartoon music to traditional Christmas carols.
“My favorite part of the Winter Concert was probably the [You’re a Mean One, Mr.] Grinch solo that I got to play in the first piece that Wind Ensemble played, Christmas Toons,” Nico Ham ‘27 said. “I was definitely nervous [for my solo], but I was excited too, because I got to wear a Grinch costume. It made it less nerve wracking and more funny.”
Staying with tradition, students were allowed to wear festive sweaters and hats to the concert. The bright red and green clothing brought the holiday spirit to the stage and made the concert more lighthearted.
“The tradition is a fun thing to look forward to beforehand,” Devyn Cariaga ‘28 said. “The holiday outfits make the concert feel a lot more festive and exciting. [They] also make a usually nerve-wracking time into something more fun and cheery.”
Another Winter Concert tradition occurred after the performances. Students made their way back to the Black Box to pack up and grab gifts they had brought. Throughout December, students who chose to participate in Secret Santa have been secretly delivering gifts to their randomly selected recipient each week. At the Winter Concert, they gave the last gift and revealed who they were to their friends.
“[Secret Santa] is a very positive experience because everybody enjoys getting to know one another,” Aditi Kodali ‘27 said. “I think the concept of mystery of who [your Secret Santa] is is very fun to try to figure out through gifts and hints.”
The Westwood Band will next hold their Pre University Interscholastic League (UIL) Full Orchestra Concert on Thursday, Feb. 26 at the PAC at 7 p.m.
![Gazing into the audience, Wes Autry ’26 as Mr. DePinna poses like the Discus Thrower as Mayla Montgomery ’26 as Penny Sycamore paints him. Mr. DePinna was especially absurd, requiring intense amounts of committment from Autry and resulting in an All-Star Cast honor at competiton. “I never expected anything like that,” Autry said. “[This is] the first year I’ve ever gone to UIL, and winning an award from it is gratifying. It’s something I never thought I would achieve, and so achieving that makes me feel like everything I’ve done here wasn’t pointless.”](https://westwoodhorizon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Screen-Shot-2026-03-25-at-3.28.43-PM-1200x799.png)
