On December 23, 2018, AYLUS East Cobb Branch finished the year on a high note by performing three and half hours at three senior centers in East Cobb- Sunrise, the Phoenix at Johnson Ferry, and Arbor Terrace. Our group dressed up and played a selection of many classical and contemporary Christmas tunes. Even though there were less people in the audience than usual, as many seniors had returned to their families for the holidays, this made the performance even more important in lifting their spirits.
At Sunrise, not many people were around, however our music attracted a few people in last minutes, the senior citizens asked the staff to bring them into the place. The staff were excited that we were performing and helped get more people to come enjoy the music.
At the Phoenix, we saw our old friend, Ms. Cully, who is 101 years old now. We were excited to meet her and greeted her warmly. She stood up and expressed her love for our music and gave her best wishes towards us. The other seniors also expressed their gratitude when All I Want for Christmas is You was played as they clapped along. At the Phoenix, we also gave out small holiday trinkets for the holiday cheer.
At Arbor Terrace, the seniors had been waiting for us before we had started and were very excited at our arrival. Even though were not ready to play, they were considerate and allowed us time to set up. Again clapped along with All I Want for Christmas is You, and as we played, more and more seniors came in to listen. After the performance, many seniors came to talk to the performers. They expressed their gratitude for the branch to play music for them and hoped we would come again next time with this many musicians and bright music.
The performances included Christmas songs such as We Wish You A Merry Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Let it Snow, and All I Want for Christmas is You. The latter, which was played by Howard on the Flute, was crucial in uplifting the Seniors’ spirits, as many AYLUS members and seniors joined in singing and dancing along to the cheerful and upbeat music. Other gems included beautiful and moving piano pieces by Jack and Maxwell, and energetic and harmonious string quartet and trio featuring Asad, Michael, Raymond, Larry, Susanna, Nick, and Jack. There was also a large-group String Octet with Rachel, Susanna, Emily, Selina, Matthew, David, Faith, and Melanie. We also concluded every Performance with Group Chorus featuring everyone singing Christmas classics We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Silent Night, accompanied on the piano by Brian. The seniors greatly enjoyed our performances, and we hope to be able to serenade them into the next year.
Attendances: Howard Hua(3.5 hours), Susanna Huang (3.5 hours), Emily Sun(3.5 hours), Selina Huang(3.5 hours), Matthew Zhu(3.5 hours), David Kan(3.5 hours), Faith Huang(3.5 hours), Melanie Zhang(3.5 hours), Asad Yamin(3.5 hours), Raymond Jiang(3.5 hours), Maxwell Jiang(3.5 hours), Nicholas Vincent(3.5 hours), Jack Xu(3.5 hours), Brian Kuang(3.5 hours), Stanley Lu(3.5 hours), Larry Cai(3.5 hours), Eileen Zhang(3.5 hours), Michael Fu(2 hours)
Reported by: Jack Xu
Edited by: Maxwell Jiang
