Two Harker performing ensembles helped “light up” Santana Row at the “Light Up the Row” event on Nov. 17 from 6-6:30 p.m. Downbeat and Dance Fusion appeared at the eighth annual lighting of the 40-foot tree, decorated with half a million lights. Photos of the event can be viewed at the slideshow below.
Tags: Featured Story, Performing ArtsCantilena, the all-female upper school classical vocal group, recently performed at the Women’s Exchange Festival, organized by the Peninsula Women’s Chorus. The event also featured groups from other high schools, including Leigh, Cupertino, Los Altos, Mountain View, Prospect and Saratoga.
The girls received several warm compliments from the attendees of the festival. “Cantilena was the smallest ensemble at the festival but they received a rousing ovation (rather than polite applause) and several compliments for ‘being the best,’ ‘looking like they loved singing,’ ‘communicating effectively with the audience,’” said the group’s director, Susan Nace. “Several even knocked on the bus door to talk our bus driver, Ray Frank, to tell him that they appreciated the performance, even before we got to the bus ourselves!”
Tags: Performing ArtsDirector Jeffrey Draper said the play “offers a unique series of challenges to the actors and designers as the action takes place over 30 years in 13 scenes throughout Italy.” Working against classic theater traditions, the play presents a flawed protagonist and antagonists who are not wholly bad. The real protagonist of the play may be truth, with science and religion each fighting to claim it, said Draper.
To best prepare for their roles, Dr. Paula Findlen, Chair of the Department of History at Stanford University, came to speak to the cast at their retreat in October, and answer questions about Galileo Galilei and the Italian Renaissance. “Findlen often teaches a course on Galileo at Stanford and we were very lucky to have her address our students and give us an invaluable context for the events of the play,” Draper noted.
“This version of Galileo is unique to Harker, however, as two actors will be sharing the title role each night,” Draper said. “They are each on stage throughout, with Adi Parige (Gr. 11) playing the more family-oriented and comfortable half of the man and Kendra Moss (Gr. 12) playing the more ambitious and scientific side of him.”
“The show contains a large musical production number,” added Draper, “in our case, staged as an extravagant puppet show with music created by Nico Nagle (Gr. 9), Kovid Puria (Gr. 10), John Ammatuna (Gr. 11), and Allika Walvekar (Gr. 11). This play is very much unlike any production Harker has presented before and is a perfect choice for a school that excels in math and science. We hope the entire community comes out to see this unique and challenging production.”
Show dates are Oct. 29, 30 and 31, at 7:30 p.m., at the Blackford Theater. Tickets are $25 reserved, $10 adults, seniors and students. E-mail tickets@harker.org to reserve tickets.
Tags: Performing ArtsThe visit was arranged by Chris Florio, orchestra director, who noted the pianists were a hit with the students and that the duo enjoyed their visit to Harker. “Piano is very popular at Harker,” said Florio, “and this (was) a great opportunity to bring in international talent to meet our talent. This is another one of those events that you hardly ever find at a high school; it is much more of a college or university type of event.”
Tags: Performing ArtsMembers and students interested in joining the upper school’s performing arts department, known as the the Harker Conservatory, met on Sept. 3 in the Blackford Theater to learn about the programs available to budding artists. The Conservatory faculty, led by Laura Lang-Ree, director of performing arts, each spoke about their specific fields, and also addressed the evening’s main theme – integrity within the arts. Special topics included how to hear and give feedback, how to respond appropriately to peer pressure and potential disappointment, and tips on making the process of production equally as enjoyable as the final performance.
Jeff Draper, upper school drama teacher, announced that he will be directing Bertolt Brecht’s “Galileo” as this year’s fall play, and Lang-Ree revealed that the spring musical will be “Les Misérables.”
More than 370 parents and students attended, with freshmen interested in learning about the specialized Certificate Program remaining after the main program.
Tags: Performing ArtsRecent grads D.J. Blickenstaff, Emma Blickenstaff and Cailin Mackenzie, all ’09, along with Clara Blickenstaff, a rising junior, and Noel Witcosky, a rising sophomore, performed July 24-Aug. 2 in the San Jose Children’s Musical Theater production of “Tommy,” the classic rock opera by The Who. The production received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and Harker’s 2009-10 MS drama teacher, Kikau Alvaro, a member of the artistic staff of SJCMT, choreographed an electrifying show.
Tags: Performing ArtsOne of the dancing-est Harker families made the Web site header art for Evergreen Valley College. The photo shows Tommy Holford ’06 and sister Laura ’08, in their Irish dance outfits. The pair was also the subject of a March article in the Almaden Times as both are still very active dancers on a national and international level.
Tags: Performing ArtsSummer Orchestra campers lugging large musical instruments were a common sight around campus in June and July – and some of the instruments were almost as large as the students!
As part of the summer Music Institute, 15 students spent three hours a day practicing on their instruments. Taught by Louis Hoffman, lower school (LS) orchestra teacher; Chris Florio, middle- and upper school (MS and US) orchestra teacher; Toni Woodruff, strings specialist and after-school music teacher; and Alex Osorio, woodwind specialist and after-school music teacher, the workshop culminated in a concert in the Bucknall gym on the last day of the session.
Florio introduced the orchestra, which opened the show with “Harry Potter,” and then played “Barcarolle.” Woodruff conducted the last two pieces, “Over the Rainbow,” and “Ode to Joy,” with Osorio accompanying the orchestra on saxophone. The appreciative audience included parents and family members of the performers, campers, staff and faculty from the K-Gr. 8 academic sessions and Gr. 1-8 Zoom sessions, as well as Sarah Leonard, primary division head.
Tags: Performing ArtsNichols Hall was alive to the sounds of music on April 30 and May 1, when all the US vocal ensembles presented their final performances of the year.
“Seniors and Friends” was the theme on the first night for the groups directed by Susan Nace. Camerata completed its inaugural year in fine fashion, presenting an 18th-century American piece, a Hebrew song with guest instrumentalists Cindy Tay, Gr. 9, Diana Lai, Gr. 12, and Sammi Werthen, Gr. 11, and a very difficult portion of a mass by Renaissance composer Josquin des Pres. Seniors Elena Madan, Emma Blickenstaff, Kartik Venkatraman (with a cameo by teacher Anthony Silk) and Sammi Lowe performed musical theater and popular songs, and Lowe was joined by her buddies Shubha Guha and Natasha Jeswani, also seniors, for a beautiful trio version of Johnny Mercer’s “Dream” that brought to mind the Lennon Sisters.
The boisterous boys of Guys’ Gig, a club for aficionados of a cappella doo-wop music, stormed the stage and performed four songs, two of which were also arranged by the senior Guy who took the lead solo: Amaresh Shukla’s “Earth Angel,” and Venkatraman’s “Aïcha.” Shukla also performed a classical solo, and Ida Gorshteyn reprised her Senior Showcase performance of the “Habañera” from “Carmen.”
Cantilena has focused on pieces by French composers this year, and gave the audience a wonderful variety, including a traditional French-Canadian folk song, and pieces by Debussy, Bizet and Duruflé. They closed the concert with a piece by the same American composer who wrote Camerata’s opening piece. They also performed their theme song with which they close every concert, the beautiful “How Can I Keep from Singing,” which featured soloists Jeswani, Guha and Lexi Ross, Gr. 12.
Nace honored her seniors, she and her girls welcomed next year’s Cantilenans with sweatshirts, and goodbyes and hugs were shared all around.
The next evening was Bel Canto’s and Downbeat’s turn to wow their friends and families in their annual closer, “Songs into Summer.” Bel Canto, directed by Catherine Snider, opened the concert by processing into the auditorium from the back, playing percussion instruments and singing an a cappella Macedonian folk song. After that exciting start they moved through several genres, with the Duke Ellington favorite “It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got that Swing,” a sacred Latin piece, a rousing spiritual and a Spanish folk-style song. This group, mostly freshmen, was impressive in its sound and sonority.
Downbeat, directed by Snider and Laura Lang-Ree, took the second half of the concert, also showing off their wide range of styles. A scat-filled “Jada Jazz” started them off, followed by a doo-wop version of the Beatles’ “In My Life.” A spiritual and a song from the hit musical “Spring Awakening,” both with choreography, were included, as was a beautiful Irish lullaby, accompanied by Snider on piano and Jacqueline Son, Gr. 11, on flute. The group also reprised their Freeze Frame Fashion Show hit ’60s medley, sans runway, on the small stage of the auditorium.
The evening’s program was sprinkled with soloists from both groups. Bel Canto’s Noel Witcosky, Lauren Pinzás, Ashima Agrawal, all Gr. 9 and Clara Blickenstaff, Gr. 10, sang pieces from the Great American Songbook and musicals. Downbeat was represented in solos by Christina Li, Gr. 10 and Neha Sabharwal, Gr. 12, who each sang a torch song, Michelle Holt and Daniel Cho, both Gr. 10, who were adorable doing the duet “You’re Just in Love,” and D.J. Blickenstaff, Gr. 12 and John Ammatuna, Gr. 10, who closed the show with a dramatic, tour de force performance of “Lily’s Eyes” from “The Secret Garden.” Getting laughs and some nostalgic grins were real-life sisters Ananya and Namrata Anand (Gr. 12 and Gr. 11), who sang “Sisters” from “White Christmas” – their last chance to perform together at Harker.
Downbeat also acknowledged its seniors and the newbies joining them next year.
The US Conservatory is justifiably proud of all its vocal groups, and the two evenings made for an exciting, moving and musical transition into the summer.
Tags: Performing ArtsThe Bucknall Orchestra & Choir Concert in May was a special occasion for all involved. Talented musicians from K-Gr. 5 performed in the program, which featured works by Beethoven, Mozart and Handel.
One of the evening’s most memorable moments came when LS history teacher Howard Saltzman, who retires this year after 30 years of service, acted as guest conductor for The Harker School’s theme song, which was performed by the entire roster of Bucknall instrumentalists and singers.
Later on, LS instrumental studies director Louis Hoffman led the Bucknall Orchestra in their rendition of the theme from “Star Wars,” which he conducted using a plastic replica of a light saber while wearing a Darth Vader helmet.
The show concluded with the Bucknall Orchestra and Bucknall Choir (directed by LS music teacher Jennifer Cowgill) collaborating on the famous “Hallelujah Chorus” by George Frederic Handel.
Tags: Performing Arts