Four recent graduates and two upper school student musicians with the San Francisco Symphony’s Youth Orchestra participated in the Symphony’s European tour from June 20 to July 7. Cellist Melody Huang, cellist Jeffrey Kwong, violist Jessica Shen and flautist Pavitra Rengarajan, all recent graduates, as well as flautist Apoorva Rangan, grade 10, and violinist Ashvin Swaminathan, grade 12, traveled to Germany, Luxembourg and Austria, playing to audiences in several of Europe’s most famous concert halls.
The orchestra performed four concerts in Germany at the University of Regensburg, Munich Philharmonie, Rheingau Musik Festival and the Berlin Philharmonie. One concert was performed in the quaint Luxembourgish border town of Echternach at the prestigious Festival International Echternach, and the final concert was performed at Salzburg in Austria. The Youth Orchestra performed in the same concert halls that the San Francisco Symphony performs in during their European tour.
The SFS Youth Orchestra was a hit with critics, including Klaus Geitel, one of Berlin’s most prominent classical music critics. Additionally, the Youth Orchestra visited Weimar, where the famous composer Franz Liszt lived. They also visited Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach lived and died, and attended a service at the St. Thomas Church where Bach used to be an organist and which is also his final resting place. In Salzburg, they visited the house where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born and lived as a child with his family.
On May 8 the lower school instrumental and choral programs held their 2012 Bucknall Spring Concert, directed by Louis Hoffman and Jennifer Cowgill. The performance featured dozens of young students and showcased Bucknall’s instrumental program, open to all students K-5.
The instrumental program includes a comprehensive course of study in orchestra, string, wind and jazz ensembles and beginning group lessons, as well as the opportunity to study privately with specialty teachers. The program focuses on musicianship, ensemble playing, articulation, dynamics, intonation and understanding of different styles through exposure to various repertoires.
All these skills were on radiant display during the spring concert, from both singers and instrumentalists, giving the crowd a great night of entertainment.
The San Jose Stage Top Honors awards ceremony honored the best in Bay Area high school theater on June 4, and the Harker Conservatory’s cast of “The Drowsy Chaperone” walked away with with the award for best chorus.
The cast and staff was nominated in 11 categories, including best actor and actress, chorus, director, musical director and best show, earning the right to perform at the awards ceremony. “We performed the big song and dance number from the show,” said director Laura Lang-Ree. “The kids were fabulous, tons of energy … the audience loved them.” Newly graduated seniors Noel Witcosky and Tristan Killeen also performed as part of a best actor/actress nominee montage.
The best chorus award, which Harker also took home last year for “Pippin,” is the award the directing staff most appreciates winning. “It reflects the hard work, talent, dedication and commitment of the entire cast,” said Lang-Ree. “It’s ‘easy’ to feature a fabulous lead, but when you can take the entire ensemble of 43 and elevate them to that same level of joy and storytelling, that’s another story. We are all so proud of the team.”
This is the fourth year that Harker’s musical theater program has won this award, which was actually originated for Harker after the judging staff wanted to acknowledge the cast’s work in “Oklahoma!” in 2002.
This story was originally published in the Spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly
The Harker Concert Series is in its second year, yet has already established itself as a must-see event for lovers of classical and jazz repertoire. Pianist Adam Golka sold out Nichols Hall auditorium on Feb. 4 as the third installment of this year’s series, following Opera San Jose and the Gerald Clayton Trio.
Texan Golka is only 24 years old and has had a grueling concertizing schedule for some time. Winner of several major international piano competitions, including the Shanghai International Piano Competition in 2003 and the Gilmore Young Artist Award in 2008, Golka added Harker to his list of impressive collaborations, which include Carnegie Hall with the New York Youth Symphony and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
The second star of the show was the piano, a seven-foot-eight-inch Bechstein, generously leant for the evening by Piedmont Piano Company. Golka’s program showed off not only his own technical mastery, but the warmth of this wonderful instrument.
Fittingly for the Bechstein’s rich and dramatic sonority, Golka played a program of Romantic music, with a Beethoven sonata, three intermezzi by Brahms and Liszt’s famous “Mephisto Waltz” in the first half of the concert. After intermission, Golka was a tour de force, playing what is generally considered by pianists to be Beethoven’s most difficult piece, the “Hammerklavier” sonata. Each movement of this 45-minute piece showcased a different strength of both Golka and the Bechstein, with furious staccato passages, flowing, almost post-Romantic interludes and Bach-inspired fugal passages.
Golka met with audience members in the atrium after the performance.
This story was originally published in the Spring 2012 issue of Harker Quarterly
Dancing Through Life
On two nights in late January, the Harker Conservatory presented Dancing Through Life: Celebrating the Past and Looking to the Future. This year’s upper school dance production honored the past and present, showcasing classic hits and contemporary favorites while participants look towards futures as dancers and performing artists.
Both performances were held at the Blackford Theater.
The 86 cast members worked very hard to produce a beautiful, lively show. The evening, like the event’s name suggests, was split into two parts, with “Celebrating the Past” performances before intermission and “Looking to the Future” performances after it.
The directors, Karl Kuehn and Amalia De La Rosa, wrote in their program notes that the inspiration for the show’s name was Harker’s motto, “K through Life,” which “plays an integral role in our dance community, [which produces] lifelong learners and dancers who will carry this experience beyond the walls of the dance room and with them as they journey through life.”
Lower School Winter Concert
In early December, The Harker School’s lower school music students gathered for their annual concert. The concert featured five groups total: the choir, orchestra, jazz band and two preparatory ensembles. Technically, practice for the concert began on the first day of class. Class and practice are one and the same, and the concert allows students to showcase the broad range of styles they’ve learned by singing and playing various pieces.
Closer to the concert date, students selected what they wanted to play. The wonderfully varied program was capped off by a unique, energetic song choice. As the finale for the event, the students chose the theme song to the popular game Angry Birds. The students wore Angry Birds hats, and the piece was conducted with a slingshot.
Middle and Upper School Winter Concert
In mid-January, The Harker School had its 2012 Winter Concert at the Mexican Heritage Theater in San Jose. The show featured the middle school orchestras and jazz band for the first part of the evening, with the upper school orchestra and jazz band following right after. Middle school wind and string ensembles started the evening. The Grade 6 Orchestra took the stage next, and they were followed by the chamber ensemble performances. Then it was grades 7 and 8 students’ turn to shine, which they certainly did through various jazz band pieces as well as through the orchestra’s three selections.
The upper school started off their portion of the evening with their jazz band, and after a short intermission, the upper school orchestra took the stage. They closed out an enjoyable evening with four pieces.
WinterSong Delights
At the end of January, the upper school Conservatory had its annual WinterSong concert. This performance features Bel Canto, a group known for the many musical genres it explores. Several of these were featured at the show, including musical theater, pop and classical, the last of which was particularly rich this year due to two special guests: Cantilena, Harker’s “all-classical-all-the-time” women’s ensemble and Camerata, a mixed classical, choral chamber ensemble, who perform essential works in various languages. Each group performed one piece at WinterSong this year. In addition to collaborating with soloists, Bel Canto also joined forces with a few talented instrumentalists. This year’s event, which was overseen by Jennifer Cowgill, Bel Canto’s director, included students from every upper school grade level.
Grade 5 Takes on the Rockin’ Musical “School Daze”
At the end of January, the entire grade 5 class at The Harker School presented “School Daze: Scenes and Songs from a Rockin’ School Day.”
The musical starts in an “Average Family Kitchen” and takes the audience through the beginning of the day (a scene featuring a song called “I’m in a Daze”) and then through a variety of classes, such as history, English, math, P.E. and choir. Each of the song and dance performances accompanying the scenes had its own unique spin on an aspect of a school day, with song titles such as “I Love My Locker” and “Cafeteria Confusion.” One of the big highlights of the play – which proved to be a delight throughout – was that the students portrayed Harker teachers in any scene a teacher was called for.
There were three showings of the musical, including a special performance for the rest of the lower school.
Downbeat’s Annual Holiday Tour
Downbeat, the upper school’s show choir, brought holiday cheer to the Bay Area in December. They were featured performers at the holiday boutique at Filoli Gardens and gathered an impressive crowd beneath the giant Christmas tree at Pier 39. They also caroled through the halls of the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital children’s oncology ward and sang for both independent seniors and those in assisted living at The Forum in Los Altos. The group closed the evening with a show in the lounge of the San Jose Fairmont Hotel, with family, friends, teachers and administrators cheering them on.
Conservatory Classic
Harker Conservatory alumni reunited in late December for the fourth Alumni Conservatory Classic, held in the Nichols Hall auditorium, featuring alumni from as far back as 2004.
Instrumental talent on display included several violinists, a cellist and a guitarist. Among the many vocal performers onstage during the evening was a duet from a pair of 2011 graduates, followed by many other soloists, including more of the recent ’11 grads as well as graduates from 2007. One solo performance featured dance accompaniment while others were performed in foreign languages, including a stunning piece in French.
Soloists weren’t the only ones to get in on the act, though. A large group of former Cantilena singers from many different graduating classes took the stage that evening, and Guys’ Gig alumni closed the show with arranged versions of popular songs.
Student-Directed Showcase
In January, three seniors made their directorial debuts at this year’s Student-Directed Showcase. Each chose a play to direct and produce, learning a great deal in the process.
From auditioning actors to arranging sets to technical planning, directors gained a wealth of hands-on experience during the class, which many apply for but few get to take. This year’s productions were “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” “Voices in Conflict” and “How to Succeed in High School Without Really Trying.”
London New Year’s Eve Performance by The Harker Orchestra
The Harker Orchestra, the upper school’s largest musical ensemble, directed by Chris Florio, performed in London during the city’s New Year celebration. The 76 musicians performed at the famous Cadogan Hall and received a very enthusiastic response. “The audience’s spontaneous reaction was one of the highlights of my musical life because it was so genuine,” said Florio. “They had to stand up right away. I’ve never experienced that as a conductor.”
The students also had the opportunity to march in the London New Year’s Day parade, carrying the flags of the countries participating in this year’s summer Olympic games, which will take place in London.
Baby Wants Candy Brings Tons of Energy to Unique Improv Sessions
Laughter rang through Saratoga and Blackford campuses in early February when Harker was visited by Baby Wants Candy, a musical comedy improvisational troupe who led workshops and performed at a sold-out event.
Baby Wants Candy has permanent troupes in New York and Chicago; at any given time they may have 40-50 performers in groups that tour, including to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where their relationship with Harker began. The troupe performed at an upper school assembly on Feb. 3 and spent both lunchtimes answering questions from Conservatory students at a “Life in the Arts” workshop.
On Friday and Saturday afternoons, Harker students were put through their improv paces in five hours of workshops. They spent Friday breaking down the elements of improv and listening to a fabulous primer on this difficult art form. Saturday they were joined by more of the cast, and the lessons continued, eventually preparing the students for participation in the BWC show on Saturday night.
The first half of the show allowed the Harker workshop students to spread their improv wings and test out all they had learned in the past days. BWC cast members led the students through all manner of improv games, all based on suggestions from the audience.
Then the BWC cast performed. An audience member suggested the title “Presidents on Jeopardy,” and a fully choreographed, plotted and staged musical unfolded, replete with topical political references, hilarious rhymes, and the Jeopardy theme song woven throughout several of the musical numbers.
Harker grade 6 singers dazzled the large crowd at the Blackford Theater on May 25 during the seventh annual Spring Sing concert. This year’s show had a story to go along with the singing and dancing. The priceless Harker Chalice had been stolen by the infamous Punk Panther, and the performers were on a globe-hopping adventure to capture the thief and return the chalice to Harker. In all, 190 students were involved in the show.
Patriotic numbers such as “Over There” by George Cohan and “This is the Army, Mr. Jones” by Irving Berlin were performed along with present-day hits (“Someone Like You” by Adele) and Broadway show tunes. One of the highlights of the show was their version of “Africa” by Toto. As an additional treat, the grade 7-8 show choir Harmonics emerged from the audience to sing “The Time Warp” from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” For the finale, the grade 6 boys were joined by the grade 8 Harmonics boys for the early 1950s hit “Hey Mambo.” The entire show was written, directed, choreographed and costumed by middle school performing arts teacher Roxann Hagemeyer, whose husband, Rolando Queyquep, designed the show’s props.
One of the last upper school vocal performances of the year took place in early May, with Downbeat and Bel Canto coming together for the Songs Into Summer concert at the Nichols Hall auditorium. Bel Canto, directed by Jennifer Cowgill, started things off with a rendition of “Gloria in D Major” by Antonio Vivaldi. Downbeat, musical directed by Catherine Snider and choreographed by Laura Lang-Ree, followed with “I’ve Got the Music in Me.”
Bel Canto entertained with some time-honored classics and traditionals, such as “Guide My Wayfaring Feet,” “Old Dan Tucker” and Harry Warren and Al Dubin’s “Lullaby of Broadway.” Downbeat tackled some of the more popular and challenging songs, including “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire and the U2 megahit “Beautiful Day.”
For the show’s finale, the group performed their version of the Queen classic “Somebody to Love,” and finished with the group’s traditional closer, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
The nominations for the 2012 Stage Top Honor Awards were announced Monday, and the cast and staff of the Conservatory’s spring musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” received 11 nominations. Fifteen schools participated, and Harker received the fifth most nominations.
The Top Honor Awards recognizes outstanding work by high school musical theater programs. Four judges, each one a theater professional, attend performances at each of the participating schools and complete a lengthy and detailed evaluation, which then is passed along to each show’s director. Harker’s director, Laura Lang-Ree, received the adjudications last week and called the cast together after school to share the positive and constructive feedback. “Students receive over 75 pages of notes from outside professionals,” Lang-Ree said, offering feedback on everything from the ushers to each cast member and every technical element of the show.
Nominees for best actor/actress and best show are invited to perform at the awards ceremony, which this year will be on June 4 at the California Theater in downtown San Jose. The winners of the best actor/actress category will win a scholarship to New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts, if they are accepted as students there.
While excited by the nominations, Lang-Ree is firm that, “We produce musicals so that we can learn from and enjoy the process – we are not in it to win a prize. That’s our philosophical stand, as we are always going to do our best, grow, stretch, fail, succeed and try again, regardless of whether we choose to be a part of an adjudication or competition.” Lang-Ree and musical director Catherine Snider were gratified by the best show and best chorus nominations, in particular, as those categories most clearly represent the goals of the Conservatory – a tight, well-rehearsed acting, dancing and singing ensemble in which each character is well-developed, everyone’s energy is equally high, and the chorus is an integral part of the play as a whole. “Nominated, win or not, we strive to make the process of performing as rich and valuable as possible, and therein lies the joy of rehearsal, process and performance,” Lang-Ree said.
“The Drowsy Chaperone” received the following nominations: overall production; chorus; leading actress (Noel Witcosky, grade 12); leading actor (Tristan Killeen, grade 12); supporting actor (Govinda Dasu, grade 12); supporting actress (Lauren Pinzás, grade 12); featured actress (Cristina Jerney, grade 11); direction (Lang-Ree); musical direction (Snider); choreography (Katie O’Bryon); and sound design (Brian Larsen).
Kindergarten performers took a packed house back to the 1950s with this year’s annual show, titled “At the Hop” and directed by lower school performing arts teacher Kellie Binney. Each member of the production assumed the identity of a ’50s archetype or celebrity for the show, portraying icons such as Elvis Presley (Ashwin Kuppahally), Ella Fitzgerald (Emi Fujimura) and Chuck Berry (Enzo Lucketti).
The students performed various hits from the ’50s on the Bucknall stage, including “Splish Splash” by Bobby Darin, “Donna” by Ritchie Valens, Presley’s “Hound Dog” and the show’s namesake, “At the Hop” by Danny and the Juniors. The teachers of each kindergarten class were also part of the show, introducing their respective classes with entertaining skits and even joining in on several numbers. Naturally, performers were decked out in a potpourri of period-appropriate attire, including leather jackets, jeans and poodle skirts, and the audience delighted in the students’ fun and inspired renditions of classic tunes, all done to energetic choreography by dance teacher Gail Palmer.
The show included a well-designed set that mimicked an authentic ’50s diner, courtesy of scenic artist Whitney Pintello, with props by the students of Danny Dunn’s middle school technical theater class. Grade 5 students Nikhil Dharmaraj and Ayush Pancholy constructed a jukebox that was a major feature of the scenery. Dunn, who also acted as technical director and designer, again brought along the students of her grade 5 technical theater class to act as the stage crew.
Student singers from every campus gathered at San Jose’s Mexican Heritage Theater in late March for this year’s United Voices concert, which brought all of Harker’s talented vocal groups to one stage.
Middle school choirs Harmonics and Vivace kicked off the show by teaming up on a medley of the traditional Shaker song “Simple Gifts” and the famous “Canon in D” by Johann Pachelbel, directed by Dave Hart. The two groups would also perform individually later that evening. Harmonics, directed by Monica Colletti and Roxann Hagemeyer, wowed the audience with their rendition of “Time Warp” from “The Rocky Horror Show,” and Dave Hart directed Vivace, who performed the traditional “Down By the Riverside,” with musical accompaniment from guitarist Nikhil Parmar, bassist Jonathan Yiu, and drummer Rohan Desikan, all grade 8, pianist Michael Tseitlin, grade 7.
Dynamics, the grade 6 show choir directed by Roxann Hagemeyer, was the third middle school group to perform during the evening, singing Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon’s standard “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “The Frim Fram Sauce,” made famous by the Nat King Cole Trio.
The lower school was represented by the Bucknall Choir, made up of students in grades 4 and 5, who sang the Scottish folk song “Ally Bally” and the American folk song “Red River Dances.” Donna Boucher, grade 5, provided accompaniment on flute.
The first of the upper school groups to perform was Susan Nace’s group Camerata, singing 17th century composer Johannes Jeep’s “Musica, dieganz lieblich Kunst” (“Music, the most lovely art”) before switching gears to the spiritual “I Hear a Voice A-Prayin’,” by Houston Bright.
Cantilena, also directed by Nace, sang a diverse set of three songs, beginning with the stirring traditional “Hark! I Hear the Harps Eternal,” followed by the haunting “Lan Hua Hua” by Liu Zhuang and concluding with Nace’s own arrangement of the Roger Nixon piece “Carol.” The late Nixon’s granddaughter, Bridget, grade 12, sings in the ensemble.
Jennifer Cowgill directed the upper school’s choir Bel Canto, who performed the spiritual “Guide My Wayfarin’ Feet” and the Cuban folk song “Guantanamera.” Their set also included impressive solo performances by Katia Mironova, grade 10, Justin Gerard, grade 11 and Jeton Gutierrez-Bujari, grade 9.
Downbeat, the upper school’s show choir, took the stage just before the finale. Directed by Laura-Lang Ree and Catherine Snider, the well-practiced group first performed a spirituals medley, combining “Just Across That River” and “Every Time I Feel the Spirit.” Their set concluded with a rousing rendition of The Doobie Brothers’ “Listen to the Music.”
Finally, all of the evening’s singers assembled on the stage to perform “Tshotsholoza,” a South African folk song with African-style drumming provided by Vivace’s rhythm section. The performers received a much-deserved standing ovation not just for the stunning finale, but also for the musicianship they displayed throughout the evening.