The Harker Conservatory modernized Shakespeare’s popular tale of love and enchantment in its production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which played at the Blackford Theater Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Director Jeff Draper brought the comedy into the present day, staging the play in a city park setting that occupied the majority of the theater floor, with scenic designer Paul Vallerga strategically placing signs of urbanization throughout: a picnic bench here, a swingset there. This unorthodox set drew the audience closer to the story and also gave them a more well-rounded view of the cast.
Harker’s upper school players buoyantly unfurled the story of arranged marriages, mistaken identities, magical formulas and theatrical ineptitude, giving the play just the right amount of whimsy and charm. Carol Clever’s costume design put the human characters in modern dress while the mischievous, magical fairies were draped in garb that ranged from the regal to the outlandish.
Upper school vocal groups delighted an evening audience in the Nichols Hall auditorium on Nov. 13 with “Ad Amore: Love as a Light,” featuring Bel Canto, Camerata, Guys’ Gig and Cantilena. Bel Canto, directed by Jennifer Sandusky, opened with Michael Praetorius’ “Anima Mea,” the first of a series of songs by European composers, which included the traditional French song “Brilla Brilla Piccola Stella” and “Funiculi, Funicula” by Luigi Denza.
Camerata, the upper school’s mixed chamber ensemble directed by Susan Nace, opened with a pair of hymns – “Barechu” by Salamone Rossi and “Alleluia” by Michael Praetorius – and concluded its set with Adriano Banchieri’s “Contrapunto bestiale alla mente,” which had its singers imitating the sounds of animals over a nonsensical poem sung by the basses.
In a slight departure from its usual fare, the student-run boys group Guys’ Gig began with the traditional “Gaudeamus Igitur,” with an arrangement by Johannes Brahms. Alex Henshall, grade 11, then sang solo on “McDonald’s Girl” by the Harvard Din and Tonics.
Closing the evening was the women’s choir Cantilena, also directed by Nace, who began with the concert’s namesake, “Ad Amore” by Lee Kesselmann, and continued with “Suscepit Israel” from Bach’s “Magnificat.”Following a rendition of Franz Biebl’s haunting “Ave Maria,” Cantilena ended with Greg Jasperse’s dynamic and uplifting “Voice Dance.”
Middle school thespians found themselves in a motley collection of roles in this year’s middle school fall play, Alan Haehnel’s “The Unfinished.” Directed by Monica Colletti, this one-act comedy found its characters at the mercy of a writer (Alexander Kumar, grade 6) who has not yet finished their stories, essentially imprisoning them in his mind.
When the innocent Melisande (Claire Russell, grade 7) enters their already-crowded world, the characters are forced to examine the significance of a newcomer. The ever-cynical Guy (Haris Hosseini, grade 8) and the hopeful Narrator (Claire Newman, grade 8) disagree on the likelihood that they will ever be realized, while the surly Janitor (Max MacKinnon, grade 7) simply wishes they would all leave. In the end, the wide variety of character archetypes, including the Bride and Groom (Dilara Ezer and Matthew Hajjar, both grade 8), the Cheerleader (Ellie Lang-Ree, grade 8) and the Clown (Jai Bahri, grade 7), find themselves freed through the Writer’s clever inclusion of the mall in one manuscript – a play titled “The Unfinished.”
Paul Vallerga’s set design was appropriately sparse for this particularly character-driven story. Carol Clever’s costume design was also simple but effective, making the characters appropriately recognizable.
The Maryland-based Excelsa Quartet gave a special workshop to Harker students in early October. Currently a quartet in residence at Stanford University’s Emerging String Quartet Program, the all-female ensemble played selections from their repertoire, offered insights as to how they work together and advised students on how to be more cohesive. For example, the group suggested using words as signals when learning to play rhythmically complex passages and practicing with simpler pieces to warm up for more complex material.
A number of students successfully auditioned for two American Choral Directors Association Coastal Region Honor Choirs. Ishanya Anthapur, grade 12, Madhu Karra, grade 11, and Krishna Bheda and Jessica Susai, both grade 9, earned spots in the women’s choir, while Maya Nandakumar, grade 12, Sahana Narayanan and Gurutam Thockchom, both grade 11, and Ashwin Rao, grade 10, made the cut for the mixed choir. According to upper school music teacher Susan Nace, 350 singers auditioned and 247 were selected. Last year, five Harker students earned honor choir spots.
“The regional honor choir is the first step in the graduated process of going to other more advanced levels,” said Nace. “The next levels are All State (California) and National Honor Choirs.” Each audition had students sing a solo piece and test their proficiency in sight reading and ear training.
The students will perform with the Coastal Region Honor Choir on Nov. 22 at 2pm at the First United Methodist Church, located at 625 Hamilton Ave. in Palo Alto. Tickets will be sold at the door for $10.
This article was originally published in the fall 2014 Harker Quarterly.
Middle school drama teacher Monica Colletti traveled to New York City to spend a week training in improvisation with the famous Upright Citizens Brigade comedy troupe. The session concluded with a public performance in New York, which Colletti was more than happy to brag about!
Big things happened for middle school dance teacher Rachelle Haun, who performed at San Francisco’s Mission in the Mix with the Gems Dance Team, and also successfully auditioned for the Raiderettes!
Laura Lang-Ree, performing arts department chair, was busy on vocal duties with the Los Gatos-Saratoga Big Band, which performed at numerous venues over the summer. Her performance at the San Jose Jazz Festival landed her on the front page of the local section of the San Jose Mercury News. She also joined the roster at Halvorson Model Management, signing with the agency in their commercial and voice-over division.
In addition to starring in Harker’s “Happy” video, upper school dance teacher Karl Kuehn worked with San Jose’s Atlas School of Dance as both a choreographer and performer. He also helped out the Bay Area-based Ragazzi Boys Chorus, teaching movement classes and choreography in preparation for the chorus’ performances in South Africa in 2015.
Middle school music teacher Dave Hart was commissioned by Bay Area woodwind group Frequency 49 for his compositional talents. He also lent his expertise to the International Society of Music Educators composition competition, which judges pieces by students in grades 6-12. At the Stanford Jazz Workshop, he taught and performed “with a fantastic international jazz faculty.” He also performed with acclaimed pianist and singer Dena DeRose and longtime friend Taylor Eigsti, in addition to instructing the Stanford Jazz Mentors, a group of college students seeking to sharpen their skills as jazz educators.
At the Feierabend Association for Music Education (FAME) conference in Hartford, Conn., lower school music teacher Carena Montany learned a great deal by attending sessions and exchanging insights with other music teachers. Founded on the teachings of John Feierabend, a leading figure in the teaching of music and movement, FAME is an organization that seeks to spread his teachings to music educators.
This article was originally published in the fall 2014 Harker Quarterly.
In August, members of Harker’s varsity and JV dance teams attended a four-day dance camp with the United Spirit Association at University of California, Santa Cruz. Harker received the highest award – a superior – for choreography, and the team also was honored with the “Hardest Working Team” plaque.
Individual awards were given to Emily Pan and Ankita Sharma, grade 11, for their drill-down technique. Meanwhile, among the 150 participants, Noel Banerjee, Darby Millard, both grade 12, and Liana Wang, grade 9, were recognized as All-American dancers, earning an invitation to perform in London.
While it is always amazing to be awarded for hard work and technique, “the most memorable part of camp was being told by the USA instructors that Harker’s dancers were incredibly polite, dedicated, humble and supportive of both their team members and the other participating schools,” noted Karl Kuehn, dance team director. “Their passion to learn and grow as dancers fueled the team’s success, and I could not be more proud of this fantastic group of students.”
Five middle school students successfully auditioned for spots in the Stanford Jazz Workshop Giant Steps All-Star Band. Students who were accepted are flutist Donna Boucher and double bassist Connie Xu, both grade 8, saxophonist Grant Miner, grade 7, and tenor saxophonist Paul Kratter and guitarist Arushi Saxena, both grade 6.
In addition, double bassist Anika Fuloria and trumpeter Leland Rossi, both grade 6, received recognition for their abilities on their respective instruments.
The band comprises 20 members, who were judged on such qualities as musicianship, improvisational ability, music theory knowledge and technique. Band members will rehearse once a week in preparation for a concert that will take place at Stanford University in December.
An enthusiastic audience experienced “An Evening of Jazz” in late March, as lower, middle and upper school student musicians took to the stage at the Blackford Theater. Louis Hoffman directed the Lower School Jazz Ensemble, which kicked things off with selections from Red Garland, Eddie Harris, Cedar Walton and Nat Adderley. The Middle School Jazz Band then joined in for “Killer Joe” by Benny Golson, which segued nicely into the group’s own set, which consisted of “Won’t You Come Home, Bill Bailey” by Hughie Cannon and “Caravan” by Juan Tizol, both arranged by the band, which was directed by Dave Hart.
The Harker School Jazz Band, directed by Chris Florio, performed renditions of Freddie Green’s “Corner Pocket,” “Feelin’ Good” by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, and “I Be Serious ‘Bout Dem Blues” by John Clayton. Other highlights included an appearance by Harker’s Lab Band, the upper school’s introductory jazz ensemble directed by Hart, and the night’s encore, which featured all of the middle and upper school musicians performing the traditional “Second Line.”
Members of Harker’s varsity and JV dance teams returned today from a four-day dance camp with the United Spirit Association at UC Santa Cruz. Harker received the highest Superior award for choreography, and the team also was honored with the “Hardest Working Team” plaque. Individual awards were given to Emily Pan and Ankita Sharma, both rising juniors, for their drill-down technique. Meanwhile, among the 150 participants, Noel Banerjee, Darby Millard, both rising seniors, and Liana Wang, rising freshman, were recognized as All-American dancers, earning an invitation to perform in London.
While it is always amazing to be awarded for hard work and technique, “the most memorable part of camp was being told by the USA instructors that Harker’s dancers were incredibly polite, dedicated, humble and supportive of both their team members and the other participating schools,” noted Karl Kuehn, dance team coach. “Their passion to learn and grow as dancers fueled the team’s success, and I could not be more proud of this fantastic group of students.” Go Dance Team Eagles!