On the evening of Tuesday, March 29, family and community members gathered in the gorgeous hall of the Hollis Congregational Church. There, Hollis Brookline’s chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society put on their annual Chamber Recital. For about an hour, the 23 members of the Society came together to share their love of music and the fruit of their hard work with the community.

The night opened with members of the Honors Choir performing the National Anthem, conducted by choir director and Tri-M advisor Matthew Barbosa. After, Abbey Kotelly ‘17 kicked off the program with her rendition of the ballad “My Funny Valentine.”

“Every single member of our Tri-M chapter performed at least once,” Barbosa said. “We had a wide gamut of performances ranging from just instrumental, instrumental with vocal, just vocal, strings…”

The “wide gamut” of selections were picked from almost every genre. The majority of the performers chose classical pieces. Among many performers, Grace Lou ‘17, Caroline Daigle ‘16 and Katherine Farquhar ‘16 delighted the audience with two flute pieces: “Pavane” by Garbiel Faure and “Funiculi Funicula” by Luigi Denza. Later, Skye Jacobs ‘17 performed a classical clarinet composition, and Brandon Fox ‘16 and Vivek Nithipalan ‘17 delivered a gorgeous rendition of Camille Saint-Saens’ “The Swan” on piano and cello, respectively.

Midway through the program, the house was brought down by the wildly talented Jazz Combo, composed of Nick Sengstaken, Nick Hinchcliffe ‘17, Matt Bradshaw ‘17, Nathan Catalanotti ‘17, Ethan King ‘17, Luke Martin ‘17, and Brandon Fox. The group performed two numbers: “Blues for Alice” by Charlie Parker and “Cornbread” by Lee Morgan, the latter being arranged by band director Dave Umstead.

Musical theatre was also a popular choice of genre. Kristi Fox ‘17 sang the heart-wrenching solo “On My Own” from Les Miserables, and later joined Nicole Poitras ‘17 and Leah Stone ‘16 for a performance of “I See The Light” from Disney’s Tangled. Oliver Fetter ‘16, Takuma Okada ‘16, Nicola Chomiak ‘16, Maddie Kuchta ‘16 and Brandon Fox concluded the night with a choral rendition of “Gold” from the hit contemporary musical Once.

While performing is an important part of what Tri-M does, its members agree that the goal of the Society is so much more.

In order for a junior or senior to be considered for induction, they must be personally invited by Barbosa. There is a GPA requirement, and the student must be involved in the music program at school to some degree.

Barbosa added that on top of this, they look for those who are “going that extra step – so auditioning for All State; auditioning for Jazz All State; being in Honors Choir; being in Honors Jazz Band; being involved in the musical, whether it’s in the pit or the cast… we’re looking for that extra involvement and for the students who foster the idea that being a musician is an innately human thing.”

Tri-M is a community service organization at its heart, and also requires its members to complete six service hours per semester, three of which must be music-related.

“Volunteering is so important to all of us in Tri-M because it gives us the opportunity to give back to our community with the one thing that has shaped our lives for the better: music. To Tri-M members, introducing others to the sounds and melodies that have guided our lives gives us pride in what we do,” said Tri-M’s “fearless leader,” president Nick Sengstaken.

Whether the students of Tri-M are performing for a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving or jamming together in the choir room, they strive to brighten their surroundings with music – and have fun doing it.
“I love doing community service through music,” Kristi Fox said of being in Tri-M. “I think it’s underappreciated, but music is something that, although people have very different tastes, every person likes and relates to. I also love the people in Tri-M; they’re talented, dedicated, motivated, and fun!”