A celebration of all things art created and/or performed by D-E Upper Schoolers this semester, the Upper School Winter Arts Festival will take place on Sunday, January 31, 2016. From StringJam, Orchestra and Stage Band performing in Schenck Auditorium, to the Guitar Ensemble jamming in the Hajjar Upper Lobby, to the Handbell Ensembles and Chorus taking over Hajjar Auditorium, there will be music everywhere. Between performances, check out the works of art by the Visual Arts students in the Klein Display Cases - a sampling of which can be found in the slideshow.

At the Festival, catch the winners - yes, just like last year, more than one winner was chosen - of the third annual Concerto Competition, held earlier this month.

“Every year, we have a Concerto Competition that gives winning Dwight-Englewood students an opportunity to perform a concerto with the Upper School Orchestra on their Orchestra Extravaganza Concert,” explained John Littlefield, Performing Arts Chair and Upper School Orchestra director. “There are several forms that orchestral playing takes, and one of those is the art of accompanying, so this Concerto Competition also gives the rest of the ensemble the opportunity to experience that dimension of orchestral playing.”

“Students apply stating their choice of repertoire in advance to make sure that the piece is within the realm of the instrumentation and technical level of the orchestra at that time,” Mr. Littlefield continued. “Auditions are before a panel of judges, some of whom are not directly associated with the orchestral program at D-E. Usually, though not always, one student is awarded the opportunity to perform with the orchestra. This year, two candidates were so equally matched as winners that one was offered a chance to perform with the orchestra in April, and the other was offered to perform with the orchestra in their November 2016 concert.”

Gregory Llewellyn '19, who will be performing with the orchestra in April, shared these words on his win: “It is an honor to play with the Dwight-Englewood Upper School Orchestra. The Saint Saens Concerto #1 is one of my favorite pieces, and I look forward to playing it for our school community. I have been playing the cello for nine years, and study weekly with Marion Feldman at the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College. When I prepare for any performance or competition, I focus on trying to convey what I feel best represents the composer’s intentions; it's really about the music.”

The November concert concerto will feature cellist Anne Choi '19, who said, “I was very surprised and excited when I won. Though I got myself prepared, I knew that D-E had a lot of talented musicians and I was very nervous. I hope to do a good job at the November Concert and will be looking forward to working with my peers.”

The Concerto Competition is part of D-E’s ongoing support for and celebration of excellence within the performing arts, which includes MasterClasses for Strings in both the winter and the summer. See this Winter 2016's offerings and more at de360.d-e.org.

Congratulations to Gregory and Anne!