The final concert of the 2008-2009 school year was an occasion for the women's choir, concert band, and select choir to perform as well as an opportunity for student composers to present their work. The Harwich High School 5/4 Jazz Quintet, comprised of students in an Independent Study class, also performed. It was an evening for Rose Richard to bid farewell to 28 seniors as they leave Harwich High School.
HHS Student is one of thirty singers chosen from
Massachusetts for All-Eastern Chorus
Harwich High School tenor, Chad Wimberly, performed before an audience of thousands as a member of the All Eastern Honors Chorus at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, RI on Sunday, March 15th. According to Harwich High School music teacher, Rose Richard, "This is a tremendous accomplishment! I have never in my seventeen years of teaching had a student be recommended for this honor."
The concert was part of the biennial Eastern Division Conference of the MENC (The National Association for Music Education) which also included performances by a concert band, orchestra, and jazz ensemble involving 650 music students from twelve states (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, R I, PA, VT).
The first step to become one of the approximately 350 members of the Honors Chorus is acceptance to the two hundred member South East District Chorus, which accepts only 20 to 25 percent of those who audition. Approximately half of that chorus is selected to be in the All-State Chorus from which only the top few are chosen to continue on to the All Eastern Honors level.
Chad qualified last year with his All-State score, submitted a resume and application in July and is one of thirty exceptional students chosen from all over Massachusetts. A multi-talented senior, he also plays trombone in the Concert Band and is planning to major in Music Education in college.
Singers attend All-State Music Festival
Harwich High School seniors, MacKenzie Hamilton (soprano) and Tom Segal (tenor) attended the All-State Music Festival March 26-28 in Boston that is held in conjunction with the Massachusetts Music Educators Association Annual Conference. This honor was bestowed upon them after successful auditions held January 24 in Northborough, MA. High scores in the Southeast District auditions held in November 2008 were a prerequisite. This was Tom's second trip to All-State as he also attended as a freshman in 2006.
Both students competed with approximately 1000 Massachusetts students from 250 public and private high schools. The 450 students chosen to join the honors band, orchestra and chorus, rehearsed with nationally recognized conductors at the Seaport Hotel and performed in a gala concert at Symphony Hall on Saturday. The choral director was Lorraine Lynch who is the Director of Choral Activities at Roxbury Township Public Schools.
MacKenzie is planning to major in Musical Theater or Theater Arts in college and Tom is pursuing a Music Education program. They both play lead roles in Harwich High School's production of “Thoroughly Modern Millie” on stage April 1- April 4. Their names will be inscribed on the All State Music Plaques on display in the high school lobby.
POPS Concert, March 2009
Broadway Musicals: From Stage to Screen
The annual Pops Concert included selections from Grease, Evita, Dreamgirls, Chicago, Hairspray, Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story and Tommy. Performers included Blind Drive, 5/4 Jazz Quintet, the HHS Chorus, the HHS Concert Band, and the HHS Select Choir.
All Cape and Islands Music Festival 2009
Twenty-six Harwich High School students participated in the All Cape and Islands Music Festival that was held
February 5-7 at Barnstable High School.
TREBLE CHOIR
SOPRANOS: Alana Coppola, MacKenzie Hamilton, Melanie Hopkins, Jackie Letendre, Jessica Lundell, Bethany Ryder, Sadie-Lynn Tansey, and Gina Vitale
ALTOS: Alyssa Flynn, Amy Hemeon and Bri McLaughlin
MIXED CHOIR
SOPRANOS: Janna Dodson, Emily Reed, and Rebecca Segal
ALTOS: Luz Arregoces, Courtney Mara, Ari Mazur
TENORS: Sean Cunningham, Justin Ryder, and Tom Segal
BASSES : Joe Malone, Carl Wildman, Jeff Strome, Don McCullough, Christopher Walkley and Cam Hadfield
BAND
Band : Kristen Walther - clarinet; Chad Wimberly - trombone
Music Audition Results Fall 2008
The news is HUGE!
All-Cape and Islands Music Festival This is the first year that the organization is doing a Treble Choir, along with the Mixed Choir - ALL 26 Harwich auditioners
will be singing in the All-Cape Music Festival!!!!
Treble Choir
SOPRANOS: Alana Coppola, MacKenzie Hamilton, Melanie Hopkins, Jackie Letendre, Jessica Lundell, Bethany Ryder, Sadie-Lynn Tansey, and Gina Vitale
ALTOS: Alyssa Flynn, Amy Hemeon, and Bri McLaughlin
Mixed Choir
SOPRANOS: Janna Dodson, Emily Reed, and Rebecca Segal
ALTOS: Luz Arregoces, Courtney Mara, Ari Mazur
TENORS: Sean Cunningham, Justin Ryder, and Tom Segal BASSES: Joe Malone, Carl Wildman, Jeff Strome, Don McCullough, Christopher Walkley, and Cam Hadfield
Band: Kristen Walther - clarinet; Chad Wimberly - trombone
Southeastern Massachusetts District Chorus SOPRANOS: MacKenzie Hamilton and Bethany Ryder
TENORS: Sean Cunningham, Justin Ryder, Chad Wimberly and Tom Segal BASS(ES)- Joe Malone
MacKenzie, Bethany, Tom, and Joe received scores high enough to qualify them TO AUDITION for All-State!
HARWICH IS SO PROUD OF ALL OF THEIR VOCALISTS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS!
Students Perform at State House - December 2008
Students in Rose Richard's Independent Study Music class performed at the Massachusetts State House on Friday, December 5, 2008. Laura Spalt (keyboard), Christopher Walkley (bass guitar), Erik Raneo (guitar), Jeff Strome (guitar) and Dan Colasanto (drums) comprise the "HHS Jazz Quintet" that provided entertainment in the Great Hall of Flags during a holiday luncheon for docents and then at the base of the historic Grand Staircase as part of the “2008 State House Concert Series” sponsored by William Francis Galvin, Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Great Hall of Flags
With Secretary Galvin
Music Audition Results Fall 2008
The news is HUGE!
All-Cape and Islands Music Festival This is the first year that the organization is doing a Treble Choir, along with the Mixed Choir - ALL 26 Harwich auditioners
will be singing in the All-Cape Music Festival!!!!
Treble Choir
SOPRANOS: Alana Coppola, MacKenzie Hamilton, Melanie Hopkins, Jackie Letendre, Jessica Lundell, Bethany Ryder, Sadie-Lynn Tansey, and Gina Vitale
ALTOS: Alyssa Flynn, Amy Hemeon, and Bri McLaughlin
Mixed Choir
SOPRANOS: Janna Dodson, Emily Reed, and Rebecca Segal
ALTOS: Luz Arregoces, Courtney Mara, Ari Mazur
TENORS: Sean Cunningham, Justin Ryder, and Tom Segal BASSES: Joe Malone, Carl Wildman, Jeff Strome, Don McCullough, Christopher Walkley, and Cam Hadfield
Band: Kristen Walther - clarinet; Chad Wimberly - trombone
Southeastern Massachusetts District Chorus SOPRANOS: MacKenzie Hamilton and Bethany Ryder
TENORS: Sean Cunningham, Justin Ryder, Chad Wimberly and Tom Segal BASS(ES)- Joe Malone
MacKenzie, Bethany, Tom, and Joe received scores high enough to qualify them TO AUDITION for All-State!
HARWICH IS SO PROUD OF ALL OF THEIR VOCALISTS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS!
May 2008
An attempt to express
Trying to write a poem with words unable to flow
Trying to find a way to say: Goodbye, this is the start of a new adventure, we love you
When the words won't form the perfect lines
Fake verses with empty meanings
Nothing fitting the emotions in my heart
Wanting to say: this has been great, this isn't the end, I'll miss you
Wanting to make a perfect last farewell, when all I had to say was: I will sing forever thanks to you
Our Rose
you are our teacher and our friend
the one who has made us the best we can be
you are our laughter and our strife
the one who showed us how to show respect and demand it
you are our success and our determination
the one who taught us how powerful our voices are
and you are our Rose
Once I saw
Once I saw the moon
Once I saw the light in the dark
Once I saw my hope
Once I saw the path through the forest
Once I saw my way to freedom
Once I saw my future
Once I saw that I could have held
Once I saw all that I could ever want
Once I saw my heart captured and my soul lost
Once I saw, now I see nothing
Music and the World
When we are born the whole world is a musical
The melody of our family's voices
The symphony of nature
The tempos of our days
The harmony we search for each day
The songs of life played out in movement
As we grow our hold on the music fades - and we are left in the noise of life
In everything there is hope - hope to wake and hear the music
We hear the music, the singers, dancers, artists, and musicians who bring the music to you
We hear the music as we breathe and move and create - we hear the music and we want to share it
So that the music that has faded will build and play for all your lives
History of Rock Time Line - May 2008
Timeline of the History of Punk Rock
Students in Rose Richard's "History of Rock Music" class have transformed the walls of the Music Room into varous timelines of rock n' roll history. They were inspired by As Below, So Above an installation by artist, Dave Muller, that explores the evolution of rock 'n' roll and is displayed in the lobby of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston which the students visited in February on a field trip partially funded by
the Friends of the Arts.
Timeline of the Evolution of the Guitar....40 A.D. - today
A Timeline Of Rap Music
A Timeline of Rock Drumming...1950 - today
A Timeline of Rock Music...early rock - 21st century
A Timeline of Women in Music...1900 - today
Music Students Attend All State Music Festival 2008
Greg Minckler and Chad Wimberly were selected through highly competitive auditions in January to attend the Massachusetts All State Music Festival in Boston, March 27 through March 29 which culminated with a concert at Symphony Hall.
Greg was selected for first chair oboe in the All-State Orchestra as a result of receiving the highest score in the state and Chad sang tenor in the 200+ person chorus.
Greg and Chad practicing with the Harwich High School band.
Greg was selected for first chair oboe in the All-State Orchestra.
Multi-talented Chad will sing tenor in the All-State Chorus.
Their names will be added to the All State Music Participant plaques that were a project of Friends of the Arts members, Cindy and Walt Kosloski and that now hang in the high school lobby.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008 "On Justice, Truth, and Peace"...An Evening of Protest Music and Art
Listen to a few songs
As costumes to accompany the musical selections, every performer chose a slogan that was used in protest (shouted...televised...set to music, etc.) and designed a t-shirt displaying it.
A short historical description of the slogan appeared on the back of the t-shirt. A paper exploring the slogan's significance and meaning was also a requirement. There were no "duplicates" so there were approixmately sixty slogans!
Here is a sampling.
All Cape Music Festival 2008
The 48th Annual All-Cape Cod & Islands Music Festival was held at Bourne High School on January 31st, February 1st and February 2nd. Three Harwich violinists, Sarah Ray, Jeff Strome, and Ellen Birmingham performed in the Festival Orchestra along with Greg Minckler on oboe. Kristen Walther represented Harwich in the Festival Concert Band on clarinet.
Chorus members, Mackenzie Hamilton, Courtney Ellis, Courtney Mara, Michelle Hemeon, Alyssa Flynn,Tom Segal, Chad Wimberly, Sean Cunningham, Joe Malone, Pat Blute, Josh Keyes, and Nate Burnie performed in the Festival Chorus.
Southeastern Massachusetts District Music Festival - January 2008
On Friday, January 11 and Saturday, January 12, twelve Harwich High School students attended the Southeastern Massachusetts District Music Festival at Barnstable High School. They were part of a select group of 400 students from 62 high schools across southeastern Massachusetts selected through highly competitive auditions held in November. Courtney Ellis, Gina Vitale, Mackenzie Hamilton, Michelle Hemeon, Ellen Birmingham, Tom Segal, Sean Cunningham, Chad Wimberly, Josh Keyes, and Tony Spaulding participated in the Chorus. In the Orchestra, Jeff Strome played violin and Greg Minckler played oboe as well as sat first chair.
Auditon Results Fall 2008
Harwich High School's Music Department is incredibly proud of the large representation of our students in the All-Cape & Islands Music Festival. All three of our violinists who auditioned for the Orchestra made it.
YAHOOOOOO! to Sarah Ray, Jeff Strome, and Ellen Birmingham. A big shout of BRAVO! to Greg Minckler who is the oboe player for the Orchestra as well as meaning he earned the highest score of those who auditioned. Harwich High School will be represented in the Concert Band by Kristen Walther (clarinet).
In the Chorus, Harwich High School will be represented by Mackenzie Hamilton, Courtney Ellis, Courtney Mara, Michelle Hemeon, Alyssa Flynn,Tom Segal, Chad Wimberly, Sean Cunningham, Joe Malone, Pat Blute, Josh Keyes, and Nate Burnie. BRAVO HARWICH!
In the highly competitive Southeastern Massachusetts District Music Festival, Harwich will be represented in the Chorus by Courtney Ellis, Gina Vitale, Mackenzie Hamilton, Michelle Hemeon, Ellen Birmingham, Tom Segal, Sean Cunningham, Chad Wimberly, Josh Keyes, and Tony Spaulding. Greg Minckler was the highest scoring oboe player in this competition as well and will be sitting first chair in the Orchestra along with Jeff Strome who earned a high score amongst the auditioning violinists.
Greg, Jeff , Chad, and Tony all earned scores that qualified them to audition in January for the Massachusetts All-State Music Festival!
We are so proud of all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spring Concert, May 17th, 2007
The Spring Concert featured performances by the Jazz Band, Concert Band, Select Choir and Chorus. A special segment featured students performing original composed works. Rose Richard acknowledged the hard work, talent and enthusiasm of the twenty-eight graduating seniors.
The following article by David Brooke appeared in the May 16, 2007 edition of the Harwich Oracle.
In some ways, 18-year-old Allison Brookhart is a typical Harwich High School senior. She likes rock music, has a summer job lined up and is headed to college in the fall. But the quality of her singing voice isn’t typical at all.
A member of the Harwich High School chorus, Brookhart was recently accepted as a member of the 200-voice National Multicultural Honor Choir, sponsored by the American Choral Directors Association. She performed at the association’s 2007 National Convention in Miami earlier this year.
“My friends at school call me the little girl with the big voice,” Brookhart said. “The biggest moment of my life was when I got the letter saying ‘congratulations, you’ve been accepted.’ It was the biggest choral thing I’ve ever been in. I was extremely proud of myself for accomplishing something big like that.
Brookhart has been singing since she joined chorus at Harwich Middle School in seventh grade. She also performs three times a year at the Cape Cod Bible Alliance. “I didn’t [used to] like to sing in public and I was very self conscience,” Brookhart said, adding, “now I love it.” Her voice has been heard all across the Cape. She attended the All Cape and Island Music Festival three times, the Southeastern District Music Festival twice, and was one of six students who sang the “Star Spangled Banner” at Gov. Deval Patrick’s inaugural celebration at the Four Points in Hyannis last January. That’s not counting her performance as leading lady Marty in “Grease,” which was performed last March at Harwich High School. “She’s at the top of her game right now in the gang that I have, she truly gets it,” said Rose Richard, Harwich High School’s musical director. “Her enthusiasm stood out and then she ate up everything I could possible give her. Her musicianship, skill and talent started evolving each year.”
Only 300 students were accepted in the Multicultural Choir, out of 1,400 students who auditioned. Getting in was one thing, but Brookhart had only two months to rehearse for the March 7 event and had to memorize nine foreign language songs. “The Miami event was conducted by two of the most heavy hitters in the choral music world. They were absolutely amazing, gigantic people in the field,” Richard said. Richard said Brookhart was so prepared for rehearsals in Miami she didn’t even need to look at her music. “People around her had their heads planted in their music for the first two days of their rehearsals.”
After the Harwich High School Spring Concert on Thursday, May 17, Brookhart will wrap up her high school singing career, but aims to further improve her musicality studying at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, where she will double major in elementary education and music theater. Once there, Brookhart said she wants to start an all woman’s choir, and from there can’t wait to see where her music takes her. “I know I’m going to end up coming back to the Cape because I love this place so much, I can’t wait to see what else is in store for me,” Brookhart said.
Harwich High School Hosts All-Cape Jazz Festival on April 12th, 2007
The All-Cape Jazz Festival was held Thursday evening, April 12th in the Harwich High School Auditorium. The program featured the Harwich High School Jazz Band, the Cape Cod Jazz Society Youth Combo, the Nauset Jazz Band and the Festival Band composed of twenty Cape students selected by audition. The Festival Band was conducted by well known and respected musician, Bruce Abbott.
The 80's Returned to Harwich High School On Tuesday, March 6, 2007
The unlikely combination of music by Prince and Andrew Lloyd Webber (Cats and Phantom of the Opera) was heard in the Harwich High School auditorium in Return To The 80's- a musical program that featured band, chorus and small ensembles. Musical selections by Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Bobby McFerrin, Michael Jackson and Billy Joel were also featured. The dynamic student rock band, Dark Skys, warmed up the audience and performed "99 Red Balloons" later in the program.
During the performance, Ms. Richard thanked Friends of the Arts for providing much needed funding to replace the heads of the drums in the band.
Harwich High School Alto Performs with National Multicultural Honor Choir
Allison Brookhart with Rollo Dilworth, Conductor of the ACDA Multicultural Honors Choir,
outside the Jackie Gleason Theater and Arts Center in Miami
Harwich High School senior, Allison Brookhart has returned from Miami where she was a member of the National Multicultural Choir, one of three national choirs selected by audition to perform at the 2007 National Convention of the American Choral Directors Association March 7-10, 2007. The association is composed of approximately 18,000 choral teachers (in public and private schools from kindergarten through the university level) representing more than one million singers across the United States.
Allison's parents, Ellen and Larry Brookhart and Ms. Rose Richard (Harwich High School's Music/Band teacher) accompanied her. Larry was kind enough to send us this synopsis of their "whirlwind trip to Miami".
"Allison was thrilled to meet and work with famed choral directors and composers. She diligently sought out each tutor and got them to autograph the sheet music. David Fanshawe's composition was the concluding piece of the entire concert. He talked with us at the restaurant and encouraged Allison to pursue her choral studies.
The sessions leading up to the performance were intense. Students worked on the arrangements, practiced choreography, and soaked up advice from famed choral directors and the two conductors (one from Chicago, the other from New York City). This was a master class/workshop on choral presentation, arrangements, audience engagement, harmonic passages, and voice exercises. Rose Richard was in her glory!
The concert was flawless and stunning both visually and musically. Each girl wore a different colored pastel shirt which provided a strong contrast to the boys wearing black jackets. In the center of the stage were musicians playing ethnic percussion instruments plus a violin, flute, etc. The entire performance left the audience amazed! Needless to say-- Rose was in her glory! It was a pleasure to see and meet these fine musicians, their teachers, and the instructors of this program. We were also treated to concert performances by college and middle school students.
The Jackie Gleason Theater is a beautiful facility for the concerts and also provided interesting photos from the Jackie Gleason Show.
This was a weekend and experience we will never forget and will cherish for a very long time."
At their March 13th meeting, the Harwich High School Friends of the Arts presented Ellen Brookhart with a check for $608 to help defray the costs of their once in a lifetime trip as parents.
All Cape Music Festival February 1-3, 2007
Nineteen Harwich High School students successfully auditioned on November 15, 2006 to join with three hundred student musicians from sixteen schools for the All-Cape Cod and Islands Music Festival 2007. The event, in its 47th year, is sponsored by the Cape Cod and Islands Music Educators' Association and was held at the Barnstable High School Performing Arts Center. Rehearsals took place on Thursday, February 1 and Friday, February 2 and concluded with a concert on Saturday, February 3 before a record breaking audience of nearly one thousand people.
Violinists Jeffrey Strome, Ellen Birmingham and Sarah Ray were selected for the All-Cape Symphony Orchestra that was composed of seventy three musicians and conducted by Ira M. Schaefer. They performed five selections including works by Tchaikovsky, Schubert and Debussy.
Listen to the All-Cape & Islands Symphony Orchestra
Thirteen choir members sang five selections with the one hundred and fifty member All-Cape Chorus with Kevin Fenton, Conductor.
Listen to the All-Cape & Islands Chorus
The students were:
Sopranos-Kathleen Arregoces, Courtney Ellis, Casey Keyes, and Emily Reed
Altos:Kelly Amber, Allison Brookhart, Michelle Hemeon, and Madison Hogan
Tenors: Thomas Segal and Chad Wimberly
Basses: Patrick Blute, Joseph Malone and Anthony Spaulding
Three students were selected for the seventy two member All-Cape Concert Band conducted by Laura Rexroth. They were Gregory Minckler-oboe, Christopher Liberty- alto saxophone and Natalie Pons-baritone horn.
Harwich High School Friends of the Arts supported this event by funding transportation.
Choir Members Make an Impression at Inaugural Celebration
We have received photos of Allison Brookhart, (Harwich High School senior and Select Choir member) posing with Governor Deval Patrick and First Lady, Diane Patrick. The occasion was one of five state wide inaugural celebrations for the Governor and Lt. Governor held Sunday, January 7, 2007 at the Four Points by Sheraton Hyannis Resort.
Music teacher, Rose Richard, accompanied selected members of the Harwich High School Chorus to the event where they performed opening songs to a much appreciative audience.
The 3rd Annual Harwich High School Alumni Show/Concert was held on Friday evening, January 12, 2007 at Harwich High School.
Twenty alumni performed in various ensembles and with the High School Select Chorus, Chorus, Jazz Band and Concert Band. The audience was treated to dance and music ranging from flute to jazz.
It was a unique opportunity for alumni to connect with old friends and for several sets of siblings to perform for the first time with one another on stage. Several freshmen were afforded the opportunity to play key roles.