Nearly three dozen seniors in the Harker Conservatory’s certificate program gave their final performances of the year and received their certificates at the 15th annual Senior Showcase, held May 13 at Foothill College’s Smithwick Theatre. Each graduate of the Conservatory had spent their four years at the upper school focusing on one of seven disciplines in the performing arts: dance, vocal music, musical theater, theater, instrumental music, instrumental composition or technical theater. Watch the video!
Graduating seniors honored at the event were:
Dance: Sharanya Balaji, Helena Dworak, Emily Pan, Ankita Sharma and Allison Wang.
Vocal music: Madhu Karra, Sahana Narayanan, Gurutam Thockchom and Helen Woodruff.
Musical theater: Rishabh Chandra, Mary Najibi, Rachel Renteria, Kaushik Sankar and Namitha Vellian.
Theater: Janet Lee, Naomi Molin, Melina Nakos and M.C. Smitherman.
Instrumental music: Victoria Ding, Andrew Kim, Kevin Min Hwan Kim, Jason Lee, Selin Ozcelik, Kristen Park, Nikhil Parmar, Elina Sendornaris, Daphne Yang and Jessica Zhu.
Instrumental composition: Jonathan Ta and Alice Wu.
Technical theater: Zarek Drozda, Aishu Murari, Chandler Nelson and Shilpa Repakula.
Heartiest congratulations to all the Conservatory Certificate Graduates of 2016!
Upper school vocal groups Bel Canto, Camerata, Guys’ Gig, Cantilena, Acoustics and Downbeat took the stage at the Nichols Hall auditorium on April 29 for the final upper school choral concert of the year.
Titled “¡Yo le Canto!” the concert featured several songs sung in Spanish, from composers including Juan Ponce, Josquin des Prez and Carlos Benavides. The performers’ repertoire also included a number of popular modern songs, including Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose” (performed by Downbeat, with accompaniment from senior Gurutam Thockchom on guitar and freshman Neil Ramasawamy on drums), Queen’s “You’re My Best Friend” (performed by Guys’ Gig) and the finale, a performance of Billy Joel’s “River of Dreams” by Downbeat and Bel Canto. What a great show to wrap up the choral performance year!
The lower school Spring Music Concert on May 5 brought parents and family members together to hear the results of many hours of practice by their children and siblings!
The show featured the talents of the Bucknall Choir (directed by Kellie Binney-Smart and Carena Montany), the Lower School Jazz Ensemble (directed by Louis Hoffman), the First Year String Group (directed by Natachia Li and Pierre Dazin), the Lower School Orchestra (directed by Hoffman), the Guitar Group (directed by Christopher Motter and Owen Stewart-Robertson), the Lower School String Ensemble (directed by Toni Woodruff) and the Preparatory String Ensemble (directed by Woodruff).
The students performed a wide variety of pieces, ranging from John Williams’ theme from “Star Wars” to selections from jazz greats Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane to traditional American folk tunes such as “Land of the Silver Birch” and “The Water is Wide.”
Last month, The Harker School Orchestra traveled to Sonoma State University to perform at the fourth annual Sonoma Invitational Wind Band & Orchestra Festival. They performed a selection of pieces from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” as well as the finale from Howard Hanson’s second symphony. Director Chris Florio reported that the performances were well-received by Sonoma State faculty.
Florio nearly missed the concert due to the birth of his son the previous day. Luckily, a family friend who is a pilot graciously flew him to a nearby airport so that he could conduct the performances.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Grade 5 Sets Sail at Performance of ‘Pirates! The Musical’
Adventure on the high seas was in store for audiences of this year’s grade 5 show, “Pirates! The Musical,” directed by Kellie Binney-Smart and performed Jan. 28-29. A cast of 132 took the stage for a series of sea shanties about their swashbuckling exploits. In addition to the fifth graders, several faculty members joined in on the fun, including Katie Molin, Shelby Guarino, Jared Ramsey, Gerry-Louise Robinson, Kate Shanahan and Kristin Giam- mona. Songs performed during the show included “A Pirate’s Life for Me,” “Stowaway,” “King of the High C’s” and “The Pirate King.”
Upper School Dance Show Joyfully Reminisces About the ’80s and ’90s
A huge cast of 140 dancers paid tribute to the songs and styles of the ’80s and ’90s at the 2016 upper school dance show, “Mixed Tape: Songs to Dance To,” held Jan. 29-30 at the Blackford Theater. Separated into two acts – one for each decade – the show featured a total of 21 routines, set to such hits as Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Wham!’s “Wake Me Up,” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”
Musicians Impress Audiences at Winter Concert
Middle and upper school student musicians performed this year’s Winter Concert at San Jose’s Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater Jan. 15-16, displaying their many talents in a variety of styles. The concert featured performances by the Grade 6 Jazz Band, Grade 6 orchestra, Grade 7-8 Jazz Band, the upper school’s Lab Band and The Harker School orchestra.
Four Middle School Instrumentalists Selected for All-State Bands
Four Harker middle school students were chosen to be members of statewide ensembles that performed in February at the California All-State Music Education Conference. French hornist Kai-Ming Ang, clarinetist Jenny Shaw and flutist Anika Tiwari, all grade 8, were selected for the California Band Directors Association’s All-State Junior High School Concert Band. Trumpeter Leland rossi, grade 7, was selected to play with the CBDA’s All-State Junior High School Jazz Band, making him the rst Harker student to play for an all-state jazz band. Together, these four students represent the largest group of Harker middle school students ever selected to play for all-state ensembles.
Middle School Dancers Earn High Honors at Competition
Harker dance students Karina Chen, grade 7, and Chloe Chen, grade 8, recently competed at the Hollywood Connection dance competition in Santa Clara, where they won a first place gold medal for lyrical dance in the 11-13 age group. Karina also earned the chance to receive a Hollywood makeover, while Chloe was put in the running for a special studio scholarship for a week of unlimited classes at the Millennium Dance Complex.
Both students are enrolled in Harker’s middle school dance program as members of the grades 7-8 girls dance group Showstoppers, and Karina was previously a member of Dance Fusion, the coed dance group for grades 4-6.
Congratulations to these two young talents!
Series of One-Act Plays Featured at Student Directed Showcase
The Harker Conservatory opened 2016 with its Student Directed Showcase, which took place at the Blackford Theater Jan. 8-9. one of the most rigorous courses in the performing arts program, the Student Directed Showcase puts four seniors each in charge of putting on a one-act play. In addition to directing the play, the students are tasked with handling every stage of its production, from casting to promotion to visual effects.
Grade 1 Students Gather to Celebrate the Holiday Season in Song
On Dec. 15, just days before the winter break, the grade 1 homeroom students of teachers Imelda Kusuma, Cindy Proctor, Larissa Weaver and Rita Stone gathered on the stage at the Bucknall Theater for the annual grade 1 holiday show, directed by Carena Montany. The students sang seasonal favorites, including “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” as well as newer songs, including “Spin a Little Dreidl” and “A Million Little Snow akes,” the song for which the show was named.
Grades 2 and 3 Spread Seasonal Cheer at Annual Holiday Show
Students in grades 2 and 3 celebrated the giving spirit of the holidays at the annual grades 2-3 holiday show, this year titled “The Spirit of the Season,” held Dec. 17 at the Bucknall Theater. Directed by lower school music teacher Carena Montany, the show featured students singing a variety of holiday-themed songs, including “Frosty the Snowman,” “Feliz Navidad” and “o Chanukah, o Chanukah.” Several numbers included special solo performances or instrumentation, such as the maraca and claves played respectively by second graders Sophia Schafer-Wharton and Jackson Powell on “Feliz Navidad.” The upbeat “Gettin’ in the Mood (For Christmas)” featured exciting choreography by Kimberly Teodoro.
Winter Concert Brings Together Lower School Musicians
Several lower school performing arts groups united in early December for the 2015 lower school Winter Concert, directed by Louis Hoffman, who also conducted the Lower School Jazz Ensemble and Lower School orchestra. other featured groups included the Bucknall Choir, conducted by Kellie Binney-Smart and Carena Montany, the Lower School String Ensemble, conducted by Toni Woodruff, and the Preparatory String Ensemble, also directed by Woodruff.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2016 Harker Quarterly.
Violinist Jessica Lee and pianist Reiko Uchida teamed up for a crowd-pleasing night Feb: 19 at this season’s second Harker Concert Series performance, which featured the works of composers from a variety of eras.
As the first piece of the evening began, Lee stood still with her instrument at her side while Uchida marched through the solemn opening chords. A slow uplift gave way to a weepy melody, accentuated by Lee’s superb vibrato and interpretive clarity. Their interplay soon drifted into a jaunt of arpeggios, tempo changes and volume swells. Lee’s and Uchida’s mastery of tone and technique served them well through these challenging sections, maintaining astonishing accuracy without losing the emotional impact. This was most apparent just past the midway point of the piece, with Lee’s melodies sweeping across the tapestry created by Uchida’s colorful piano work.
Sergei Prokofiev’s “Five Melodies” – “beautiful little jewels,” as Lee called them – began with a plaintive melody and chords that were written in sunny California but sounded more akin to a rainy day. Lee’s animated, dramatic interpretation lent a kind of imagery to Prokofiev’s melodies. The busy second movement brought to mind a busy city street, perhaps the kind the composer encountered while in 1920s Los Angeles. Speaking of busy, the frantic and anguished third movement called back to a Prokofiev quote Lee cited just before the piece began: “I am as ecstatic about California as it is about me.”
Lee prefaced her performance of Leoš Janácek’s “Sonata for violin and Piano” with a personal anecdote about her visit to the composer’s home in the Czech countryside. The piece, she said, contained “explosive fragments,” a result of Janácek’s interest in speech patterns, the various in ections of which found their way into this particular piece. Certainly, the piece often played out like a heated conversation between various parties, shifting moods, coming in ts and starts. It was unconventional material, rhythmically challenging and thematically complex, but Lee and Uchida were up to the task. The transition from the anxiety-fraught first movement to the more organized, daydream-like Balada: con moto was no trouble at all.
The pleasant, strong melodies of Beethoven’s “Sonata for violin and Piano in Major” welcomed the audience back from the intermission, Lee and Uchida going back and forth with delightful flurries and strolling melodies before drifting into the thoughtful and reflective Adagio. Though Lee’s violin was center stage, Uchida shined in the space provided with her steady rhythms and playful interpretation.
Ever the entertainer, Lee elected to close the evening with Pablo de Sarasate’s “Introduction and Tarantella,” displaying not only the technical ability of both musicians, but also their air for theatrics, sending a very appreciative crowd smiling into the drizzly evening. But not before stopping in the atrium for an autographed CD.
Adventure on the high seas was in store for audiences of this year’s grade 5 show, “Pirates! The Musical,” directed by Kellie Binney-Smart. A cast of 132 took the stage for a series of sea shanties about their swashbuckling exploits. In addition to the fifth graders, several faculty members joined in on the fun, including Katie Molin, Shelby Guarino, Jared Ramsey, Gerry-louise Robinson, Kate Shanahan and Kristin Giammona. Songs performed during the show included “A Pirate’s Life for Me,” “Stowaway,” “King of the High C’s” and “The Pirate King.”
Grade 5 students also worked behind the scenes, as Danny Dunn’s grade 5 technical theater students acted as the production crew. Costumer Karoli Clever arranged the wardrobe for the sea-faring cast and Whitney Pintello’s scenic designs perfectly matched the theme of the show.
A huge cast of 140 dancers paid tribute to the songs and styles of the 80s and 90s at the 2016 upper school dance show, “Mixed Tape: Songs to Dance To,” held Jan. 29 and 30 at the Blackford Theater. Separated into two acts – one for each decade – the show featured a total of 21 routines, set to such hits as Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Wham!’s “Wake Me Up,” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.”
The show was directed by upper school dance teacher Karl Kuehn, who based the theme of the show on his own childhood, much of which was spent making cassette tapes that contained his favorite songs. Kuehn and fellow teacher Rachelle Haun provided most of the choreography, with choreography also contributed by seniors Sharanya Balaji, Ankita Sharma and Allison Wang, and juniors Emre Ezer, Hazal Gurcan, Sanjana Marce and Surabhi Rao.
Middle and upper school student musicians performed this year’s Winter Concert at San Jose’s Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater Jan. 15-16. Dave Hart directed the middle school groups, starting with the Grade 6 Jazz Band, which kicked things off with pieces by Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Herbie Hancock. The Grade 6 Orchestra then took the stage, performing Soon Hee Newbold’s “Spirit of the American West,” the traditional folk song “Scarborough Fair” and “Russian Sailor’s Dance” by Reinhold Gliere.
The Grade 6 Orchestra’s cello section – made up of Rachel Broweleit, Nathan Wang, Rani Sheth, Jacqueline Yang and Jeffrey Yang, grade 8; and Andrew Chang and Elaine Xiao, grade 7 – performed a rendition of “Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1 Preludio Modinha” by Villa Lobos. Shortly afterward, teachers Teresa Orozco (flute), Pierre Dazin (violin), Natachia Li (cello) and Joshua Thurston-Milgrom (double bass) gave a special performance.
Next up, the Grade 7-8 Jazz Band played well-received versions of Jimmy Forrest’s “Night Train,” Horace Silver’s “Cape Verdean Blues,” “Fly Me to the Moon” by Bart Howard and more. They were followed by the Grade 7-8 Orchestra, which played the traditional “Amazing Grace,” “Variations on a Korean Folk Song” by John Barnes Chance and “Fandango and Alborada” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Upper school music teacher Chris Florio then took over as director, starting with the upper school’s Lab Band, which performed Ben Tucker’s “Comin’ Home Baby,” “Sky Dive” by Freddie Hubbard and others. The jazz continued with the stylings of The Harker School Jazz Band, which performed a set of songs by greats such as Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin.
After an intermission, the evening’s headliner, The Harker School Orchestra, played the first of several pieces, Leonard Bernstein’s “Overture to Candide.” The group then impressively performed Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Capriccio Espagnol” in its entirety, followed by the rousing “Rodeo” by Aaron Copland. The orchestra then made way for flutist Victoria Ding, grade 12, who gave a solo performance of Cécile Chaminade’s “Concertino for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 7.”
The orchestra gave a fitting close to the evening with Camille Saint-Saëns’ stirring “Danse Bacchanale.”
Last week, four Harker middle school students were chosen to be members of statewide ensembles that will perform in February at the California All-State Music Education Conference. French hornist Kai-Ming Ang, clarinetist Jenny Shaw and flutist Anika Tiwari, all grade 8, were selected for the California Band Directors Association’s All-State Junior High School Concert Band. Trumpeter Leland Rossi, grade 7, was selected to play with the CBDA’s All-State Junior High School Jazz Band, making him the first Harker student to play for an all-state jazz band. Together, these four students represent the largest group of Harker middle school students ever selected to play for all-state ensembles.
“The audition is rigorous and requires great preparation and focus as they have to turn in a recording of scales and etudes,” said middle school music teacher Dave Hart. “These students were selected out of auditions from any seventh or eighth grader in the state of California, so it is quite an honor and opportunity.”