Burke Students Fill High School With Cheer

GOSHEN – Students at John S. Burke Catholic High School performed against a backdrop of freshly fallen snow at the school’s annual Christmas concert on Thursday, Dec. 13. Members of the Burke Catholic chorus and band performed classic holiday tunes for an audience of family, friends and fellow BC community members.

Under the musical direction of Kristina Lattanzio, more than 50 students in grades 9-12 gave a strong performance. Students enrolled in the school’s choral and band programs began rehearsals for the two-act holiday concert in September. In addition, some students elected to participate in the concert by practicing after-school.

The Christmas Choral and Band Concert is a wonderful way to celebrate the season before our students break for the holidays,” said John Douthit, Principal-Operations at John S. Burke Catholic High School. “Ms. Lattanzio, members of our chorus, and band have worked hard preparing for this evening’s concert and I hope the members of our BC community felt the Christmas spirit as they experienced the students’ performances.”

The concert band performed holiday hits, including “Up on the Housetop” and “Let It Snow!” as well as twists on the classics with “Funky Ol’ St. Nick” and “Brazilian Sleigh Bells.” Student solos included performances by Katiana Dubuisson, a junior, on piano; Grace Yurchuk, a junior, who sang “The Christmas Song,” Anthony Calabrese, a senior, who performed a vocal and acoustic rendition of “Run Rudolph Run” on electric guitar; and Johnny Drumgoole, a senior, who concluded the first act with a vocal performance of “O Holy Night.”

“This is my first year, but Burke Catholic’s music program is great. I think it’s a good break throughout the day to be able to come here and play music. The concert’s great, with a beautiful scene with all the snow coming down,” said Brendan Durkin, a sophomore.
During intermission, student artwork was auctioned off.

The second act consisted of choral performances of Christmas favorites, including: “Do You Hear What I Hear,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “We Need a Little Christmas,” among others.

“We’ve progressed a lot since the beginning of the year and we have such a big repertoire this year, so I think that’s really exciting,” said Yurchuk, who, in addition to a vocal solo, also performed with the concert band on violin and as a pianist for the concert chorus. “The environment here makes such a difference. The fact that all of us are a really close-knit group and we’re all here for the same reason: we really enjoy music. And, we all make an effort to be the best that we can be.”

“I’ve been a part of the concert band here at Burke Catholic for two years,” added Aiden Loeffler, a sophomore. “I played percussion last year and I’ve moved up to drum set. It’s a very good experience. It teaches you how to do different things and how to be a part of the whole ensemble.”.