'Tis the Season: Music

One of my favorite things about the holiday season has always been a holiday concert the local high school performs. The Festival of Sound is a magical production organized and performed by the students of Wheeling Park High School. The strings, band and choir groups join together to put on a show worthy of highest props. There is a wonderful narration presented throughout, which highlights interesting facts about the pieces performed. And the jolly man in a red suit--Santa himself--makes an appearance each year. It's that good.

I grew up playing the violin. I enjoyed many parts of my time playing, but the annual Festival of Sound performance was by far my favorite part. It was so powerful and moving to join with the other musical groups at the school to perform holiday favorites. And to this day, the traditional closing piece--Hallelujah Chorus--moves me to tears. Music has always made me well up at times--there's something about a bunch of separate notes coming together as they do that makes my heart swell. But, I think the added beauty of this piece is found in the entire audience standing and joining in. I mean, we humans like to argue and disagree a lot, so the very act of singing together and such a powerful piece is nothing short of thrilling.

This year, eighteen years after my last Festival of Sound, we will attempt taking four month old Isabelle along with us to see it. But, the icing on the cake this year? It will mark the first year that my niece, Sydni, will be playing in it. Even the years I roped Sydni and others in the family into attending and knew no student musicians, I would be moved to tears witnessing the amount of talent and potential present in each of them. Now, I get to watch my very own niece--who I've watched grow from a baby girl just like Isabelle--perform as a high school violinist for the first time and in a show I adore.

Something tells me the 2017 Festival of Sound will only make me love the yearly tradition even more.