Jeffrey Kwong, grade 11, was named the top cellist in the California American String Teachers Association’s (ASTA) 2010 Solo Competition. Kwong and the other winners for each instrument (violin, viola and guitar) will be featured in a Winner’s Showcase recital on Jan. 30 at California State University, Fullerton, where they will also be awarded with certificates and a cash prize. All winners were recommended to be considered potential finalists for ASTA’s National Solo Competition.
Another student musician, senior guitarist Nikhil Parthasarathy, was recommended as a candidate for national finalist. Finalists will be selected in January, and will travel to Kansas City, Mo., in March to participate in the finals.
Cantilena appeared at the Women’s Choral Exchange at Saratoga High School on Nov. 8, where the group performed a number of songs from its own repertoire, as well as two songs from Ralph Vaughan Williams’ opera “In Windsor Forest” with all of the groups at the event.
Songs sung by Cantilena included the Iroquois soundscape “Watane,” which incorporated percussion and atmospheric sound effects, and “Las Amarillas,” a traditional Mexican song performed entirely in Spanish.
Attendees were very impressed with Cantilena’s performance, particularly “Watane” for its bravely experimental nature. Susan Nace, who directs Cantilena, reported hearing many compliments from parents at other schools, including one parent who asked, “How do you get your girls to sound like that?”
The talents of grades 2 and 3 filled the Bucknall Theater with seasonal cheer at the special holiday show, titled “Home at Harker for the Holidays,” on Dec. 16. The show featured all students in both grades, each singing a wide array of holiday songs.
Louis Hoffman, lower school music teacher, directed the show, which featured riser choreography by Gail Palmer, lower school performing arts teacher, which made the singing numbers a visual as well as audio treat throughout the show. The show began with the second and third graders collaborating for the opening number, “December Nights.” From there, grade 2 students sang their portion of the show, which included songs such as “Over the River and Through the Woods” and “Jingle Bells,” as well as a tune called “Piñata,” which featured grade 2 English, math and social studies teachers Judi Beil, Jeanette Bhatia, Enni Chen and Kimberly Sandoval swinging at piñatas suspended above the stage.
After the second graders concluded their set, the third grade dance squad performed an entertaining routine to Johnny Marks and the Hit Crew’s “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas,” choreographed by Kristin Maurer, after-school dance teacher.
The grade 3 singers took the stage shortly after to perform some a special selection of songs, including “Arbolito,” which was sung entirely in Spanish and featured lower school Spanish teacher Anita Gilbert on vocals, music teachers Toni and Paul Woodruff on violin and piano, respectively, as well as four student instrumentalists: cellist Rachel Broweleit, violinist Gabriel Chai, violinist Kyle Li and cellist Jeffrey Yang. For “The Little Snowflake,” Walid Fahmy, lower school P.E. teacher, Kathleen Ferretti, grade 2 and grade 3 department chair, Heidi Gough, grade 3 social studies teacher, Jim McGovern grade 3 and 4 P.E. teacher and Heather Russell, grade 2 and 3 English, creative writing and math teacher, all took the stage dressed as snowflakes and danced for the crowd’s entertainment.
For the final performance, both classes once again took the stage to seeing “Around the World at Holiday Time” and the grand finale, “Jingle Bell Rock.”
Whitney McClelland designed the attractive scenery for the show, while Danny Dunn, lower school performing arts technical director, along with students from her middle school Tech Club and her grade 5 technical theater class, made sure the show ran smoothly and with minimal delay.
Grade 1 students provided plenty of holiday cheer to the audience at the Bucknall theater, during the First Grade Holiday Concert on Dec. 14.
Directed by Louis Hoffman, lower school music teacher, with riser choreography by Gail Palmer, lower school performing arts teacher, the entire first grade class sang a diverse repertoire of holiday-themed songs, including “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Deck the Halls” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and also performed some lesser-known tunes such as “Candy Candy,” “Shine Little Candle” and a medley of traditional songs about Hanukkah. In between performances, students periodically spoke a few lines of amusing dialog.
The halfway point of the show featured a dance number to the song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” by Johnny Marks, with choreography by after-school dance teacher Kristin Maurer. During the second half, the audience was delighted to see grade 1 homeroom teachers Rita Stone, Cindy Proctor, Diann Chung and Mary Holaday take the stage during the song “Gingerbread Cookies,” dancing with giant gingerbread cookie cut-outs.
Elaborate stage scenery courtesy of scenic artist Whitney McLelland enhanced the ambiance of the show, as did the lovely array of poinsettias provided for the show by Sarah Leonard, lower school division head. Danny Dunn, lower school technical director, as well as her middle school tech club handled the slide show and props, while the students in her grade 5 technical theater class acted as the show crew.
Following the show, students and parents attended a special after-party at the Bucknall gym, where they enjoyed cookies, hot chocolate and a special appearance by Frosty the Snowman.
Harker dancers are dancing in both the San Jose and San Francisco productions of “The Nutcracker” this year. At least eight students, from all three campuses, are participating, and more seem to turn up daily.
Katherine Dow, grade 2, is a mouse in this year’s Ballet San Jose production of the eternal children’s classic. “I have been dancing for four years, since I was three. This is my second year with Ballet San Jose,” and her first appearance in a production, she said. “The most fun thing about being a mouse in the ‘Nutcracker’ is jumping on the soldiers during my dance.”
One grade 3 student, Mimi Campbell, also a mouse, is doing it for the second year in a row. She has been taking ballet for almost six years, and is in her third year at Ballet San Jose School. She said “Dancing onstage for a big audience, fighting with and jumping on the soldiers in the mouse battle!” are the most memorable parts of being in the production.
Classmate Andrew Cheplansky, also grade 3, dances the part of Fritz. He started ballet because his sister, grade 5 student Anastasia, had been attending ballet school and their busy parents needed to consolidate their children’s activities to keep life manageable. “In the beginning Andrew did not like doing ballet,” said his mother, Marina Ovchinnikov, “but with Andrew’s progress and ballet teacher’s encouragement Andrew’s attitude has changed and he enjoys doing ballet now – but not as much as playing soccer or ice hockey.” Andrew’s credits at the Ballet San Jose include “Romeo and Juliet” as the son of a vegetable seller and “Giselle” as a village child.
Though not in this production, Anastasia has been doing ballet for about eight years and had roles in “The Nutcracker” as a mouse; “Coppelia” as the daughter of a flower seller; the title role in “Ugly Duckling”; and “Giselle” as a village child.
Another third grader, Charlotte Brezoczky, joined her sister, Emma, grade 5, in the Ballet San Jose production this year, both as mice. Charlotte has been training since she was three years old and this is her first professional production, “but I also love singing and dancing,” she said. “I was just cast as the King of the Monkeys in ‘The Jungle Book,’ and have been in productions of ‘Annie,’ ‘The Grinch Who Stole Christmas’ and ‘Aladdin.’” For Charlotte, “dancing with the company – that I get to be in a real show dancing with the professional company,” is the most fun!
Sister Emma is a five-time veteran of the Ballet San Jose production, and has been dancing for seven years. “When I was two-and-a-half years old my parents took me to ‘The Nutcracker’ and I told my mom that I wanted to be a mouse!” She has only danced “The Nutcracker” professionally, but “this year, I was very excited to be able to dance with Dance Fusion at Harker,” she said. This year, the entire grade 5 class will attend “The Nutcracker” and “I’m really glad that the fifth grade class gets to see me dance this year! In all the years I’ve been in ‘The Nutcracker,’ this is the first year my classmates have been able to see me.” In addition to that thrill, Emma loves “just being on stage; I feel happy and it is fun. I also have been able to meet some of the professional dancers, like Willie (Anderson) – the Mouse King – and he is a really nice and a really good dancer.”
Charlotte and Emma’s mom, Kelly Lewis Brezoczky, said what she likes is “the girls get the opportunity to be in a professional show working together as a team. ‘Nutcracker’ auditions are in late September and this team of mice rehearse together every Saturday for two months getting ready for this production. They support each other and learn to work together as a unit on stage. It’s about the sum of the parts being greater than the whole, and I think that is a great lesson for the children who participate. The professional dancers are also really great mentors to the kids. They love dancing with them!”
One of Emma’s classmates, Lauren Luspo, will also get the thrill of knowing her classmates have seen the production. She, too, has been dancing since age 3 and is in “The Nutcracker” for the third time. “We started practicing ‘Nutcracker’ Oct. 2 for two hours every Saturday. This is in addition to my three hours of ballet classes per week,” she said. “Rehearsals were hectic last week.”
Luspo doesn’t mind the long hours, though. “I’m passionate about ballet. Like playing the piano, when I am on stage I forget about being shy. Being in ‘Nutcracker’ is so much fun! I also learn discipline and focus. I think it helps me be a better student!
“I also have a ballet family and some of them are already from Harker! I make lots of new friends. Most of all, I get to rehearse with the lead characters like Maria and the Mouse King! I enjoy ‘Nutcracker’ – I just wished all the Harker students were all together in the same cast! I look forward to doing it every year!”
Helena Dworak, grade 7, will perform with the San Francisco Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker” for her second year in a row, playing a member of the cavalry. Dworak trained for six years with the San Jose Ballet and was in their production of “The Nutcracker” for four years. One year, she traveled to China with the San Jose Ballet to dance in “The Firebird.”
One thing she particularly enjoys about ballet is the thrill of seeing world-class performers onstage. “Watching world-famous dancers perform on the stage from backstage or the wings is an amazing experience,” she said. “It provides a different perspective from a private angle.”
As much as Dworak enjoys ballet, she admits that it requires a lot of hard work. “Ballet may look like a delicate activity, but the training required is physically and emotionally intense,” she said.
Two girls in the upper school are in the production, both as snowflakes. Angela Ma, grade 9, and Sara Howells, grade 11, have been dancing since they were four and three, respectively. At age 14, Ma has been dancing for nine years. “Throughout these years, I participated in many BSJ (Ballet San Jose) productions,” said Ma, which have included parts in “Giselle” and “The Toreador,” both as a village child, and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” where she played a fairy.
“I enjoy the professional experience I gained from these performances,” said Ma. “Ballet has introduced me to many dancers, each with a beautiful personality. I find that I can learn something from everyone, the students and the professional company dancers.
“BSJ has been the birthplace of many of my favorite memories,” Ma said, “from standing for the first time at the incredibly high barres to learning to dance in pointe shoes to performing in a professional production. As I grow up, the barres no longer seem so high and the teachers become a part of my family. This is my first year playing the part of a ‘Snowflake’ in the BSJ company production of “The Nutcracker” and I look forward to it.”
Howells has been at Ballet San Jose school since 1998. She took an 18-month break from ballet to play sports, but, “I missed ballet too much and quickly returned to BSJ school,” she said.
“I was a mouse in ‘The Nutcracker’ twice, and a snowflake last year,” Howell said. “I also understudied the corps de ballet section of ‘Giselle,’ and have performed in various BSJ School end-of-the-year productions.” She also noted that over the past summer she attended the Boston Ballet School Summer Dance Program, “which was a great opportunity to improve and grow as a dancer and to meet other ballet students from all over the country.”
The dedication and hard work each of these dancers has put in is apparent, and the ballet mistress of the BSJ School, Dalia Rawson, sends special thanks to Harker. “I am responsible for rehearsing both the snowflakes and the mice, and I am sincerely grateful to the faculty and administration of The Harker School,” she said, thanking Harker on behalf of BSJ’s artistic staff “for support that has been shown to these students, especially Sarah Howells and Angela Ma who needed to reschedule some finals to accommodate our theater schedule. I am gratified that these talented students can continue to excel artistically at Ballet San Jose while following a rigorous academic schedule, and sincerely appreciate Harker for allowing these students to pursue professional ballet training and performance experience.”
Long hours bring rich rewards, though. For Howells, “the most memorable performance experience I have had was the first time I danced as a snowflake, with the falling fake snow and the scenery and costume, which made that experience the most exhilarating of the many performances I have been in.” The role is one she has long aspired to. “I have always wanted to be a snowflake in “The Nutcracker,” which I have finally achieved!” she said.
The eighth Harker Fashion Show is coming! This year brings some changes to this annual extravaganza, but what won’t be any different is the spectacular fashion show, the delicious lunch and dinner, the opportunity to bid on fabulous prizes, and of course the chance to “see and be seen” and mingle with the Harker community. The event is being held at the Santa Clara Convention Center for the first time and will feature an exciting online auction, live auction and gift wheel.
This year’s theme, “When I Grow Up,” will focus our attention on the cornerstone of our community, our students. They start off so small, dreaming big, big dreams, and by the time they leave the upper school, many have already begun to walk their life’s path. Proceeds from the event provide financial aid to students and help fund the building of our new performing and visual arts center.
Behind the scenes is the phenomenal team of Sue Prutton, the fashion show liaison and director of the upper school’s volunteer programs, and Laura Lang-Ree, chair of the performing arts department and director of the show. Prutton is always looking for volunteers to help out before and on the big day, and information is constantly being updated on the website, so go to www.harker.org, search on “fashion show, and keep checking back!
Live Auction Info
Each year the live auction items are eagerly scanned ahead of time and paddles prepared. Damon Casatico of Charity Benefit Auctions will once again lead the proceedings, and we promise you’ll be tempted by the packages being offered!
Here are some of the treats being offered at this year’s live auction:
a year of your child’s life documented in one-of-a-kind pictures by our own Harker photographers
a consultation with premier Bay Area designers, including Dennis Baldwin, Chelsea Court Designs and Tanvi Buch
a San Jose Police helicopter ride over Silicon Valley
a private party at Santana Row’s hottest wine bar
club-level seats and a Zamboni ride at a Sharks game
all-access VIP passes to Infineon Race Track in Sonoma
a trip to the 2011 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles
the chance to throw out the first pitch at an Oakland A’s game
a handmade quilt with the names and artwork from each student of Harker’s Class of 2023
And there’s more, including an encore of our spectacular vacation homes and our annual Harker packages of the VIP graduation experience and meals from the Harker kitchen. Get your paddle ready!
Director Spotlight
What does Laura Lang-Ree most look forward to this year, her fifth as the fashion show’s director? We asked her!
“I love that it’s centered not only around our kids, but the whole community. I’d like to think we are all young at heart, always looking to grow and challenge ourselves. When I see an amazing woman in her seventies or eighties doing great things, I always think, ‘I want to be her when I grow up!’ Life is full of possibilities, and this show reminds us of that.”
We also asked Lang-Ree if she could give us a sneak peek at some surprises in store. She wouldn’t give too much away, but did hint at the possibility of some cameo appearances from alumni or maybe some interesting revelations from teachers about their dreams when they were growing up.
New and Returning Features
Returning fashion show attendees will see a familiar feature out in the lobby before the lunch and dinner shows. Gift and wine wheels, like roulette wheels, will be providing a way to win some prizes even before you take your seat! Tickets for the wheels will not be presold and will be available only in the lobby at the show.
New this year is the online auction which will run during the lead-up to the event itself and will offer unique items including premium wines and gift packages from Santana Row. The online auction will provide an opportunity for everyone to participate in this fun event, even if you can’t attend; look for more details in January.
Upper school music teacher Chris Florio traveled to Japan in October as this year’s exchange teacher to Tamagawa Gakuen in Tokyo. While there, he helped prepare Tamagawa’s middle and upper school bands for national competitions. Both bands took top honors.
“I got to be there for all the hype that led up to it,” Florio said. “I got to work with them a lot, conduct them almost every day.”
The two groups both performed American music at the competition, and Florio’s understanding of American music, particularly jazz, proved vital in helping them perform at their best.
“One piece was very jazz-heavy, so I helped them find a more appropriate jazz feel,” he recalled. “They’re not really jazz players. They’re classical musicians, so that’s always tough, but they responded so quickly and amazingly.”
Certain English words also presented some difficulty, such as when one section instructed the brass players to “wail.”
“As a jazz musician in America you might understand what that means,” Florio said, “but it took me days, actually, to figure out how to explain that one.”
After spending so much time teaching students at Tamagawa, Florio took to heart some principles that he hopes to instill in students at Harker. “I noticed how much [Tamagawa students] worked with the metronome during rehearsals. I started doing that and the kids responded really well.”
He also played some recordings of the Tamagawa upper school band for his students, and noticed that “the kids are practicing on their own more.”
In addition, Florio’s work with the band did not end with his Tamagawa trip. Some time during the school year, he wants to hold a video conference between Tamagawa’s band and the upper school orchestra, and have them play for one another and offer feedback. Two students from Tamagawa’s upper school band will also be visiting as exchange students in January.
Aside from teaching, Florio also went on many fun outings with his new friends at Tamagawa, and also visited Kyoto for two days. “They work very hard, but no matter what age the teacher, they have a lot of fun,” he said. “They made me feel like one of their teachers.”
The fabulous cast of the upper school musical “Pippin” extended its Fringe-driven fundraising efforts to Thanksgiving week, holding a car wash at Rosenthal Field on Nov. 22. “The Fringe (an annual event held in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a wonderful opportunity that only the top performing schools in the nation can attend through The American High School Theatre Festival’s (AHSTF) annual competition,” said cast member James Seifert. Faculty, parents and students, many on campus for parent-teacher conferences, all got a shiny car and a warm conscience for only $5. By noon, a line of cars were already finished with a half dozen waiting their turn.
Harker only enters the AHSTF competition every four years, so with their chance to participate in the Fringe this year, those connected to “Pippin” are especially motivated to raise funds. Cast and crew ran a booth at homecoming selling funnel cakes and cozy hats and scarves. They will also run concessions and sell flowers at major productions. In addition, there are other fundraisers in the planning stages, including a dinner and dessert outing, a special pre-Fringe production of “Pippin” and a Super Bowl party. The group is also hoping to hold a winter ball for adults, to take place at the same time as the students’ Winter Ball, but on the Blackford campus!
Dancers, singers and musicians will again help celebrate “Light Up the Night” at Santana Row, a long-time Harker Fashion Show sponsor. Performers will gather Tues., Nov. 16 from 6-6:30 p.m. for the annual tree lighting, which this year is being directed by our own Laura Lang-Ree, director of performing arts. Harker groups Dance Fusion, US Jazz Band and Downbeat will all be performing prior to the tree lighting on the green outside Maggiano’s Little Italy restaurant. The entire event runs from 3-9 p.m. More details are available at http://www.santanarow.com/events/calendar/2010/11/ (yes, the photo on their site is Harker’s Dance Fusion at last year’s performance!).
The Harker School Orchestra will be invited to play at the 2012 New Year’s Day parade celebration in London, England, and Lady Catherine Longworth, former lord mayor of the city of Westminister, will be on campus Fri., Oct. 29, to present the invitation.
London’s New Year’s Day parade will be the first official event celebrating both Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee and the city’s Olympic year. The parade’s Festival Concerts, in which Harker’s orchestra will play, are also the first events of London’s 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
The parade route wends through Piccadilly, Regent Street and Whitehall, through the center of Westminster, ending in the shadows of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. More than half a million spectators are expected to pack London’s streets to watch the spectacular procession.
The invitation will be presented by a delegation of British officials at an assembly including, along with the former lord mayor, Robert Bone, executive director of the London New Year’s Day parade, and Lady Catherine’s husband, John Longworth. The assembly will be entertained by a section of the orchestra and, afterward, the delegation will enjoy a student-led tour of the campus.
Harker is among a number of schools selected from around the U.S. to be invited to perform in the parade and associated venues around London.