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Visual and Performing Arts Academy (VAPA)
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Honors Chamber Singers Take On Manhattan
Einstein senior Liz Ebron began crying as she waited for the curtain to rise in a Broadway theater on a recent Friday night in April.
She was visiting New York City for the first time in her life, she was about to see the famed Broadway musical, "Phantom of the Opera," and within hours, she herself would be singing for judges in a national competition.
"I've never had an opportunity like this," she recalled thinking as the tears flowed. Her swell of emotions turned to excitement the next day on April 25, as Ebron and 12 other students with Einstein's Honors Chamber Singers assembled before judges with the Heritage Festival in Manhattan's historic Riverside Church.
The Einstein singers came home from the competition with an award plaque as winners of a silver second place among choral groups, scoring 89 points out of a possible 100. It's the first time in years that an Einstein choral group has participated in a major music competition, said Delmer Padgett, chamber group director and head of the school's Visual and Performing Arts Academy.
"We were up against some really great programs. We were judged on a national standard," said Padgett, who was participating in the competition for the first time in his eight-year career as a music educator. "We went with pieces we loved and we knew were difficult."
The Heritage Festival, a well-known vocal and instrumental music competition, drew school groups from California, Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio and Canada, among other places. Some schools arrived with several bus loads of student performers. Einstein's small chartered bus carried a group of 17, including 13 female student performers, chaperones, Padgett and school counselor and pianist Karen Karma. The singers did fundraising for months to collect the thousands of dollars needed to pay for the weekend trip.
On Saturday, competition day, the girls sang a contemporary choral composition, an Italian classical piece and an Irish folk song.
"The judges were impressed with the difficulty of the pieces, the beautiful sound the girls had, the amount of sound we produced," said Padgett.
Ebron, who's appeared in Einstein's spring musicals and who plans to study music education in college, said, "When we actually performed, we had a lot of fun. It was more excitement than nerves."
The weekend included a dinner cruise and awards ceremony, a nightime view of the illuminated Statue of Liberty, impromptu choral singing on the street in Times Square, and a visit to Rockefeller Center.
As the visit drew to a close, "we were all exhausted," said Padgett. "We were just really happy we were able to pull it off. It really happened!"
Feb. 19 Staff Recital Draws Performers, Artists
See the List of Participants:
Performing Arts
Delmer Padgett III
Intermezzo by Robert Schumann
Nancy Graham
Poetry Reading wtih an American Theme
Peter Smeallie
Good Thing Going by Stephen Sondheim
Charles Chandler
Lament by J.J. Johnson
Cathryn Frazier-Neely
Simple Song from Mass by Leonard Bernstein
Marina Perona & Elena Ramos
Colombia Cumbia -- a Colombian Folk Dance
Karen Karma
Squeeze by Karen Karma
Todd Garlow
Improvisation on the Hang
Jenna R. Koepf
Baltimore by Goldrich and Heister
Rosemary Piercey
Fur Elise by Ludwig van Beethoven
Becky Farrell
Gleann na nDeor by Padraigin Ni Vallachin
Karen Karma & Delmer Padgett III
C.S. Theme and Variations by Randall Campton
Visual Arts
Kristen Thomsen
"Converse" Diptych. Ink on paper mounted panel
Sarah Harnish
"Vanity-No Cure" Multiple Wood Block
Jane Walsh
"Transcendence" Water Color
Ricki McKenzie
"Forest" Medium Acrylic on Canvas
Katherine T. Andrie
"To Plummer's Island" Photo Collage
Tom Ellwanger
Ceramic Bowls
Amy Conner
"Fabricated Dimensions"
Andris Rutins
"Guiding Hand" Gum Dichromate Monoprint
Michael Piechoncinski
Untitled I & Untitled II Mixed Media
The Visual and Performing Arts Academy provides students with a strong academic program that develop the skills necessary to have prosperous careers in the visual and performing arts.
Calendar of VAPA Events 2008-2009
Smithsonian Field Trip for Painting Class on Dec. 11
Kristen Thomsen's painting class is taking a field trip to the Smithsonian Museum of American Art and Portraiture on Thurs., Dec. 11. Parents are asked to send written permission to the teacher by Wed., Dec. 10.
Students will leave during 4th period on Dec. 11 and will miss their three afternoon class periods. Students must obtain permission from each teacher of the afternoon class period he/she will miss.
Students will receive a guided tour from a museum docent and should bring $5 for Metro fare, and additional money for lunch. There is a Chipotle and a McDonald's restaurant close to the museum. Admission to the museum is free.
Field Trip Schedule
10:10 -- 10:30 a.m. Walk from AEHS to Wheaton Metro
10:30 -- 11:00 a.m. Take Red Line Metro from Wheaton Station to Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station
11:00 -- 11:30 a.m. Arrive at Gallery Place. Lunch at Chipotle / McDonald's
11:30 -- 12:00 noon Drawing in the Contemporary Galleries
12:30 -- 1:30 p.m. Museum tour led by docent
1:30 -- 2:00 p.m. Red Line Metro from Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro to Wheaton Metro
2:00 -- 2:20 p.m. Walk from Wheaton Metro to AEHS. Students will be dismissed from AEHS.
Parents/guardians are welcome to come along on the field trip. Call Ms. Thomsen at (301) 929-2200 for further information or e-mail at Kristin_A_Thomsen@mcpsmd.org.
We invite anyone interested in a fun, fast, easy and tax deductible way to help the choir raise funds for a trip to New York City by making a donation to our upcoming silent auction. Donated items are a great way to promote your own business or the business you work for! Gift certificates, florists, spa treatments, photography, house goods, day care, jewelry, and themed gift baskets are fantastic ideas--not to mention an amazing way to get involved! Accountants could offer tax services, cleaning ladies could offer a day of house cleaning, and YOU can offer a skill, hobby, or even a piece of artwork you have that you don’t have wall space for!
If you are interested in getting involved- promoting your business- or simply doing a great thing for a great group of kids, contact Judi Sheffer at sjsheffer@aol.com.