Last Friday, Emily Wu ’25, Ellie Sun ’25, and Brandon Fu ’25 performed at the Senior Soloist Concert hosted in the newly-opened John Barry Hall at Falls Music Center. Wu performed various vocal tunes: “Skylark,” a jazz standard; “Little Blue,” a pop song; and “Stone or Lavender,” an R&B and Soul song. Sun performed Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, a violin concerto. Finally, Fu performed Carl Maria Von Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2. This concert celebrated each soloists’ work following the senior soloist competition earlier this school year on September 25.
Wu, versatile in a wide array of instruments and music genres, was satisfied with her performance, highlighting how this opportunity enabled her to show others her talent. She explained that despite her love for it, not many people have heard her singing, especially solo. Wu used this opportunity to show a new side of herself.
“The concert went really well — I had a lot of fun. For a lot of people, it was the first time they’ve heard me sing or heard me sing in a solo context, so I’m really glad that they got to watch me. I did feel a little underprepared because of the time restraint. But otherwise, I think the feedback was great and everyone had a lot of fun. It was great,” said Wu.
A violinist in the Academy Symphony and Chamber Orchestra and a percussionist in drumline, Sun highlights the strong relationships she has built at Andover through the music department. Sun first learned her repertoire in ninth grade after hearing her sister play the piece before her. In her senior year, she reviewed the piece and prepared it for the concert.
“My sister also plays the violin, and I feel like the violin is a shared thing we both have. It feels very normal in our family to be both playing violin. When she plays a piece, it gets stuck in my head. A lot of the times I’m singing pieces that I never played. So for Lalo, it’s a piece that I heard her playing. And I thought that it was a really cool piece; that made me want to play it,” said Sun.
Fu, who has played clarinet since fourth grade, is heavily involved in many of Andover’s bands, playing as principal clarinetist in the Academy Symphony Orchestra and wind ensemble. He also participates in many contemporary music ensembles on campus, such as The Repercussions and Goose&Moose, where he plays at various events and shows on campus alongside Wu who plays electric guitar and bass. These events range from small informal performances to larger events, such as an annual show in Susie’s.
“We held a huge show in Susie’s and basically just packed the house [with] bops. Everyone had a blast, we played for three hours straight over the course of two days. I think we had around 60 different songs. We were wearing pajamas with a coordinated outfit. We were chucking gummy worms into the [crowd] and pool noodles and stuff like that. It was really just my biggest accomplishment, something that represented to me that music can really connect people even if you know they have nothing to do with the music department,” said Fu.
For audience members, seeing their friends perform on stage was an experience of pride and awe. Ethan Liu ’26, a close friend and ensemble-mate to all three performers, reflected on their growth as musicians. He shared how watching them play was both inspiring and moving.
“I knew each of them starting in my Freshman year, and I would say that going to this concert was eye-opening to reflect on how far each of them have come. All three of them have been so nice to me, given so much inspiration, and taught me so much about how to be a musician and a person. Just going through performances with them, like practicing together before, all of these memories of my happiest moments at Andover have been with them. It’s just been really lovely to be on this journey with them, and seeing them finally perform at this concert, was a good reflecting moment for me,” said Liu.
