The increasingly warmer weather provided the perfect atmosphere for the Songs Into Summer concert on April 30, featuring upper school vocal groups Bel Canto, directed by Catherine Snider, and Downbeat, directed by Snider and Laura Lang-Ree. The show featured several group performances, including Bel Canto’s versions of the Macedonian folk song “Tatkovina” and the African-American hymn “Bound for the Promised Land,” andDownbeat’s renditions of the Broadway standard “One” and the Billy Joel hit “River of Dreams.” Also singing Billy Joel was Downbeat soloist Christina Li, Gr. 11, who performed “And So It Goes,” and Anita Satish, Gr. 12 and James Seifert, Gr. 11, were crowd favorites with their duet, “The Prayer.” Towards the end of the evening, the graduating seniors featured in the show said their farewells to the audience before Downbeat performed the dramatic closing number, “Home” by pop star Chris Daughtry.
The kindergarten classes took their audience on a jungle cruise during the 2010 kindergarten show at the Bucknall Theater on April 22. Directed by lower school music teacher Louis Hoffman (who also played the part of Baloo the Bear), the production featured students from each class playing the roles of various wildlife, including elephants, tigers and bears.
Backed by a well-crafted set designed by Whitney McClelland and lighting that provided the ideal safari atmosphere, the students performed and sang songs that fit the event’s theme, such as “Banana Phone” and “Morgan the Monkey.” There were also several songs from Disney’s “The Jungle Book,” including “Elephant March,” “That’s What Friends are For” and “The Bare Necessities.”
A highlight of the show was a special song and dance number featuring the quintessential jungle anthem “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” featuring choreography by lower school dance teacher Gail Palmer.
Technical director Danny Dunn and assistant technical director Ivo Salemink ‘04 (a former exchange student) received help from Dunn’s Gr. 5 technical theater students, who all played a key part in running the show.
Nearly 50 Gr. 7 and Gr. 8 students hit the Blackford stage in May for the spring production of the popular musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” directed by drama teacher Monica Colletti. The much-loved musical, which tells the story of a Jewish patriarch and his five daughters as they face the forces of social and political change in 1900s czarist Russia, was a hit with audiences at every show. The production’s famous numbers, including “Tradition,” “Matchmaker” and “Sunrise, Sunset” were sung and danced wonderfully by the young performers, who were supported by splendid musical accompaniment, directed by music teacher Roxann Hagemeyer.
The set design by Paul Vallerga uniquely recreated the quaint village of Anatevka, and lighting by the always-dependable Natti Pierce-Thomson once again gave the production an evocative atmosphere.
In March, the lower and upper school jazz bands presented an Evening of Jazz at the Blackford Theater. Directed by lower school music teacher Louis Hoffman, the lower school ensemble performed the John Coltrane standard “Blue Trane” and a special arrangement of the Deep Purple classic “Smoke on the Water.” To further liven things up, Hoffman and several members of the ensemble donned eye-catching and often silly hats. The Harker School Jazz Band, directed by Chris Florio, played a variety of tunes from greats such as Count Basie, George Gershwin and Arthur Hamilton. Running the gamut from rousing, upbeat swing numbers to slow, soulful ballads, the US band performed their set with equal parts subtlety and aplomb.
Orchestras from all three campuses played together in April during the spring concert, held in the Bucknall campus gym. Louis Hoffman led the Lower School String Ensemble and Lower School Orchestra through classic pieces by composers such as Pachelbel, Bach and Tchaikovsky, while Chris Florio conducted the Gr. 6 Orchestra and Gr. 7-8 Orchestra as they performed selections from Beethoven, Debussy, Vaughan Williams and more.
At this event the lower school and Gr. 6 orchestras collaborated on a rendition of “Ancient Aires and Dances” by Ottorino Respighi. Later, the upper school Harker School Orchestra, under Florio’s direction, performed works by Mendelssohn, Stravinsky and others. Highlights of this portion of the program were solo performances by two graduating seniors, violinist Sonya Huang on Camille Saint-Saens’ “Dance Macabre, Op. 40” and cellist Julia Shim on Edward Elgar’s “Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85.”
Reprinted from the Harker Quarterly June 2010 issue
Student artists of all disciplines and their families had three opportunities in May to celebrate the unveiling of the conceptual design of their new space, a performing and visual arts center (PVAC) planned for the center of the Saratoga campus as part of phase 4 of Harker’s master site plan.
Diana Nichols, former head of school and lifetime trustee, hosted the events in the Nichols Hall auditorium. The programs included talks by visual arts chair Jaap Bongers, performing arts chair Laura Lang-Ree, and an impassioned speech by Nichols herself, who charmed, cajoled and nudged the audience into understanding the importance of completing this new venue for Harker.
Bongers outlined the difficulties his students have trying to make art pieces in the same space they are stored, and the need to work outside in all weather, because there are no rooms with proper ventilation or floor space. Lang-Ree’s speech included a dramatic visual punch – a video made by a local school that shows a time-lapse sequence of their new space, and testimonials by their faculty detailing how competitive and attractive their school can now be because of their arts center. Lang-Ree pointed out that while audiences may only see the “glitz and glamour of our productions,” what they don’t see is much more revealing; the students then gave a laundry-list of challenges they face as performers in their limited and unequipped spaces.
Student performers gave the potential donors a look at their future beneficiaries, performing dances, songs or dramatic scenes at each of the gatherings. Nichols then opened the floor to questions and comments.
The highlight of each show, though, was the presentation of the site plans. Built around the theme of a crystal – which is constantly changing, growing and reflecting light, the way students are – the new gym, student center and PVAC have glass entries. Waterfalls, a suspension bridge, a roof vegetable garden and green space will make the center a stunning addition to the campus.
A special “gift club” called The Director’s Circle has been established to recognize the many teachers, staff members and others who have made early gifts to this campaign.
The excitement at these gatherings was palpable, and momentum is growing. The time to get on board is now!
Graduates, friends and family were once again greeted by gorgeous weather and surroundings at the Mountain Winery on May 22 for the upper school’s ninth annual commencement ceremony. The Harker Chamber Orchestra, directed by Chris Florio, officially began the ceremony by welcoming the graduates with “Pomp and Circumstance.” Following the processional, Susan Nace directed the 2010 Graduation Chorus in her arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Following a brief welcome speech by Butch Keller, upper school head, salutatorian Adam Perelman addressed his classmates in a light-hearted speech; Andrew Zhou, who, as valedictorian, traditionally would have spoken, was not able to attend the ceremony because he was attending the U.S. Physics Olympiad team training in Maryland (see p. 7).
“I was so excited when I found out that I had the chance to speak today. And that’s not just because [college counselor] Mr. [Kevin] Lum Lung promised me twenty bucks if I mentioned his name in this speech,” Perelman joked. He went on to list the many accomplishments of the Class of 2010, which included but were not limited to winning consecutive spirit championships and running a marathon to honor John Near, the much-loved 30-year veteran history teacher who passed away last September (see p. 48). “What I’m trying to say is that, we’re kind of a big deal, Class of 2010,” Perelman quipped.
The speech got another big laugh when Perelman reflected on how much the class had changed since freshman year. “A lot of you probably remember that back then, I looked a lot more like this!” he exclaimed, donning an afro wig.
Before closing, Perelman thanked the Harkerteachers and families who helped him and his classmates become the people they are. He then thanked his fellow graduates “for making high school so unforgettable.”
After much applause, Catherine Snider conducted the 2010 Graduation Chorus, singing the Taylor Hicks hit “Do I Make You Proud,” before the day’s keynote speaker, San Jose Mercury News columnist Scott Herhold, took the podium. In his speech, Herhold made special note of the accomplishments that the graduating seniors had achieved as part of a collaborative effort. He recognized several students by name and recapped many of the accomplishments they achieved together in areas such as community service, sports and performing arts.
In another yearly tradition, graduate and outgoing National Honor Society president Anjali Menon then passed the Lamp of Knowledge to rising senior and new NHS president Ashtyn Ka. Chris Nikoloff, head of school, then went to the stage to give his customary parting words to the senior class (see p. 4) before individually awarding the diplomas to the class of 2010, along with Keller and Naomi Schatz, class dean and psychology teacher. Nikoloff and Jennifer Gargano, assistant head of school for academic affairs, then said their closing words and released doves, before the Harker Chamber Orchestra performed the recessional piece, “March Heroique” by Saint-Saens, to bring the ceremonies and a great senior year to an end!
Reprinted from the Harker QuarterlyMarch 2010 issue
WinterSong: Bel Canto and Friends
Bel Canto and fellow performers wowed the crowd with a Conservatory concert held on Jan. 22 at Nichols Hall. At WinterSong, this ensemble of Gr. 9-10 singers sang songs from a wide range of genres, including Harry Belafonte’s “Turn the World Around” and a moving rendition of Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs,” which was considered to be the group’s most ambitious work ever. They also sang a spiritual, a piece in Latin, and ‘60s staple “Bye Bye, Love.” Elodie Nguyen, Gr. 12, accompanied the group on the piano, and they were directed by Catherine Snider.
Eight Conservatory Certificate candidates also performed solos at the concert, with works ranging from junior Shireen Moshkelani’s “When I Have Sung My Songs” by Ernest Charles to sophomore Alex Najibi’s rendition of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La donna e mobile.” Andrew Lee, Gr. 10, played his own four-movement Baroque-style composition on the piano and Lydia Demissachew, Gr. 11, played Johannes Brahms’ “Rhapsody, Op. 70 No. 2.” John Ammatuna, Gr. 11, was accompanied by Diane Villadsen, Gr. 11, on a song from “South Pacific”; also singing were Vrinda Goel, Gr. 11, Sebastian Herscher, Gr. 10 and Nina Sabharwal, Gr. 9.
Orchestra
As Harker’s instrumental program has grown significantly in the past few years, directors Chris Florio, Louis Hoffman and Toni Woodruff split the annual winter showcase into two parts. Despite the change, both concerts, held Jan. 15, were packed and the showcase was a rousing success.
The early evening show featured Woodruff’s Lower School String Ensemble, the new Lower School Jazz Ensemble led by Hoffman and Hoffman’s Lower School Orchestra. Florio’s Gr. 6 and Gr. 7-8 orchestras closed the concert with Brahms, Fauré and Tchaikovsky compositions.
The second show included Florio’s Jazz Band, featuring front singer Francesca Nagle, Gr. 11, singing smooth tunes and impressive solos from sax player Aadithya Prakash, Gr. 12 and trombonist Benjamin Tien, Gr. 11. The Harker Orchestra also performed all four movements of Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 1,” a Smetana overture and the humorous “Hungarian Dance” of Brahms.
Dance Production: Percussion Pathways
Harker dancers hit the stage Jan. 29 and 30 in Percussion Pathways, this year’s theme for the ever-popular annual upper school dance production. Choreographers selected percussion-heavy music and were challenged by director Laura Rae to create dances that allowed them to “move to their own drummers.”
Student choreographers worked with Harker dance teachers Rae and Karl Kuehn, and dancers Heidi Landgraf, Adrian Bermudez and Sasha Stepanenko ’06 to create a three-part show, taking the audience through Harker school life into an exploration of larger themes about belonging, suffering and mystery. Some students, including Johnny Lau, Gr. 12 and Malika Mehrotra, Gr. 11, also had the opportunity to choreograph their own dances for the show, putting out toe-tappers and crowd-movers to “Break It Down” by Manu Dibango and “Shadowplay” by The Killers.
Dance Jamz Electrifies Audiences
Dance Jamz, the annual middle school dance show, energized audiences in early March, as nearly 150 dancers from all middle school grade levels performed several dance styles. The show ran March 4-6, first showcasing the students’ talents for Gr. 5, then entertaining their middle school classmates and finally performing for friends and family.
Directed by middle school dance teacher Gail Palmer, with co-direction by dance teachers Amalia Vasconi and Karl Kuehn, the show highlighted swing, contemporary modern, musical theater and hip-hop, with elements of Bollywood and Latin.
The dynamic lighting by middle school performing arts teacher Paul Vallerga brought more flair to each performance, including a dramatic shot of silhouetted hiphop dancers. Students and parents alike were thrilled to see the talented young dancers perform their hearts out onstage!
Conservatory Classic
The second annual Conservatory Classic, “An Evening with Past, Present and Future Harker Stars,” brought together the Harker community at the end of winter break, with proceeds going towards the performing arts program. Vocal and musical theater alumni Kartik Venkatraman ’09, Stephanie Kim ’08, Siobhan Stevenson ’07 and many others returned to campus to perform collaborative pieces with current students.
Graduated Guys’ Gig members joined the current crew in song. A string octet, an alumni jazz combo and solos from students were also performed to highlight Harker’s performing arts in preparation for Phase 4 of the school’s master site plan – a new performing and visual arts center.
Congratulations to rising seniors James Seifert and John Ammatuna who were recognized for their performances as Marius (Outstanding Supporting Actor) and Enjolras (Outstanding Featured Performer), respectively, in “Les Misérables” in San Jose Stage Company’s inaugural High School Top Honors recognition program for area high schools. The awards were presented in June at an awards ceremony held at the California Theater in San Jose.
For many years Harker’s musical theater department participated in an awards program for Bay Area high schools sponsored by American Musical Theatre of San Jose (AMTSJ), the company that nominated Harker for participation in the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. When AMTSJ went defunct, San Jose Stage Company took up the honors mantle and created the High School Top Honors program, sending adjudicators to 15 local high schools this year.
In related news, Harker has once again been invited to perform at the Fringe, and will be performing this year’s musical, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” at the 2011 Fringe Festival in Edinburgh.
[Update] In error, Harker News Online mis-identified the singer of the moving rendition of “Far From the Home I Love.” Shazdeh Hussain, playing Hodel, was the singer. We apologize for the error.
This year’s middle school musical was an excellent rendition of the 1964 hit “Fiddler On the Roof.” Directed by middle school teachers Monica Colletti and Roxann Hagemeyer, the show ran in the first week of May.
Students began rehearsals in late January, with some practicing five hours a week. As the show neared, however, rehearsals geared up, with students working as many as 15 hours a week to perfect their performance.
Four showings were staged, beginning May 5 and ending May 8. Two shows were for Harker students, faculty and staff, and two were open to the public.
“Fiddler”gave students a chance to display a wide range of talents, including acting, singing and playing musical instruments. It also illustrated the range of theatrical genres, with moments of comedy mixed with sometimes tense drama and even tragedy.
Shazdeh Hussain, Gr. 8, gave a wonderful performance as Hodel, stunning the audience with her singing abilities. Her rendition of “Far From the Home I Love” had many members of the audience in tears.
Sean Knudsen, Gr. 8, playing Tevye, remarked afterward, “It was just a blast working with the entire cast and finally watching it all come together into such a great show.”
Because of limited room backstage, students had the added challenge of maneuvering around props and other actors while trying not to miss their cues. It was not uncommon to see an actor bump into Tevye’s cart before hobbling toward the stage, clutching a shin. However, once they got on stage, all thought of injury was thrown aside as students got wholeheartedly into character.
After this year’s excellent musical we look forward to next year’s effort, and can only wonder at the achievements our theatrical eighth graders will attain in high school!