The Albany Academies had its much-anticipated annual Wassail celebration this past Thursday, December 17th. In the morning, lower school girls presented a mix of songs and dances for friends and family alike. Fourth grade performed a dance piece entitled “Night Sky,” and the Pre-K and Kindergarten chorus gave a notably popular rendition of Jingle Bells. Each grade level sang a variety of songs, including such pieces as “It’s A Hanukkah Song in a Major Key” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”


Later that evening, at seven o’clock, the auditorium was filled (literally — there was hardly an empty seat to be found) with students, teachers, parents and alumnae eager to see Dance Workshop, along with the performances of the Upper School and 7th and 8th Grade Choruses. The program began with both Choruses singing Transiberian Orchestra’s Christmas Canon, accompanied by senior Youjin Chung’s talented flute playing. The 7th and 8th Grade Chorus then performed their three pieces, followed by the Upper School Chorus, which sang Lo Yissa Goy, Pat-A-Pan, and Huron Carol.


Dance Workshop was the closing performance of the evening, with their rendition of Revelations. The piece, a condensed version of the original Alvin Ailey choreography, was a compilation of seven dances, and seniors Lauren Hughes and Zoey Patack both had solos. Accompanied of course by Mrs. Koester’s readings, this year’s Dance Workshop performance was nothing less than fabulous, and once again impressed the school at the following day’s reprise. The sole complaint of the evening was that the music for Revelations continually faded in and out, and one speaker seemed not to be working, which was a distraction for the audience. Though the problem was, as determined afterwards, audible to the dancers, it fortunately had no impact on their performance.


In summary, both Wassail events were a success, with the younger set providing an enjoyable and adorable morning and the later performance offering a remarkable display of talent. This year’s Wassail certainly bodes well for the upcoming spring concert, Evening of the Arts.