Young theater enthusiasts returned to upper school campus this summer for another run of Summer @ The Conservatory, during which students in a variety of grade and experience levels learned the fundamentals and finer points of performing for stage and screen.
The first session was a three-day course on screen acting, in which attendees underwent training in various film acting techniques and principles. “Students spent the first two days learning the art of how to act on camera and how it’s different from acting in on stage,” said performing arts chair and Summer @ the Conservatory artistic director Laura Lang-Ree. “They are on camera from day one, learning the nuances of being a film actor in real time.”
Students also did screen tests and created a short film on day three of the workshop. “They have a whole full shoot day on the third day, where they are filmed on-set,” said Lang-Ree.
In July, Summer @ The Conservatory featured a three-week session that included Conservatory Presents for grades 5-9 and Conservatory Intensive for grades 9-12. Students from each group auditioned for roles in productions of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “In the Village of the Brothers Grimm” and “Star-Cross Lovers,” which were all performed on the final day of the program.
The plays performed by the students were chosen by directors, who looked for works that would be both fun and appropriately challenging. “We love to pick things that will excite our students and challenge them in their acting world,” said Ellie Lang-Ree ’19, who directed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the Conservatory Presents program. Directors also teach theater classes in the mornings and offer support to students in their learning. Students also dove into the study of musical theater, including dances from musicals such as “Hamilton.” “They got a taste of a bunch of different musical theater styles,” said Brandi Reinhard, a director who graduated from Chapman University with a BFA in theater performance.
The Conservatory Intensive program was open by audition only to students entering grades 9-12 who wished to deepen their knowledge of theater and expand their acting skills into new territory. This year’s students explored concepts including comedia – a style of three-act play from the Spanish Golden Age that incorporated comedic elements – and abstract forms of theater. “This particular group is really close,” said Laura Lang-Ree, “and they get into skills that are appropriate for their age level. Summer @ the Conservatory grows with our students and our performers love to return year after year, growing as theater artists.”
The program also received visits from industry professionals, who delivered special workshops. Improv performer Justin Smith, who has worked with the Upright Citizens Brigade and Second City, returned to deliver another improv workshop, and actor Fred Cross, whose credits include “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “The Office,” gave a workshop on film acting.
Live music is returning to Harker, as the 2021-22 season of the Harker Concert Series kicks off Nov. 5 with an appearance by Grammy-award winning drummer Jared Schonig, who has recorded and performed with instrumentalists including Nicholas Payton, Lonnie Smith, Donny McCaslin, Miho Hazama and Ernie Watts, as well as vocalists including Broadway legend Kristen Chenoweth, Emmy and Tony award winner Cynthia Erivo and Welsh singer-songwriter Donna Lewis. He has also released five albums as co-leader of The Wee Trio, garnering praise from respected publications such as Downbeat and All About Jazz.
The Emerald Brass Quintet, made up of graduates of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., will perform Feb. 4. Since forming in 2006, EBQ has performed with highly respected ensembles including Canadian Brass and the Eastman Wind Ensemble. They also have been featured guests at the Gualala Arts Center Concert Series and have appeared on WXXI 91.5’s “Backstage Pass,” as well as the 2009 Brass in Frankenwald festival in Hof, Germany. Their first album, “Danzón,” was released in November 2020. Individually, EBQ members have performed at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room and with orchestras all over the country.
The final act of the season will be the Daedalus Quartet, which has been collecting accolades around the world for 20 years. Winners of the 2001 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Daedalus Quartet have performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Vienna’s Musikverein, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and many more prestigious venues throughout the world. The New Yorker called them “a fresh and vital young participant in what is a golden age of American string quartets,” and The New York Times has praised their interpretations of Haydn, Beethoven, Berg and Dutilleux.
Admission to each Harker Concert Series event will be $25, and concerts will be held at the Rothschild Performing Arts Center at the upper school campus. A 6 p.m. reception with hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be held before every concert, which will start at 7 p.m. in the Patil Theater.
For the safety of Harker’s guests, ticket sales and seating will be adjusted to comply with any event capacity and/or social distancing protocols in place at the time of ticket sales. Receptions at each event will be held outdoors. Face coverings are expected to be required while attendees are indoors. Attendees will be informed of any updates to face covering requirements.
Last weekend, senior Erica Cai gave a presentation about colorism in Japan at an event held by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE). During the spring 2021 semester, Cai became an honoree of the 2021 Reischauer Scholars Program along with fellow seniors Kailash Ranganathan and Daniel Wu. The Reischauer Scholars Program selects 25 to 30 high school students each year to embark on an intensive study of a topic related to Japan. The program was named in honor Edwin O. Reischauer, a former ambassador to Japan.
Gymnasts Anna Lee (pictured, second from left), a rising sophomore, and Bella Chen (third from left), a rising freshman, competed as members of the Diana’s Rhythmics team at the 2021 USA Gymnastics Championships in St. Louis. The team took third place in the ribbons and all-around events. Their performance was impressive in light of the limited in-person practices and competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rhythmic gymnastics incorporates the use of objects such as ribbons, balls and hoops and has been an Olympic event since 1984.
Last week, Opportunity X, a nonprofit co-founded by Harker alumni, was awarded the $2,500 STEM Action Grant from the Society for Science, which organizes prestigious competitions such as the Regeneron Science Talent Search and Broadcom MASTERS.
“At Opportunity X, our mission is to bring cost-free science research opportunities to underrepresented and low-resource middle school students across the country via school enrichment programs, summer camps and science fairs,” said rising senior Alice Feng, a co-president of Opportunity X. The funds will be used to help further their efforts in bringing STEM education to underserved communities. The organization is currently staffed by 18 Harker student volunteers and seven Harker alumni as well as students from high schools around the Bay Area.
Opportunity X was founded in 2016 by Cynthia Chen ’20 and Adishree Ghatare, then a student at Saint Francis High School. Since then, the organization has held after-school programs at many area schools, including KIPP Heartwood Middle School, Morrill Middle School and River Glen School. Earlier this year, two programs were held at middle schools in Virginia. To date, the organization has held more than 850 research workshops in 18 schools. They now have branches in seven states, including Texas, Florida, Virginia and Alabama.
In 2019, Opportunity X held its first Science Fair at the Alum Rock Branch Library in San Jose, where students showcased their projects and received trophies for their work. Another Science Fair was held virtually in May of this year and included speakers from NASA, Google and Stanford University.
The STEM Action Grant program provides support to community nonprofit organizations that promotes STEM education to underrepresented communities. This year, Society for Science provided $165,000 in grants to 38 organizations across the country.
Rising junior Sarah Fathima Mohammed today was named one of five National Student Poets of 2021. The National Student Poets Program, which is run by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, selects five young poets each year from different regions of the country as National Student Poets. The program was started in 2012 by Michelle Obama and the Presidential Arts Committee and is open to students in grades 10 and 11 who have received a gold or silver medal in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. After being selected, National Student Poets spend the next year promoting poetry in their communities through works such as service projects, poetry readings and workshops as well as attending a variety of events.
In late June, grade 3 students kicked off their Lemonade for Livy fundraiser to benefit the Epilepsy Foundation. The program is named for Olivia “Livy” Scheinman, who has been living with epilepsy since birth. During morning recess on July 28, the students will run lemonade stands to raise more funds. To promote the activity, students placed posters around the lower school campus containing a QR code for more information about the fundraising effort. Students also prepared by reading Jacqueline Davies’ “The Lemonade War,” in which two young entrepreneurs learn the key elements of the lemonade business. To learn more about living with epilepsy, students also spoke remotely with Maile Chung ’17, who was diagnosed with epilepsy during her freshman year at Harker. Students showed their gratitude for Chung’s insight by writing thank you messages to her following her appearance.
The 2020-21 school year changed the way Harker was able to put on performances. With no way to host a full audience, our performing arts department had to think outside the box in order to perform for the community.
The upper school’s production of “Les Misérables” took on a whole new character as a feature-length film. Students spent weeks recording their lines at home before those audio files were meticulously spliced and arranged into a beautiful execution of the story. Once the audio was completed, the cast and crew arrived to film in the theater with a range of three to four cameras rolling at all times. In the days before COVID-19, the theater seats would have been packed with parents and students alike, but instead they sat empty as the actors went through take after take. Hundreds of hours of footage were sent off to be compiled into a feature length film, blurring the lines between play and movie.
Our annual Dance Show was made possible only through weeks of Zoom practice as students successfully choreographed via video chat. Within 90-minute time slots, each group was able to pull off amazing routines having only practiced in person on the day of filming. The Senior Directed Showcase officially signaled a return to “normal” with a 25 percent capacity audience and livestream, giving our students a final opportunity to perform at Harker. In all, the community came together to laugh, cry and watch some truly impressive performances that otherwise might not have happened in such a tumultuous year.
Enjoy a look at some of the best performing arts photos from this past year.
Last weekend, Harker football players participated in a seven-on-seven passing tournament with six other area high schools. Harker took second place overall, narrowly falling to host team Harbor High after a pass for a two-point conversion that would have sealed the game was batted away, leaving the final score at 12-13.
In passing leagues, explained Harker head football coach Loren Powers, teams focus on scoring with (and defending against) passing plays. Before the playoff tournament, Harker played four pre-seeding games.
“We were so proud of our football players today!” said assistant coach Juston Glass, who also directs Harker’s business and entrepreneurial programs. “Went into this tournament with just a few scrimmages under our belt and a half-summer of pretty intense and well-executed training and practice.”
The team celebrated its strong performance with a meetup at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz.
After over a year without sports, our Harker Eagles returned to the fields, courts, pools and tracks to compete in a historic season. Five varsity teams won CCS championships, four of which were firsts in school history. Varsity baseball performed an upset for the ages, coming back from a 14-5 deficit against Stevenson to win it all with an 11-run comeback. The varsity boys and girls golf teams swept the CCS tournament, each winning their first titles, while varsity girls tennis battled through a difficult season, first by upsetting Menlo’s 24-year league win streak, then by beating Menlo at home to win its first CCS championship. Last but not least, varsity boys volleyball won its second CCS title with a victory over Prospect High.
This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the incredible individual accomplishments by Harker athletes. With an impressive display of resilience and perseverance, track and field long jumper and rising junior Andrew Fu battled through a foot injury to win CCS with a jump of 21’ 8.25”. Varsity swimmer and recent graduate Matthew Chung won CCS in both the 100-meter butterfly and 200 IM. Varsity baseball pitcher and rising senior Mark Hu threw the first perfect game in school history, tying the CCS record of 18 strikeouts.
Take a scroll through this selection of the past year’s best athletics photos.
