In the heart of Middletown, Orange County, New York, the “New Midtown Department Store” held a spectacular Christmas candlelight music concert in collaboration with the historic local “United Presbyterian Church of Middletown” on Saturday night. This marked the third time the department store has organized a concert for the community, receiving a warm welcome and praise from the church and local residents.
At the concert, students from the Northern Academy presented classical Christmas music, Western and Chinese classical music, as well as vocal performances to an audience of over a hundred.
Phil Zou, spokesperson for the New Midtown Department Store, mentioned that this was their third event following two concerts held around Independence Day last year, but it was their first time hosting a concert outside the store.
“Our candlelight music concerts have always been popular, and many audience members look forward to our events,” he said. “Our main purpose in coming here is for the community; we want to organize more activities for the city of Middletown and there is no better event than a spectacular Christmas program in a church… We hope to spread goodwill and inspire.”
Pastor Lynn Costa of the Presbyterian Church expressed her gratitude for the collaboration with New Midtown.
“I believe community collaboration is very, very important; this is the true essence of a united church because we are the community, and the community is us. We share, understand each other, and learn together,” she said. “Sharing the holiday spirit means sharing love, peace, and happiness… I bless the people of Middletown to find the peace we all need, not just during this season but every day of the year.”
Singing two songs, “Black Fog” and “Cannot Hide,” baritone Kevin Zhang conveyed the message of perseverance in faith during dark times and chaos.
“The meaning of ‘Cannot Hide’ is that truth cannot be concealed,” he said. “They know to believe in God, they try to be kind to others, and treat others well, and I think that is how we as humans should be.”
Another performer, a female student named Miaochi, played a pipa solo piece titled “Spring in the Desert,” which she created herself. “This piece (‘Spring in the Desert’) is about having the strength of faith when you are in a barren place so that you can have the power to move forward,” she explained.
The audience at the event was fully engaged and highly praised the concert. Attendee Babak Baniasadi expressed the need for such places in the world. “The world can sometimes become very chaotic and difficult, and we need places like this. We need music like this to calm us, to humble us, and to give us space to find ourselves,” he shared.
A community resident named Matthew and his wife attended the concert together, marking their third time participating in an event organized by the New Midtown Department Store.
“Today’s performance was fantastic! Everything, including the musicians present, was amazing! They brought such rich music to us,” Matthew remarked. “It exceeded our expectations – we’ve attended three times now, and each time has been more wonderful than the last. We can’t wait to participate again; it means a lot to the community.”
Resident Laura also praised the young artists for their talents. “Amazing! All the performers were outstanding! They are so talented, they leave me in awe!” she exclaimed. “The performance was truly brilliant, the young solo singer was fantastic, his voice was so beautiful!”