Spring 2023: Issue 2

La Primavera

Instrumental Music Concert

SPRING 2023, ISSUE 2

Sophie Conser

Christopher Dao

Jacob Elizalde

Alyssa Esperanza

Aidan Halderman

Collin Hinz

Peter Le

Catherine Morales

Jackson Morris

Johnyoel Yap

Joseph Yocam

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Welcome to the 2022-2023 Performing Arts Season!

The purpose of Mater Dei High School is to develop faith-filled, responsible servant leaders committed to serving God, the church, and their communities with a profound sense of social justice founded in love. To achieve our purpose, we intentionally embed the Catholic faith and the principles of Honor, Glory, and Love into every aspect of the student experience. The why behind our purpose is simple. We live in a complicated world that is in desperate need of faith-filled servant leadership. Leaders with the wisdom and goodness to understand, “To love is to will the good for another.”

St. Thomas Aquinas

As president, I believe achieving our purpose is the primary reason that Mater Dei High School opened in 1950. The process of achieving our purpose is what makes Mater Dei High School uniquely different from other secondary schools. While most secondary schools focus only on academic knowledge, Mater Dei High School goes beyond academic knowledge and intentionally develops each student’s will to choose goodness. Therefore, a student does not attend Mater Dei High School, instead they move through an intentional four-year process and become a Monarch!

While pursuing excellence within the performing arts program is our objective, let us never forget that achieving our purpose is the primary goal. Each young Monarch must actively utilize life lessons learned during rehearsals, performances and after performances. These performing arts life lessons support each Monarch’s journey towards achieving our primary purpose. Mater Dei High School dedicates itself to the philosophy that performing arts is another element designed to perfect the person (become a Monarch) and their relationship with Christ.

On behalf of the faculty, staff, and administration, we thank our Director of Choral and Vocal Music Mrs. Jodi Reed, Director of Instrumental Music Mr. Fernando Martinez, Director of Dance Mrs. Rochelle Mapes, Director of Theater Arts Lissa Slay, Performing Arts Coordinator of Events Mrs. Marisa Winch and all members of the performing arts family. Your commitment and loyalty towards each Monarch and Mater Dei High School is deeply appreciated.

We are grateful that you chose to attend tonight’s performance and pray that each Monarch achieves their personal and group performance goals this season.

With Honor, Glory, and Love,

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Students, Parents and Alumni,

Honor, Glory, Love in the Performing Arts. Our students are skilled and talented in all areas of The Arts and they bring love, joy and beauty through their performances to all those with whom they come in contact.

I congratulate and thank all the Directors of each program for their outstanding commitment and dedication to our student artists. The opportunities which you provide, are instrumental in the development of students’ skills and talents in The Arts. Thank you to all parents who volunteer in support of these outstanding arts programs.

La Primavera

Dear Students, Parents, and Alumni, Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year with the theme of Sharing the Spirit. In what better way can we share the spirit of MDHS than through Honor, Glory, Love in the Performing Arts. Our students are skilled and talented in all areas of the Arts and they bring love, joy and beauty through their performances to all those with whom they come in contact.

Instrumental Music Concert

I congratulate and thank our Executive Director of Performing Arts, Mr. Scott Melvin and the Directors of each program for their outstanding commitment and dedication to our student artists. The opportunities, which you provide, are instrumental in the development of students’ skills and talents in the Arts. Thank you to all parents who volunteer in support of these outstanding Arts programs.

As the year unfolds, we look forward to the Band, Choir, Comedy, Dance, Guitar, Percussion, Piano, Hip Hop, Song, Strings, and Theatre activities in which our student artists will perform. Through these spirited performances, you frequently transform lives, which may sometimes be tainted by sadness, into beacons of hope, light and joy. We look forward also to welcoming alumni back to these performances; it is always a great joy to see so many alumni artists supporting these events.

To everyone involved in the Performing Arts, God’s blessings on each and every performance and remember, bring Honor, Glory, Love, to all people with whom you come in contact.

As the year unfolds, we look forward to the Band, Choir, Color Guard, Comedy, Dance, Guitar, Handbells, Hip Hop, Song, Strings, Theatre activities in which our student artists will perform. Through these spirited performances you frequently transform lives which may sometimes be tainted by sadness into beacons of hope and joy. We look forward also to welcoming alumni back to these performances; it is always a great joy to see so many alumni artists supporting these events.

To everyone involved in the Performing Arts, God’s blessings on each and every performance.

LETTER

FROM THE DIRECTOR

Hello Instrumental Music Families & Friends,

Welcome to our 7th Annual, La Primavera Instrumental Music Concert. As we usually say, “Time Flies,” and it truly does. It is incredible to think back to the beginning of this school year and the ongoing challenges and successes that continually shape us. Whether our students are learning a new instrument, learning new music, keeping up with academics, navigating their schedules between their many responsibilities, or balancing family time, God is at the core of our strength and everything we love.

As you enjoy tonight’s wonderful performances, I ask that you join me in applauding our students for their ongoing efforts and the countless hours they’ve dedicated in preparing for today. I must say that tonight’s music selections have truly demanded a lot of them these past months as we continually challenge ourselves in order to make progress not only musically, but as who we are as people. Personally, I am very proud of them for everything we’ve accomplished this year.

Of course, our successes would not be possible without the ongoing dedication from our Instrumental Music Faculty and Staff. I’d like to say a special “Thank you!” to each and everyone of them and to Mrs. Marisa Winch for their support and assistance in bringing you tonight’s concert. It is an honor and pleasure to work with such incredible people who care so much about our students and continually go above and beyond for them.

Finally, Thank you! to our Mater Dei Leadership Team for their continued support and dedication to The Arts.

Have a great evening and enjoy the concert.

Mr Fernando Martinez, Director of Instrumental Music

ADMINISTRATION INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC FACULTY

PRESIDENT ...............................................Mr. Michael Brennan

PRINCIPAL Ms. Frances Clare

VICE PRESIDENT BUSINESS SERVICES Mr. Dave Taylor

VICE PRESIDENT OF SCHOOL RELATIONS Mr. Scott Melvin

ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS

Mrs. Molly Chace ‘00

Mrs. Diana Neustadt

Mrs. Jennifer Dennin

DIRECTOR OF INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC Mr. Fernando Martinez

GUITAR TEACHER Mr. Kenneth Parker

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC STAFF

PERCUSSION SPECIALIST Mr. Jared Brown

VISUAL SPECIALIST Mrs. Katie Guerrero

PERFORMING ARTS COORDINATOR ........

Mrs. Marisa Winch ‘96

MUSIC ACADEMY INSTRUCTOR/ WOODWINDS SPECIALIST Ms. Marianne Wightman

LOW BRASS SPECIALIST Mr. Jared Roberto

SAXOPHONE SPECIALIST Mr. Kolbe Chapman

PIANO SPECIALIST Mrs. Celine You

Frances Clare Principal MDHS

Frances Clare Principal MDHS

La Primavera Program

Jazz Band Birdland

Josef Zawinul/arr. Victor Lopez

Birdland was written by Josef Erich Zawinul (1932-2007), an Austrian jazz keyboardist and composer. Zawinul named the composition after a famous jazz club in New York City. The name “Birdland” comes from “Bird” himself, Charlie Parker, a legendary saxophonist for whom the club was named.

Over the years all of the jazz greats have played at Birdland, which still runs today.

The Days of Wine and Roses

Henry Mancini/arr. Dave Rivello

“Days of Wine and Roses” is a popular song, from the 1962 movie of the same name. The music was written by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. They received the Academy Award for Best Original Song for their work, as well as the 1963 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. In 2004 it finished at #39 in AFI’s 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.

You Are the Sunshine of My Life

Artist: Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder/arr. Mark Taylor

“You Are the Sunshine of My Life” is a 1973 single released by Stevie Wonder. The song became Wonder’s third number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and his first number-one on the Easy Listening chart. It won Wonder a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and was nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year.[2] This song was the second single (following “Superstition”) released from the 1972 album entitled Talking Book, which stayed at number one on the R&B albums chart for three weeks. Rolling Stone ranks the song at number 183 on their list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. Billboard called it “a soft, haunting ballad with outstanding electric piano runs and outstanding production work.”

Low Brass Ensemble

The Legend of Zelda Koji Kondo/arr. Joshua Joy

The Legend of Zelda is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Capcom, Vanpool, and Grezzo. The gameplay incorporates action-adventure and elements of action RPG games. Joshua Joy arrangement brings together a compilation of the themes and melodies used throughout franchise.

Percussion Ensemble

Telea

Daniel Adams

“Latin percussion performance and Medieval composition techniques are combined in Talea. The piece is named for a repeated figure characteristic of the Ars Nova isorhythmic motet, where pitch and rhythmic repetition coincide only periodically. The piece is in 5/4 meter throughout. The triangle opens with a steady eighth-note pattern consisting of a regular succession of open and muffled strokes. The cowbell, conga, and woodblock enter in a pattern of quarter notes that forms a three-against-four-against-five cross-rhythm. The claves, bongos, temple blocks, and tom-toms play repeated patterns that repeat every three, seven, eleven, and thirteen beats, respectively.“

Orchestra

Scene and Dance (from “Swan Lake”)

Tchaikovsky/arr. Hummel & Whistler

Swan Lake, possibly the most-often performed ballet worldwide, tells the story of Odette, a princess who is cursed by an evil sorcerer to live as a swan by day and a woman by night. Scene and Dance is based on the famous “Swan Theme” from the end of Act I.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Hans Zimmer & Klaus Badelt/arr. Ted Ricketts

Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, score, recording sessions, remixes are official release soundtrack albums from the film with the same title. The album was released in 2003, by Walt Disney Records and contains selections of music from the movie’s score and some albums even never featured music. The music of the film and this album are both credited to composer Klaus Badelt and Hans Zimmer and producer Hans Zimmer.

Guitar - Code Red Linger

The Cranberries

“Linger” is a song by Irish alternative rock band the Cranberries from their debut studio album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? (1993). Composed by band members Dolores O’Riordan and Noel Hogan, and produced by Stephen Street, “Linger” was first released as the second and final single from the album on 15 February 1993 by Island Records.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World Tears of Fear

“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” is a song by English pop rock band Tears for Fears. It was written by Roland Orzabal, Ian Stanley, and Chris Hughes and produced by Hughes. The song was first released on 25 February 1985 by Phonogram, Mercury, and Vertigo Records as the third single from the band’s second album, Songs from the Big Chair (1985).

Dancing Queen ABBA

“Dancing Queen” is a Europop and disco song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Arrival (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvaeus also produced the song. “Dancing Queen” was released as a single in Sweden on 15 August 1976, followed by a UK release and the rest of Europe a few days later. It was a worldwide hit. It became ABBA’s only number one hit in the United States, and topped the charts worldwide.

La Primavera Program

~ Intermission ~ Music Academy

Crusaders March, Standard of Excellence

Bruce Pearson

The Standard of Excellence Comprehensive Band Method is a highly successful performance-centered band method, and it is used in hundreds of band programs worldwide. The full series consists of Books 1, 2, and 3 and which combine a strong performance-centered approach with music theory, music history, ear training, listening, composition, improvisation, and interdisciplinary and multicultural studies. The result is the most complete band method available anywhere!

Pirates of the Caribbean

Hans Zimmer & Klaus Badelt/Michael Sweeney

Disney’s adventure film was a “must-see” for audiences of all ages and part of the wide spread appeal was the outstanding musical score. Michael Sweeney has adapted the film score for young ensembles with this well-paced medley that captures the most dramatic moments from the original soundtrack.

Flute Trio Deus Flutes

Paul Barker

The magical sound of Deus Flutes brings uplifting and memorable melodic lines, rich harmonic scoring and spine-tingling suspensions make this work a joy to learn and to listen to. Currently residing in Austin, TX, Paul Baker’s career as a composer, saxophonist, educator and clinician has covered a wide variety of musical genres from jazz, film, TV and R&B to Broadway. He has performed in venues from the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles to the Village Vanguard in New York City to jazz festivals across Europe. He has composed and arranged films, theater, jazz bands of all sizes and levels, and computer games.

Under the Sea

Alan Menken

“Under the Sea” is a song from Disney’s 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid, composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman. It is influenced by the calypso style of the Caribbean which originated in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as reggae, which originated in Jamaica. The song was performed in the film by Samuel E. Wright. The track won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1989, the first for a Disney film since “Chim Chim Cher-ee” from Mary Poppins in 1964. Additionally, the song won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 1991.

Symphonic-Honors Wind Ensemble

Percy Grainger Portrait

Percy Grainger/arr. Wagner

The boundless energy and passion for life of this important figure in band composition is reflected in this eclectic sampling of his work. Featured are: Irish Tune from County Derry; Mock Morris, My Robin is to the Greenwood Gone and Children’s March: Over the Hills and Far Away. An invaluable presentation of Grainger’s work scored for modern bands!

Brave

Patrick Doyle/arr. Sean O’Loughlin

This marvelous blend of Celtic-flavored themes from the animated hit movie makes a delightful addition to light concert programs. Adapted from the soundtrack for the blockbuster Disney/Pixar film, the music ranges from haunting and lyrical to powerful and majestic. A perfect setting for the concert stage!

Incredibles 2

Featuring familiar themes from the original “Incredibles” movie along with entertaining new themes, this super arrangement is sure to appeal to everyone.

Mater Dei High School Musicians

FLUTE

Nabile Alvarado ‘25

Sophia Corzine ‘26

Christopher Dao ‘23

Victoria Gao ‘26

Fatima Hernandez ‘24

Belen Magana ‘26

Isis Rivas ‘25

VIOLIN

Sophie Conser ‘23

Hailey Mouat ‘24

Avery Shelton ‘25

VIOLA

Xavier Luna ‘26

CELLO

Emily Nelmida ‘25

CLARINET

Lily Flores ‘26

Joseph Yocam ‘23

BASSOON

Jacob Elizalde ‘23

ALTO SAX

Isabella Mello ‘25

Brendan Mulholland ‘24

Viviana Rocha ‘25

TENOR SAX

Nicholas Galluccio ‘26

Nathan Ortan ‘26

BARITONE SAX

Jacob Elizalde ‘23

MELLOPHONE/ FRENCH HORN

Aidan Halderman ‘23

Michael Li ‘26

TRUMPET

Mateus Aguinaga ‘24

Evelyn Alvarado ‘25

Adrian Brito ‘24

Aidan Halderman ‘23

BARITONE

Emily Nelmida ‘25

Jack Rickmeyer ‘24

TROMBONE

Derek Cornejo ‘24

Collin Hinz ‘23

Alexander Valdez ‘24

TUBA

Derek Cornejo ‘24

BASS

Lily Flores ‘26

Emily Nelmida ‘25

PIANO

Maxwell Beckman ‘24

Bella Dang ‘26

Peter Le ‘23

PERCUSSION

Maxwell Beckman ‘24

Juliana Gonzalez ‘24

Angela Karanja ‘25

Ivan Larios ‘25

Paul Le ‘25

Peter Le ‘23

Andy Peng ‘26

Nguyen, Tam ‘24

Johnyoel Yap ‘23

GUITAR - CODE RED

Patrick Cardullo ‘24

Alyssa Esperanza ‘23

Xavier Godinez ‘24

Catherine Morales ‘23

Jackson Morris ‘23

Julia Pollock ‘24

COURREGES SCHOOL

Thomas Le

CRESCENT SCHOOL

Allison Castrillion

GISLER SCHOOL

Thomas Winch

LA PURISIMA SCHOOL

Owen Mulholland

ST. BARBARA SCHOOL

Julianna Bashford

Ivy Chinen

Valentina Franco

Victoria Garcia

Natalia Hong

Ethan Lam

Natham Lam

ST.

JOSEPH SCHOOL

Andrew Clancy

Alex Mendez

Frank Velasco

ST. ANNE SCHOOL

Brianna Alvarado

Kristy Barrientos

Martha Gonzalez

Tais Gonzalez

Victoria Lam

Ashley Lucio

Valentina Medina

Emily Morales

Alfred Sanchez

Isabella Smith

Andrea Torres

ST. JEANNE DE LESTONNAC SCHOOL

Victoria Acosta

Bennet de Groot

Lucas Falcinella

Gregory Hall

Kerry Nearhoff

John Rodriguez

Julia Salyards

Abby Salyards

Ava Viramontes

Adam Woore

Daniel Woore

Ryan Woore

Charlotte Yurko

PETER LE ‘23 (Marching Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra, And Percussion Ensemble)

KATHERINE POTTER ‘23 (Handbells)

ZACHARY TRAN ‘23 (Chamber Singers, Bristol Boys, Vocal Fx)

CLAIRE RISS ‘23 (Chamber Singers, Theatre Iv, Musical Theatre)

IAN TJAN ‘23 (Theatre, TV Production)

Why do you love being in Performing Arts?

Peter: I was initially captured by the allure of getting to create music for myself instead of just listening to it. To me, it is the perfect way to expand my horizons and get my hands on different genres of music I never knew existed.

Katherine: I was involved in handbells freshman, sophomore, and junior year. I adored it because honestly it was just a lot of fun. Working in a group to create something beautiful was such a cool experience. I was glad to be involved in the fun choir performances without needing to sing.

Zachary: The program is excellent and I have met so many amazing and talented people here.

Claire: They allow me to grow in so many different ways, not only as a performer and technician, but also as a person.

Ian: Being in different Performing Arts is a new experience that I just couldn’t replicate anywhere else.

How long have you been on the Robotics team and what do you enjoy about it?

Peter: This is my fourth year, where I get to turn my imagination into reality; being able to transform my ideas into an actual working function in the real world via the robot. It’s an amazing experience because I get to gain new perspectives and solutions to my problems that I never would have thought about.

Katherine: This is my fourth year in robotics, and I love everything about it; how it introduced me to so many of my friends and brought me closer to others. I love how it lets me into a competitive environment, and I don’t need to run! It lets me grow so much as a person and gain confidence in myself.

Zachary: I have been with this robotics team since my sophomore year. I love being presented with a challenge/task and using the resources available to make it happen.

Claire: I have been interested in STEM since around 6th grade and on the MD Robotics team since sophomore year. I love learning about problem solving and the world around me, as well as how technology has evolved and the ways we get to use it.

Ian: I’ve been designing and creating different parts and machines for around five years now. Robotics has a new journey and destination almost every day that leads me to build bigger and better things.

Do you have any memorable experiences in Robotics?

Claire: Prepping for our competitions. We have many late nights out in the shop just working through fixes and vibing out to music, and overall, we bond and learn so much during those times!

Ian: The working of a system that I put on the robot which worked during competition. It wasn’t a huge achievement, but the three months of work I put in and seeing it work properly was the most memorable thing I could possibly ask for.

Do you plan on pursuing Robotics or some sort of technology-based interest after MD?

Peter: I’ve always been intrigued by the cameras on NASA’s Mars rovers and their AI trajectory-tracking, so visual sensors are something I’m interested in pursuing.

Katherine: I am planning on staying in engineering for college. I would be crazy not to after being so involved.

Zachary: Since I was a child, my parents told me I showed the mindset and intuition of an engineer, and so it seems to be one of my gifts. Pursuing this field is what I ought to do because I love to create and put things together.

Claire: Pursuing industrial or mechanical engineering in higher education.

Ian: Before I joined Robotics, I didn’t have a concrete path after Mater Dei, even in engineering. But the progress I made through the team and the knowledge that I learned have given me the opportunity and motivation to continue on the path of aerospace engineering.