Monfredo: A Magical Night … as Students Showed Off Their Talent
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Thus, it was delightful to see the arts in full display this past week as S.O.F.A. ( save our fine arts organization) sponsored a fund raising event and an opportunity for the public to see the arts in action. This extravaganza took place last weekend at the Worcester Technical High School auditorium.
As Jennifer O’Malley, member of the S.O.F.A. executive board and a parent volunteer, stated “It’s a showcase of talent from the three schools ( Worcester Arts Magnet, Burncoat Middle School and Burncoat High School) … This is our fifth year in sponsoring the show. The students have performances from the theatre magnet, the music magnet, and the dance magnet. In addition, there is a slide show of the children’s art work.”
As guest approached Worcester Technical High School to see this gala event you could hear the students making music with their “bucket brigade." As you waited in line “Stars” in costume… Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and others engaged with the audience and were selling raffle tickets.
The show was hosted by Melanie Donegan, S.O.F.A Secretary and retired fine arts consultant, who greeted the audience and introduced the students from Worcester Arts Magnet string ensemble led by conductor Chrysanthe Manuel. They played a melody of songs that “blew” the audience away. They were followed by the school’s chorus to delightful songs and dance routines starting with “Opening Night” and ending with “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” The costumes worn by the students for these “up beat” musical rendition were stunning and spectacular.
Then came the Middle School and High School Theatre group with a scene from “The 39 Steps” which is a adaptation from the famous Alfred Hitchcock movie. The outstanding acting was a “tease” and an advertisement for their upcoming presentation in December. The theatre is directed by Jeremy Woloski and Aimee Kewley.
The audience then sat back and enjoyed the Middle School chorus followed by the Worcester Arts Magnet Band directed by Michael Wong. Keeping the momentum going, the Middle School Concert Band directed by Peter Levesque amazed everyone with their performance of “Bad” by Michael Jackson.
The audience was then star struck by the Middle and High School dance department led by their choreographers Kellie Shea and Joan Sheary. You would have thought that you were watching dancers on “Broadway” perform for the students were precise in their movements and showed outstanding athletic and musical ability with their moves.
Continuing with this star-studded evening came the High School Quadrivium led by their director Dave Twiss. This vocal ensemble , past and present, have performed throughout the country and will again take the stage with Country Star singer Kenny Rogers and Linda Davis next month as the backup chorus. Then in March the group will head down to Disney World and will perform in Downtown Disney as part of the 2015 Disney Sings event. They continued to wow the audience.
Director Dani Rimoni then led the Middle and High School string orchestra to a fantastic number of songs that just about brought the audience to their feet. Topping off the evening was the High School symphony orchestra lead by conductor Deborah Cole. The orchestra was so good that if you closed your eyes you could have sworn that you were listening to the orchestra playing at Symphony Hall in New York.
Needless to say, the audience was treated to an outstanding evening of entertainment. The Worcester Public Schools can be extremely proud of these amazing students and their outstanding instructors. Unlike many school districts across the nation, the Worcester Public Schools even with a limited budget and emphasis on testing in the area of English Language Arts, Math and Science, has continued to support the arts. I do hope that we never get to a point where districts chose between the core curriculum and the arts. The arts are basic to a students’ education and we as a community need to support the “whole child."
Congratulations to S.O.F.A. for continuing to support our students for their mission is to provide and enhance fine arts offerings at the Burncoat Quadrant Fine Arts Magnet Program through fundraising endeavors, increased public awareness, and vibrant community involvement. So if any individual or corporation wishing to make a donation please contact them at [email protected].
Yes, the ARTS are alive and well in Worcester! Let’s make sure we continue to keep them thriving!
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