Lower school musicians welcomed winter on Dec. 6 during their 2012 Winter Concert at the Bucknall Theater, directed by music teacher Louis Hoffman.

Hoffman conducted several of the performances that evening, including the lower school orchestra and string ensemble’s opening performance of “A Christmas Canon,” the Jazz Ensemble’s renditions of “Blues in the Closet” by Oscar Pettiford and the traditional American folk song “St. James Infirmary” and a performance of Henry Purcell’s “Rigaudon” by the lower school orchestra.

The night also included a pair of impressive solo performances. Kailash Ranganathan, grade 3, offered a stirring performance of “Raag Kalavati” on the sitar, and violinist Jun Lin, grade 5, wowed the audience with her version of Heindrich Ernst Kayser’s “Etude No. 30.”

Another interesting detour during the evening was the performance by the lower school’s fiddle group, conducted by Kevin Rogers, who played a 12-bar blues piece they composed themselves, as well as the Irish tune “Devil’s Dream.”

To the delight of the audience, the concert also included special performances by groups from the middle and upper schools. Music teacher Dave Hart led the middle school’s jazz band through Charlie Parker’s “Little Suede Shoes,” while the upper school wind ensemble performed a piece written by young composer Paul Kratter, grade 4, titled “The Green Things,” and Paul de Wailly’s “Aubade.”