Somerville ushered in the Christmas season with its annual Holiday Jubilee downtown. The community-wide event was packed with people full of joy and excitement. Activities such as ornament-making, ugly sweater contests, and photos with Santa were a hit. The majority were eager to watch as the massive Christmas tree in the center of Division Street lit up the night and, of course, to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus.

From The School of Rock to Studio L Dance and Elite Dance Center many performances took place on Division Street before the tree lighting. Most notably, our very own Somerville High School Jazz Combo performed for the first time in front of a crowd. The combo consists of eight students ranging from freshmen to seniors and is mainly run by students with little to no assistance from Ville’s band director Sean Ferguson. To ring in the holiday season, they performed six familiar tunes at the Jubilee that got the crowd dancing and singing along. “Deck the Halls” was first with solos from freshman tenor saxophone player Evan Kunich and sophomore bassist Noah Harris. “Up On a Housetop” followed with solos from sophomore trumpet player Darwin Jimenez, senior guitarist Ben Hunkele, and a solo to close the tune from junior drummer Aaron Szumigala.

The combo slowed it down with “Silent Night” with solos from Evan Kunich, sophomore trombonist Kylie Barna, and senior pianist Dan Santos. Sophomore alto sax player Carlos Kalbach soloed on the crowd favorite, “Jingle Bells.” The performers closed their set with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” with solos from Evan and Darwin.

Overall, it was great to see our students give back to the community by showcasing their talents and passions.