A celebration and a farewell at the Middle School Band and Strings Concert

Head of School Rachel Rodriguez joined Head of the Middle School Pete Di Pace and Performing Arts Department Chair Cecilia Gonzalez on the stage at the conclusion of the night to share flowers and gratitude. “What you do in the classroom ... is magical.,” Rodriguez said. “You don’t only teach them how to play; you teach them to love music. You teach them perseverance; you teach them resilience; you teach them time management; and those are skills that will last a lifetime.”

Simone Carrasco '27 spoke for a group of upper school musicians who stopped by to show their appreciation: "Thank you, Ms. Leibinger, for everything you've done for this school, this community – and your impact on all of these kids as well as on your past students. Your impact has been immeasurable."

The concert offered a vibrant journey through American music, with students stepping up to the microphone to provide educational background on several of the pieces. Interactive concerts have been a hallmark of events involving Leibinger during her tenure at Ransom Everglades. The audience enjoyed a diverse program including "Mickey Mouse March," the soulful "Wade in the Water," the rhythmic "Rock Around the Clock" and the "God Bless America." 

The concert also served as a milestone for eighth-grade musicians, marking their final performance at Swenson Hall. Leibinger and Strings Music Director Scott O’Donnell recognized the following members of the Class of 2030:

 

Felicia Bland ’30, Zarah Broome-Webster ’30, Ivy Chen ’30, Erin Cunningham ’30, Celine Dubose ’30, Leo Font ’30, Alejandro Gonzalez ’30, Joaquin Gonzalez ’30, Rohan Harihara ’30, George Karavetsos II ’30, Noah Lopes ’30, Mason Pearce ’30, Jake Reinhard ’30, Adam Rizvi ’30, Yifan Shen ’30, Ethan Siesel ’30 and Alyssa Wang ’30.

Though Leibinger is departing after this school year, she wanted to make clear that she wouldn't be far away. 

"If you need me, I'll be around," she said. "Please keep in touch, and thank you so much for all of your support. "

Clarinet

Kagan Harrigan ’32

Gianmarco Meyeringh ’32

Andrew Pomerniec ’32

Angelo Theodore ’32

Felix Tzur ’32

Alto sax

Milan Khurana ’32

Maxwell Scheiner ’32

Liam Weissman ’32

Tenor sax

Pedro Menusso ’32

Bari sax

Arthur Menusso ’32

Trumpet

James Orozco ’32

Horn

Alejandro Awad ’32

Lia Kamar ’32

Trombone

Daniel Cavalcanti de

Albuquerque Rocha ’32

Euphonium

Jacob Grant ’32

Gabriel Hoare ’32

Tuba

Jahden Edwards ’32

Grant Webb-Harris ’31

Bass

Nikola Gonzalez ’32

Percussion

Julian Hill ’32

Ethan Williams ’32

 

Flute

Spencer Bustos Roessler ’31

Shivam Gupta ’31

Clarinet

Jack Milota ’31

Devin Sadarangani ’31

Alto sax

Alex Goldstein ’32

Michael Mendelblatt ’31

Tenor sax

Leigha McLean ’31

Bari sax

Zander Keshavarzi ’32

Trumpet

Christian Hadjilogiou ’31

Ryan Kantesaria ’31

Kekoah McDonald ’31

Oliver Tache ’31

Horn

Nitin Seshadri ’31

Euphonium

Alessio Mack ’31

Tuba

Ethan van der Ven ’31

Percussion

Ryan Stock ’31

 

Clarinet

Yifan Shen ’30

Tenor sax

Leo Font ’30

Trumpet

Joaquin Gonzalez ’30

Rohan Harihara ’30

Trombone/euphonium

Zarah Broome-Webster ’30

Alejandro Gonzalez ’30

Percussion

Vicente Velez ’32

 

Cathi Leibinger, Band Director