Santa to visit Carroll during annual band and chorus Christmas concert

On Sunday evening, December 12, Archbishop Carroll will be holding its annual holiday band and chorus concert. Activities will start at 5 pm, including a visit from Santa with festive snacks and the tree lighting in the courtyard.  

The concert will begin at 6 pm in the auditorium with a broad selection of repertoires to keep the audience in the holiday spirit. However, since the last concert in 2019, plans have changed. Instead of multiple groups performing more pieces, the chorus and the concert band will have a more concise program. 

The jazz band and strings will perform during a school assembly this year because the music directors are trying to keep the length of the concert shorter. The program has also changed because of the newer band director,Mr. Darrohn. 

“The biggest difference for me as a senior is not having Mr. Larimer conduct the Band,” said Maureen Carpenter. “The band misses him a lot, but Mr. Darrohn has done a great job filling in for him.” 

While Mr. Darrohn is excited about the performance, he also expresses the hard work that comes with moderating it. 

“I usually moderate wind ensemble, jazz band, and one or two of the quartets,” said Darrohn. “Directing concert band, those groups, and my other schools have been the most challenging aspect of preparing for this concert. I also have to bring my supplies because there is only so much that the school has.”

The choir director, Mr. D’Amato, also revealed the difficulty of putting the concert together this year. 

“It’s a different kind of hard this year,” said D’Amato. “We tried to prepare a lot more music than last year, which made it a little more chaotic, but I am excited because we could not have a concert last year.” 

The majority of students are very excited to perform this year despite the challenges. 

“From a pianist’s perspective, the music can be very challenging,” said junior Eddie Dulberg. “The same goes for the singers, but in the end, it’s all worth it. Being a solo instrumentalist leading the group is a challenge, but it’s a great experience that I am very thankful to have.” 

Senior Mia Arpea also discusses the difficulty of the music chosen this year. 

“I can’t speak first hand for the choir or band, but I know how hard Select Chorus has been working to bring together some amazing and complex pieces,” said Arpea. “I imagine the same is true for the choir and band, which will make for an impressive concert.”