Have you ever been dragged to a siblings or friends concert and wished you could mash your face with food at the same time? While it might be commonplace at a sports event to see people snacking on candy bars while cheering on their favorite team, it isn’t typical to be feasting on a $7 big gulp during an orchestra concert. Except on Saturday, October 22nd when the House 1 gym was cleared out for the annual dessert concert. Gathering the high schools Wind Ensemble, Chorale, and Symphony Orchestra groups, it also gathered local cakes from Biscotti for parents and watchers to munch on while watching!

Over the years, the dessert concert has been a staple for the beginning of the year, but due to the pandemic it hasn’t happened in its full glory since 2019. But even with the added challenge of reviving the concert, all the groups performed wonderfully. “All three groups prepared a lot and sounded very musical,” said Gene Balian, the concertmaster of Symphony Orchestra. Concert watchers listened to a series of pieces such as select pieces from Mamma Mia by the wind ensemble, Les Miserables by Chorale, and Phantom of the Opera by Symphony Orchestra in which they were joined by members from the wind ensemble. Many seniors were featured in solos by Chorale and gave everyone a great opportunity to showcase their individual talent! 

Other highlights included Mr. Mendez, the Symphony Orchestra conductor dressing up as Superman, Newt Scamander, and the Phantom to match the pieces being played by the orchestra. This drew quite a few laughs and cheers from the crowd. Wind Ensemble also closed on the majestic score of Star Trek and closed the night off with a standing ovation from concert-goers. “Performing at the dessert concert is always fun. You can tell the audience is enjoying it too,” said Gene. 

All the desserts were provided by the local Biscotti Cafe and Bakery in Syracuse and included options like a chocolate mousse cake, red velvet cake, carrot cake, etc. One new addition this year was the cannoli cake that was a huge hit. Families had to preorder through a  google form to get a cake and this year’s turnout was especially great, with all but a few orders being picked up.

The dessert concert started the music department off on a great note for the year and we’re all looking forward to future concerts, even if there is less eating to be done!