Behind Stowe WA L N U T H I L L S C H O O L F O R T H E A R T S
Spring & Summer 2013 Volume 3 Number 1
Behind Stowe WA L N U T H I L L S C H O O L F O R T H E A R T S
Spring & Summer 2013 Volume 3 Number 1
Behind Stowe I heard an elf go whistling by, A whistle sleek as moonlit grass, That drew me like a silver string To where the dusty, pale moths fly, And make a magic as they pass; And there I heard a cricket sing.
Elizabeth Bishop ’30 (1911–1979)
Marketing Communications OFFICE Michele Levy Chief Marketing Officer
His singing echoed through and through The dark under a windy tree Where glinted little insects' wings. His singing split the sky in two. The halves fell either side of me, And I stood straight, bright with moon-rings.
4 Feature
Betsy Blazar Marketing Communications Manager
Creativity Meets the Classroom
Amanda Grazioli Marketing Communications Associate
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A note from stowe
Gala
PERSPECTIVE
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IN HER OWN WORDS
CLASS NOTES
Jillian Kohl Director of Alumni Relations
Tess Bissell ’13: Lost in Translation
Q&A with Walnut Hill’s Associate Director of Dance
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Paul Fleming Database Manager
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Development Office Bruce Smith Chief Development Officer Jennifer TumSuden Director of Annual Giving
Isabel Holmes Development Assistant Editorial Team Judy Kiviat Editorial Assistant Betsy Blazar Design Coffee Pond Scott Bump Sharyn Peavey ’90 Liza Voll Photography
A Fashionable Addition to the Visual Art Department
10 APPLAUSE
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Language immersion: A REWARDING RISK
A YEAR IN REVIEW
36 ALUMNI JOURNEYS
SEEN ON THE HILL
Visiting Artists and Master Classes
An Interview with Stephanie Milling ’89
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ALUMNI WEEKEND
graduation
Seen off the hill
© 2013 Walnut Hill School for the Arts. All rights reserved. Published by Walnut Hill School for the Arts, 12 Highland Street, Natick, MA 01760-2199 (tel) 508.653.4312 (fax) 508.653.9593 | Please send change of address to Paul Fleming: pfleming@walnuthillarts.org
www.youtube.com/user/walnuthillschool | www.facebook.com/walnuthill | www.walnuthillarts.org | 508.653.4312
Photo by Sharyn Peavey ’90
A note from Stowe
Over the past 36 months, Walnut Hill School for the Arts has embarked on a journey of transformation that, when complete, will have touched every aspect of our program, facilities, and community. This issue of Behind Stowe explores the many ways we are constantly evolving our programs in order to attract and support the finest young scholar-artists in the world. You will read about new course offerings; learn more about our rigorous, immersive approach to world language learning; review a truly impressive admission and matriculation list; and much, much more. I’d like to take this opportunity to share some exciting updates with you. First, I am pleased to announce that we have completed our 10-year campus Master Plan. This comprehensive look at our campus was both thought-provoking and inspiring, and the process provided a valuable opportunity to collaborate as we shared our dreams and agreed on our priorities. We have chosen an architecture firm, designLAB, to help us make the first phase of the Master Plan a reality. Phase One includes:
· Imagining a New Multipurpose Performance Space · Expanding our Fitness and Wellness Facilities · Relocating the Facilities Department · Increasing Parking Capacity
In our planning discussions, we often liken this process to a series of chess moves. Projects must be strategically timed based on a number of factors, including the fact that the campus is fully utilized throughout the year. We are confident that this phased approach will allow us to achieve the ambitious goals of the Master Plan, while continuing to deliver an outstanding experience for our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. More on this topic in the months to come. I am also thrilled to announce that Walnut Hill has made the commitment to become an all-Steinway school. This means that over the next few years, with the support of a remarkable group of donors, we will replace our existing piano inventory with Steinway & Sons, Essex, or Boston pianos, until 90% of our pianos fall into one of those three categories. We will start the 2013–2014 school year with 10 new pianos, and we could not be more pleased to have made this decision. It will positively and immediately impact not only our Music Department, but our Theater and Dance Departments as well. Finally, I’d like to thank all of those who played a part in our highly successful 2013 Gala. It was an extraordinary evening, and we are grateful to all the members of our community who made it so. For me, the events of this year are a powerful reminder that Walnut Hill continues on an exciting and positive trajectory. The Gala was a very visible testimony to that momentum and to our continued success. Thank you for all you do to support Walnut Hill School for the Arts.
Antonio Viva Head of School
Spring & Summer 2013
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ONLINE
Check Out our New Admission Website!
Our admission website is sporting a brand-new look! We are excited to offer this updated resource to our prospective students and families. Visit walnuthillarts.org/admission for a wealth of information about the School, including the most up-to-date details about our programs, faculty, and student life offerings. Don’t forget, you are our most powerful ambassadors. Please take a moment to share our URL with a friend or colleague. 2 | Behind Stowe
www.walnuthillarts.org
on CAMPUS
Walnut Hill: Proud to be an All-Steinway School
The world’s best young artists deserve the world’s best pianos. What does it mean to be an All-Steinway School? Ultimately, at least 90% of the pianos at Walnut Hill School for the Arts will be Steinway & Sons, Essex, or Boston pianos. Where do we start? In fall 2013, Walnut Hill will begin the transition process with 10 brand-new pianos. How does it happen? The School will create a Steinway Fund to receive gifts of $5,000 or more for the Steinway project.
Spring & Summer 2013
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Creativity Meets the Classroom by Michele Levy
a place where you don’t have Imagine to choose This quote from a recent graduate sums up the unique nature of a Walnut Hill education in a succinct and energetic manner:
At home I had always been told, “Well, you can’t really dance at a preprofessional level, AND have really rigorous academics, AND do extracurriculars, AND have friends . . . you have to pick one.” But here it’s all the same thing. You don’t have to pick. She is completely right. At Walnut Hill, you don’t have to choose. You can throw yourself into any and all of your passions with equal fervor, regardless of what those passions may be. You can spend your mornings engaged in a rigorous college-preparatory academic curriculum, your afternoons immersed in a world-renowned dance pro-
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gram, and your “free” time running high-impact community service projects such as Knit-a-Thon and the Natick Days bike helmet painting project. And the result of such an approach to education? Motivated scholarartists who value process, embrace complexity, engage deeply in their own learning, and find themselves with a breadth of options for college, conservatory, and career. At a time when so many families and educators are looking for ways to make learning meaningful and to help lessons stick, it is becomingly increasingly clear that Walnut Hill’s approach is not only valid, but incredibly valuable.
Process matters At Walnut Hill, the focus is on the process . . . whether you are in an academic classroom, a practice room, or a studio. Director of Dance Michael Owen points out that at Walnut Hill process transcends content and that the
www.walnuthillarts.org
feature school’s educational philosophy recognizes and reinforces recognize that, as theater major Owen Alderson '13 says: the value of process for young adults: “Clearly, process is “I find crossovers between my academic classes and my extraordinarily important in the training of young dancarts classes every day. For example, writing an essay in ers, but across the board . . . there are always these English class . . . sometimes the same principles are there layers of process that get them to their [academic and if you’re dissecting a script in acting class.” Visual art maartistic] goals.” While the finished product matters, art jor Sam Scheib '13 concurs, “They realize that as artists and academic faculty members alike will tell you that by we think differently, and they are always bringing our art throwing themselves into process, students will find that into our academics.” great things happen for them as learners, artists, collaborators, “As a history teacher, I am thankful every day that I have artists. and individuals.
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They work hard, they know complex things have complex answers,
However, it’s important to they know what it means to wrestle with something, remember that it is not always they know what it means to be frustrated.” easy or comfortable to dive into the process, especially for those students coming to Walnut Hill from a traditional academic setting. Walnut Hill faculty Teaching young scholar-artists may be challenging, but it’s members are acutely aware of that fact, and provide just also incredibly rewarding. Ben Gregg, Director of Studies the right amount of support, at just the right time. Their and Head of the Humanities Department, comments: understanding and appreciation of high school students “As a history teacher, I am thankful every day that I have as learners and as artists creates an environment in which artists. They work hard, they know complex things have students are comfortable taking risks, and in which they complex answers, they know what it means to wrestle are eager to support their peers in taking similar risks. The with something, they know what it means to be frusexperience of Tatum Robertson ’13 reflects the attitude that trated.” Because the community places importance on pervades Walnut Hill: “Before I came here, I don’t think I both process and product, students have developed the really met supportive artists. It’s coming from their heart, patience and the courage to tackle challenging questions not from a fake place. They are not trying to get anything and complex situations. Dance major Dana Vanderburgh ’13 from you. They want to be your friend, want to learn from you, want to teach you, impart their inspirations and aspirations onto you.”
Comfortable with complexity The Walnut Hill academic program has been developed specifically to leverage and foster the habits of a young artist’s mind—careful observation, critical thinking, and a desire for deep and enduring understanding. However, that educational philosophy must coexist harmoniously with the complex realities of teaching young artists— young artists who may have been up late every night for tech week, who may be off at college auditions for days at a time, who may spend their Saturday at New England Conservatory, or their entire weekend in the painting studio. One of the reasons that the Walnut Hill approach works so well is that our academic and arts faculty members, prioritize the hands-on, project-based learning that is the hallmark of the approach, while respecting and accommodating the demands placed on each student. The faculty is also committed to ensuring that Walnut Hill students do not engage in either their artistic training or their academic studies in a vacuum. Ultimately, students OPPOSITE PAGE Allan Reeder, Stephanie Stigliano, Caroline Crider ’15, and Alli Lewis ’16 examining artist books made with text from creative writing students RIGHT Student collaboration in process
Spring & Summer 2013
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reflects that “Walnut Hill taught me . . . that there are so many different ways you can look at one thing, and that there’s no one right or wrong answer. And that even if there is a right or wrong answer, there are so many ways you can get there.”
Every Walnut wants to be here Guess what happens when you create a place where dedicated, motivated young artists can do all the things they want to do? You end up with something fairly unusual—a high school where the students actually WANT to be there, where they push themselves and others to do their very best work, where they allow themselves and each other to be their true selves, and where they are eager to share what they have learned. You create an environment where a student can practice violin for six hours at NEC on a Saturday, then come back to campus and want to practice more. Where a student like Vanderburgh can take her dance classes, rehearse for Spring Repertory, share her love of dance by teaching at the Community Dance Academy, and still find time to plan a young artists coffeehouse in Natick Center because she realizes the power of art to build community. Where the students themselves challenge the academic departments to come up with a broader, more rigorous set of electives in order to keep
Guess what happens when you create a place where dedicated, motivated young artists can do all the things they want to do? You end up with something fairly unusual—a high school where the students actually WANT to be there, where they push themselves and others to do their very best work, where they allow themselves and each other to be their true selves, and where they are eager to share what they have learned.
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www.walnuthillarts.org
up with their demand for learning and desire to achieve. Visual art major Dasha Ilina '14 speaks for her peers when she says, “Our teachers always keep telling us how lucky we are, and we understand, we realize how lucky we are to be here. This program is like nowhere else.”
preparedness and maturity of Walnut Hill candidates, which students exemplify through their essays and also through in-person encounters. Admissions counselors additionally note that students’ devotion to their art visibly leads to more inquisitiveness and success in the classroom and community. This year, we were delighted
The proof is in the progress
to discover that Walnut Hill students who took the most demanding academic course load actually fared better in the applicant pool at highly selective liberal arts colleges than their counterparts at some of the most elite private high schools in the Boston area. This is a direct result of the students’ own motivation, and also of the specialized curriculum and encouragement that students receive while they’re here.”
It’s one thing to talk about an intensive program of artistic and academic study, and another to hear from those who experience it firsthand. But what does that translate to in the outside world? Where does a Walnut Hill education take students after they graduate? Each year at this time, we are reminded, in a real and powerful way, of the value of a Walnut Hill education, and of the many options our graduates have as they move into the next phase of their lives. As the members of the Class of 2013 make decisions about which college, conservatory, or training program to attend, the sheer breadth, diversity, and quality of their options is breathtaking. (You can review the entire list for yourself on page 31.) According to Director of College Counseling Sarah Lovely, college admissions representatives clearly see the value of the education Walnut Hill provides, and the power of a curriculum that combines arts and academics:
The success of the Class of 2013 makes a bold statement about something that Walnuts have known for a while—when process meets passion, and arts meet academics, the results can change the world. ♦
SEE MORE ONLINE
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To see the full video featuring the students and faculty quoted here (and more!), please visit creativity.walnuthillarts.org
“The Class of 2013 had an incredible year in the college and conservatory process. From our many conversations with admissions representatives, we have learned that the unique structure of Walnut Hill’s curriculum is a tremendous asset to students’ college applications. Our students truly stand out. Many reps have also commented on the OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP Hyo Bin Yang ’13 painting bike helmets at Natick Days; OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM Jungwon Stephanie Kim ’13 working in the painitng studio; ABOVE Richard Schwartz teaches students in the sculpture studio Spring & Summer 2013
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IN Her OWN WORDS
Lost in Translation by Tess Bissell ’13
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t was Day 1 in Paris when I forgot my name. Awestruck and jetlagged, we retreated apologetically—feeling the full weight of our tourist-ness—to the familiar, overpriced shadows of Starbucks. Lost in the Latin Quarter, the line of toe-tapping customers waiting for
their “venti-no-whip-doubleregular-whatever” felt like home. Je voudrais un chocolat chaud. Je voudrais un chocolat chaud, I repeated to myself. “Je voudrais un chocolat chaud.” “Votre prénom?” My name. What was my name? I could have told you how to say “fishing spear” in French (“harpon manuel,” if you’re wondering), or described (in French) how Marguerite Duras writes about liberation in her novella Moderato Cantabile, or debated fluently (in French) the implications of the niqab in Western society, but it was a barista’s question that had me tongue-tied. “Your name?” “Oh, uh, ummm . . . Tess. Sorry.” Luckily, I’m used to messing up.
In the Walnut Hill foreign language immersion program, we don’t think malapropisms are problematic—we think they’re natural . . . and hilarious. Apparently, “oreilles” (ears) and “orteils” (toes) are not interchangeable (“Madame, I heard it with my own toes!”). If you’re in an adjacent classroom, I apologize on behalf of French 5: we’re really loud. Either we’re laughing because someone botched the subjunctive and came up with “I would you like swim go . . . boat?” or we’re blasting weird French pop music, or we’re running around the classroom enacting scenes from Eugène Ionesco’s La cantatrice chauve. At Walnut Hill, you need to know how to conjugate verbs, but the verbs are not an end unto themselves. We engage in an active, vocal, messy education because asking Parisians for directions is an active, vocal, messy endeavor; because there is nothing like reading literature and watching film in its original language; because reading about D-Day can’t compare to visiting Normandy and seeing the remnants of floating harbors still bobbing in the water.
Fast-forward to Day 9 and we were back on American soil, making our disoriented way through customs, when I forgot how to speak English. “Your birthday?” “Le vingt-quatre avril.” “The what?” “Oh, uh, ummm, I mean April 24th! Sorry.” The harried customs officer narrowed his eyes at me. “The purpose of your trip?” The purpose of my trip? I could have told him about rainbows of macaroons and the bizarre juxtaposition of religiosity and commercialism under the rose windows at Notre-Dame. I could have told him about running around the Louvre looking for Hammurabi’s Code and getting wondrously lost along the way (by the way, the Mona Lisa is the most anticlimactic thing ever), and about forgetting my name at Starbucks. I could have told him how on the first day we emerged from the dank Métro and were blinded by the sunlight reflecting off the Seine, and how this week had been paradigm-shattering. “The purpose of my trip? Uhh . . .” ♦
TOP Tess Bissell ’13 in Versailles, France. (Photo by Dasha Ilina ’14); Bottom Students in front of the Notre-Dame Cathedral. (Photo by Monica Lee) 8 | Behind Stowe
www.walnuthillarts.org
A Fashionable Addition to the Visual Art Department by Michele Levy
n keeping with our Strategic Plan goal to maintain a relevant, compelling curriculum, Walnut Hill has recently added several new course offerings. In the fall of 2012, the Visual Art Department added a popular new elective, Introduction to Elementary Apparel Design. The class exposes students to foundational skills of the apparel design process, including pattern drafting, draping, and basic hand sewing. Having the opportunity to
learn the ropes from designer, entrepreneur, and adjunct faculty member Maha Barsom has made the experience all the more rich and rewarding for students.
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Members of the class created mini dress forms using film, pencil shavings, dryer lint, pieces of broken CDs, leaves, and other unlikely materials to achieve incredibly original results.
Barsom also teaches apparel design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and has her own line of women’s clothing. Designing and making clothes since the age of 8, Barsom began her professional life by attending business school in Syria, where she soon realized that she could not quiet her passion for design. She expanded her skills at RISD and in Paris, studying apparel design and haute couture. Over the course of the academic year, Walnut Hill students in Barsom’s class examine a variety of topics in apparel design. Perhaps the
Spring & Summer 2013
most striking outcome of their efforts was the array of originally designed dress forms that they produced at the end of the first semester. For this assignment, students were tasked
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with creating their own dress design using only found objects. Members of the class created mini dress forms using film, pencil shavings, dryer lint, pieces of broken CDs, leaves, and other unlikely materials to achieve incredibly original results. The designs were so stunning, in fact, that a number of them were auctioned off at Walnut Hill’s 2013 Gala! ♦
SEE MORE ONLINE
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To see a photo gallery of this project, please visit apparel.walnuthillarts.org
TOP Forms and dresses on display in the new apparel studio; BOTTOM Newspaper and eggshell dress by Yiou Olivia Huang ’14 Behind Stowe | 9
APPLAUSE
Susan Stampler Paresky ’64 Featured in Boston Magazine
Jaehyuck Choi ’13 Wins multiple Awards Jaehyuck Choi ’13 won the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award, and he was awarded Second Place in the national round of the Music Teachers National Association Competition. Choi has also been featured in a cover story of Eumak Journal, a leading Korean classical music journal, as well as in Piano and the Korea Times.
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usan Stampler Paresky (bottom left) was featured in a recent Boston magazine story on the 25 most influential people in Boston philanthropy. Sue is Senior Vice President for Development and the Jimmy Fund at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. According to the article, “Since joining the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Paresky has helped increase the organization’s annual gifts from about $30 million to as much as $200 million, overseen the Jimmy Fund (perhaps the state’s best-known charity), and—in the middle of a recession—spearheaded a capital campaign that raised $1.18 billion.”
Walnuts Shine at Peter Elvins Vocal Competition Walnut Hill voice students were four of the nine singers chosen for semifinals/finals, and two of the three winners, at the Peter Elvins Vocal Competition sponsored by the Powers Music School. Charles Sciascia ’14 (far right) was named the winner, and Ashley Robillard ’13 (third from left) took Second Place. Ariana Cubillos-Voegler ’13 (far left) and Nicole Burke ’14 (second from left) competed as finalists as well.
Yi Qun Xu ’13 Wins the 2012 Wellesley Symphony Young Soloist Competition Cellist Yi Qun Xu won the 2012 Wellesley Symphony Young Soloist Competition, subsequently performing with the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra at their special family concert in March 2013.
Do you have a notable accomplishment to share? If so, please send the details along with a high-resolution photo (at least 300 dpi and no less than 5 inches wide) to alumni@walnuthillarts.org.
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www.walnuthillarts.org
Writers and Visual Artists Win an Array of Boston Globe Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
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isual artist Chung-ha Lim ’14 was recognized with an American Visions Award, as well as Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention in the 2013 Boston Globe Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Hers was one of five pieces of art selected for the national American Visions Competition. Other Walnut Hill winners include: Allison Avila-Olivares ’13 — Honorable Mention Fiora Elbers-Tibbitts ’14 — Honorable Mention Sofia Haines ’14 — Silver Key Emily Kessler ’14 — Gold Key, Honorable Mention Ji Hyo Kim ’13 — Honorable Mention Adea Lennox ’13 —Silver Key Alexandra Lewis ’16 — Honorable Mention Courtney McCain ’13 — Gold Key William McGovern ’14 — Honorable Mention Shelly Pires ’13 — Gold Key
Shelly Pires was also featured on the Scholastic Art and Writing homepage, which included five of her winning poems from her 2012 portfolio and an audio clip with a discussion of her creative process.
Joe Walsh ’06 Featured in Pointe Magazine Joe Walsh, principal in the Houston City Ballet, was featured in Pointe magazine, in an article titled “Secret Health Obsessions: Six Dancers Confess Their Quirks.”
Jacob Thonis ’12 Plays Concerto with Boston Symphony Orchestra As First Place winner of the 2012 Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition, Jacob Thonis played a bassoon concerto with the BSO at Symphony Hall. Jake is a college freshman at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles.
Daniel Johnson ’13 Lauded in Young Musicians String Competition Daniel Johnson won Third Place in his division in the first annual Roman Totenberg Young Musicians String Competition.
Spring & Summer 2013
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APPLAUSE
Joan Tower ’56 Receives Honorary Degree from Smith College
Kate Hutter ’00 and Charlie Hodges ’98 debut "Unravel"
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mith College will award an honorary degree to Joan Tower, a Grammy-winning contemporary American composer, concert pianist, and conductor. During her career of more than 50 years, her works have been commissioned by major ensembles, soloists, and orchestras, including the Emerson, Tokyo, and Muir quartets; soloists Evelyn Glennie, Carol Wincenc, David Shifrin, and John Browning; and the orchestras of Chicago, New York, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Washington, DC. In 1990, Tower became the first woman to win the prestigious Grawemeyer Award, which she earned for “Silver Ladders,” a piece she wrote for the St. Louis Symphony, where she was composer-in-residence from 1985 to 1988.
Mary Koppel, Music Faculty, Composes Piece for Harvard University Choir The Harvard University Choir premiered “Stabat Mater Speciosa,” composed by Walnut Hill music faculty member Mary Koppel, as part of the annual Christmas services at Harvard Memorial Church. The piece is based on a 15th-century Latin text about Mary and the Christ Child.
Kori Alston ’14 Receives Award from Alliance for MetroWest Unity
Kori Alston (pictured above with his parents) received a John P. Garrahan Leadership Award from the Alliance for MetroWest Unity. In addition, Kori was chosen to speak at MetroWest Unity’s Community Prayer Breakfast event, where he received a standing ovation. 1 2 | Behind Stowe
Lifetime friends Kate Hutter and Charlie Hodges reunited on the stage together this year! The pair recently performed a duet titled “Unravel” at the spring concert of the L.A. Contemporary Dance Company (LACDC) [pictured above]. Hutter also had a role in LACDC’s Kennedy Center debut in Washington, DC, where she and Kevin Williamson premiered a new duet that Hutter choreographed.
Tatum Robertson ’13 Achieves National Recognition Soprano Tatum Robertson appeared on From the Top, the hit NPR radio program featuring America’s best young classical musicians. Robertson is a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. She was also named a finalist in the highly competitive National YoungArts Foundation Program. Out of approximately 10,000 applications, 685 emerging young artists were recognized for their outstanding work and accomplishments in one of nine disciplines across the visual, literary, and performing arts. As a finalist, Robertson traveled to Miami for YoungArts Week, where she participated in master classes with world-renowned artists such as Placido Domingo. In addition, Alexandra Lankiewicz ’13, Jaehyuck Choi ’13, Miranda Gelch ’13, and Ashley Robillard ’13 were all awarded Honorable Mention in the YoungArts competition.
www.walnuthillarts.org
Walnuts Win at Harvard NEC Concerto Competition
Hannah Eunsun Byun ’13 (pictured performing above) was the Category D winner of the NEC Concerto Competition. Moon Sun Yoo ’13 was the runner-up. (Photo by Andrew Hurlbut, New England Conservatory)
William Su ’13 Wins Second Place in the High School Division of the MetroWest Opera Competition
William Su (far right) with peers (and fellow winners) from New England Conservatory.
Spring & Summer 2013
Creative Writing Department Awards 2013 Bishop Prizes
Ian Burnette is a junior at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. He is the recipient of the Kenyon Review’s 2013 Patricia Grodd Poetry Prize for Young Writers and the Third Place winner of the Leonard L. Milberg ’53 Secondary School Poetry Prize at Princeton University. His work is forthcoming in The Kenyon Review. Miya Colleen Matsumoto Lee is a junior at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, New York. She is involved in various types of writing, including playwriting, poetry, and journalism, and is grateful to all her mentors for “revealing” to her “the capacities of the written word.”
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APPLAUSE
Grammy-Winning Walnuts
The Los Angeles–based band Quetzal, including Alberto Lopez ’92 (above left, sixth from left), won a Grammy Award for best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album. Their winning release "Imaginaries" contains powerful political lyrics set to musical stylings that weave funk, rock, and regional Mexican folk-music varietals. Another Walnut Hill alumnus also had a shining moment at the Grammys when eighth blackbird, the contemporary music sextet, won in the Chamber Music category. Michael J Maccaferri ’91 (above right, third from left) contributes his masterful clarinet playing to the ensemble, which entertains and provokes audiences across the globe with skilled and highly energized performances.
Daniel Salas ’12 and Edward Spots ’09 Participate in Alvin Ailey Foundation Gala Congratulations to Daniel Salas (left) and Edward Spots for their participation in the Alvin Ailey Foundation Gala at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on May 7.
Bosba Sisombat ’15 Featured in Popular Cambodian Media Outlet Music major Bosba Sisombat was recently featured in an article and video by Voices of America Khmer, a popular Cambodian media outlet. In her interview, she talked about her goal of bringing Cambodian music into the international spotlight and how supported she feels at Walnut Hill.
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Students Excel at Williams Chorale Scholarship Competition Juree Kim ’14 took Second Place and Tatum Robertson ’13 was chosen as a finalist in the Williams Chorale Bacardi Fallon Scholarship Competition.
Meredith Lustig ’05 Featured in Pittsburgh PostGazette Meredith Lustig was featured in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article titled “Climbing Opera’s Ladder: Selective Resident Program Offers WellRounded Foundation.” Lustig, who won Third Place in the Metropolitan Opera National Council district competition in Buffalo, is a member of Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artist Program, where “gifted singers come to start their professional careers.” www.walnuthillarts.org
Martha Legg Katz ‘48 Celebrated for Her Work Martha Legg Katz, a working sculptor for over 47 years, was honored in May with a retrospective of her work. Katz served on the Boards of Overseers for both Walnut Hill and the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. Over the decades, she has won first-place awards from art associations in Cambridge, Concord, Essex, Wayland, and Weston, as well as from the New England Sculptors Association. In 1993, she won the prestigious Copley Society prize for sculpture, for the mysterious carved-wood piece “Cartouche.”
Angela Gooch Heard on Vermont Public Radio
Yi-Hsuan Annabel Chiu ’13 Shines at String Competition
Allan Reeder Shares His Expertise with Other Educators
Head of Voice Angela Gooch was featured on Vermont Public Radio for her work with the Opera Theatre of Weston (VT), where each year she helps to stage a full-scale opera for school groups and families. This year, she was music director for a performance of Noye’s Fludde (Noah’s Flood) by acclaimed composer Benjamin Britten.
Yi-Hsuan Annabel Chiu was honored at the American String Teachers Association Solo Competition, where she was awarded First Prize in the junior division of the bass solo competition.
Creative writing faculty member Allan Reeder continues to work with teachers at the Pollard Middle School and High Rock School, both in Needham, MA. Reeder also participated in the Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference at Arizona State University’s Piper Center for Creative Writing, where he led craft sessions and made presentations on teaching writing and publishing to young students.
Once Again, Walnuts Awarded Top Prizes by National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Each year, Walnut Hill students compete successfully in NATS competitions, and each year they do quite well. The 2012/2013 school year was no exception! In February, three voice majors competed at Boston University, and according to Head of Voice Angela Gooch, they “represented our school with poise and elegance in a formal public concert.” The winners were: Tatum Robertson ’13—Winner (awarded extra prize for best American Art Song) Charles Sciascia ’14—Second place (also awarded scholarship to the Tanglewood Young Artist Summer Program) Ariana Cubillos-Voegler ’13—Third place In April, theater student Mara Wilson ‘14 won First Place in the high school division at the NATS musical theater festival in Weston, MA.
To read more about our accomplishments, visit us at walnuthillarts.org/alumni Do you have a notable accomplishment to share? If so, please send the details along with a high-resolution photo (at least 300 dpi and no less than 5 inches wide) to
Prometheus Premieres Heart of the Matter In celebration of the company’s 25th anniversary, Prometheus Dance delighted Boston audiences with a world premiere performance of Heart of the Matter. Prometheus is co-directed by Diane Arvanites, a core member of the Walnut Hill dance faculty, and Tommy Neblett, who has been a guest artist at Walnut Hill. Arvanites described Heart of the Matter as an hour-long study of “how former relationships affect the next relationship” when she was interviewed in a story for WBUR Boston’s newly launched arts website The ARTery. Kate Neal, also a member of the Walnut Hill dance faculty, was one of the dancers featured in the piece. Spring & Summer 2013
alumni@walnuthillarts.org. Please feel free to contact us with any questions about submitting photos—we love hearing from you and want your accomplishment to shine!
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IN THE CLASSROOM
Language Immersion: A Rewarding Risk by Amanda Grazioli seneau explains that without hearing yourself aloud, you can’t really learn. “The biggest thing is to not be afraid of taking risks,” she says. “I laugh at myself in class all the time, and I try to make sure that the kids know they can make mistakes and laugh at themselves too. The worst thing they can possibly do is to sit back, to get too comfortable—the real learning happens when they take risks.”
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hen you walk through the door of Raymonde Arseneau’s second-floor world languages classroom in the Academic and Technology Center, you’ll inevitably be met with an array of sounds including laughter, debates over grammar, even a lively rendition of a French song. There is, however, something you surely won’t hear—a word of English. At Walnut Hill, world languages are taught through full immersion, which means that from the very first day of an introductory-level class through the highest-level literature class, all English speaking ceases and the instructor and students communicate entirely in the target language. Madame Arseneau, as her students call her, has served as Head of the World Languages Department at Walnut Hill since 2008. Though she has taught language classes at other institutions, she describes her experience leading Walnut Hill’s program as particularly satisfying. 1 6 | Behind Stowe
Because of the School’s block schedule, students are able to spend just over six hours per week in their French or Spanish language class, either with Arseneau or with one of her colleagues, Amber Gode and Monica Lee. This rich amount of time spent in an immersive languagelearning environment allows students to gain a lot of traction very quickly and, in Arseneau’s opinion, is one of the key reasons for the program’s success. Very little writing takes place in class; instead, the bulk of the writing happens during homework assignments, which are directly linked to what students are learning in the classroom. Once inside Madame Arseneau’s room, the focus is on speaking, always with correct pronunciation and for a practical purpose. There are no tedious exercises in vocabulary memorization, no verb conjugation tables. Making conversation and discussing ideas in a nonnative language can be intimidating, but Ar-
The adventurous spirit and lively enthusiasm that permeate Arseneau’s teaching have an obvious positive impact on her students. Jaime Vanderburgh ’14 says this of her French class experience, “Madame Arseneau is the best teacher I have ever had. She is extremely fair and she doesn't compare you to other students. I always look forward to her class because, even though it’s challenging, it’s always filled with laughter and Madame supports us every step of the way!” Walnut Hill offers this intensive language program through level 6, and many students persist to the highest levels where they engage with a wide array of materials, including novels and films. “We try not to be redundant and are always looking for ways to make the course content exciting,” explains Arseneau. For example, French 3 is taught through the use of French comic strips, exposing students to popular culture and language simultaneously, and Spanish 4 approaches language learning through the study of Spanish theater. French 5/6 is a course designed specifically with Walnut Hill’s young artists in mind. Titled “Les Arts à Travers le Cinéma Français” (“The Arts Through French Cinema”), the
Clockwise from TOP left Madame Arseneau teaching French class; meeting with students, Konrad Herath ’12 reading in class
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approach than at an arts school like Walnut Hill—our students are not afraid to sing! Walnut Hill also offers students who have completed all classes the opportunity to propose an independent study project related to their language. These self-designed explorations must be proposed a semester in advance and allow students to work one-on-one with a language instructor. For students who really want to immerse themselves in the target culture, the World Languages Department organizes an annual trip over Spring Break to either France or Spain in alternating years. The experience of spending time abroad
At Walnut Hill, world languages are taught through full immersion, which means that from the very first day of an introductory-level class through the highest-level literature class, all English speaking ceases and the instructor and students communicate entirely in the target language.
focus on proper pronunciation. As Arseneau will readily tell you, there’s no better place to employ this lyrical
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There is no doubt that participating in such a rigorous language program requires strong commitment and calls on students to push themselves beyond their comfort zone. Luckily, Walnut Hill students have fantastic guides on their journey. As the everenergetic Arseneau reassures her students throughout the process, “Trust me, I know where I’m taking you.” And she does. ♦
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lessons explore each arts discipline (music, visual art, creative writing, dance, and theater) through French film. For example, students discuss French sculpture after watching the 1988 film Camille Claudel and then investigate French writing as it relates to the cinematic version of Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary. Films are shown sans English subtitles so that students are forced to exercise their French comprehension skills. A great deal of singing also happens in class, with songs carefully chosen to complement grammatical concepts. French songs expose students to a wide range of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions, while also helping students to
during their high school language study is incredibly transformational for the students who attend.
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GALA
Alumni Help to Make Gala a Sweet Success
When you take two dynamic and talented alumni, hand them microphones, and put them onstage in front of a room of excited Walnut Hill community members, something incredible is bound to happen. And at Gala 2013, it certainly did. Theater alumni Walker Vreeland ’97 (above right) and Zac Young ’01 (above left) traveled from New York to play a major part in the festivities. Vreeland, a well-known radio personality in the New York–New Jersey area, emceed Gala, keeping everyone chuckling with his easy wit. It was obvious to all in attendance why so many tune in to his radio program to hear him interview celebrities like Jane Krakowski, James Frey, Cyndi Lauper, and David Brenner. In addition to keeping the party rolling, Vreeland took bids for an impressive roster of auction items—including a dessert party thrown by Zac Young! Young serves as Executive Pastry Chef at David Burke Kitchen in New York and hosts Unique Sweets on the Cooking Channel. Once guests got a sneak peek of his innovative pastry creations, they immediately clamored to place bids for the delectable prize. It was almost hard to tell what numbers were being called out over the uproarious laughter as Vreeland and Young played off of one another with expert comic timing. Just as the energy of the bidding war peaked, Young shocked the crowd by spontaneously offering to throw two dessert parties, instantly raising $11,000 for the School. We are so grateful that these fantastic alumni made time in their busy schedules to join us for Gala. Not only that, but on their way to WGBH Studios for the big event, they made an important stop at the Keiter Center to share with students some great advice and stories from their days on the Hill. Whether singing or dancing, practicing medicine or law, taking on-air calls or making crème brûlée—our alumni make us proud. And since alumni are such important members of the Walnut Hill family, it was fitting that Vreeland and Young were central figures in making Gala a night to remember!
SEE MORE ONLINE
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To see interviews with Zac Young and Walker Vreeland, visit: young.walnuthillarts.org and vreeland.walnuthillarts.org
Thank you to everyone who attended Gala!
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Joe Cabral, Alyce Delbridge ’05, Christopher Roland; dress by Angela Dai ’14; Angela Serig, Emily Meredith ’14, Lindsay McAuliffe ’15, Danielle Dyer; Jack McGlone P’13, Celeste McGlone P’13, Cheryl Pires P’15, Tonya Stump P’14, and guests; Antonio Viva, George Li ’13; Antonio Viva, Heather Hart-Sussman P’15, Peter Sussman P’15
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Lenira Fleck P’11, Gabrielle Fleck ’11; Kate Malin P’16, Gala Co-Chair Janet Pattillo, Judy Salerno, Tony Salerno; dress by Sam Scheib ’13; Janet Pattillo, Ann Thacher, Cathy Chan; Maria Freda, Antonio Viva, and guests; Antonio Viva, Ann Thacher, Charlie Thacher; Rae Arseneau, Anne Murphy, Gala Co-Chair Sandra Delbridge P’00/05
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GALA
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Mary Reynolds ’48, Sarah Cross Mills ’62; Amy Wheeler, Robert Wheeler, Mary Mueller ’65; June Kim P’14; Dr. Louis Meeks, Elizabeth Hunnewell; Justine Hand ’88, Allison Iantosca ’90, Sabreena Kropp ’94; theater students’ opening performance; (back row)Janet Leavitt ’62, Courtney Greene ’94, Kelly Feeney, (front row) Ellie Sanderson ’52, Meg Wheeler ’62
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GALA
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Betsy McClendon ’65, Morgan Palmer; Richard Trant, Anne Morgan; Jenni Freedman P’15; guests dining; Stephanie Perrin; Cathy Chan, Charlotte Hall ’50
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Annabel Chiu ’13, George Teng ’14, William Su ’13; theater students watching performances from offstage; theater performance; George Li ’13; Miranda Gelch ’13; Khaleel Carter ’13; Tatum Robertson ’13; Charles Sciascia ’14, Yuki Hori ’14, Walker Smith ’16, Annabel Chiu ’13
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RIGHT Walnuts in Venice, FL— Martha Flynn Cunningham ’63, Marcia Hunter Matthews ’63, Hilary Fearon White ’62, and Carol Alger Peschel ’62
Class Notes at Walnut Hill Submit Class Notes online at stowe.walnuthillarts. org or email alumni@ walnuthillarts.org. We love including your photos in Class Notes. Photos should be at least 300 dpi and no less than 5 inches wide. Please feel free to contact us with questions…we want to make sure your photos look terrific.
1954
Arline Hinkson enjoys receiving news of Walnut Hill and is especially thrilled to see that it serves today as a school for the performing arts. While attending Walnut Hill, she was fortunate to have the opportunity to practice on the wonderful Steinway pianos in place of doing study hall! She says, “Who would not welcome that opportunity? In college (Connecticut College ’58), I was a music major and then went on to study at the Conservatoire de Paris. After concertizing, I became the music director for the Westbury Public Schools on Long Island. I retired four years ago and am back to performing on the piano, violin, and ehru, an instrument I acquired on a trip to China. Hopefully, I will be able to attend my next class reunion.”
1964
Sue Stampler Paresky was featured on the April 2013 cover of Boston magazine as one of the 25 most influential people in philanthropy (see page 10).
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1973
Sarah Hibbard Pyle is the main director of a community theater in New England, and she recently won an award from the state for a one-act play competition.
1974
Nancy Wilcox Dickerman works at Sugar River Bank in New Hampshire as bank manager. She is looking forward to retirement in the near future.
1978
Donna Sacco joined Walnut Hill at the Washington, DC, Alumni event, where we learned that she was a working actress in NYC for approximately 15 years, and then became involved with early childhood autism research and teaching. She has two daughters—the oldest graduated from Harvard this past spring and is moving to Birmingham, AL where she will start as an editorial assistant at Coastal Living Magazine. Donna’s other daughter will attend NYU Stern School of Business as an undergraduate. She’ll also be playing soccer there.
Finally, Donna will be a fulltime doctorate student at George Mason University. She says, “This will be exciting! All three of us will have a very different life next year!”
1981
In January, Nicole Gakidis coordinated a Walnut Hill trip that brought faculty Michael Owen and Laura Thielke with 12 student performers to the Brookwood School in Manchester, MA, where Nicole’s daughter Tori is a student (see page 48). The performance was very warmly received and a great success!
1984
Congratulations to Jennifer Fink for receiving the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence at Georgetown University.
1985
Maya Ciarrocchi recently completed a large-scale video installation centered on Mountaintop Removal mining in West Virginia. The work was exhibited at Artisphere in the Washington, DC, area and at the Westbeth Gallery in NYC. She completed a www.walnuthillarts.org
six-month Lower Manhattan Cultural Council artist residency located on Governors Island. Additional projects include projection designs for two productions at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago: Crowns, directed by Regina Taylor, and Sweet Bird of Youth, directed by David Cromer.
1986
Antonio Viva, Head of School, and Bruce Smith, Chief Development Officer, stopped in London at the end of their Spring Break world tour and had lunch with Ariadne Kimberly-Huque at a restaurant near her home in North Kensington. She and her husband are completing a home in Wyoming and hope to return there soon. Eve Larner was recently named vice president of external affairs and executive director of the Westchester Community College Foundation in Valhalla, NY.
Producer Jason Ward of Candy Factory Productions recently won an award at the Palm Beach International Film Festival.
1990
Elana Lanczi is associate professor and major chair of the dance program—a program she helped develop—at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Julie Unger Zorn teaches general music and vocal music performance to students ranging from infants to middle-schoolers at five local Tucson, AZ schools. She also writes a daily music blog called The Tucson Songstress (http://tucsonsongstress.com), and she recently launched “Top 10 Tuesdays,” offering a weekly music activity and a link for purchasing musical instruments that will help promote music education in the home.
1991/1992
Chiron Films, headed by Cee French Harth (executive producer, director, and partner), received a development deal from Lifetime Television for Cake Lush to the Stars.
Walnuts had an amazing night at the Grammys in February! Congrats to Michael J. Maccaferri ’91 with eighth blackbird and to Alberto Lopez ’92 with Quetzal for winning in their respective categories (see page 14).
1989
1992
1988
The College of Visual and Performing Arts at Winthrop University recently announced that Dr. Stephanie Milling, its assistant dean, has been elected to the Arts Education Council of Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts. For more about Stephanie, see page 36. Spring & Summer 2013
Amy Cheng attended Curtis Institute of Music after three years at Walnut Hill and then went on to Yale and the New England Conservatory. She now works at the University of Michigan as a lecturer of piano studies.
ABOVE Jimmy Joy, Laure Smith, Ken Tighe, Linda Tighe, Kim Katz ’98, andKhadijah Britton ’95 at Katz’s show in the Pooke Gallery at Walnut Hill this past winter
Desiree Sanchez Meineck just directed Herakles at the Brooklyn Academy of Music to a sold-out house. Keith Merrill, artistic director and founder of the new NYC theater group Noël & Company, had the opening of his Eva Le Gallienne Festival in March. Gavin Russom and his electronic dance music ensemble, the Crystal Ark Party Machine, were featured in a New York Times article titled “Disco’s New Big Band Era.”
1995
Daphne Gerling gave a guest artist viola recital in the Moss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall at Colorado Mesa University.
1997
The influence of Jack McCollough continues to grow—fellow alums reported that Beyoncé was wearing Proenza Schouler booties for her performance at the Super Bowl!
1998
Jovanna “Jovi” Huguet Burke and her web series The True Heroines (airing Wednesdays) were featured in the “What to Watch” section of USA Today. Kim Katz held a solo show, titled Transplant, at the Pooke Gallery at Walnut Hill (see photo above).
1999
Rachel Wiltenburg Hearst works as a physical therapist at NYU Medical Center.
Washington, DC, Alumni Event January 14, 2013 Antonio Viva, Bruce Smith, Jennifer TumSuden, and Jillian Kohl enjoyed a lovely alumni event on a rainy evening in Washington, DC! In attendance were Jennifer Wells ’87, Donna Sacco ’78, Michael “Riley” Smith ’03, Katherine Malone ’04, Leah Rothschild ’03, Anne “Wendy” Graham ’58, Gayelynn Taxey ’80, and former staff member Ashley “Cassie” Gunning and husband Justin.
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Florida Alumni Event February 11–14, 2013 Antonio Viva and Bruce Smith enjoyed meeting with the following alumni over various luncheons in Florida in February: Harriet Lipton Harris ’54, Adrienne Jabush Gang ’66, and Micheline Mahon Cacciatore ’91 at the Rusty Pelican in Miami; Melanie Mogelvang Hovland ’88, Jennifer Haneke Fitzgerald ’90, and Deborah Lawton Petruccy ’63 at the Bayside Seafood Grill & Bar in Naples; and Libby Lummus Keenan ’53 and Carol Alger Peschel ’62 at the Shore on St. Armands in Sarasota. During their visit, they also saw Marty Whiting Cox ’51 and current Board of Trustees member Sandra Delbridge and husband Kevin (P’00/’05).
2000
Jessica Delbridge De Kler and husband Glenn’s apartment was featured in TimeOut NY magazine. Composer and violinist David Fulmer was featured in Boston Conservatory’s New Music Festival in November 2012.
2001
Alexis Andrews is getting her master’s degree in dance education at NYU, inspired by her time as a dancer at Walnut Hill.
2002
Richard Harper is completing his final year at Georgetown Law School in Washington, DC. He plans to return to NYC this summer to study for the bar and work at a law firm, where he hopes to practice litigation. Richard wrote, “I’m sorry to miss my 10-year reunion. Graduation is occurring on the same weekend! Please know that attending Walnut Hill was a truly wonderful experience, and I truly look forward to supporting the School in the years to come.”
BELOW Michael Chang ’95, Man Hung Hsu ’09, Grace Chung ’93, Antonio Viva, Jim Woodside, Stephanie Chang ’96
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2003
Katharine Ann (Kayto) Lieberman Daly is currently living abroad in Dublin, Ireland, studying at the Gaiety School of Acting— the National Theatre School of Ireland. After several years as a freelance proofreader, Anna Leuchtenberger was recently hired at the New School, a consortium of seven colleges in NYC, to work in the Campus Card Services Office of the Business and Finance department. In her spare time, she’s singing polyphonic hymns in a Brooklyn choir, exploring the “new music” community in the city, and researching etymology through the Oxford English Dictionary. Leah Rothschild is beginning a doctorate program in children’s psychology at American University. Katelin Kosoglad Schrero is living in Chicago with her husband and two daughters. She is working as a doula for women during pregnancy and childbirth. Julia Howe Sullivan graduated from the University of Vermont in 2008 and went to work in book publishing in NYC for two years. In 2010, she relocated to Vermont and, after a 10-year love affair with yoga, became a certified teacher. In the meantime, she also fell in love with Trevor Sullivan, and the couple got married last September. Julia now teaches yoga full-time, leads various yoga workshops and immersions, is constantly studying yoga and Ayurveda, and loves
educating others about the cruelty-free nature of a vegan lifestyle.
2004
Korbi Adams was recently promoted to education outreach specialist at Childsplay, a youth theater organization that specializes in outreach to public schools. She now oversees design and implementation of all educational programs in schools throughout the Phoenix area. Katherine Malone is working as a consultant in a company where she utilizes her master’s education in geology. She loves her work and really likes living in the DC area. Annie Moor illustrated a children’s book titled Bobby’s Booboo (written by Tom Burnett) that was published this year. While in Phoenix holding auditions for Walnut Hill’s Summer Dance Intensive, Amanda Bertone ’05 and Michael Owen had dinner with Breanne Starke and husband Russell, who were busy teaching at various dance schools in the area. The couple moved back east in June to direct Walnut Hill's Community Dance Academy!
2006
Zoe C. Boucher had a solo show in March at the Kahn Barn Gallery of the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT. Kristin Kelly works in NYC as an actor/teacher for the Creative Arts Team (a nonprofit organization associated with CUNY), performing and
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teaching in Brooklyn sixthgrade classrooms to improve students’ performance in their English classes. She also teaches creative movement at the YM & YWHA in Washington Heights and performs as much as possible, including singing monthly in a cabaret series for Queer Womyn. Caroline Wagner is performing with local theater companies and dances in her shows. She is living outside of Phoenix.
2007
Patrick Curry has been working on a project with Invalesco Entertainment that will be released on YouTube. The comedic “new media” venture, called Super Group Therapy, is about a dysfunctional group of superheroes, their psychiatrist, and Patrick as the intrepid
college film student making a documentary. His movie with Danny Glover (The Shift) was released in the spring, and he has been working with Carnegie Mellon grads on independent film projects. Patrick has had some great live theater roles and a TV “crime reenactment” lead role (as the victim!) in the past few months. Jaime Hickey performed with the Joffrey Ballet in western Massachusetts. Rebecca Nehring just returned to Massachusetts after years in Philadelphia and is working at a gallery in Boston. Her long-term plan is to keep painting. Sarah Scott is attending graduate school, where she is studying feminism and religion.
ABOVE Shayna Bentkover ’04 celebrates her engagement. She will marry her fiancé in August 2014.
2008
Joseph Frangieh graduated from Northeastern University this year and is now working in theater. Sophie Kuller is graduating with a degree in photography from Parsons this year. She wasn’t able to continue with
dance due to injuries, but she has found a way to incorporate her love for dance into her photos. Patrick McGuire is working with doctors at New York Presbyterian Hospital– Cornell to develop an hourlong workshop on using music to regulate emotion,
Phonathon, April 8–10 & 14, 2013 Our students were thrilled to speak with you—thanks for your support!
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which he will present to members of the National Guard in the coming months. This summer, he will study Arabic at the AMIDEAST Rabat Arabic Institute in Rabat, Morocco, as a participant in the U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship Program. He is the first Juilliard student to have been selected for this program. Thomas Mesa is pursuing a master’s degree at Northwestern University and went on tour with his chamber music group in 2012. Cameron Meyers is working at Brown University as a researcher and attending graduate school. Amanda Picardi is working as an administrative assistant at Let’s Gogh Art, which provides artistic party and event entertainment and creative art education. Nicole Richter is working on a motion picture at Indiana University.
Phoebe Schlesinger is living in Egypt, working as the public relations coordinator at a five-star resort village called Soma Bay. She loves the beautiful city and the area she lives in. She still writes as often as she can, and, thankfully, writing is a big part of her job. Corey Silberstein is attending Indiana University to earn his master’s degree in piano performance.
2009
Edward Spots performed with Ailey II in March at the Ailey Citigroup Theater at the Joan Weill Center for Dance in NYC.
2010
Cellist James Kim’s Carnegie recital debut at Weill Recital Hall in February received glowing reviews.
2011
Congratulations to Blair Bagley, who was promoted
to company member at Orlando Ballet! Bravo as well to Emilie Leriche, who was promoted to the Hubbard Street Dance main company in February 2013. Emily Schulert has founded a Chicago-based queer-arts group that publishes a quarterly magazine with open submissions for all LGBTQ-identified or -allied artists, writers, and thinkers. The group recently won a Davis Projects for Peace grant and will be running youth workshops in the summer for students of high school age.
2012
While Amanda Bertone ’05 and Michael Owen were holding auditions for Walnut Hill’s summer ballet intensive in Seattle, Alison Remmers came to help with registration at Pacific Northwest Ballet, where she is a trainee. She also took the audition class. She is really happy living in Seattle but misses Walnut Hill.
Taiwan Alumni Event, March 12, 2013
Gathering of more than 45 students, alumni, family, and friends in Taiwan
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In Memoriam
We fondly remember the following members of the Walnut Hill community. William C. Cox Jr., husband of Marty Whiting Cox ’51, died on May 1, 2013, in Hobe Sound, FL, from complications of diabetes. He was 82. From Gala to financial aid to capital projects, Bill was a longtime generous supporter of Walnut Hill. Along with his wife, he served as co-chair for the Fund for the Future campaign. Bill was also the patriarch of the Bancroft family that controlled Dow Jones & Co. for 105 years. Betsy McClendon, president of the Board of Trustees, reminisces that “Bill was always a joy to see on campus. He especially loved the musicals, and the Galas in New York. Walnut Hill owes much to him. He will be greatly missed.” Bill was born in Boston and earned a bachelor's degree in business from Boston University. Following service in the U.S. Air Force and a sales job, he began his 43-year career at Dow Jones in 1957. In 1971, he became advertising sales director for the Midwest, and in 1982 moved to London as head of business relations to help start the Wall Street Journal's European edition. Bill returned to the United States to serve as director of client relations until his retirement in 2000.
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He is survived by his wife of 60 years; four children, William C. Cox III, Ann Cox Bartram, Heidi Cox, and Martha Cox Farrell; 10 grandchildren; and a sister, Jane MacElree. WENDY WHEELER, Trustee Emeritus, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her husband and children in February. From 1980 to 1984 she was on the faculty at Walnut Hill, where she developed and ran the counseling program. She also served as a Trustee of the School for 28 years, including 8 years as President of the Board. Wendy was blessed with a kind and inviting nature, a quick wit, and an open, generous mind. She had great integrity, uncanny intuition, and a probing intelligence. With her wide, disarming smile and a welcoming attitude, Wendy brought warmth and sustenance to the lives of friends, family, and colleagues. In an interview published last year in Behind Stowe, Wendy said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been involved with a school that has such a pervasive spirit—a spirit of adventure, of risk, of innovation, of collaboration. It’s a spirit which comes, I think, from the intense participation in and love for the arts in all its faculty and students.” That spirit came in large measure from Wendy herself. Virginia Walker Graff ’35 died peacefully on February 8, 2013, at age 94. She was born on April 7, 1918, to Herman Chester and
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Clara Farr Walker. Before moving to Naples, FL, in 1976, she lived in Indiana, PA, and summered in Eagles Mere, PA. After graduating from Walnut Hill, Ginny earned a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College in 1939. She was active in volunteer work for Indiana Hospital and the Blind Association. She had a lifelong love of music, and when she and her husband, Paul, retired to Florida, she enthusiastically took up tennis and golf. She will be remembered best for her devotion to her family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband of 71 years and by a daughter, Jeane. Ginny is survived by two children, four grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and two sisters. Virginia Gaylord Neely ’38, the last surviving child of The Oklahoman's pioneer publisher, E. K. Gaylord, died at her home in Cashiers, NC, on October 27, 2012. She was 92. Neely was the widow of Oklahoma City insurance executive and civic leader Ralph Neely, who died in 2006. She also was preceded in death by her brother, Edward L. Gaylord, former publisher of The Oklahoman, who died in 2003; and her sister, Edith Kinney Gaylord, a nationally known journalist and philanthropist, who died in 2001. Virginia graduated from Walnut Hill and then attended Vassar College. She had five children and devoted much of her married
life to caring for her children and supporting her husband in his business and civic work. She will also be remembered for her deep interest in art and design, as well as her sharp sense of humor. Her son stated, “Her home was always filled with interesting things. Not so much traditional oil paintings, but more things that reflected design.” He noted that she had “a substantial collection of African art” and that at one time in the 1970s, the Neelys owned a gallery of African art in Oklahoma City. Jean Deming Richardson ’38 passed away peacefully on November 29, 2012, at the age of 92. She is survived by her son, Robert Keller Jr., and daughters Peggy Keller ’66 and Ann Keller Plumb ’69. Nancy Carolyn Bridge Ruedig ’44 passed away on February 14, 2013, surrounded by her loving family at her home on Lake Sunapee. Nancy was born on October 5, 1926, in Franklin, OH, to Adam and Alma Bridge. At Walnut Hill, she was president of her class, and at the University of Michigan, she was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority and met the man she would marry, Dale Ruedig. They moved to Galesburg, IL, where they raised their family, and then retired to Sunapee, NH, and Sanibel, FL. Nancy was the most family-centered of mothers. Along with Dale, she created a wonderful family life for her children, grandchildren, and
great-grandchildren. Her Lake Sunapee home was a paradise of action, chaos, fun, and love, and she was smiling in the center of it right to the end. Nancy was both an accomplished singer—a Christmas highlight was an extremely amateur family performance of the Messiah—and a championship golfer, including the family leader in golf hardware. She took great pride in her ability to do the Sunday Times crossword puzzle. She was predeceased by her parents, her brothers, her sister, her husband, and her daughter. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Gervis Heyne Clausel ’49 died on September 9, 2012. Born on February 13, 1932, in Houston, TX, she was a member of the First Methodist Church there. A graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Gervis became a member of the Junior League of Houston, the alumnae association of Delta Delta Delta, and the River Oaks Country Club. Following the death of her father, Charles G. Heyne, she became president of the Charles G. Heyne Company for several years. Gervis was preceded in death by her parents, husband, two children, and stepson. She is survived by her sons, grandchildren, stepchildren, greatgrandchildren, and numerous cousins.
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Nancy Hedstrom Griffiths ’51 died on September 19, 2012, at Select Specialty Hospital in Johnstown, PA, at age 79. She was born on August 21, 1933, in Gardner, MA, the daughter of the late Carl W. and Irene Evelyn (Dahlborg) Hedstrom. She married William E. Griffiths in 1956 and worked as a kindergarten teacher in Worcester, MA. Later the couple moved to Bedford, PA, with their two young daughters. Besides being a wonderful wife and mother, she was also a member of the Bedford Presbyterian Church, a volunteer at Bedford Memorial Hospital, and a member of the Bedford County Garden Club and the Cumberland Country Club. She is survived by her loving husband along with their two daughters, two grandchildren, and a sister. Bernelle “Bunny” Curtis Millan ’53, the beloved wife of Raymond “Tito” Millan, passed away on November 29, 2012. Daughter of the late H. Gould and Alice (Turner) Curtis, Bunny was born on April 16, 1935, and grew up in Sandy Hook, CT. She graduated from Connecticut College for Women in 1957, with a B.A. in sociology and a minor in art. After working at Aetna for about a year, she married Tito in November 1958, the commencement of 54 years of adventure and joy. During their time together, they resided in Simsbury, CT, and for six years in Fayetteville, NY. After Tito's retirement, they traveled extensively, visiting 23 countries, with highlighted favorites being
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cross-country skiing north of the Arctic Circle in Finland, a safari in Africa, and travels in China and Tibet. Bunny was a creative force, an artist, a docent, an expert needlepointer, a skilled cook, a renowned entertainer, and an accomplished gardener. She was in the second docent class at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, and provided enthusiastic service and support to the facility for 10 years. In 1985, she introduced and chaired the first Festival of Trees at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY, a tradition that continues today. Bunny led a very active life, with avid devotion to walking, running, biking, hiking, swimming, and downhill and crosscountry skiing. Her most important accomplishment, however, was raising three loving, compassionate, and successful children and of being the center of a wide circle of loving family and friends. In addition to her adored husband, Bunny leaves behind her daughter, two sons, and five grandchildren. Ruth Ann Folwell Miller ’56, of Sarasota, FL, died on October 23, 2012, at age 75. She was an avid golfer, bridge player, cross-stitcher and knitter, choral singer, volunteer at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, and loving wife and mother. She will be missed by many. She is survived by her spouse, Edward H. Miller; their daughters; two grandsons and a granddaughter; and one greatgranddaughter.
Nancy Peoples Benjamin ’58 passed away on January 13, 2013, with her family by her side. Daughter of Bert and Pearl Ingram, Nancy was born in Burley, ID, on May 4, 1942, into a large family, with three brothers and seven sisters. Nancy married Leighton Benjamin 52 years ago, and they did everything together: worked, played, traveled, and created a family consisting of 3 sons, 14 grandchildren, and 9 great-grandchildren. Her family and friends were her whole life and she gave her whole heart to them. A hard worker, Nancy held jobs ranging from waitress to nurse’s aide. She worked side by side with her husband in their family business, Benjamin's Rural Disposal, for 38 years. After retirement a few years back, she and Leighton spent quality time with their grandchildren, attending their sporting events. They went on vacation to Lake Powell with family, and they loved going to their cabin in Cascade. Susan Stagg Goff ’59 passed away unexpectedly in Boca Raton, FL, on March 17, 2012. Following her graduation from Walnut Hill, Susan attended Wheaton College in Norton, MA, for two years, then transferred to and graduated from Transylvania College in Lexington, KY. She married Henry D. Goff and lived in Louisville, KY, for many years, raising her beloved German shepherd dogs. In
2000, the Goffs moved to their vacation home in Fort Lauderdale, FL. After the death of her husband in 2005, Susan moved to a retirement community in Boca Raton, where she lived until her death. She is survived by her brother Jerry Stagg. Wendy Moore Everson ’68 died unexpectedly and much too soon at the age of 62 on July 24, 2012. Born and raised on Cape Cod, she was an avid sailor since early in her youth and won many regattas. Wendy loved the water and taught sailing at the Hyannis Yacht Club, where she was a lifelong member. After moving to Florida, she enjoyed her time as a Lighthouse Point Yacht Club member. Educated at Walnut Hill and at Colby Junior College, Wendy went on to work as a secretary and an accountant throughout her career. A member of several garden clubs, she was recognized for her gift with orchids; she also had a talent for needlepoint. At the end of her life she lived her dream, spending her days on the water in sunny Florida as a resident of Key West. Wendy leaves behind her spouse, two children, three granddaughters, a brother and sister, nephews and a niece, and a cousin.
www.walnuthillarts.org
Congratulations to the Class of 2013 for a Truly Impressive Acceptance and Matriculation List! AMDA College and Conservatory of the Performing Arts American University of Paris Arizona State University Ball State University Bard College Bard College Conservatory of Music Berklee College of Music Boston College Boston Conservatory Boston University Bowdoin College Butler University University of California at Los Angeles University of California at Santa Barbara University of California at Santa Cruz California Institute of the Arts California State University, East Bay Carnegie Mellon University Chapman University University of Chicago University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Clemson University Cleveland Institute of Music Colburn School Columbia College Chicago Columbia University Connecticut College University of Connecticut Curtis Institute of Music Dalhousie University Davidson College Dean College DePaul University Drexel University Eastman School of Music Elon University Emerson College Emmanuel College Spring & Summer 2013
Emory University Florida State University Fordham University Furman University George Mason University Goucher College Hampshire College Hartt School, University of Hartford Harvard College Haverford College Hofstra University Hoosier Link Program Hunter College of the CUNY University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign Illinois Wesleyan University Indiana University at Bloomington Ithaca College Johns Hopkins University Juilliard School Kansas City Art Institute Kenyon College Lasell College Lawrence University London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art University College London Long Island University, Brooklyn Longy School of Music Loyola University Chicago Lynn University Manhattan School of Music Mannes College of Music Maryland Institute College of Art Marymount Manhattan College Massachusetts College of Art and Design University of Massachusetts, Amherst
University of Massachusetts, Boston University of Massachusetts, Lowell McGill University Mercyhurst University University of Michigan Middlebury College Millsaps College Montclair State University Mount Holyoke College Muhlenberg College New England Conservatory of Music University of New Haven University of New Mexico New York University University of North Carolina School of the Arts Oberlin College Oberlin Conservatory of Music Occidental College Oklahoma City University University of Oklahoma Pace University, New York City University of the Pacific Parsons The New School for Design Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University Pennsylvania State University, University Park Point Park University Pomona College Pratt Institute Princeton University Purchase College— State University of NY Quinnipiac University Rhode Island School of Design University of Rhode Island Rice University (School of Music) Rider University Rollins College Roosevelt University
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Royal Academy of Music Royal College of Music Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey at New Brunswick Salem State University San Francisco Conservatory of Music Sarah Lawrence College School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of the Museum of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts Seattle Pacific University Shenandoah University Simmons College Skidmore College University of Southern California Southwestern University University of St. Andrews Stanford University State University of NY at New Paltz Suffolk University Swarthmore College Syracuse University Temple University Texas Christian University Texas State University— San Marcos Tufts University University of the Arts University of Utah Vassar College University of Vermont Wagner College Washington University in St. Louis University of Washington Vassar College Wesleyan University Wheaton College (MA) Whittier College Williams College Yale University
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A Y E ar i n R E V I E W
Hippolytus
6 Degrees of Separation
December 13–15
November 8–11
Chamber Music Concert November 14
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www.walnuthillarts.org
Anthology January 17
Winter Visual Art Show
January 18
Nutcracker
December 4–16
Spring & Summer 2013
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Spring Repertory April 11–14
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Day January 26–27
Sleeping Beauty
April 20–21
How to Withou May 11–18
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www.walnuthillarts.org
A Y E ar i n R E V I E W
New Works May 28–29
Readings from The Blue Pencil May 26
o Succeed in Business ut Really Trying Spring Visual Art Show May 29
Spring & Summer 2013
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Arts Education Keeps Stephanie Milling on Her Toes by Isabel Holmes school, I went on to graduate school at NYU to get my master’s in dance education. Then I began teaching in the public school system full-time. Before this, I had taught at dance studios—but K–12 teaching is so different! It was a welcome challenge. During this time, the 9/11 attacks happened, and living in New York while that was going on was really profound for me. I began to struggle with questions about why my NYU degree was important (other than that I enjoyed earning it), how this field serves the community, and what my larger understanding of humanity and social justice was. That’s really what pushed me to go for my doctorate, and I ended up doing some women’s studies coursework and getting my second master’s at the same time as my Ph.D.
Stephanie Milling ’89
Dr. Stephanie Milling ’89, Assistant Dean at the College of Visual and Performing Arts at Winthrop University, was elected to the Arts Education Council of Americans for the Arts in January 2013. Americans for the Arts is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing arts education in America, and the Council provides guidance on the development and execution of programs and services for arts education professionals.
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here did you go to college and what did you study after your Walnut Hill experience? Can you summarize your professional path from postcollege until now? Right after graduation from Walnut Hill, I went on to dance professionally with two small ballet companies, the Berkshire Ballet and the Dayton Ballet, before going to college. I loved the interesting rep I was doing, but I felt the need to explore something else. At Walnut Hill, I had taken French and traveled to France with Jackie Sand. I loved that experience, and so I decided to major in French and minor in Japanese at Texas Christian University. I danced all through my undergraduate years. Coincidentally, one of my teachers from the Boston Ballet, Mr. Li Cho Chang, went to TCU at the same time as I did, and he became an integral mentor for me. When I graduated from TCU, I went to New York and worked on independent choreography projects. I also performed as a Radio City Christmas Spectacular dancer, which was exhausting and amazing but something I knew was not permanent. So, after participating in some artist-inresidence work at a Bronx elementary 3 6 | Behind Stowe
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hat are you currently doing? I’ve been at Winthrop University in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the past five years. After graduating with my doctorate, I was looking for a university position in dance, and wanted to be in a place with women’s studies because I liked the cross-disciplinary approach. I came to Winthrop as an assistant in the dance program, and I am now the assistant dean of the Performing Arts College. I also teach women’s studies honors courses. I pretty much knew that administration work was in my future, based on the way I was mentored at Texas Women’s University, where I earned my women’s studies degree. This job encompasses a lot of things I was already involved in due to the nature of my work, like staying in touch with outside agencies, writing for dance education standards in South Carolina, serving as an editor of curriculum support documents, and doing arts advocacy work such as taking students to Columbia (the capital of South Carolina) to talk to legislators about funding.
Participating in a workshop at her SC Arts Advocacy Day in Columbia, SC
www.walnuthillarts.org
ALUMNI JOURNEYS
D
escribe your perspective on education and the arts. When I was younger and focused on my goal of becoming a professional dancer, I did not think about the arts holistically. It has been really interesting to explore that territory and to demonstrate my commitment to the arts to my dance ed students here at Winthrop, through arts education advocacy. There are plenty of studies that demonstrate the practical benefits of arts education in terms of improved student test scores or boosting local economies, but there is also so much more to be gained from participation in the arts. For instance, I find it really exciting and satisfying to be a part of a field that has countless connections to culture and history. Art can be a great point of entry for people to learn about a variety of things. Going back to those studies, I never thought I would end up here. I might have said, “I don’t want to sit at a desk” or even “What is an assistant dean?” But I was really so well prepared because of my well-balanced education.
H
ow did your years at Walnut Hill prepare you for the world and the challenges you have faced since your time here? Well, Walnut Hill definitely taught me discipline. It taught me maturity, because of what we were expected to do and produce. When I got to college, they told us about time management, and I was like, are you kidding? I’ve been doing that! It teaches you motivation and work ethic. Walnut Hill is a comprehensive institution. You may go to focus on arts, but you get all the other subjects you need to prepare you. It was at the School that I found French, which was the only thing I was really interested in other than dance and which I went on to study in college. People don’t make this connection all the time, but learning how to prepare for a role in a ballet—the detail that goes into it, being able to look at and be a part of choreography, and seeing the big picture but also the individual moments within that—comes out whenever I’m in a meeting and everyone is talking at once and I’m thinking: Why are we doing this? Who wants it? What purpose is it serving? So those skills manifest in my current profession all the time.
connected with before. In NYC, I was constantly running into alums I knew. Maintaining that worldwide Walnut network is a great thing.
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hat do you want to say to current students? Remember that the sky's the limit. Most of the things I have had an opportunity to do in my career were because I asked someone if I could. If you want to be involved in dance, there are so many facets to that profession. You can be anything you want to be, and if you decide to go into administration, the arts education is still very helpful. When I was at Walnut Hill, I thought of it as a training ground for me. I didn’t think about the longer journey; I just saw it in this direct line to “I do this, then dance professionally.” But it’s better to look at the time at Walnut Hill as just the beginning of everything else that is going to come later, and opening yourself up to that.
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hat do you want to say to alumni? I am just so amazed when I see on Facebook what people are doing. How many people can say that they went to high school with all these talented, brilliant people? It’s so inspiring. I have been in good company. ♦
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hat is one indelible memory of Walnut Hill? Graduation was pretty special. Bruce Marks (director of the Boston Ballet) spoke at my graduation, and as a dance major I really gravitated toward that. I have a photo of myself and a friend walking out of the ceremony that I look at all the time. That time of graduation really encapsulates the special friendships you have at Walnut Hill.
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hy do you stay connected with the School? I came to my 20th Reunion and I can’t wait for my 25th. Reunion and Facebook have gotten me back in touch with Walnuts, and I love having those connections. I went to college with a Walnut I hadn’t Spring & Summer 2013
Dancing in Sunlight, choreographed by Christian von Howard Behind Stowe | 37
Thank you to everyone who visited for Alumni Weekend! Friday: Welcome Reception
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Chi Wright ’93, Jackie Sand, Adam Griffin ’88; Marnie Coon Gauley ’63, Antonio Viva, Marcia Matthews ’63; Adam Griffin ’88, October Crifasi ’88, Shannon Bell ’87, Emmy De Musis ’88, Jane Hahn Watkins ’88, Sharon Bass Winn ’88, Kim Joline ’88, Melissa Surprenant ’88, Janet Carol Norton ’88, Justine Hand ’88; Jenny Foreman ’93, Alexandra De Collibus ’93, Chi Wright ’93, Sara Downing ’93; John Byrnes, Mollie Byrnes ’63, Debby Petruccy ’63, Pam Kukla ’63
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www.walnuthillarts.org
ALUMNI WEEKEND
Saturday: Registration, Alumni Lecture, Master Classes, Luncheon, Student Performances, Class Photos
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Peter Van Dam ’03, Janna White ’03, Molly Prottas ’03; Steve Durning, Patrick Wasserman ’08; Betsy McClendon ’65, Marcia Hall ’58 (Non Nobis Solum Award Winner); Anne Murphy, Jamie Axelrod ’83, Jill Axelrod ’83, Jackie Sand; Janet Carol Norton ’88 (Alumni Lecturer); Mara Wilson ’14, Alexandra Berube ’16
Spring & Summer 2013
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ALUMNI WEEKEND
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Earle Batchelder, Nancy Batchelder ’51; alumni at Ballet Master Class; Visual Art Master Class; DeAnne Rosenberg ’57, Pam Kukla ’63, Debby Petruccy ’63, Patricia Davidson ’83; Madi Vest ’13; Margaret Funkhouser teaching Creative Writing Master Class; David Neal ’03, Tammy Carrasco ’03, Leah Rothschild ’03, Pauline Connors
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Class of 1953: Carol Gaudette, Carolyn Haynes, Bobi Eldridge; Class of 1963: Pam Kukla, Susan Egan, Marcia Matthews, Alice Mobley, Debby Petrucchy, Jane Gray, Martha Flynn Cunningham, Mollie Byrnes, Maggie Finch, Maryann Gallivan; Class of 1958: Mary Callaway, Mary Martha Llewellyn, Marcia Hall, Lois Lopatin, Baila Janock; Class of 2008: Teddy Wiggins, Bryce Garner, Candy Olusola, Patrick Wasserman; Class of 2003: Janna White, Caitlin Burke, Gwen Reichert, Carolyn Scanlan, David Neal, Molly Prottas, Leah Rothschild, Ty Freedman, Peter Van Dam, Tammy Carrasco, Riley Smith; Class of 1983: Jill Axelrod, Elizabeth Anderson, Jamie Axelrod, Patricia Davidson, Mary Gregg; Class of 1973: Sally Brady, Mary Thurlow, Jennifer Cracknell Chen, Cindy Mushnick, Diane Nakashian
perspective
Meet Denise Lewis, Associate Director of the Dance Department Training Dancers to Be Mentally, Physically, and Emotionally Strong
Q A
Tell us about your role at Walnut Hill.
As Associate Director of the Dance Department, I work closely with Director of Dance Michael Owen in scheduling classes and rehearsals. I teach daily technique, pointe, variations, and partnering classes in addition to running TRX Suspension Training classes for our dancers. I set, rehearse, and stage ballets for the department, specifically Nutcracker and the Spring Repertory, and teach a dance pedagogy elective. Aside from training our dancers in physical technique and artistry, I believe a big part of my role here is to prepare them for wherever dance will take them. I experienced firsthand a highly competitive professional career and transitioned out of it into another field entirely, only to return to dance later. The skills and disciplines I learned as a dancer not only carried me through, but also set me apart. The challenges, obstacles, and accomplishments that young dancers face in the studio will prepare them for life outside of the studio as well, whether they decide to dance or not. I want them to be mentally, physically, and emotionally strong; to always try their best; and to keep a sense of humor.
Q A
What's your background? What did you do before you came to Walnut Hill?
I was invited to train at the School of American Ballet (SAB) in New York City at age 11. Upon graduating, I accepted a job with American Ballet Theatre, where I had a fulfilling career for 11 years, after which I decided to retire from professional ballet to pursue my other passion, the culinary arts. I graduated from the French Culinary Institute with a certificate in the art of French pastry. I accepted a job as head pastry
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chef in the Berkshires at a four-star restaurant called the Old Inn on the Green and Gedney Farm. When my first daughter was born, I left the food industry and returned to ballet and fitness through teaching. I taught at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis satellite school in Greenwich, while also maintaining a full schedule with other schools in the area. I started my teaching relationship with Walnut Hill as a guest teacher during the Summer Intensives and accepted the full-time position of Associate Director of Dance in August 2010. I currently reside on campus with my husband and two daughters.
Q A
What is your favorite class to teach here? Why?
I enjoy teaching all of my classes, but I especially like technique class. I look at it as a time to get back to basics and really try to attain the perfection we all are striving for as dancers. In constructing the classes, I always focus on efficiency and getting rid of the unnecessary. In teaching technique classes, I want the dancers to understand that their foundation is key and that everything should be built off a centered and placed alignment through the body. I want them to realize that they can reach this goal with their own individual facility, since no two dancers are alike. The use of energy is important—that is, when to conserve and when to “go for it.� Musicality and phrasing play a crucial role in this application of energy, thus propelling the dancer further into the art form. I love to see the dancers accept corrections and apply them! I never want them to get discouraged about the fact that there is always something more to learn. Their goals and progress can be met by embracing hard work, perseverance, and dedication.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Denise Lewis; dancing in American Ballet Theatre's Othello (photo by Rosalie O'Connor); teaching at Walnut Hill
www.walnuthillarts.org
Q A
As both a dancer and a teacher, how do you approach your art?
As a dancer, I liked to take risks and challenge myself. I enjoyed being technical and athletic, with the ability to move fast. Since I was a very tall dancer this should have been difficult, but because of my training it came quite easily to me. As a teacher, I want to see the beauty of the work. This is displayed in the muscle structure, the lines of the body, the energy. It is not just about doing a step, but about how you are doing it. I want the dancers to take risks and not to dance in their comfort zones. For some that means attacking movements more, for others it involves using the head and neck in a more expressive way, and yet for others it may be believing in himself. I want to see what the student is feeling in a certain role, for the dancer to understand that she must reach someone in the audience and move them. The students’ dancing cannot just be a personal journey about how it makes them feel, but rather how it makes others feel. It is a beautiful moment when all of these qualities come together for our dancers!
Q A
What sets our Dance Department apart from those of other preprofessional high schools?
It starts with the extensive knowledge that our dance faculty has about the profession. We have all danced professionally at a high level, and that experience is invaluable. I also think we offer our students a nurturing and supportive environment, one where they can gain the confidence needed to pursue their goals and one where they can feel safe to explore their own creativity with experienced and patient guidance.
Spring & Summer 2013
We are rooting for them! I am also proud of the Health and Wellness Program that Mr. Owen has put in place. His emphasis for training the young body properly is groundbreaking and is leading the pack. Our goal is to build more well-rounded dancers, who not only have a physical awareness but also a mental awareness of their bodies. This will hopefully help give them a jump start in injury prevention as well as personal success and longevity in their dance and fitness lives.
Q A
What new or innovative classes are currently being offered at Walnut Hill?
The newest class offered is our cross-training class. TRX Suspension Training is the next big evolution in functional training. The lines between movement, flexibility, strength, stability, coordination, and cardio blend together in a unique and wholly functional format. Suspension training differs from traditional strength training because it works three-dimensionally. Our training principles are tailored to achieve a specific result such as strengthening alignment and placement, executing higher jumps, or improving balance, core strength, and muscular endurance. This class is another component of our Health and Wellness Program that is addressing injuries due to the repetitive nature of ballet training. Our hope is to add another layer to the students’ classical and modern training that will better balance the body. We are really excited about the results thus far. We hope to continue broadening our understanding of all that cross-training has to offer these young athletes. ♌
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SEEN ON THE HILL
Arcadian Winds Brings Student Compositions to Life Members of the Boston wind quintet Arcadian Winds made their second of two visits to Walnut Hill in December to read through student compositions written specifically for them. The collaboration was arranged by Head of Theory and Composition Whitman Brown and provided a unique opportunity for all students involved. The quintet has premiered more than 50 new works, including some of Brown’s own music. In addition to performing regularly throughout the Boston area, the group members demonstrate their strong commitment to education through their work in schools and with Boston University’s Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. Read more about the quintet’s time at Walnut Hill on our website at arcadianwinds.walnuthillarts.org
An Engaging Visit from Composer Chinary Ung
Visiting Artists Inspire Writers The Creative Writing Department wrapped up the semester with a series of fantastic visits. Guest writers who came to campus included Toby Lester, editorial director of Boston magazine and author of Da Vinci’s Ghost and The Fourth Part of the World, and Tim Horvath, instructor of creative writing at the New Hampshire Institute of Art and author of Understories and Circulation. The department also hosted photographic artist and organizer Eric Gottesman, whose work uses film, writing, and photography to spark conversation and thought about social structures. Visits like this one are particularly helpful as Walnut Hill writers continue to collaborate in new and exciting ways with students and faculty from other artistic disciplines across campus.
Cambodian-American composer Chinary Ung spent time with Walnut Hill music majors during his visit to Boston for the world premiere of his viola piece "Singing Inside Aura" at Jordan Hall as part of Voilã! Viola!, an evening of music presented by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Ung engaged students on the topic of compositional methods and shared recordings of his work. His music has attracted much attention since the late 1980s, when he became the first American composer to receive the highly coveted Grawemeyer Award, considered by many to be the Nobel Prize for music composition. Ung currently teaches at the University of California at San Diego.
TOP Arcadian Winds members in class with students, from left to right: Colin Roshak ’14, Karen Chang ’14, Keene Carter ’13 BOTTOM Annabel Chiu ’13, Bosbapan Sisombat ’15, Chinary Ung 4 4 | Behind Stowe
Taking Notes from Music Department Guest Artists In addition to Arcadian Winds and Chinary Ung, the Music Department entertained a wide array of other guests over the course of the winter and spring as well! Cellists such as Phoebe Carrai, who taught a class on Baroque cello technique, and Marc Johnson, parent of Walnut Hill alumna cellist Nicole Johnson ’91, made the trip to campus. Professional brass quintet Bala Brass met with composition students and wind players to talk about writing for and playing in a brass quintet and later returned to campus to read through student compositions. Students also enjoyed working with violinist Nick Kitchen and collecting acting tips from Martha Collins, stage director for Sarasota Opera in Florida. www.walnuthillarts.org
Art as a Catalyst for Social Change
As part of Walnut Hill’s celebration of the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., students, faculty, and staff enjoyed a visit from Stanford Thompson, trumpeter and executive director of Play On, Philly!, an intensive after-school music program for atrisk youth in Philadelphia. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and an Abreu Fellow at the New England Conservatory, Thompson has built a career as a classical and jazz musician performing around the world. In addition to his work with Play On, Philly!, he serves as program director of the Meru (Kenya) Music Project and as president and artistic director for the Reading Summer Music Institute. Thompson shared his story with Walnuts and spoke about the roles artists can play in creating positive social change. To read more, visit his website: http://stanfordthompson.com.
Collaborative Artists in the Mix
Mourning Cloak (2007) by Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison
The Visual Art Department hosted an artist talk in April with Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison, parents of dance student Moscelyne ParkeHarrison ’15. The ParkeHarrisons work in mixed media using photogravure, elaborate props, collage, and painting techniques to create enveloping photographic commentaries on the complex relationship between humans and nature. The duo spoke with visual art students about their body of work, their process, and their installation at the Worcester Art Museum, a 67-foot inkjet mural titled These Days of Maiuma, commissioned as part of the Wall at WAM mural series.
SEE MORE ONLINE
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Please visit parkeharrison.walnuthillarts.org to read more.
Masterful Moves in the Studio Two Walnut Hill dance alumni, Zoe Scofield ’97 and Riley Watts ’03, returned to the Hill to lead master classes during the spring semester. Though Scofield and Watts graduated a number of years apart, they have both since arrived at a very similar and complementary understanding of movement. Scofield has evolved through the founding of her own company, zoe|juniper in Seattle, Washington, and Watts through his dance experience in Europe, where he is currently performing with the Forsythe Company. Both Watts and Scofield are tremendously warm, giving, gifted dancers and teachers, and students enjoyed the experience of working with them in the studio.
SEE MORE ONLINE
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Please visit scofield.walnuthillarts.org for a video of Zoe talking about dance and Walnut Hill. Spring & Summer 2013
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GRADUATION
Congratulations to the Class of 2013
“
. . . in the long term, my classmates and
I discovered that our time on the Hill was not just about becoming good at our art. It was not just about playing better, faster, or louder. It was about something much more profound. And every single day—whether in the slums of Casablanca or conflict-torn Sana’a or the halls of the State Department—I draw on my training as an artist and what I learned at Walnut Hill.
”
—Matan Chorev '01, Keynote Speaker
TOP Matan Chorev '01 delivering keynote address at Graduation on June 1, 2013 BOTTOM Graduating Class of 2013 OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Antonio Viva and Betsy McClendon handing out diplomas; Kelsey Holmes, Madi Vest, Keene Carter;
Marybeth Dull, Dustin Isom, Gracie Brletic, JJ McGlone, Audrey Emerson; Jiayi Zheng, Samantha Bottom-Tanzer, Cindy Lin
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www.walnuthillarts.org
on CAMPUS
Meet Our New Trustee
K
athryn Cook founded the Fusion Group accounting firm in 1998, after spending over 10 years working with Ernst & Young as a C.P.A., staff tax accountant, and senior tax manager. She has also served as an adjunct professor at the College of the Holy Cross. An active community volunteer, Cook chaired the Massachusetts chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for eight years. She is currently serving on the Southborough Advisory Board, is treasurer and president of the Southborough Education Foundation, and is treasurer of the Friends of the Southborough Youth Commission, Inc. Cook received her B.S. in accounting and her M.Acc. in accountancy with a concentration in taxation, both from the University of Tennessee.
Spring & Summer 2013
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SEE N O F F T H E H IL L
Walnuts Hit the Road Walnuts have been spotted making art and doing good all over New England! Here is just a small sampling of the places we’ve been lately:
December:
January:
April:
The Center for Arts in Natick (Natick, MA) Director Mike Bucco and the cast of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day offered a special performance for the public.
Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (Ashford, CT) Theater faculty member Kirsten McKinney took Stage 10 singers on the road to Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, Connecticut, to spread some joy with holiday carols.
Vermont Voice Master Class (Weston, VT) High school students and adults in Weston, Vermont, enjoyed participating in a voice master class given by Head of Voice Studies Angela Gooch.
Lilja School
(Natick, MA)
Director of Creative Writing Margaret Funkhouser took creative writing students to visit a nearby elementary school and teach poetry to kindergarten students during National Poetry Month.
Natick High School (Natick, MA) and NewBridge on the Charles (Dedham, MA) Head of Voice Studies Angela Gooch and the cast of Sleeping Beauty performed for delighted audiences in Natick High School’s new 800-seat theater. Before the show opened at Natick High, they took the production to NewBridge on the Charles: Independent Living Community of Hebrew SeniorLife, providing special enjoyment for the residents.
Brookwood School (Manchester, MA) Accompanied by Director of Dance Michael Owen and Director of Chamber Music Laura Thielke, dancers and chamber musicians performed at a special arts assembly in January 2013 for students in grades K–8.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Six Degrees of Separation, Composers' Concert, Nutcracker 4 8 | Behind Stowe
www.walnuthillarts.org
There are no small partS A community is a group of individuals unified by common interests. Walnut Hill could not embody a single word more. We are a community rooted in a respect for learning and connected by a passion for art. Each of our individual contributions helps to sustain our tradition of excellence. Please make YOUR contribution to Walnut Hill today. Gifts to the Annual Fund support our yearly budget, and gifts of all sizes make a difference. giving.walnuthillarts.org Spring & Summer 2013
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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage
PAID
Natick, MA Permit #23
FROM THE ARCHIVES As we consider the evolution of our programs and our spaces, it's helpful (and sometimes amusing!) to look back through history. These photos, circa 1978, show gymnasts practicing in the Dance Center. We hope that 30 years hence, readers of Behind Stowe will be enjoying photos representing a multitude of activities in our new multipurpose performance space in Studio 5!
www.youtube.com/user/walnuthillschool | www.facebook.com/walnuthill | www.walnuthillarts.org | 508.653.4312