Upper school music students received a special visit from New York City jazz ensemble the Wee Trio. The visit was arranged by music teacher Dave Hart, who played with the group during a visit to New York. Students were treated to some performances from the trio’s repertoire and had the opportunity to have their questions answered by the seasoned, talented musicians, who gave them their insights on the composition process, their history as a band and how they send and receive cues to one another while performing.
Lower school musicians welcomed winter on Dec. 6 during their 2012 Winter Concert at the Bucknall Theater, directed by music teacher Louis Hoffman.
Hoffman conducted several of the performances that evening, including the lower school orchestra and string ensemble’s opening performance of “A Christmas Canon,” the Jazz Ensemble’s renditions of “Blues in the Closet” by Oscar Pettiford and the traditional American folk song “St. James Infirmary” and a performance of Henry Purcell’s “Rigaudon” by the lower school orchestra.
The night also included a pair of impressive solo performances. Kailash Ranganathan, grade 3, offered a stirring performance of “Raag Kalavati” on the sitar, and violinist Jun Lin, grade 5, wowed the audience with her version of Heindrich Ernst Kayser’s “Etude No. 30.”
Another interesting detour during the evening was the performance by the lower school’s fiddle group, conducted by Kevin Rogers, who played a 12-bar blues piece they composed themselves, as well as the Irish tune “Devil’s Dream.”
To the delight of the audience, the concert also included special performances by groups from the middle and upper schools. Music teacher Dave Hart led the middle school’s jazz band through Charlie Parker’s “Little Suede Shoes,” while the upper school wind ensemble performed a piece written by young composer Paul Kratter, grade 4, titled “The Green Things,” and Paul de Wailly’s “Aubade.”
Angela Ma, grade 11, was cast in San Jose Youth Ballet’s (SJYB) 2012 Nutcracker production as Snow Queen and Arabian Coffee. She has performed in three shows already and will be in three more shows Dec. 8-10. Mahika Halepete, grade 5 also performs, and Sofia Fernandez, grade 4, is a lamb and soldier.
Christopher Hildum, grade 10, Lauren Luspo and Ashley Cook, both grade 7, are all performing in Ballet San Jose’s Nutcracker starting Dec. 8. Hildum is in the battle scenes Although both Luspo and Cook are veterans of the Nutcracker, this year marks an important turning point as the production changes from the original choreography of Dennis Nahat to the choreography of Karen Gabay, the principal ballerina.
“Our Home: Music of the United States” gave an evening audience exactly what was printed on the flier and then some on the evening of Nov. 15, as upper school vocal groups Cantilena, Camerata and Guys’ Gig, in addition to many talented soloists, paid tribute to the music of America, both modern and classic.
The concert, directed by Susan Nace, fittingly opened with all of the evening’s singers joining forces for a spectacular rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The upper school chamber ensemble Camerata then took the stage to perform a trio of joyous and heartfelt odes to America, starting with the famous “America the Beautiful,” and continuing with Oscar Peterson’s “A Hymn to Freedom.” Camerata finished their set with composer Abbie Betinis’ “Journey Home.”
Following Camerata, a slew of capable soloists appeared, singing a wide variety of pieces, from sophomore Shreya Basu’s performance of the traditional “Every Night When the Sun Goes In” to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Think of Me,” sung by Caroline Howells, grade 10. Although the concert showcased music from the United States, the show also made room for pieces by noted European composers such as Frederic Chopin, whose “Nocturne” in E-flat major was beautifully performed by pianist Pooja Shah, grade 12. Continuing with the evening’s classical selections were Wendy Shwe, grade 12, playing Beethoven’s “Sonata” in A major on piano and Rebecca Liu, grade 12, singing Christoph Willibald von Gluck’s “O, Del Mio Dolce Ardor.” The solo performances concluded with Nina Sabharwal, grade 12, singing a perfectly misty-eyed version of the jazz standard “Willow Weep for Me” by Ann Ronell.
Guys’ Gig, the all-male a cappella group, then gathered on stage for their first performance of the year. The boys performed an amusing skit in which they attempted to start a song sans a tenor section, at which point they called the freshmen to the stage from the audience to sing “Good Ol’ A Cappella” by Carter and Nevada. With the group now firing on all cylinders, they continued with the classic Motown tune “My Girl” and finished with a raucous version of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.”
Harker’s all-female choral group Cantilena was the last of the groups to perform that evening prior to the finale. The singers were in fine form taking on a diverse selection, which included Brian Holmes’ “I Shall Keep Singing,” the traditional American song “He’s Gone Away” and Stephen Hatfield’s gospel treat “Run Children Run.” Rebecca Liu took the role of conductor on “Sing Me to Heaven” by Daniel Gawthorpe, before the group finished their set with their signature piece, “How Can I Keep from Singing,” by Robert Lowry.
The finale again reunited the vocalists for an exhilarating version of Ysaye Barnwell’s “We Are…,” for which the singers received a well-deserved extended ovation.
The middle school fall play production, “The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet,” took Shakespeare into whimsical and hilarious territory in late November.
Directed by Monica Colletti, the wacky retelling of the Bard’s famous tragedy moved the drama ahead several centuries into the late 1980s with dialogue inspired by another beloved composer of rhymes, Dr. Seuss, alluding to some of the author’s most famous stories, such as “The Sneeches” and “Green Eggs and Ham.” The plotting was mostly familiar territory, with Romeo of the cleverly renamed House Monotone (Aditya Dhar, grade 8) falling head over heels for Juliet of the rival House Capitulate (Zahra Budhwani, also grade 8). With both houses in disarray over the affair (and Juliet arranged to be wed to the unbearably narcissistic Paris), the two lovers concoct a plan involving a fake suicide that, as is now known to many, goes spectacularly awry. Along the way, the feuding of the two houses culminates in a sword fight that ends tragically.
This being no ordinary interpretation of Shakespeare, however, much of the material has been lightened up in accordance with the allegorical lessons of Dr. Seuss books. The “poisoned cracker” that Romeo consumes upon seeing apparently (but not actually) dead Juliet was switched for a normal cracker, instead, and the sword fight turned out to not be so deadly after all. In the end, the two families reconcile and, as the saying goes, live happily ever after.
But not before performing a sped-up and highly amusing redux of the entire story. Set designer Paul Vallerga and prop designer Carol Clever created an environment worthy of the humorously affectionate play. Clever also designed the cast’s often garish costumes, which were more than appropriately representative of the time period in which the play took place.
All the while, the student crew of Sneha Bhetanabhotla and Justin Culpepper, both grade 8, and Praveen Batra and Justin Su, both grade 7, made sure the show was smoothly run and free of technical hiccups.
The Parker Quartet was the latest in a line of top-flight classical performers to appear at the Harker Concert Series, as the Minnesota-based group of young, extraordinarily talented instrumentalists put bow to string for a packed house at the Nichols Hall auditorium on Oct. 26.
Following a brief introduction, the quartet opened with famed minimalist Arvo Pärt’s “Fratres,” adapted for string quartet. First violinist Daniel Chong and violist Jessica Bodner began with the piece’s foreboding harmonies, which were greeted by the cellist Kee-Hyun Kim’s percussive pizzicato, providing an effective, if somewhat violent, contrast to the delicate work of his partners. As second violinist Karen Kim was on sabbatical, David McCarroll served as her replacement that evening, providing a soft, constant hum behind the ominous and sometimes mournful lines.
Parker Quartet continued with British composer Benjamin Britten’s “String Quartet No. 2,” written after a visit to the liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. The quartet effortlessly captured the first movement’s challenging, frequent and sometimes jarring shifts in tone, often characterized by disjointed staccato passages and calm, pleasant phrases broken up by sudden outbursts of disharmony. The animated second movement was given a very energetic treatment, its harsh and disquieting tones played with a fitting aggression that at times bordered on ferocity. “Chacony,” the piece’s final movement and also its longest, traversed peaks and valleys, revealing glimmers of hope. The quartet’s togetherness throughout was more than impressive, and though each member’s individual ability was already apparent, “Chacony” gave each the opportunity to showcase their immense virtuosity.
With the event taking place just five days away from Halloween, the Nichols Hall atrium was decorated with spooky accoutrements, including a punch bowl that boiled and bubbled like a witch’s cauldron.
Juanita Johnson, who was visiting from Modesto, said the performance was “delightful. I grew up in Jamaica, and there was music in my house at all times, and I heard all variations of it.” This upbringing later allowed her to “sit and listen to anything.”
Astara Marcia commented that the performance was “excellent. I’m a classical musician myself,” said the violist with the Palo Alto Peninsula Pops Orchestra. She also enjoyed the presentation of the event, saying “I’m very impressed. It’s a great way to get people to come back.”
After impressing with two unorthodox pieces, the quartet launched into the evening’s big crowd-pleaser, Franz Schubert’s “String Quartet No. 14,” subtitled “Death and the Maiden,” known to many a listener of chamber music. Like their performance of Britten earlier in the evening, the quartet took an almost explosive approach to the material, while at the same time allowing themselves plenty of subtlety in the quieter sections, particularly in the slower, funereal parts of the second movement. Kee-Hyun Kim’s aggressive pizzicato, as it had at several moments during the evening, was dominant without being overpowering. The festive bounce of the final movement was well-matched with Parker Quartet’s stylistic approach. Its fast-moving, intricate lines were also a fine showcase for the musicians’ splendid technique and tight interplay, which were in full effect right up until the rousing finish, which the audience met with loud applause.
William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” the 2012 fall play put on by the Harker Conservatory Oct. 25-27, offered a refreshing take on the revered, centuries-old tale of the rotten happenings in the state of Denmark.
Featuring no fewer than five capable actors and actresses in the title role – Jai Ahuja, grade 10, Cecilia Lang-Ree, Rahul Nalamasu, Hannah Prutton, all grade 12, and Namrata Vakkalagadda, grade 11 – director Jeffrey Draper’s take on one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays uniquely depicted Prince Hamlet’s various and often conflicting mental and emotional states; the transitions as each actor handed the role off the next were interesting and seamless.
Other characters were portrayed by multiple players: Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, was played by Shazdeh Hussain, grade 11, and Cristina Jerney, grade 12; sophomore Jeton Gutierrez-Bujaru and junior Ian Richardson were Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle and murderer of his father; and Ishanya Anthapur, grade 10, and Apurva Tandon, grade 12, portrayed Ophelia, Hamlet’s would-be lover.
The guileful Polonius, royal counselor and Ophelia’s father, was played by junior Damon Aitken, who brilliantly put across the character’s stately yet playful attitude. In the role of Horatio, Claudia Tischler, grade 11, was more than effective as Hamlet’s best friend and confidant, and the brash, vengeful Laertes was expertly portrayed by Vishal Vaidya, grade 10.
The Saturday matinee show featured an understudy cast that was very warmly received by the afternoon audience. Maya Nandakumar, grade 10, Rachel Renteria, grade 9, Simran Singh, grade 10 and Gurutam Thockchom, grade 9, were stirring as Hamlet, while Aashika Balaji, grade 9, and Madi Lang-Ree, grade 10, had convincing turns as Gertrude. Claudius was well-played by freshmen Dhanush Madabus and MC Smitherman, and Shannon O’Shea and Cordelia Larsen, both grade 9, deftly handled the challenging role of Ophelia. Grade 9 students Rishabh Chandra and Janet Lee were both strong as Polonius and Horatio, respectively.
Paul Vallerga’s set design made clever use of a large video monitor that changed with each setting. Natti Pierce-Thomson’s evocative lighting was also a key feature, such as the scenes in which Hamlet speaks with his father’s ghost (played by Justin Gerard, grade 12, also cast as the player king, messenger and priest, and by Kaushik Sankar, grade 9, at the understudy show), drenched with red light and intensified by the reverb and bass that boomed throughout the Blackford Theater when the specter spoke.
Eschewing the usual period garb, costume designer Caela Fujii placed the characters in modern attire more befitting a gangster movie, evidence of the transcendent power of the play’s themes of betrayal, revenge and moral conflict. The climactic sword fight sequence was well-choreographed by Kit Wilder, managing director of San Jose’s City Lights Theater.
Over the weekend of Sept. 29, 27 upper school students traveled to Ashland, Ore., to visit the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), which was nearing the end of its 2012 season.
The students saw performances of the Shakespeare plays “Troilus and Cressida,” “Henry V,” “Romeo and Juliet” and a modern-day take on “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” which takes place just after the Iowa caucuses and features a United States senator as the main character.
Students also had the opportunity to participate in a workshop with OSF actors on the finer points of acting and production, and were taken on a tour of the festival’s three theaters.
Simona Snitkovskaya, Russian opera coach with Opera San Jose, visited the upper school on Sept. 25 to speak to some of Susan Nace’s music students. An accomplished pianist with a vast knowledge of Russian music, Snitkovskaya has coached professional singers hoping to expand their repertoire of Russian music, helping them with their pronunciation, diction and interpretation.
She began by sharing with the students some of the history of Russian classical music and its key figures. “Russian music basically came from non-professional composers,” she said. “The first composers we had, they all did it for fun. It was their hobby.”
Among Russia’s first notable professional composers were Modest Mussorgsky, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninoff.
The class was later joined by professional opera singers Kindra Scharich and Kirk Eichelberger, who shared their experiences learning how to perform Russian music. While studying music, Eichelberger said, “We have to learn, in addition to English, French, German, Italian and a lot of Latin.” The only way to learn how to perform in Russian was to do so independently. “It was long and painstaking, but so worth it.”
“Each language has its own music,” Scharich said. “Just to be able to make those sounds is part of the music of the language. You get a whole new palette of sounds that you can deal with.”
The singers then performed some pieces in Russian, demonstrating their hard-earned command of the language.
The Harker School’s global education and performing arts departments were thrilled to warmly welcome more than two dozen students who recently visited from Saint Stephen’s College, a college preparatory independent school located on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.
Accompanied by three chaperones, the group of 25 performing arts students were at Harker from Sept. 22-26. After spending their first weekend upon arrival checking in at a nearby hotel and going on an all-day tour of San Francisco, they got off to a bright and early start Monday morning at Harker. Their first day here began with an early breakfast in the upper school’s bistro followed by a tour of the campus.
The group’s packed performing arts itinerary included visits to Harker’s theater, music, choreography and acting classes, as well as a special observation of a rehearsal of the fall play, “Hamlet,” followed by dinner.
According to Jennifer Walrod, Harker’s director of global education, the visit went extremely well and was part of a larger performing arts tour of the United States that the Australian exchange students and their chaperones were taking.
“They had spent six days in New York City before coming to San Jose for five days, with their tour ending down in Los Angeles. They enjoyed visiting a wide variety of performing arts classes here at Harker, as well as attending regular classes to see how the American educational system works,” she said.
Especially gratifying to Walrod was the fact that numerous performing arts students at Harker helped out with the visit, accompanying Saint Stephen’s students for breakfast and lunch, escorting them to and from classes, and even joining them for a fun night out shopping and dining at Santana Row.
During the past decade, Harker has enjoyed a warm relationship and mutually beneficial exchange program with Saint Stephen’s College. Last year, Ruth Meyer, an upper school history teacher, spent two weeks in Australia at the college as part of that year’s teacher exchange program. Meyer spent most of her time teaching freshman history and junior English to the school’s students, who she said were like Harker students in that, “they are happy, helpful and enjoy school.” English teacher Jennifer Siraganian enjoyed the exchange this past summer (see Harker Quarterly, fall 2012).
“We have also hosted two previous summer upper school trips where students visited Saint Stephen’s, attended their weeklong leadership retreat, and stayed in homestays. Plus their exchange students and teachers always visit our middle and lower schools to read stories and talk about Australian history,” added Walrod.