The holiday season is finally here, and while it’s hard to miss Mariah Carey and the great Burl Ives on the radio, the Salesianum musical amassments ushered in the season and holiday cheer with their one-night-only Christmas concert tonight! Students from Ursuline, Salesianum, and Padua, after three months of vigorous practice, showcased their skills tonight in four phenomenal instances.

The freshman-year concert band (displayed above) rang in the spirit with beloved Christmas classics, as well as a little help from Salesianum literature teacher and “holiday elf” Mr. Quinn. Up next came the choral stylings of Mr. Louden and his tri-school ensemble of accomplished singers, followed by the always-appreciated Keo Pangan, singing out to the audience through his honed harp arrangement of “Silent Night.” Concluding the concert was the wind ensemble, wowing the crowd with high-energy renditions of time-honored tunes such as “Carol of the Bells” and “O, Christmas Tree.” Led by the ever-eccentric Mr. Cox, this group brought forth for the first time a Hannukah piece, breaking away from the conventional Christmas narrative and ultimately showcasing the band’s high-caliber capabilities.

Adoring audience members no doubt left the annual Christmas concert with the holiday spirit alive inside them; in fact, even the notorious Dela-Bear, the fuzzy fiend trespassing in the Wilmington area today, was reportedly seen outside Salesianum by the end of the concert, perhaps tempted by the holiday cheer pouring out from this incredible evening of the arts