Branson’s Winter Arts Festival on Dec. 12 showcased a semester’s worth of vibrant creative work from Music I, Music II, Chamber Music, acting classes, the Branson Singers and exhibitions from student art and digital music classes. 

Music Teacher Jaimeo Brown explains how the mix of food, music, theater and visual arts brings a unique experience for the Branson Community.

“Food brings people together, music brings people together. It’s the whole community engaging with the arts that makes the Winter Arts Festival a special shared experience,” Brown said.

Many Music I and Music II students performed publicly for the first time, making the festival a major milestone in their artistic journeys.

“I got placed into Music I after the audition, and I ended up really liking it,” Darien Gold ’29 said.

For some students, the festival offered a chance to explore a new musical style outside of what they had previously studied.

“I chose Music I because it focuses on Roots of Americana and rock music,” Georgia Pincus ’29 said.

For the visual arts students, the Winter Arts Festival gives them the opportunity to share their work with the community. Visual Artist James Goodrich ’26 displayed a blend of creative and technical design in the New House Art Gallery. 

“My piece explores the tension between being creative, problem-solving and engineering,” said Goodrich ’26.

For their annual holiday play, theater students performed A Christmas Carol.  “The theater performance is special because it’s a yearly tradition where the junior acting class does a Christmas play,” Henry Raz ’27 said.

Wrapping up the night of wonders, the digital music classes also presented their pieces in New House. “Creating music gives my body such an euphoric rush and visceral meaning. Music is my mantle, grounding me down to the fruits of life. It’s what’s keeping me going, and to share it with the Branson community truly is my pride and joy,” Drew Kalafatas ’27 said. 

By bringing together musicians, actors, and visual artists, Brown believes the Winter Arts Festival creates a shared moment of celebration and connection across the whole Branson community.

“The things we repeat become part of our culture and identity,” Brown said.