Jazz Trio Concert at New England Conservatory

As part of the New England Conservatory Jazz Prep Certificate program, Henry Lewers performed a recital at New England Conservatory in Boston today. Performing with him were HMS music director Elise MacDonald on bass and flute, and former HMS student (and current Souhegan High School student) Jory Goodman on drums. The program included works by Claude Bolling, Chick Corea, Charles Mingus, and Henry Lewers.

Several HMS students and faculty were able to attend the recital, which took place in one of NEC's many recital halls on St. Botolph Street.

Henry has been studying at the NEC every Saturday this year, taking classes in Jazz History, Jazz Analysis and Jazz Theory, as well as playing in a jazz ensemble and studying piano privately.

Recordings from this recital are now up in the Archives section (see right-hand margin).

HMS jazz bands perform at Peterborough's Union Mill

HMS's combined jazz bands performed at the newly refurbished Union Mill in West Peterborough tonight. In a farewell appearance for our seniors (guitarist Galen Cruess and drummer Scott Baker), the bands performed a 5-song set in the Mill's comfortable cafe. They followed a performance by the Fiddle Orchestra directed by HMS alumna Leslie Vogel ('70).

The music was hoppin', the surroundings were comfortable and welcoming, and the pizza was yummy! We'll be back!

Musical Alums!

What have you been up to, musically? Private study, projects, concerts, composition, recordings? Inquiring minds want to know.

Contact Elise (contact info is in the margin) and clue us in! Best of all, I promise not to dig up vaguely embarrassing old pictures of you --- IF you send along a really suave/pretty current picture for me to post!

2007 Anderson Fund concert

This year's Advanced Independent Chamber Music class gave a concert tonight in HMS's Big Room. Works of Saint Saens, Dvorak, Vivaldi, Prokofiev, and Bach were performed by Sophie Abrahams-Dematte (violin), Michiko Takahashi (violin) and Henry Lewers (piano), all from the class of '08.

A chamber music concert given by HMS students to benefit the Anderson Fund took place in the spring of 2006. This year's chamber music students sought to build on last year's efforts. HMS seems to have another tradition in the making here.

Congratulations to Sophie, Michiko, and Henry!

CDs of the concert are on sale now. These CDs (as well as CDs of last year's concert with Townsend Gregg and Henry Lewers) may be purchased at the High Mowing School Store for $10, or they can be sent to you (shipping included) by sending a check for $15 per CD made out to "The David Anderson Music Fund" to Elise MacDonald at High Mowing School, 222 Isaac Frye Highway, Wilton, NH 03086. Please include the address you would like the CD(s) to be shipped to.

HMS Music Students perform for elders

Holding true to our tradition of the past several years, HMS chamber music students and chorus members have been performing, over the past few weeks, for residents at assisted living centers close to the school. Summerhill in Peterborough, the Pillsbury Home in Milford, and Friendship Manor in New Ipswich have hosted our musicians.

The performances are always popular --- the centers' activity directors simply rave about HMS's musicians!

HMS Music Department Party 2007

Many HMS music students got together for a cookout at Elise's house this afternoon. We had a great time! (Pictured: epic board game and equally epic hackey sack match!)

High Mowing Sinfonietta spring performance

The High Mowing Sinfonietta, directed by Mark Ferguson (former HMS French teacher and chamber music teacher...and still occasional HMS accompanist extraordinaire!), performed in the Big Room on Saturday, April 21 at 4 pm. HMS Music Director and flutist Elise MacDonald was a featured soloist. Harpist Bev Boyer, an HMS teacher and dorm counselor, also performed with the ensemble, as well as alums Nicola Groh ('06) and Guen Soo Park ('06), both violinists.

High Mowing students, music students from other area high schools, and students from Pine Hill make up the Sinfonietta, which is comprised of both strings and woodwinds. The woodwinds (flute, oboe, and clarinet) are a new addition to the Sinfonietta this year. In the past, Mark (pictured) has performed some pieces strictly for the winds and strings, and others for the strings, winds and piano. Mark has arranged and orchestrated several pieces for the Sinfonietta over the past few years, as well.

HMS students at NH All-State Music Festival 2007

HMS violinist Michiko Takahashi ('08), violinist Sophie Abrahams-Dematte ('08), and violist Nicole Perez ('10) participated in the New Hampshire All-State Music Festival, held in Concord, NH, over the weekend of April 12-14.

Housed in the swanky, newly-renovated Marriott Courtyard hotel, the girls were thrilled to have a room all to themselves (no roommate from another school was assigned to their room, as had been expected). There was a new set of rehearsal logistics at this year's festival: rather than being bussed to Concord High School for rehearsals, all the students needed to do was go downstairs and rehearse in the hotel's Grand Ballroom. Never leaving the hotel for nearly 48 hours got to be a little claustrophobic at times, but proved to be a big time-saver and logistical simplification as well. Lastly, the students got to socialize more with other Festival participants, as they didn't have to jostle with hundreds of Concord High School students at mealtimes.

The Festival included a concert band, a chorus of over 150 students, and the full symphony orchestra (the last of which included all three HMS students). The Orchestra's director was David Gilbert, who is Conductor in Residence at the Manhattan School of Music and director of the Greenwich (CT) Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Gilbert also served in the past as Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Principal Guest Conductor of the Beijing Philharmonic, and as Principal Conductor of the American Ballet Theatre. He has also conducted the National High School Honors Orchestra and the All-Eastern High School Honor Orchestra.

After travelling very slowly and carefully through the spring slush storm and enjoying lunch at the Red Arrow Diner in downtown Manchester on Thursday, the girls had four hours of rehearsal Thursday night, followed by a jam-packed day of rehearsal on Friday. On Friday night, a 70s funk cover band entertained the students (numbering in the hundreds, from high schools state-wide), many of whom ended up singing, cheering, and forming a conga-line hundreds of feet long (yes...they were TIRED!).

On Saturday morning, after dress rehearsal, the girls enjoyed a little bit of downtime before the afternoon performance. We went back to Manchester for another Red Arrow Diner meal (The Food Network was filming in the kitchen while we were there!) and a much-needed long walk around the Millyard.

The Festival concert, held at Concord's Capital Center for the Arts, was an absolutely wonderful performance played to a packed house. Excerpts from the professionally recorded CD are on the recording archive page (see the "student musicians" links in the left hand margin).

HMS music teacher Elise MacDonald performs at Chapel with Sonorite Flute Trio

Elise MacDonald, HMS music teacher and flutist, performed at the Chapel given tonight by Patrice Pinette. Her new group, the Sonorite Flute Trio, performed works of McKay, Zempleni, Casterede, and Tcherepnin. Vocalist Michiko Takahashi ('08) also performed an unaccompanied version of the Japanese "Sakura" (Cherry Blossom) song.

Founded just recently, the Trio's other members are Rebecca Jeffries of Pepperell, MA (a flute teacher, director of flute choirs, and soloist; also mother to Jacob, a student at Pine Hill) and Marjorie Hogan of Nashua, NH (director of the Merrimack Valley Flute Choir, principal flutist with the NH Philharmonic, and long time pal of Elise's).

The Trio were really pleased to have a chance to play in the chapel, with its amazing acoustic and receptive listeners.

Rebecca's website can be found in the "visiting artists" section in the left-hand margin.

HMS Music Students enjoy a night out at Acton Jazz Cafe

Some HMS music students spent the evening at the Acton Jazz Cafe in Acton, MA, listening to renowned Brazilian jazz flutist Fernando Brandao and his septet (vocals, piano, bass, drums, saxophone, and trumpet, in addition to Brandao's C flute, alto flute, and bass flute).

As he has studied, taught, composed in, and performed the genres of jazz, the myriad musical styles of his native Brazil, and classical music, Brandao's biography is far too extensive to list here, but can be found on his website:

http://www.fernandobrandao.com/english/biography.html

The Acton Jazz Cafe is a wonderful place for high school students and adults alike to enjoy live jazz. Its friendly all-ages non-smoking "pub" setting serves up food, desserts, and beverages, but the music is always the primary focus. The patrons are respectful of the musicians and of the work that goes into performance.

More HMS trips to the Acton Jazz Cafe are likely! Besides regular performances of nationally-known jazz and blues acts, there are also all-ages jazz and blues jams at the Cafe --- all well under an hour from campus.

http://www.actonjazzcafe.com/