Two instrumental groups from the lower school, one of which included members from Gr. 6, won silver awards at the Heritage Music Festival. The event took place this past weekend at Foothill Community College.
Heritage festivals are held around the country for various skill levels. At this one, Harker entered non-high school-aged groups for the first time. Louis Hoffman, lower school music director, was pleased with the results. “They did so well,” he said.
Awards were given by three judges based on a standard rather than in competition with other groups, meaning each group had to meet certain expectations, Hoffman explained. Of the approximately 20 groups at the competition, Harker was the only one with elementary school students. The rest featured high schoolers, as well as one junior high group, which made the awards that much more difficult to earn.
About 25 students from Gr. 2-6 were in the jazz ensemble and about 27 from Gr. 2-5 were in the orchestra. Following their performances, a judge spoke to the groups, giving critiques and compliments in a sort of mini clinic, Hoffman said. Each student received a pin to commemorate the results and the school received two plaques to display on campus.
Hoffmann gave credit to Laura Lang-Ree, chair of the performing arts department, and to Chris Florio, upper school orchestra director, for their efforts in building the lower and middle school programs.
“The students’ behavior was so good,” said Hoffman. “They acted wonderfully. I was so proud of them.”
Students from all three campuses joined together March 18 for “United Voices: An Evening with LS, MS and US Choirs.” The groups sang hymns and international melodies in Harker’s first choral music concert spanning all grade levels.
Vivace, directed by Jennifer Cowgill, kicked off the show with Thomas Morley’s “Sing We and Chant It.” Then came Cantilena, Bel Canto and the Bucknall Choir singing selections that included Franz Schubert’s “Der Tanz,” J.S. Bach’s “Wir eilen mit schwachen” and “Que Llueva,” a Spanish folk song.
The intimate concert served as preparation for Vivace, which headed to Los Angeles to compete in a choral festival.
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 received help from Dunn’s Gr. 5 technical theater students, who all played a key part in running the show.
The upper school production of “Les Miserables” was a grand spectacle worthy of the musical’s impressive pedigree. Directed by performing arts chair Laura Lang-Ree, the beloved through-sung retelling of the classic Victor Hugo novel was wonderfully brought to life by the massive cast of upper school students, many of them playing multiple roles. During a run of four shows, the students played this most ambitious of musicals to a packed house each time, with more than 300 in attendance at every performance.
A sprawling, epic tale of redemption and romance spanning two decades in 19th century France, “Les Miserables” chronicles the life of ex-convict Jean Valjean (Nirjhar Mundkur, Gr. 11) as he transforms himself from a petty thief into an honest man while revolution begins to foment among the Paris youth.
The elaborate, multi-tiered set, which changed the orientation of the theater to have the stage in the middle of the room and the audience on three sides, was designed and built by middle school performing arts teacher Paul Vallerga, and creatively implemented a rotating floor to show scenes from multiple perspectives. The dramatic lighting by Natti Pierce-Thomson enhanced every scene with the appropriate level of atmosphere.
Upper school music teacher Catherine Snider, utilizing a supplemental computerized orchestration for the first time in the Conservatory, conducted a five-piece band as they provided seamless musical accompaniment to the onstage performances.
Students also provided a tremendous amount of offstage assistance, operating light and sound boards, managing the stage, assisting with wardrobe and performing many other duties to keep the show running on all cylinders.
Dance Jamz, the annual middle school dance show, wowed audiences in early March, as nearly 150 dancers from all middle school grade levels performed a series of elaborate routines, covering several dance styles. The students performed a total of three shows from March 4-6, first showcasing their 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 a number of different styles, including 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, such as the silhouetted group of dancers that took the stage during the hip-hop portion of the show. Harker’s production manager Brian Larsen handled sound for the event. Dance Jamz, as usual, was a hit with both students and parents alike, who were thrilled to see the talented young dancers perform their hearts out onstage!
The Gr. 5 show on Jan. 28-29 presented what many people would consider a nightmare scenario: a world without iPods, laptops, video games or cell phones. In the play, titled “A Kid’s Life,” an electromagnetic attack from space renders everyday technological conveniences unusable. Without the gadgets they once took for granted, the kids must learn how to unlock the power of their imaginations to have fun, in the process learning important lessons about each other, themselves and life in general.
Directed by lower school music teacher Jennifer Cowgill, the production featured the entire Gr. 5 class, with multiple actors often playing the same role. Lower school faculty and staff – including Joe Connolly, dean of students K-Gr. 5, Pat Walsh, Gr. 5 math teacher and Kristin Giammona, Gr. 4-5 division head – made special guest appearances to the delight of those in attendance.
Lower school performing arts teacher Danny Dunn acted as technical director and sound engineer, and her Gr. 5 technical theater students served as the crew during the play. Dunn’s middle school tech club created the elaborate stage props used in the production. Dunn’s husband, Beric, provided sound effects. Other assistance was provided by helpers Caela Fujii, who acted as board operator, Whitney McLelland, a long-time helper who has designed the scenery for many Gr. 5, kindergarten and holiday shows, Marylin Watts, who has designed costumes for Bucknall shows for several years, and Carol Clever, technical theater assistant for Bucknall shows who acted as stage manager during the play.
The voices of Bel Canto were the star attraction at WinterSong, a special concert held at Nichols Hall on Jan. 22. Directed by Catherine Snider, who also provided piano accompaniment for most of the evening’s soloists, this upper school group sang in a variety of styles, ranging from pop to classical. Several pieces included percussion, such as their performance of Harry Belafonte’s “Turn the World Around,” during which the singers erupted into an amusing chorus of animalistic hoots and hollers while playing drums, sticks and shakers. Piano accompaniment during Bel Canto’s performances was provided by Elodie Nguyen, Gr. 12.
Bel Canto’s performance was highlighted by a stirring rendition of Eric Whitacre’s “Five Hebrew Love Songs,” a series of challenging pieces that the students were thrilled to perform after months of hard practice.
Several solo singers were also heard throughout the show, including Shireen Moshkelani, Gr. 11, singing “When I Have Sung My Songs” by Ernest Charles, Vrinda Goel, Gr. 10, performing Roger Quilter’s “Spring is at the Door,” freshman Nina Sabharwal’s version of the classic “Stormy Weather” and a performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Younger Than Springtime” by junior John Ammatuna, accompanied by Diane Villadsen, also Gr. 11. Foreign language songs were sung by Sebastian Herscher, Gr. 10, performing a German lied, and Alex Najibi, Gr. 10, who sang Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi’s “La donna e mobile” in its native language.
The concert also featured two appearances by students performing on piano. Sophomore Andrew Lee performed his own four-movement composition, and Lydia Demissachew, Gr. 11, played Johannes Brahms’ “Rhapsody , Op. 70, No. 2.”
In early January, Cantilena (Harker’s classical, all-female singing ensemble directed by performing arts instructor Susan Nace) received a visit from two members of Chanticleer, the San Francisco-based all-male choir that has achieved worldwide renown since its founding in 1978. Singers Ben Johns and Gabriel Lewis-O’Connor served as guest teachers for the day as part of Chanticleer’s Education Outreach program.
The pair ran the students through some singing exercises and offered their guidance with two songs Cantilena had been learning: “Hotaru Koi,” a Japanese children’s song arranged by Ro Ogura, and “The Snow,” by late 19th- and early 20th-century composer Sir Edward Elgar. Along the way, they coached the students about how to interpret the words and music vocally, as well as express themselves through movement while singing.
Harker opened the week before holiday break in typically grand fashion, with the annual holiday campus tour on Dec. 11. All three campuses were treated to performances by musicians, singers and dancers from many different grade levels, each performing their own unique odes to the time-honored lessons and traditions of the holiday season. In between songs and dance numbers, students acted out entertaining and often very humorous skits, in keeping with the joyous air of the holidays.
Audiences got to witness impressive orchestral performances by the lower school orchestra, directed by Louis Hoffman, and the upper school orchestra, directed by Chris Florio. Several vocal groups provided holiday-themed harmonies, including the upper school’s Bel Canto, directed by Catherine Snider, Snider and Laura Lang-Ree’s show choir, Downbeat, and the Susan Nace-directed Cantilena. The show also featured spirited performances by the Gr. 6 choir,directed by Roxann Hagemeyer, Vivace, the Gr. 7-8 traditional choir directed by Jennifer Cowgill, and Harmonics, the Gr. 7-8 singing and dance group directed by Hagemeyer and Monica Colletti.
Exhilarating dance performances were put on by the Gr. 6 group Dance Fusion, directed by Gail Palmer, as well as Gr. 7 groups Showstoppers and High Voltage, directed by Amalia Vasconi and Karl Kuehn, respectively.
[Update] Several collaborative works featuring alumni and current students performing together have been added to the lineup for the second annual Conservatory Classic, “An Evening with Past, Present and Future Harker Stars,” Jan. 2. Alumni performing include Kartik Venkatraman ‘09, Stephanie Kim ’08, Siobhan Stevenson ’07 and many others. “There are only 200 tickets available so reserve yours quickly,” noted Chris Florio, orchestra director. “Our alumni would love to see you there.” To reserve tickets email Florio at chrisf@harker.org.
12/10/09
The second annual Conservatory Classic, “An Evening with Past, Present and Future Harker Stars,” will be on Saturday evening, Jan. 2. Last year’s Classic helped raise money for the Orchestra’s trip to the National Orchestra Cup at Lincoln Center in New York where the group won the Forte Award. This year, the program will include vocalists and musical theater alumni, said Chris Florio, orchestra director. “The concert will feature alumni, current students and even some middle school musicians. That’s why we themed it past, present and future,” he said.
Audrey Kwong ’07, who is doing much of the work to make the event happen, added, “There will be a Guys Gig number from alumni and current students, a string octet, an alumni jazz combo and solos from current students.”
The event will be held in Nichols Hall at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and will benefit Harker’s performing arts program, but “more importantly we want to raise awareness about the arts and our plans for the Phase IV campaign,” that will bring a new performing arts center to Harker, he said. E-mail chrisf@harker.org for more information.