The upper school show choir, Downbeat, was recently accepted into the 2019 Varsity Vocals International Championship of High School A Cappella, a global competition highlighting high school a cappella groups. They will travel to Portland, Ore., in January to compete in the quarterfinal round. Varsity Vocals organizes a cappella competitions for high school and college students that attract thousands of singers from across the world every year. The collegiate-level competition is featured in the “Pitch Perfect” series of films, which has become one of the highest-grossing musical comedy franchise of all time.
“We are thrilled to receive this wonderful opportunity!” said Downbeat co-director Jennifer Sandusky. “It will provide a new performance venue for our singers’ musical growth with adjudicated feedback on our singing and performing skills.”
Karlene McCallaCreary ’09 was a Raiderette of the week in early October! A graduate of Harker’s Conservatory dance program and former member of Harker’s varsity dance team, she is in her first season with the Raiderettes.
McCallaCreary began dancing at a young age and jazz/hip-hop quickly became her favorite styles. After Harker, she studied accounting at Santa Clara University where she graduated with honors. She danced while at SCU: one year in the theater and two years on the dance team.
“My dance experience at Harker and Santa Clara gave me the foundation and encouragement to audition for a professional team. I have been loving my first season on the Raiderettes,” McCallaCreary said, “and I am really thankful to have this opportunity to continue dancing for an incredible organization among a talented group of women.”
Seventh grader and pianist Nathan T. Liu visited Germany last month to perform at the Sulzbach-Rosenberg International Music Festival. SRIMF is a major event for the area, attracting students from 30 countries to study and perform, according to the festival’s website. Liu, who was performing for the second time at the festival’s invitation, seized the opportunity to learn from top musicians from around the world and also visited the Sing und Musikschule, a music school situated in a castle that has become one of Sulzbach-Rosenberg’s most famous landmarks.
This article originally appeared in the summer 2018 issue of Harker Magazine.
By Marla Holt
It’s not surprising that many Harker graduates go onto successful careers in the performing arts, given the school’s reputation for providing outstanding opportunities for students to shine in music, dance and theater.
Students benefit from top-notch teachers and mentors, they earn certification in Harker’s heralded Conservatory certificate program and, now, they will perform in a world-class facility, the new Rothschild Performing Arts Center.
One thing these talented alumni have in common is the foundational education they received at Harker – a strong work ethic, a commitment to professional respect for all artists and the drive to pursue their dreams. Read on to learn how several graduates of Harker Conservatory’s certificate program are contributing to the performing arts world.
Daniel Cho ’11
Contemporary ballet dancer Daniel Cho just completed his last year with San Francisco’s Alonzo King LINES Ballet training program. His long days were physically strenuous, filled with ballet classes, rehearsals, workshops, courses on topics such as dance anatomy, and preparation for the school’s biannual performances.
Cho also works part time tutoring students in SAT/SSAT/ACT prep. “I love the community aspect of dance, moving my body while connecting with other people,” Cho said. In June, he will move to Cleveland for a yearlong apprenticeship with Verb Ballets, a contemporary ballet company.
“I wanted to have a professional dance career before going to graduate school in fine arts and dance,” Cho said. “My ultimate goal is to teach at the college level.”
Cho has only been formally dancing for about five years. He focused mostly on vocal performance at Harker, dancing in musical theater and dance shows “because it was fun and came naturally to me,” he said.
He had a lead role in “Pippin,” which toured at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. “That experience challenged me to think about whether I wanted to pursue the life of an artist,” he said. A Harker friend convinced him to try a dance class and he was hooked
He took his first ballet class as a sophomore at Swarthmore College, where he majored in dance and education. He caught up to his peers with a year spent refining his classical ballet technique with Coastal City Ballet’s training program in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“Harker instilled in me a strong work ethic,” he said. “I also learned the importance of respecting everyone involved in a production. As I’ve done more professional work, I’ve realized these things really matter.”
Audrey Kwong ’07
Artistic operations manager Audrey Kwong helps the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra run smoothly by managing projects such as electronic media and recording activities, tours and special events, and the orchestra’s calendar and performance contracts. She also has regular “concert duty,” coordinating with musicians and stage and house managers before signaling to start a performance to avoid delays that could interfere with the artists’ collective bargaining agreements. “If we run into overtime, it gets very expensive very fast,” said Kwong, who enjoys the logistics of orchestra management.
“I like wearing lots of hats,” Kwong said. “I also couldn’t imagine not being around music every day.” She previously worked in operations for Colorado’s Aspen Music Festival and School and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Kwong, a classically trained violinist, first realized that orchestra management was a career possibility while studying violin performance at the University of Southern California. “I had no idea about nonprofit arts jobs until I took a class in arts administration,” she said.
She went on to earn a Master of Arts Management degree at Carnegie Mellon University. At Harker, Kwong participated in orchestra, choir and theater, and completed a conducting and score study independent project with music teacher Chris Florio, who also encouraged her to solo with the orchestra.
“Harker teaches you to approach the arts from different points of view,” said Kwong, who recalls having to clock tech hours for any theater production she was involved in, for example. “I learned that everyone has an important role to play, and that’s of value in my current job.”
Grace Hudkins ’08
Grace Hudkins never imagined she’d teach theater, let alone teach internationally, even though she’s been active in theater her whole life. At Harker, she was involved in many productions and took every theater class offered. At Mount Holyoke College, she immersed herself in theater – acting, directing and stage managing, as well as joining the executive board of the student theater organization.
“The fact that I was poised to be so involved in college was due to the preparation I received in Harker’s Conservatory program,” Hudkins said. “I had fantastic mentors in Jeff Draper, Susan Nace, Brian Larsen and Laura Lang-Ree.”
After earning a degree in psychology and education from Mount Holyoke, Hudkins planned to teach elementary school and thought theater was in her past. Her father encouraged her to look for international teaching jobs and put her in touch with Chadwick International in Songdo, South Korea. The school hired her as an elementary teaching intern, later offering her the additional role of technical theater intern. A year later, she launched Chadwick’s elementary drama program.
Today, she is the school’s theater operations and production manager, overseeing every production in the school’s two theaters, managing theater tech clubs for more than 80 students and teaching technical theater units in drama classes.
Hudkins calls her career an “incredible journey of professional growth and self discovery,” and credits her experience at Chadwick with cultivating her desire to always teach drama. “The arts put us in touch with our essential humanity,” said Hudkins, who noted that she’s reminded daily that she’s equipping students with empathy, confidence, integrity, resilience and more.
Gabrielle DeMers ’03
As a freelance opera singer, soprano Gabrielle DeMers continually works to book concerts and shows while promoting herself as a specialist in her field. “My career is a series of gigs, so it’s hard to establish a routine,” she said. “I’m constantly adapting as things come my way.”
Her days are spent practicing, rehearsing or performing shows, and perfecting the language skills needed to sing in Russian, German, Latin, Italian and more. DeMers has performed frequently for Baltimore’s Young Victorian Theatre Company, including as Josephine in “H.M.S. Pinafore” and Gianetta in “The Gondoliers.”
She sang the role of Kate Pinkerton in “Madama Butterfly” with the former Lyric Opera Baltimore, now known as the Maryland Opera. DeMers is active in community outreach, performing recitals and concerts for schoolchildren and the elderly. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree at USC and a Master of Music at the University of Maryland, where she performed as Tatyana in “Eugene Onegin” and Sandrina in “La Finta Giardiniera.”
“I love the collaborative process of making music with other people,” DeMers said. “It’s satisfying to mold our ideas of what the music should say into a cohesive whole.”
At Harker, DeMers participated in show choir and musical theater, earning Conservatory certification in both music and theater. “I started to get a sense of wanting to be a professional singer while I was in high school,” she said.
While freelancing as a performing artist has its challenges, DeMers ha no regrets. “The best advice I’ve gotten is to ‘create your own opportunities,’” she said. “Get up on stage, perform, try things, make some mistakes because that’s how you learn.”
Kim Wong ’05
Actress Kim Wong has loved Shakespeare ever since attending Shakespeare Camp as an 8-year-old. The Bard was her “gateway drug into acting,” she said. As she’s pursued acting professionally, her experience with performing Shakespeare – combined with being a woman of color – has led to success in a niche market.
“There aren’t a lot of Asian female Shakespearean actresses. As theaters are diversifying casts, that has worked to my advantage,” said Wong, who earned a drama degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Wong’s recent work includes acting in multiple roles in “Henry V” with The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit, a community outreach program that performs 90-minute Shakespeare plays at the theater and at detention facilities, homeless shelters and community centers around New York City.
“We bring theater and Shakespeare in particular to communities that don’t have access to it,” she said. She also has played Helena in “All’s Well That Ends Well,” Cordelia in “King Lear” and Ophelia in “Hamlet at regional theaters around the country.
This summer, Wong will be in “Henry VI” at the National Asian American Theatre Company. While at Harker, Wong agonized over whether pursuing an acting career was practical. She eventually decided that she’d rather take the risk than live to regret that she didn’t.
Her mentors at Harker – particularly Jeff Draper – gave her opportunities to play challenging roles that helped her prepare for the college audition process. “I was cast as Gertrude in ‘Hamlet’ and I really wanted to play Ophelia, but Jeff knew that Gertrude would really push me,” she said. Wong’s experiences at Harker also taught her that the performing arts require “constant and consistent work with passion.”
D.J. Blickenstaff ’09
Actor D.J. Blickenstaff loved both baseball and theater when he entered high school at Harker, but their schedules conflicted. The acting bug had bitten him when he was a member of the Harmonics vocal group in middle school, so he decided to say goodbye to baseball and audition for the spring musical. He hasn’t looked back.
“My passion for acting began at Harker, and has just grown from there,” said Blickenstaff, who performed in many productions, including “Urinetown: The Musical” at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. “Harker’s teachers gave me a strong core on which to build.”
Blickenstaff went on to earn a B.F.A. from USC, where – while performing as Joey in “The Most Happy Fella” – he was approached by a management agency interested in representing him. “They were scoping for talent, and I got lucky,” he said. “I was able to build a really solid team of six different agents working for me in different areas of the industry.”
Blickenstaff’s first jobs included acting in NBC’s “Diversity Scene Showcase,” a one-night event spotlighting up-and-coming talent, and delivering a one-liner on “Sean Saves the World.” He currently has a recurring role on Netflix’s “Dear White People” and recently shot the pilot of a show called “#Fashionvictim,” which – if picked up – would be his first regular role in a series.
He previously appeared in multiple episodes of “Catching a Break” and “Colony” and is the author of a web series about the Hollywood business industry. When he’s not auditioning, Blickenstaff keeps busy with live theater in Los Angeles and as the voiceover announcer for USC’s public events.
“I enjoy pursuing entertainment for social change – letting art be something that drives people to make changes in their lives or the world,” Blickenstaff said. “It’s a beautiful thing to be on a set with so many people who believe in the story we’re telling.”
SIDEBAR
A Life in the Arts
Here are a few examples of the many Harker alumni working in music, dance, theater, and arts administration and education. In some cases they have other full-time jobs, which we’ve noted.
Joe Hospodor ’09
Writer for ClickHole, The Onion, Funny or Die and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
Writer/performer, Second City Hollywood
Actor, Livingston Agency
Past writer for “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “CBS Diversity Comedy Showcase” and BuzzFeed Motion
Shanna Polzin ’10
Freelance stage manager and production manager for live events in New York City
Past production stage manager, Dance Theatre of Harlem
Managed scenic elements of 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show
Managed 2018 NFL owners dinner during the Super Bowl
Past associate production manager, New York Summer Music Festival
Past stage manager for Olympic figure skating shows
Gail Nakano ’06
Chemist for a manufacturing company
Founding member, Cappella SF
Eight-year member, San Francisco Symphony Chorus
Member, a cappella vocal group Gaude
Past soloist and section leader, San Francisco’s Swedenborgian Church
Jackie Laine ’04
Strategy consultant in media/entertainment
Past TV producer
Vivek Saraswat ’04
Product manager at Docker, an enterprise tech startup in San Francisco
Member of mixed a cappella vocal group Halfway to Midnight, winner of 2016 Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Championship regional competition
Past vocalist and guitar player with rock bands Second Breakfast and Just in Time and acoustic quartet Capo Four
Alexandra Burgess ’04 (Mickey Selbo-Bruns at Harker)
Assistant professor of psychology, Worcester State University
Vocalist, Novi Cantori and Illuminati Ensemble
Michelle Holt ’11
Corporate sales manager at a networking company
Performing in “Carmen” with West Bay Opera and auditioning for Opera San José
Engaged with San Francisco Conservatory of Music for further education
Past section leader and staff singer, Community Church of Vero Beach, Fla.
Past on-staff artist, nonprofit Artists for a Cause
Past section leader and staff singer, University of San Francisco’s St. Ignatius Parish
Marla Holt is a freelance writer based in Minnesota.
Four Harker students qualified for the American Choral Directors Association California All-State Choir, which will perform in San Jose Feb. 15-18. To be selected for the All-State Choir, the students had to audition, qualify and attend the ACDA Regional Honor Choir. Their regional audition scores were used to determine their eligibility for All-State. Musicians will be placed in mixed, men’s, or women’s choruses with approximately 120 singers in each ensemble. Please congratulate Joel Morel, grade 10, tenor, Camerata; Vaishnavi Murari, grade 9, alto, Bel Canto; Karli Sharp, grade 11, soprano, Cantilena; and Meilin Yen, grade 9, soprano, Bel Canto, when you see them!
Last month, rising senior Millie Lin was named a member of the All-National Honor Ensembles by the National Association for Music Education. Lin will perform in late November as a member of the Mixed Choir at the Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
According to the NAfME website, the All-National Honor Ensembles are made up of “the top performing high school musicians in the United States.” Students audition for ensembles by submitting unedited videos of an unaccompanied performance. Lin also is slated to be a section leader for the Cantilena women’s choir during the 2017-18 school year.
Last week, 150 dancers lit up the stage at the Blackford Theater for the middle school performing arts department’s annual Dance Jamz production. Directed by Gail Palmer, who also acted as a choreographer along with Kimberley Teodoro, Kento Vo, Jessalyn Espiritu, Alexandra Venter, Rachelle Haun and Brianna Alday, the show featured 18 routines performed to songs by Ciara, Imagine Dragons, David Guetta and The Black Eyed Peas. Check out the accompanying photos for a look at the excitement!
In mid-February, celebrity vocal coach Lisa Popeil held a special workshop for Harker Conservatory students in music teacher Susan Nace’s classroom. Widely recognized as one of America’s top singing experts, Los Angeles-based Popeil has performed with artists including Frank Zappa and “Weird Al” Yankovic and has long been an in-demand vocal instructor among professional singers, actors, managers and record producers.
Nace noticed Popeil’s work two years ago while attending a San Francisco workshop and organized the Harker workshop as part of the Harker Conservatory’s certificate program. Popeil demonstrated breathing and singing techniques in a wide variety of vocal styles, including pop, rock, rhythm and blues, musical theater and opera. “Lisa is very good at teaching concepts clearly and efficiently as she has worked with all the major international voice researchers in their labs,” said Nace.
Six Harker students were recently invited to perform with the California Band Directors Association’s 2017 All-State ensembles. Alexa Gross, grade 12, joined the High School Symphonic Band as a bassoonist. Kai-Ming Ang and Katie Chang, both grade 9, will perform with the High School Concert Band on French horn and percussion, respectively. Junior Amy Jin will play violin for the High School Full Orchestra.
Eighth graders Anika Fuloria and Leland Rossi also successfully auditioned for junior high school ensembles. Fuloria, a string bassist, earned a spot on Junior High School Symphonic Band, while Rossi will play trumpet with the Junior High School Jazz Band.
The students will perform with their respective groups at the California All-State Music Education Conference. The event, to be held Feb. 16-19 in San Jose, is organized by the California Music Education Association.
Nine Harker students were recently named members of the All-State High School Honor Choir by the California chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). Seniors Ashwin Rao and Tiffany Zhu, juniors Krishna Bheda and Millie Lin, sophomores Karli Sharp and Catherine Wang and freshmen Emily Chen, Joel Morel and Kalyan Narayanan will perform with the choir at San Jose’s Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph on Feb. 18.
These students make up the largest group ever from Harker to successfully audition for the choir, and the third largest group (tied with Lynbrook) from any school in California. It is also the first time three grade 9 students have qualified for the all-state choir.
The ACDA operates the All-State Honor Choirs in collaboration with the Southern California Vocal Association. To qualify, students must first successfully audition for a regional honor choir in their area. Those interested in singing with the all-state choir are then evaluated to determine whether they will participate.