Last week, Harker received a visit from the Emerald Brass Quintet. Formed in 2006 at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y., this group of performers and educators has given master classes at universities across the country and has performed overseas in countries including Thailand and Germany.
Their first stop at Harker was music teacher Dave Hart’s classroom, where the quintet – in which Hart’s wife, Leslie, plays French horn – accompanied students in their renditions of “Amazing Grace” and “Can Can,” while offering advice on how to improve their performance techniques. At lunchtime, the quintet performed for middle school students and faculty.
Later, the musicians visited to the upper school, where they performed a series of works and took questions from students. Two grade 12 brass players, Jack Farnham and Melinda Wisdom, had the pleasure of performing pieces for the quintet, who offered the students advice on preparing for college auditions.
Last week, the middle school’s performing arts department held its annual fall plays, treating audiences to staged versions of two classic tales by Washington Irving, “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
Middle school theater teacher Katie Champlin directed both plays, each of which featured multiple roles for narrators and storytellers, moving the plots at a brisk pace without losing the dramatic effect. The sixth graders’ version of “Rip Van Winkle” contained many of Irving’s original words, and students used percussion instruments to create sound effects reminiscent of the Catskill Mountains, where the story takes place.
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” a grades 7-8 production, was a comedy-infused retelling of the frightful tale of Ichabod Crane’s encounter with the terrifying Headless Horseman. For the finale, several students played the part of Sleepy Hollow’s whirling trees during the Headless Horseman’s legendary ride.
Last week, the middle school’s performing arts department held its annual fall plays, treating audiences to staged versions of two classic tales by Washington Irving, “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
Middle school theater teacher Katie Champlin directed both plays, each of which featured multiple roles for narrators and storytellers, moving the plots at a brisk pace without losing the dramatic effect. The sixth graders’ version of “Rip Van Winkle” contained many of Irving’s original words, and students used percussion instruments to create sound effects reminiscent of the Catskill Mountains, where the story takes place.
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” a grades 7-8 production, was a comedy-infused retelling of the frightful tale of Ichabod Crane’s encounter with the terrifying Headless Horseman. For the finale, several students played the part of Sleepy Hollow’s whirling trees during the Headless Horseman’s legendary ride.
Last week, the middle school’s performing arts department held its annual fall plays, treating audiences to staged versions of two classic tales by Washington Irving, “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
Middle school theater teacher Katie Champlin directed both plays, each of which featured multiple roles for narrators and storytellers, moving the plots at a brisk pace without losing the dramatic effect. The sixth graders’ version of “Rip Van Winkle” contained many of Irving’s original words, and students used percussion instruments to create sound effects reminiscent of the Catskill Mountains, where the story takes place.
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” a grades 7-8 production, was a comedy-infused retelling of the frightful tale of Ichabod Crane’s encounter with the terrifying Headless Horseman. For the finale, several students played the part of Sleepy Hollow’s whirling trees during the Headless Horseman’s legendary ride.
Last week, veteran stage actor David Bryant visited the upper school campus to deliver a master class to Harker students and offer them advice on how to get their careers in motion. Bryant, who has been acting professionally since 1980, gave the master class on Tuesday in which students sang and recited songs and selections from plays. Bryant then provided feedback on their performances.
Senior Mia Giammona, who sang the Spanish art song “El tra la la y el punteado,” said that Bryant’s guidance “helped to further my interpretation of the piece, which is very important considering that it’s not in English. Making sure the audience understands the meaning of the song is the most important part.”
On Thursday, Bryant held a workshop to advise students on how to launch their careers. For continued performing arts studies, he recommended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Northwestern University and Syracuse University. He also discussed the process of getting an agent and advised students to develop a multifaceted skill set to become eligible for more roles. “Learning never stops,” he said. “That’s what we do as artists and performers.”
This year’s upper school fall play, “Around the World in 80 Days,” took audiences on a fun, globe-hopping adventure that made use of some very creative casting, acting and set design. Staged “in the round” – with the action at the center of the theater, seating the audience on four sides – the play retold Jules Verne’s classic tale of Phileas Fogg, the British explorer who wagers he can circumnavigate the known world in no more than 80 days.
In keeping with the Harker Conservatory’s mission to offer its students an expansive range of challenges and growth opportunities, each cast member played at least two roles, which required actors to portray multiple characters with varying personalities and dialects.
The circular stage, designed by Paul Vallerga, symbolized the play’s theme of global travel and featured a rotating sub-section that was manipulated by pulling on ropes placed on the stage.
Classical guitarist Wilson Zhang, grade 8, performed at New York City’s Carnegie Hall in July as a winner in the American Protégé competition. Each year, American Protégé evaluates video submissions from young musicians around the world and rewards the best submissions with the opportunity to perform at one of the world’s most prestigious concert venues.
Zhang currently performs with the middle school jazz band, which is a shift from his normal activities as a classical guitarist. “Playing classical guitar…is very different stylistically to what he is playing currently in jazz band,” said Dave Hart, middle school music teacher. “Wilson is doing a great job learning this new music style! He is a fantastic musician and is a pleasure to work with each week. We are all thrilled to have him in the program!”
Between the videos, social media posts and updates from the administration, the construction progress of the new athletic and performing arts centers is clear. Harder to show is the sense that the campus is coming of age with these buildings.
From a modified café to a full-fledged theater for the hundreds of potential thespians throughout Harker, from rented theaters to home ground, with practice and dressing rooms, for hundreds of talented musicians, singers and dancers, the performing arts center looms large in imaginations.
“The students are beyond excited to work in classrooms and an actual theater in the new performing arts center,” said Laura Lang-Ree, director of performing arts. “While I think everybody realizes we do not have a theater, I think certain families realize just how difficult our job and the student learning is in our tiny, unpolished classrooms.
“We’ve never had a scene shop or a fly space, both of which will change both the audience experience and student learning,” Lang-Ree continued. “Our technical theater students will have a place to practice their craft and learn design elements as they will have a scene shop and light and sound booth on campus. Productions will look very different as we will be able to fly in set pieces (which is the norm) vs. building smaller sets and dragging them onstage!
“Having daily spaces with state-of-the-art sound and acoustical treatments that are triple and quadruple the sizes of some of our current classrooms will literally change the everyday learning experience for the thousands of students that will enjoy them in coming years.”
Our athletes also will have a home ground with the kind of essentials that allow them to focus on their performance instead of juggling rides and bags. The visions of a golden gym floor, of clean-tiled locker rooms, of training facilities that bring out the very best in our hard-working athletes are in the mind’s eye of Harker’s athletes and athletic staff.
“The athletes are absolutely thrilled about having a gym on this campus,” said Dan Molin, upper school athletic director. “One of them said, ‘It will truly feel like a home game.’ The new athletic center will generate more school spirit, more excitement and, frankly, more students will be interested in participating in sports. Students will walk by the gym, hear whistles and cheering, and come inside and join the excitement. This will positively change our sport culture and community, forever.”
The new centers, integrated as they are with Dobbins and Nichols halls, will bring a new maturity to the upper school campus.
“The athletic center completes the athletic complex, Molin said. “Looking at it visually, we’ll have the field, pool and gym all next to each other promoting a sense of unity between all sports and making a statement that we care about athletics as a part of the whole student.”
“I think the completion of both the performing arts center and gym will give our campus the feeling of completion and of being on par with other amazing high schools in the area,” said Lang-Ree. “We will have arrived!”
Now, with foundations set and walls rising, the dream is clearer than ever and the excitement is rising with the walls!
Beginning in June 2016 Harker launched two new state-of-the art building projects on the upper school campus, the result of a $45M capital campaign. The 33,000 square-foot athletic center, opening August 2017, features a 12,000 sq.-ft. gym, athletic training room with advanced hydrotherapy unit, and spacious team rooms. The Rothschild Performing Arts Center, opening spring of 2018, features a 450-seat theater with fly loft and hydraulic orchestra pit, a state of the art scene shop, vocal, instrumental, theater/musical theater classrooms and dressing rooms. For more information visit the news and video links below or contact communications@harker.org
The Gail Palmer-directed lower school dance show, held May 27-28, was an uplifting tribute to Broadway’s “Magical Musicals.” Dances were set to famous songs from musicals and films including “The Lion King,” “School of Rock,” “Matilda” and “The Wiz,” all chosen for their positive messages and casts that feature children. The dancers from grades 1-5 – with choreography by Palmer, Kimberly Teodoro, Jessalyn Espiritu, Brittany Watts, Brianna Alday, Alexandra Venter, Rachelle Haun and Amira Townzen – dazzled the crowds with their finesse and hard work. Here are a few photos and many more are available via the Harker Parent Portal!
Middle school performers celebrated the work of Dr. Seuss during the production of “Seussical,” this year’s middle school spring musical, directed by Monica Colletti. The production stitched together characters and themes from Seuss’ most famous stories, including “Horton Hears a Who!” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Lorax.” The plot from “Horton,” in which an elephant tries to save the tiny people of Who-ville, made up most of the story, while themes from Seuss’ other works found their way into the songs.
In addition to the sturdy work of the performers, set designer Paul Vallerga, costume designer Caela Fujii, lighting designer Spencer Doughtie and a host of others worked together to bring the world of Dr. Seuss to life, with crowd-pleasing results!