The Conservatory’s spring musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” a self-styled “Musical Within a Comedy,” fused modern and vaudevillian musical theater styles to create a uniquely entertaining experience. The show gave the students the chance to explore both new and more familiar theatrical genres. Director Laura Lang-Ree, musical director Catherine Snider and choreographer Katie O’Bryon guided the 43 students in the cast in learning the various performance styles.
The production follows the Man in Chair (Tristan Killeen, grade 12), a shut-in and Broadway enthusiast who unearths and listens to a recording of a fictional 1928 musical known as “The Drowsy Chaperone.” After getting approval from the audience to guide them through the show, he puts the record on his player and the musical comes to life in his living room.
The plot of the show within the show takes place on the wedding day of oil tycoon Robert Martin (Neel Salukhe, grade 12) and famed Broadway actress Janet Van De Graff (Noel Witcosky, grade 12), who has pledged to quit show business to devote all her time to married life.
This doesn’t sit well with the boss of the two gangsters (Ian Richardson and Kevin Moss, both grade 10) who have infiltrated the wedding disguised as pastry chefs in order to protect their boss’ investment in the musical “Feldzieg’s Follies,” of which Van De Graff is the star. So begins a screwball comedy with rousing musical numbers and periodic bittersweet insights into the life of the Man in Chair which give the show the substance that made it so popular with Broadway audiences when it debuted in 2006.
Stalwart set designer Paul Vallerga brought his trademark creativity to production, creating a versatile set that was easily changed to suit a variety of locales, and which included a large airplane and a Murphy bed. Clever props made their way into the show as well, courtesy of prop designer Joan Sommerfield. Natti Pierce-Thomson again handled the lighting design, splendidly capturing the musical’s many moods.
The Conservatory’s spring musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” a self-styled “Musical Within a Comedy,” fused modern and vaudevillian musical theater styles to create a uniquely entertaining experience. The show gave the students the chance to explore both new and more familiar theatrical genres. Director Laura Lang-Ree, musical director Catherine Snider and choreographer Katie O’Bryon guided the 43 students in the cast in learning the various performance styles.
The production follows the Man in Chair (Tristan Killeen, grade 12), a shut-in and Broadway enthusiast who unearths and listens to a recording of a fictional 1928 musical known as “The Drowsy Chaperone.” After getting approval from the audience to guide them through the show, he puts the record on his player and the musical comes to life in his living room.
The plot of the show within the show takes place on the wedding day of oil tycoon Robert Martin (Neel Salukhe, grade 12) and famed Broadway actress Janet Van De Graff (Noel Witcosky, grade 12), who has pledged to quit show business to devote all her time to married life.
This doesn’t sit well with the boss of the two gangsters (Ian Richardson and Kevin Moss, both grade 10) who have infiltrated the wedding disguised as pastry chefs in order to protect their boss’ investment in the musical “Feldzieg’s Follies,” of which Van De Graff is the star. So begins a screwball comedy with rousing musical numbers and periodic bittersweet insights into the life of the Man in Chair which give the show the substance that made it so popular with Broadway audiences when it debuted in 2006.
Stalwart set designer Paul Vallerga brought his trademark creativity to production, creating a versatile set that was easily changed to suit a variety of locales, and which included a large airplane and a Murphy bed. Clever props made their way into the show as well, courtesy of prop designer Joan Sommerfield. Natti Pierce-Thomson again handled the lighting design, splendidly capturing the musical’s many moods.
Singing for a prep-level community music school in Italy was an experience five members of Cantilena won’t soon forget.
The Conservatory’s all-women’s classical ensemble recently enjoyed the unique opportunity to sing at the Academy of Music in Florence and tour the country as well. A jam-packed itinerary included such memorable experiences as a stay in a quaint Tuscan villa, a visit to the historic city of San Gimignano, sightseeing in Pisa and a guided tour of Assisi.
Attending mass at various Italian churches, listening to the monks singing and performing there themselves was also a trip highlight.
“The music school concert was probably the most fun of all the singing engagements we had,” said Susan Nace, the group’s director. “We gave a full concert there. The kids were engaged and enthusiastic,” she added, noting that the Italian music students did warm-up vocal exercises with Cantilena and, after the concert, sang a song together. Additionally, they treated the Harker contingency to a tour of the school, even inviting them to sit in on a couple of lessons.
Another amazing experience, noted Nace, was visiting the Sant’ Antimo monastery, where they experienced morning prayers and mass, all done in a Gregorian chant.
“It was transcendent … We sang part of our program for the brothers and priests there and then were taken on a special tour of the French Romanesque Church – including the ambulatory and the crypt – which most visitors do not get to see,” Nace recalled.
By the time the Harker singers had departed Florence for their return flight back home, they knew they had been part of an unforgettable singing adventure.
Last month the lower, middle and upper school jazz bands united to present an Evening of Jazz. Held at the Blackford Theater, the event was led by Louis Hoffman, Dave Hart and Chris Florio, the directors of the jazz bands for each campus.
Kicking off the evening, The Harker School Jazz Band performed “Two Seconds to Midnight” by composer Alan Baylock and “Harker Swing” by David Len Allen, arranged by Harker music aide Paul Woodruff.
Those numbers were followed by the Lower School Jazz Ensemble’s rendition of John Coltrane’s “Equinox” and Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man.” Then, the Middle School Jazz Band performed the more traditional numbers “Motherless Child” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Following a brief intermission and further performances by all three ensembles came the combined finale, “Work Song” by Nat Adderley. Running the gamut from rousing, upbeat swing numbers to slow, soulful ballads, Evening of Jazz showcased the breadth of Harker student talent and entertained and delighted its audience.
Staff for the show included Brian Larsen, production manager, and Paul Vallerga, technical director. The Harker performing arts department noted its gratitude to contributors to the school’s annual campaign, which helps make programs such as this possible.
Rohan Chandra, grade 11, recently received the news that he has been selected as a tenor for the All-National Honor Mixed Choir by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME). Chandra will participate in a three-day program this June that culminates in a concert at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on June 24, during which he will perform with other top student musicians selected from all over the country.
Noah Levy, grade 12, earned the rank of Eagle Scout in a recent ceremony at Harker’s Nichols Hall. Levy completed requirements for 23 badges, thoguh only 21 are required, in addition to rebuilding a dilapidated footbridge/horsebridge in Belgatos Park in Los Gatos, as part of his Eagle Service Requirement. Levy has played varsity baseball for Harker for four years, now starting as a center fielder. He is also proficient in Japanese, after taking the language for six years at Harker and spending a summer learning abroad in Tokyo and living with a host family. Levy begins his first year at Tufts University, his first choice, in Boston in the fall.
Anooshree Sengupta, grade 6, recently participated in “Dear Mr. Henshaw,” a play presented by the California Theater Center (CTC) in Sunnyvale. The play, written by Newberry Award-winning author Beverly Cleary (Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby), is about an author, Mr. Henshaw, who encourages Leigh, his number one fan, to write a journal to help him come to terms with the challenges of growing up, his parents’ recent divorce, and with being the new kid in school. The plays at CTC are a mix of adult and child actors. Sengupta participated in 15 performances of the play.
A number of Harker students placed well in the 20th annual United States Open Music Competition (USOMC) recently held in Oakland.
Since 1992, the competition has worked to promote the best of classical talent among young musicians, including all aspects of classical repertoire in solo, duet, ensemble and concerto events.
The USOMC bills itself as an organization “dedicated to creating an environment where local, national and international students of all levels strive to achieve musical excellence.” The organization continues to grow from increasing public support and is known for maintaining the high quality of a top-notch piano competition.
Among the Harker students who placed well in the respected competition were: Kai-Ming Ang, grade 4,Kai-Siang Ang, grade 7, Amy Jin, grade 6, Andrew Jin, grade 9, Sanjana Kaundinya, grade 9, Alexander Mo, grade 7, Brandon Mo, grade 6, and Andy Semenza, grade 6.
Always the crowd pleaser, Dance Jamz, the middle school’s annual spring dance show, again left audiences wanting more.
Sponsored by the performing arts department and held at the Blackford Theater for a four-show run, the recent show featured 169 dancers (20 more than last year) from all middle school grade levels.
Dance Jamz 2012 encompassed a series of elaborate routines, covered varied dance styles and included more male performers than ever before. There was even an grade 8 boys-only number.
The student dancers performed a total of three shows, first showcasing their talents for grade 5, then entertaining their middle school classmates and finally performing for friends and family.
Middle school dance teacher Gail Palmer, who directed the show, said she was excited about watching Harker’s middle school program grow. With more students taking classes and becoming technically skilled dancers, she hopes her students continue to follow their passion for dance well into high school and beyond.
She noted that Dance Jamz would not be possible without the tireless effort of countless volunteers who ensure it runs smoothly, as well as those who give to Harker’s annual campaign, which funds the program.
From the first energetic piece, “This Place About to Blow,” to the final number, “Fame,” Dance Jamz entertained and delighted audience members with its stunning variety of dance styles, music and costumes.
In January, three seniors made their directorial debuts at this year’s Student-Directed Showcase. This year’s directors, Tina Crnko, Sebastian Herscher and Alex Najibi, 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, taught by Laura Lang-Ree, which many apply for but few get to take. “I think that students find interpreting and creating the ‘big picture’ really intriguing,” said Lang-Ree. “So often in their lives they focus solely on one thing very well, be it a subject or a song. But with directing, you have to have vision and be able to work on the smallest details with the big picture always in mind.”
This year’s productions were “Rosencranz and Guildenstern are Dead,” directed by Herscher, “Voices in Conflict,” directed by Crnko, and “How to Succeed in High School Without Really Trying,” directed by Najibi.
For Crnko, the opportunity to direct in the showcase brought her full circle, and she views it as a way to bring other students into the arts. “I became interested in the performing arts by accident, through Student-Directed Showcase,” she said. “Being offered a spot in an SDS play my freshman year shaped my love for theater and pushed me deep into the Conservatory.”
Apart from the general busywork and day-to-day activity of being a director, students also learn how to be leaders, as well as how “to always keep trying new and different ways to motivate a cast and to create a vision,” Lang-Ree said.
Despite the many challenges directors face, Crnko said the biggest obstacle was herself. “I was taking on a monster of a play,” she said. “As ‘Voices in Conflict’ is a documentary, the pressure of doing justice to these remarkable stories was almost crippling at the start. I was also incredibly afraid of how the show would be received by our community.” She was pleasantly surprised to find out that her project was enthusiastically received. “I found 20 students who were as excited as I was, and their spectacular energy and work ethic brought this powerful play to life.”
“I love the ‘aha’ moments students in SDS get when they learn the method to the madness with directing,” said Lang-Ree. “[When they see] that there really is a process and a way of creating that opens up, rather than inhibits, a show’s growth potential.”
Once again the Harker Fashion Show wowed its audience, living up to its nine-year-old reputation as a fun, profitable fundraiser.
Appreciative audiences filled out both lunch and dinner gatherings yesterday, which were open to the public and held at the San Jose Convention Center. The theme of the event, which raised funds and awareness for the school, was Celebrate! Money raised will go a long way towards aiding Harker’s scholarship and other funds.
The theme was carried through in celebrations of inner and outer beauty – illustrated with moving videos and breathtaking runway fashions. The videos shared the stories of the students themselves, and the bonds they had formed with their close knit community of teachers and peers. Fashions, representing a range of top designers, were expertly modeled by both students, teachers and parents alike.
“We have so much to celebrate at Harker every day,” said Chris Nikoloff, head of school, in his welcome letter in the event program. “Sure, our students win competitions, perform admirably on the field and stage, score high on tests, make the papers. But what makes me celebrate our community even more are the smaller things – students who politely open doors for each other, who smile and greet passing teachers, who say ‘thank you,’ who take so much joy from simply being in school and learning new things.”
Net proceeds from Celebrate! go to provide financial assistance to students who would otherwise be unable to benefit from a Harker education, fund the construction of the new gym and performing arts center and support the mission to purchase a third campus.