Lincoln School musicians and singers draw large crowd for winter concert

A winter concert at Lincoln School struck all the right notes Tuesday morning as students under the direction of noted musicians performed before an enthusiastic audience of families, staff and community members.

Principal Rebecca Jones welcomed the large crowd and spoke passionately about the vision behind Lincoln’s expansive music offerings.
“I am the proud principal here at Lincoln School, and I cannot be any more proud than I am today,” Ms. Jones told the hundreds in attendance.

The program opened with the Concordia Conservatory’s Lincoln School Strings Program, performed under the direction of violinists Hubert Chen and Emanouil Manolov, and cellist Jonathan Kim. 

A total of 47 student musicians — including 34 violinists and 13 cellists — demonstrated both technical skill and a growing confidence that reflected the depth of the program.

Following the strings performance, students took part in a recorder ensemble, featuring three fourth-graders, five fifth-graders and six sixth-graders, under the guidance of Sean Harper, Lincoln’s music teacher. 

The concert concluded with Lincoln’s school chorus, comprising about 80 students in grades three through six, who performed a selection of holiday songs that filled the auditorium with seasonal cheer.

Ms. Jones praised Mr. Harper for reigniting enthusiasm across the school’s music program, from instrumental instruction to choral singing.

“What I wanted was something meaningful and sustainable, not just for one year or two years or three years, but a program that would allow our students to grow as true musicians from fourth grade through eighth grade,” she said about her decision to introduce the program three years ago.

Ms. Jones credited Kathleen Suss, executive director of the Concordia Conservatory in Bronxville, with helping turn that vision into reality, connecting Lincoln students with world-class teaching artists.

“These are master musicians,” Ms. Jones said of the instructors. “They’ve played in America and around the world, they play at Juilliard, and they come to our students once a week. We are so excited to see the growth our students have made over the past three years.”

The event highlighted not only student talent, but also the impact of Lincoln School’s partnership with the Conservatory, a nonprofit music education center that serves Westchester and Fairfield counties.

 Known for making music accessible to students of all backgrounds, it offers a wide array of programs and has expanded community-based initiatives following its transition to independence after the closure of Concordia College.

Ms. Jones also shared that Lincoln’s students will perform at Carnegie Hall later this year, drawing enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience.