Snapping, clapping and sweet melodies filled Cochran Chapel as Azure started off the Unaccompanied Minors Concert this past Sunday. Guest performances and fresh passion distinguished the concert as especially enthusiastic. The group of girls with matching black shirts and smiling faces brought a positive vibe to the stage. Azure performed various songs including “Fireworks” by Katy Perry and “Forget You” by Cee Lo Green, which concluded their portion of the show. Azure performed “Fireworks” with a slower pace than the original, incorporating the group’s laid-back groove and ease. After Azure’s harmonious opening, Unaccompanied Minors, Andover’s student-conducted orchestra, took the stage. UM performed three pieces altogether, each of which was a medley of many songs. The orchestra started with a mash up of “Remember The Name” and “Run This Town.” Two guest singers, Khalil Flemming ‘12 and Jeb Roberts ’11, compellingly rapped the lyrics to the first part of the piece. As “Remember The Name” morphed into the second song, “Run This Town,” the rappers handed the microphone to Mandi Thran ’11 for her solo. Towards the end of the song, the chapel filled up with typical Andover cheer, proving the performance to be a crowd pleaser. UM’s second piece, a Ke$ha Medley uniquely combined Ke$ha’s popular songs, “Tik Tok” and “Your Love Is My Drug.” This use of classic instruments like violins, flutes and trumpets in a pop mix presented a new side of music that excited the audience. The violinists successfully imitated the electronic sounds that start off the song and distinguish Ke$ha’s style. The percussion section also helped keep the beat of the song steady, driving the medley forward from section to section. The orchestra concluded the concert with a Led Zeppelin medley. Jeannine Anderson ’11, one of the conductors for UM, explained that each term, orchestra members nominate and vote on song choices. After the voting procedures, the orchestra starts working on the chosen pieces. “Personally, my favorite piece to play was the Ke$ha Medley. For this song, many people contributed to arranging,” said Alexandra Donovan ’13, a violinist in the orchestra. Overall, the concert received many good reviews. “I liked the Ke$ha Medley a lot because it is very cool how [the orchestra] can take modern music and play it with classical instruments and make it sound really amazing,” said Andrea Vargas ‘13. “My favorite song out of the whole thing was ‘Remember the Name’ because hearing Khalil and Jeb rapping was really cool and the percussions for that song were just insane,” said Nalyn Yim ’13. As the winter term comes to an end, this unique and exciting Unaccompanied Minors Concert put both performers and audience members in a good mood.
