SHREK this Weekend!

Don't miss SHREK at DGN this weekend. Friday/Saturday @7:00 PM. Sunday @2:00 PM.

Well done D99 Orchestra!

The District 99 Orchestra presented a fabulous Winter Concert this evening, featuring diverse programming and exceptional soloists.  Highlights included Ashokan Farewell performed by the Concert Orchestra, a student arrangement of  "The Swan" from The Carnival of The Animals featuring cello and alto saxophone arranged by Samantha Young, and two stunning senior soloists, violist Kathryn Krajewski and cellist Andrew Molina.

Both Concert Orchestra and Symphonic Orchestra played musically and with mature sounds on every selection.  Special shout out to the winds and percussion for performing extremely well on both the Hoffmeister and the Dvorak.  The generous standing ovation by the patrons at the end of the performance was well deserved by the student musicians and their conductor, Jennifer Mullen.

If you missed the performance it is archived on the High School Cube.  You can view the performance by
clicking HERE.

D99 Orchestra Prepares for Tuesday Concert

The District 99 Orchestra is busy preparing for their concert on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 7:00 PM in the auditorium at South High School.  Featured on this concert will be senior soloists Andrew Molina on cello and Kathryn Krajewski on viola.

If you are unable to join us in the auditorium at South HS, the concert will be streamed live on the internet on the High School Cube for remote viewing.  You can view the performance by clicking here.

DGN Musicians Find Solo & Ensemble Success at State Contest

Downers Grove North High School student musicians participated in the Illinois High School Association State Solo and Ensemble Contest on March 8, 2014.

Sixty-four students from Downers Grove North High School earned fifty-nine Division I ratings of SUPERIOR.  A Division I score is categorized as “A Superior Performance – outstanding in nearly every detail.”  In addition, twenty-five students from Downers Grove North High School earned nineteen Division II ratings of OUTSTANDING.  A Division II score is categorized as “An excellent performance – only minor defects.”

“Preparing for a Solo and Ensemble contest is a great opportunity for our students to express their individualism as soloists and to develop team-work skills with small ensembles,” said Brayer Teague, Fine Arts Department Chair at North High.  “We’re very proud of all our students who entered the state contest this year.  They did a terrific job representing North High with their musicianship.”

Four North High student musicians received perfect scores at the State Contest.  Kevin Atwater (Clarinet), Tim Edwards (Cello), Evangeline Tuohy (Flute) and Samantha Young (Cello) all received perfect marks from the judges. 

Five North High events received a “Best of Day Award” for garnering the highest achievement score in their event room.  Clarinetist Kevin Atwater, vocalist Elizabeth Brunell, cellist Liam Morgan, saxophonist Spencer Schillerstrom, and a string quartet featuring Tim Edwards, Monica Lim, Katie Portman, and Sarah Williams.

The following North High Music Events received a “Division I—Superior” rating:

Nisha Albert – Violin

Kevin Atwater – Clarinet (Perfect Score)

Belle Banke & Sarah Steffen – Percussion Ensemble

Jack Barkei – Viola

Adam Behnke – Flute

Lauren Birkmeier – Euphonium

Alyse Bondarowicz – Flute

Jennifer Book – Violin

Elizabeth Brunell – Vocal

Anna Burton – Vocal

Allie Casey – Flute

Ben Casey – Tuba

Kevin Chow – Cello

Patrick Connery, Todd Griffin, Grant Severt – Low Brass Trio

Emmy Cook – Vocal

Ben Cortez – Trumpet

Gwen Cortez – Flute

Evan Culligan & Samantha Young – Wind/String Ensemble

Maria D’Ambrose – Oboe

Katie Donnelly – Alto Saxophone

Tommy Donnelly – Trumpet

Emily Dwyer – Trumpet

Tim Edwards – Cello (Perfect Score)

Tim Edwards, Monica Lim, Katie Portman, Sarah Williams – String Quartet

Alison Elgass – Bass Clarinet

Zack Foster – Cello

Robert Gartlan – Vocal

Katie Goldsmith – Clarinet

Emily Heppner – Violin

Elizabeth Heyler – Flute

Megan Hung – Clarinet

Shatien Jordan – Violin

Tatiana Jordan – Violin

Seth Kattpong-Graber – Clarinet

Allison Kirkegaard – Vocal

Allison Kirkegaard & Marisa Leo – Vocal Duet

Mantas Kisielius – Violin

Zigmas Kisielius – Violin

Julija Lemenaite – Violin

Monica Lim – Violin

Lucy Lu – Alto Saxophone

Madi Lynch – Violin

Ben McCrimmon – Vocal

Matt Monk – Cello

Liam Morgan – Cello

Lauren O’Neil – Violin

Rachel Pfeifer – Cello

Katie Portman – Violin

Nate Rapach – Trumpet

Spencer Schillerstrom – Tenor Saxophone

Ari Scott – Cello

Grant Severt – Guitar

Allie Sheetz – Flute

Amelia Smerz – Cello

Evangeline Tuohy – Flute (Perfect Score)

Jennifer Vetrone – Trumpet

Sarah Williams – Viola

Samantha Young – Cello (Perfect Score)

Fred Zimmerman – Vocal

The following North High Music Events received a “Division II—Excellent” rating:

Jack Barkei, Kaleb Pfotenhauer, Matt Monk, Nick Presecky – String Quartet

Jennifer Book, Shatien Jordan, Meghan Lynch, Liam Morgan – String Quartet

Daniel Brethaner – Trombone

Jessica Chika – Flute

Keara Corbett – Vocal

Evan Culligan – Alto Saxophone

Becky Donnelly – Flute

Todd Griffin – Tuba

Jackson Hansen – Alto Saxophone

Sam Heppner – Trumpet

Brian Hsu – Trumpet

Fiona Kelly – Violin

Isabelle Larson – Violin

Emily Little – Trombone

Adam Mills – Trombone

Maggie Nevrly – Viola

Nick Pantazopoulos – Violin

Kaleb Pfotenhauer – Violin

Caleb Schmurr – Trombone

SHREK Opens Friday - 3 Shows Only!

Don't miss this year's DGN All-School Musical: SHREK!  A slightly fractured fairy tale with loads of laughs and lots of heart, Shrek is big-sized fun for all ages. Based on the DreamWorks animated film, the musical follows the adventures of everyone’s favorite ogre, Shrek, and the lovably annoying Donkey as they rescue the spirited Princess Fiona. Along the way, lessons are learned and love blossoms. With a lively score and upbeat story, this award-winning musical will leave you feeling lighthearted long after the curtain closes.  

Tickets are now on sale through our Office of Student Activities (630.795.8413), or may be purchased at the door prior to the performance.  Tickets are $8.00 (adults) and $7.00 (students).

Young Conductor

Music is impactful - even (especially) when we're very young.




Click here for video.

Time for the 2014 Flower Sale!

It's time to wish the Polar Vortex of 2014 a fond farewell, and set our sights squarely on Spring!

We have kicked-off the annual DGN Music Boosters Flower Sale, and music families are encouraged to start dreaming of spring planting!

Students received preliminary information today in music classes, and were given the opportunity to pick up order forms.  

Click here for all the info - and additional order forms!

DGN Vocal Festival 2014

Dozens of North High vocalists are performing today in the annual DGN Vocal Festival. Three distinct performance spaces give our students the opportunity to be heard and coached by professional musicians who are on campus today to serve as adjudicators and clinicians.

Congratulations to all of our DGN Choir students who are performing today, and a special thanks is extended to the private vocal teachers who have helped our students prepare.

National Merit Finalists are all Musicians

All of DGN's National Merit Finalists are musicians and have been actively engaged in the arts for many years. Correlation or coincidence?

The Fine Arts Department congratulates (from L-R) Katie Portman, Gwen Cortez, and Rachel Clivaz on earning the prestigious academic distinction of National Merit Finalists.

Winter Guard takes 2nd at Stagg High School Contest

Congratulations to the members of the DGN Winter Guard for their 2nd place finish at the Midwest Color Guard Circuit Contest held on March 1st at Stagg High School.

Scoring 67.29, the Winter Guard showed impressive growth, increasing their overall score by nearly 8 points over their previous season-best.

Way to go Winter Guard!

"Sprinter" Concert Warms Spirits!

Congratulations to the members of the DGN Choirs for a wonderful concert that warmed the spirit of all who had the pleasure of attending.  Students in the Concert Choir, All Access Choir, Freshman Ensemble, Acafellas, Treble Ensemble, Freshman Choir, Concert Singers, Treble Choir, Chamber Choir, and A Cappella Choir, treated the audience to a wide range of repertoire and musical styles.

The temperatures outside still feel like Winter, but the music this evening gave us all hope for Spring!

DGN Choirs In Concert Tuesday Night!

The students of the North High School Choirs are busy preparing for the 2014 "Sprinter" (Spring-Winter) Choir Concert which takes place on Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at 7:00 PM in the Clarence Johnson auditorium at North High School. We hope you will be with us for a wonderful night of music!

This concert will also be broadcast live on High School Cube.  Please tell all your friends and relatives out of the area that the concert can be viewed by following this link:

http://tinyurl.com/DGNChoirSprinter2014

Sent from my iPad

2014 College Music Award - DGMC $1,000 Scholarship

The Downers Grove Music Club (DGMC) is pleased to announce the 2014 College Music Award. The application is available via the website for the DGMC, http://downersgrovemusicclub.org.  The College Music Award information and application is available in the Educational Opportunities section of the website or it can be accessed directly at this link:

http://downersgrovemusicclub.org/scholarships_college.html. 

Email inquiries may be made to the following address:  musiced@downersgrovemusicclub.org.

Two awards will be given and each recipient will receive $1,000.  As outlined in the actual application, the requirements of the application are as follows:

Purpose:  to recognize TWO District 99 High School Music students for excelling at a high level of achievement.

Eligibility:  current high school Seniors who are actively pursuing music and who will be attending college in the fall of 2014, are eligible to apply.  These students need NOT be pursuing a music degree program at their chosen college.

How to Apply:  complete the written application, along with a required recording.

Selection Criteria:  the merit of the applicant's musical accomplishments and the quality of the applicant's musical performance.

Award Notification:  the announcement of the College Music Award recipients will be made at the spring awards ceremonies at both Downers Grove North and South.

The application must be submitted either via hardcopy, postmarked no later than April 1, 2014.  Or it must be submitted electronically with a date and time stamp of no later than 11:59 pm April 1, 2014.  

Mailing address:  Downers Grove Music Club, Attn: DGMC College Music Awards, P.O. Box 551, Downers Grove, IL  60515

Email address:  musiced@downersgrovemusicclub.org

The DGMC thanks Grove Dental for their generous donation as sponsor of one of these awards.

Cast Prepares for SHREK Opening

The cast of 'SHREK' are hard at work learning their steps for this year's All-School Musical at North High.  Make plans now to see Shrek, Donkey, Pinocchio, the Dragon, Lord Farquaad, all the fairytale creatures, and the lovely Fiona as they stumble their way through the pangs and pitfalls of love and adventure in "SHREK: The Musical."  You won't want to miss the fun, the special effects, the music, the dancing, and of course the amazing story of SHREK, playing March 14-16 at DGN.

DGN Jazz @ 47th Annual Elmhurst College Jazz Festival

Congratulations to the members of the DGN Jazz Ensemble for a tremendous performance at the 47th Annual Elmhurst College Jazz Festival.  One of the oldest and most prestigious events of it's kind, drawing top high school and college bands from the United States and Canada, DGN Jazz students were honored to have been invited to this year's festival.

The band's continued hard work and dedication were affirmed by a panel of three critically acclaimed jazz legends who offered only effusive praise to DGN for the ensemble's sound, style, and attention to musical detail.  

"It's pretty amazing, you guys," said jazz trumpet great Bobby Shew.  "High school kids playing like that.  Very inspiring.  For you guys to be playing this well in high school, it's just really impressive."

Gary Smulyan, considered by many to be the leading baritone sax voice in the world today, said, "I was really impressed with the way you share your joy of music with the audience. There was a really beautiful feeling behind what you were playing for us.  That really came across."  

Trombone virtuoso Andy Martin said, "I thought you guys were fantastic.  As a listener, the variety was great.  The soloists were all fantastic.  The singers were fabulous. The woodwind doubles and colors were just great.  It was a beautiful way to start the festival this year!"

Garnering "Outstanding Musician" awards were Sebastian Calvino (trombone), Zack Foster (bass), Rob Kulik (drums), Spencer Schillerstrom (tenor sax), and Amelia Smerz (cello).

Kudos to the DGN Jazz Ensemble for yet another outstanding festival performance on an international stage!

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp - Campus Auditions Wednesday!

The Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp (in Michigan) is one of the nation’s leading arts immersion camps.  BLFAC is a non-profit summer school of the arts specializing in two-week arts programs for intermediate and high school students. 

Because there is a strong tradition of highly qualified District 99 students attending Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, the institution actively recruits in our schools.  Additionally, BLFAC sends a representative to our building each February to hear interested students play and sing.  From those ‘mini auditions’ BLFAC frequently awards merit-based scholarships to attend the camp.  This year’s BLFAC scholarship auditions will be held on Wednesday, February 19^th during periods, 5, 6, 7, 8 and for a short time after school.  If you are interested in playing or singing a short audition for the BLFAC rep, please express your interest on a sign-up sheet in the Fine Arts Office (room 131).  Please see Mrs. DePeder or your music teacher on TUESDAY to sign up for a time. 

What should you be prepared to play or sing in your audition?  Plan to perform 2-3 min of music that you have been working on with a private music teacher, or in class.  This could be an etude, a solo, or a piece of literature that you have really enjoyed playing.  Pick something that shows off your abilities!

The Blue Lake representative will share some basic information with your child to bring home to you.  In the meantime, you are encouraged to check out Blue Lake’s website at www.bluelake.org.  

Many DGN musicians have received significant scholarships to attend Blue Lake as a result of these mini-auditions.  Please consider this fabulous opportunity!

Winter Guard takes 3rd Place at Midwest Color Guard Circuit Contest

Congratulations to the DGN Winter Guard for taking 3rd Place in their competitive class at the Midwest Color Guard Circuit contest sponsored by Downers Grove South High School.  Beginning at 11 AM this morning, 30+ Winter Guards competed in the event.  

Way to go Trojans ... we are proud of you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOVE this Band! They sound SWEET

Scholarship Alert for Seniors: Rotary Music Scholarship applications now being accepted!

Rotary Music Scholarship applications now being accepted!

The Rotary Club of Downers Grove is now accepting applications for their annual Charles Dickerman Music Scholarship. Each year the Rotary Club of Downers Grove gives a $2,000 scholarship check to a deserving high school senior who resides in Downers Grove or the District 99 attendance area. Charles Dickerman was a founding member of the Rotary Club of Downers Grove.  He was a nuclear physicist at Argonne National Laboratory who had undergraduate degrees in both physics and music. Charles stayed involved in music throughout his life and was an avid bagpiper.

A scholarship application can be downloaded at www.dgrotary.com.

Applicants must have their forms postmarked by March 10, 2014. If selected as a finalist, candidates must be available for an interview and audition in the evening of April 7, 2014.

The qualifications to apply for this scholarship are:

· Be a graduating senior attending a public, private, parochial or home school, and reside in Downers Grove or the High School District 99 attendance area.

· Plan to pursue a post-secondary education program.

· Have participated in high school curricular music activities and/or extracurricular music activities. 

· Composers and/or arrangers qualify for this scholarship. 

· Pursuit of an undergraduate music major or minor is not required.

· Financial need is not a criterion for selection.

Composer or Pasta?

Nothing says Valentines Day like a romantic Italian dinner or an aria from a beautiful Italian opera. Today's "bell ringer" in DGN Band classes? Yes, you guessed it: a friendly game of "Composer or Pasta?"... where contestants attempt (with frequent inaccuracies) to place Italian names into one of two categories.