THE DWIGHT SCHOOLS PRESENT
United Harmonies
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2024, 5:30 PM
DWIGHT SCHOOL DUBAI
Featuring performers from New York, London, Seoul, Shanghai, Dubai, and Global Online
Welcome
Good evening and welcome to “United Harmonies!” This global concert, bringing the Dwight family of schools together on one stage at Dwight School Dubai, is the culmination of months of auditioning, planning, and hard work. Over 150 students have put in countless hours of practice and collaboration in preparation for this evening’s performance. During this week’s final rehearsals in Dubai — with everyone together in one location — the talent, character, teamwork, and passion displayed by students have already made this uniquely Dwight experience a singular success.
Tonight’s theme of united harmonies serves multiple purposes. First, we celebrate all of our Dwight School campuses finally “reunited” on stage together, as we are thrilled to have musicians and faculty from Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School join us for the first time in-person since 2019. Next, we are all thrilled to mark an exciting debut — the first time our Global Concert will be held on stage at the beautiful Dwight School Dubai campus. Our sense of harmony and community, both literally and musically, have never been stronger and more united!
Throughout tonight’s concert, you will hear individual, small group, and large ensemble performances by students from each campus and a culminating cross-campus
performance rehearsed for the first time this week. The magnitude of the variety of music styles, instruments, techniques, and skills is vast. Opportunities to experience this level of cultural and musical exchange are unique to our global community, and everyone can be proud to be part of such a vibrant and harmonious family.
Over the past week, students who have performed together in previous global concerts have reconnected, while those who are new to this special experience have met and quickly forged friendships through a shared love of music — and all have rehearsed extensively to put the finishing touches on tonight’s concert.
As with every concert, we request your cooperation as an attentive and supportive audience. Please note that photography and recording devices of any kind are not permitted. We ask that you please turn off and put away your cell phones during the performance.
On behalf of all our music departments, we want to congratulate our talented students — and thank you, Dwight families and friends, for your ongoing support during this exciting time.
Enjoy the show!
The Dwight Schools’ Music Directors
Our Program
UAE National Anthem
Sofiya Caires ’31 (voice) and Ameera Al-Ali ’27 (violin), Dwight School Dubai
Welcome to United Harmonies
Lift Me Up
Composed by Ludwig Goransson, Robyn Rihanna Fenty, and Ryan Coogler; Lyrics by Ryan Coogler and Temilade Openiyi
Harmony Elise Jones ’24, Global Online (voice), accompanied by Michael Ferrari, New York (piano)
Fantasia da Concerto su motivi del Rigoletto (Excerpt)
Composed by Luigi Bassi
Ji Woong Kang ’26 (clarinet) and Wanee Kwon ’24 (piano), Dwight School Seoul
Shanghai Qibao Dwight High School
Shanghai Opera Qupai: Purple Bamboo Tone
Arranged by Peng Xiuwen
Qibao Dwight Chinese Folk Band
Just One of Those Things
Arranged by Amy Zhu and Alina Chen
Shanghai Qibao Dwight Ensemble
We Are the Sea: The Qibao Dwight 10th Anniversary School Song
Arranged by Eric Wu and Louis Shen
Shanghai Qibao Dwight Ensemble
Dwight School London
Vois sur ton Chemin
Composed by Bruno Coulais; arranged by Richard Deng
Dwight London Choir
Isn’t She Lovely
Composed by Stevie Wonder; arranged by Christopher Ray
Dwight London Combined Ensemble
Yusaku Ohta ’24 (bass), Zacariah Ahmed ’26 (drums), Iman Pabani ’26 (voice), and Benjamin Berger ’28 (voice)
Another Day of Sun
Composed by Justin Hurwitz; arranged by Richard Deng
Dwight London Combined Ensemble
Dwight School New York
Blackbird
Composed by Paul McCartney and John Lennon; harp music arranged by Michelle Whitson Stone
Inge Ulff-Moller ’26 (harp), MacPhee Gleason ’25 (voice), and Christopher Labbat ’25 (guitar)
I Am Changing, from Dreamgirls
Composed by Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger
Faith Monroe ’24 (voice), accompanied by Michael Ferrari (piano)
Love’s in Need of Love Today
Composed by Stevie Wonder
New York Combined Ensemble
Zachary Gindi-Chiafullo ’24, Isabella Gonzalez ’26, and Willem Kraaijeveld ’27 (voice); accompanied by Svetlana Stephanopoulos ’27 (piano)
INTERMISSION
Dwight School Dubai
Medley: Amazing Grace/ When the Saints Go Marching In Guitar arrangement from Hal Leonard Book 1
Dwight School Dubai PYP Guitar Ensemble
I Am But a Small Voice
Composed by Roger Whittaker; arranged by John Coates, Jr.
Dwight School Dubai PYP Choir, accompanied by Ameera Al-Ali ’27 (piano)
La Czardas and O sole Mio Fusion
Composers: Vittorio Monti and Eduardo di Capua
Featuring Ameera Al-Ali ’27 (violin) and Dalida Froemel ’25 (voice)
Time for Africa
Arranged for Percussion Ensemble by Patience Musandirire
Dwight School Dubai Marimba Ensemble
Eye of the Tiger
Composed by Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik
Dwight School Dubai Ensemble and Choir
This is Me, from The Greatest Showman
Composed by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul; arranged by Mac Huff
Dwight School Dubai Ensemble and Choir
Featuring Naira Moolji ’29 (voice) and Kira Galinich ’29 (voice)
Dwight School Seoul
Baba Yetu
Composed by Christopher Tin; arranged by Robert Longfield
Dwight School Seoul Orchestra and Choir
Butter
Composed by Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk, Sebastian Garcia, Robert Grimaldi, Ron Perry, Alex Bilowitz, and Kim Nam-Joon; arranged by Victor Lopez
Dwight School Seoul Orchestra and Choir
Arirang
Arranged by Jillian Whitaker
Dwight School Seoul Orchestra and Choir
Finale, The Dwight Schools
All the World Will Stand (World debut, commissioned for United Harmonies)
Composed by Richard Campbell
The Dwight Schools’ Orchestra, Band, and Choir, conducted by Rivaan Mager, Dwight School Dubai; featuring Kira Galinich ’29 (voice) and Ameera Al-Ali ’27 (piano)
Tribute to the Class of 2024
About Our Schools and Music Departments
DWIGHT SCHOOL DUBAI
Head of School David Hutson | Music Faculty: Benjamin Baldogo, Rivaan Mager, Patience Musandirire, and Bertha Silot
Music is an important part of Dwight, and we’re excited to extend music to Dubai with Dwight’s first school in the Middle East, which opened in 2018. Our students in all grades participate in a robust music program, beginning with the fundamentals of rhythm, singing, and movement before advancing into learning instrumental techniques, participating in our PYP Choir, and joining extracurricular activities, like our Guitar Ensemble for classical guitar training. Middle and Upper School students are introduced to a range of musical concepts — from samba to the blues, and from composition techniques to digital music production — to prepare for their Grade 10 Music EPortfolio. DP Music students study a diverse range of music from around the world, adapt and experiment from their experiences, and perform, compose, and improvise various works. Music technology plays a significant role, and DP students can work in our new recording studio. In partnership with Dubai’s noted Centre for Musical Arts, we have enriched our instrumental lessons. Our music program has grown tremendously, and we are very proud of our achievements. We look forward to showcasing our students’ talents at this evening’s concert!
DWIGHT SCHOOL NEW YORK
Chancellor Stephen Spahn, Vice Chancellor Blake Spahn, Head of School Dianne Drew | Music
Faculty: Eric Novod, Michael Ferrari, Vita Zambetti, Emma Mooradian, and Clayton Rychlik
Our music program, like all other elements of the arts at Dwight, is very busy year-round, supporting the needs of our talented musicians and actors. It is an exciting time, as our existing programs continue to grow and new ones are developed, so that students can learn and share their gifts with our community. Alongside a robust IB curricular program, our extracurricular
opportunities are inclusive, designed to encompass students of all ages, and differentiated to maximize the potential of every musician. Our ensembles are three-tiered: department-led by full-time Dwight faculty; Conservatory-led by our team of committed instrumental and voice teachers; and student-led, offering students the chance to lead younger, less experienced peers. Ensembles include a choir, pop/rock band, jazz combo; and strings, woodwinds, and percussion chamber music ensembles. The program also focuses on the creative pursuit of original composition and songwriting, highlighted by the launch of an educational, student-run record label, 566 Records. Within this program, students can write music, collaborate with peers, record their music in our recording studio, and release it to family, friends, and beyond. When these accomplishments in New York are combined with those on Dwight campuses around the world, we embody the true spirit of global vision. We are delighted to appear at Dwight School Dubai with our fellow members of the Dwight global family for this very special concert!
DWIGHT SCHOOL LONDON
Head of School Chris Beddows | Music Faculty: Jan Kraft and Richard Deng
For over 50 years, Dwight School London has had an energetic, innovative, creative, and dynamic music department that is central to the School’s arts offerings and enjoyed by many enthusiastic and gifted students. Music is taught across all year groups, from our Little Lions Nursery (age 2), to the IB Diploma level. Our dedicated team of music teachers, including those who visit the School for peripatetic lessons, provide individual instruction in a wide variety of instruments, from percussion to strings. We also offer a conservatory program with a very high uptake across the school, including a Saturday morning component. Although we traditionally have a slight bias toward jazz, rock, pop, and world music, the classical genre is gaining popularity, and we have a growing number of students participating in our chamber
About Our Schools and Music Departments
ensemble. Across our community — musicians or not — there is a great level of appreciation for our annual musical collaborations with our Dwight family, including the ChoirFest, which we proudly host each fall, as well as this Global Concert. We are excited to participate in, and nurture, these hugely important exchanges across Dwight campuses and for the chance to collaborate with the huge talent that we have within the network.
SHANGHAI QIBAO DWIGHT HIGH SCHOOL
Chairman of the Board Qiu Zhonghai, Principal Wang Fang, American Principal Robbie Shields | Music Faculty: Gourav Biswas and Wang Wenjing
Our music program supports and celebrates the best of both Eastern and Western musical traditions. As an IB DP high school (grades 10-12), many of our talented students are awardwinning musicians prior to their arrival on campus. Qibao Dwight (QD) is home to a variety of music-focused clubs and organizations, such as the GLOW chamber orchestra, the electronic music production club, the acapella club, the Chinese folk music club, and Queens and Defenders — the QD rock band. Through these and other engagements, and the use of our recording studio with state-of-the-art digital composition software, students of all abilities and technical proficiency have the opportunity to grow and develop. This growth often continues at university, with many of our students electing to pursue a music-focused degree.
The power of performance is a spirit that QD music faculty and students fully embrace. Throughout the year, our music students maintain a robust performance schedule, ranging from on-campus events, such as our annual after-school singing competition, “Never Sing Never,” to global performances with other Dwight Schools, such as the London ChoirFest and the Dwight Schools Global Music Concert. We are excited to once again join this year’s concert in person.
DWIGHT SCHOOL SEOUL
Head of School Tom Ferguson | Music Faculty: Dennis Lee, Nathalie Waldmann, Emily Bell, and Lauren Vickers
Our performing and creative arts faculty have developed a multi-faceted and leading IB Arts Program in Korea. Covering all three IB programs, and specific subjects such as film, media, and performing arts, including music and theater, students continuously enjoy engaging, relevant, and contemporary opportunities to ignite their spark of genius. Students across campus participate in our musicals, choir, orchestra, and band. Solo and group performances are a regular feature of all assemblies and school gatherings. More recently, a number of Lower School and Upper School students performed the musical, The Little Mermaid Jr., to full houses. This adds to our participation in KIMEA festivals and competitions, overseas trips, and continued performances at charity and corporate events in Seoul. Dwight Seoul is excited once again to be a part of this global concert experience being held for the first time in the United Arab Emirates at Dwight Dubai.
DWIGHT GLOBAL ONLINE SCHOOL
Head of School Louisa Childs | Music Faculty: Marc Silvagni and Lucas Simone
Dwight Global Online School, our campus in the cloud, is the perfect choice for student- musicians, actors, and dancers seeking flexibility to rehearse and perform without sacrificing academic rigor. Dwight Global combines real-time online video conferencing seminars, Oxford-style tutorials, and a college-style schedule to provide students in grades 6-12 with the intimacy of Dwight coupled with flexible scheduling to pursue their passions. Our students, including performers and athletes living around the world, can choose an IB, AP, or customized course of study. While they attend classes from anywhere, students also have the opportunity to participate in performing arts programs on campus as well as in cross-campus collaborations. We are pleased to be part of another Dwight Schools Global Concert and offer our congratulations to all of the performers!
Our Student-Performers
DWIGHT SCHOOL DUBAI
Aneesh Dake ’24
Hamish Crowther ’25
Dalida Froemel ’25
Maria Galinich ’25
Nigel Nitin ’25
Tanya Sahityani ’25
Charles Van Wingerden ’25
Taisiia Shestykh ’26
Ryden Vaz ’26
Ameera Al Ali ’27
Salik Ansari ’27
Ayla Fortes ’27
Shyam Iyer ’27
Saja Soliman ’27
Emelina Vansteenkiste ’27
Edvard Jonsson ’28
Maryam Krashman ’28
Bhavya Prakash ’28
Malika Uzun ’28
Ivan Bolbat ’29
Paula Bosoni ’29
Sara Calderon ’29
Lilliana Dellin ’24
Zachary Gindi-Chiafullo ’24
Sophia Lebeau Toung ’24
Faith Monroe ’24
MacPhee Gleason ’25
Christopher Labbat ’25
Trinity Hartman ’24
Yusaku Ohta ’24
Emma Popovici ’25
Ethel Sesime Efie Addom ’25
Zac Ahmed ’26
Emilio Ditrolio ’26
Grace Lin ’24
Jay Xu ’24
Imogen Dowse ’29
Kira Galinich ’29
Victoria Jonsson ’29
Anoushka Kumar ’29
Naira Moolji ’29
Niels Thill ’29
Aaliya Todi ’29
Efe Goruney ’30
Nicole Nitin ’30
Rishabh Raman ’30
Kiana Stocker ’30
DWIGHT SCHOOL NEW YORK
Isabella Gonzalez ’26
August Pallad ’26
Inge Ulff-Moller ’26
Benjamin Bijaoui ’27
Willem Kraaijeveld ’27
Autumn Pettress ’27
DWIGHT SCHOOL LONDON
Ofri Lev ’26
Iman Pabani ’26
Aaditya Vora ’26
Ayaka Nishino ’27
Madoka Shintani ’27
Victor Zabaneh ’27
Svetlana Stephanopoulos ’27
Ray Zhang ’27
Luisa Cavalli ’28
Ain Kim ’28
Maria Strasser ’28
Sebastian Gurski-Corniel ’29
Benjamin Berger ’28
Rei Kawate ’28
Thomas Riley ’28
Tarek El Sersy ’29
Dekel Lev ’29
Samuel Cosmo Oyeniran ’29
SHANGHAI QIBAO DWIGHT HIGH SCHOOL
Selina Chen ’25
Oscar Gao ’25
Susie Gu ’25
Cc Guo ’25
Nelson Ji ’25
Austin Li ’25
Sunny Li ’25
Hedy Qi ’25
Steven Shen ’25
Bo Min Kang ’24
Harry Kim ’24
Jin Kim ’24
Wanee Kwon ’24
Jacob Kim ’25
Jennifer Song ’25
Ziu Wang ’25
Ji Woong Kang ’26
Harmony Elise Jones ’24
Eric Wu ’25
Sophora Zhong ’25
Nicole Zhu ’25
Daisy Dai ’26
Cecilia Kim ’26
DWIGHT SCHOOL SEOUL
Joshua Chung ’27
Steve Han ’27
Channy Kim ’27
Olivia Kang ’28
Kay Kim ’28
Zio Kim ’28
Gianna Magliaro ’28
Jun Park ’28
Julia Abdelbaqi
Yasmeena Adam
Sima Aljarah
Sofiya Caires
Eleonora Cerase
Leila Dara
Tessa Debnam
Bahar Demicran
Eda Erdal
Lily Fawaz
Isla Mae Filkins
Ingrid Ma ’26
Peter Shen ’26
Cynthia Shi ’26
Yvanna Sun ’26
Yui Wang ’28
Hugh Mitchell ’29
Lisa Pei ’29
Selina Son ’29
Shin Fuji ’30
Chloe Juettner ’30
Sakura Robinson ’30
DWIGHT GLOBAL ONLINE SCHOOL
Ryan Skinner ’24
DWIGHT SCHOOL DUBAI PYP MUSICIANS
Maryam Hamdy
Vela Holmes
Saharsh Kundra
Farress Kurdali
Jack McGrath
Danilo Milosavjevic
Amalia Moleva
Aditya Nadathur Ammal
Haya Sartawi
Alfonso Silvestre
Graeme Smith
Anja Spica
Sofia Temiz
Sophia Turner
Annabelle Van Der Meer
Olivia Van Der Meer
Julieta Villaveces
Amanth Yalamanchili
Dean Zakaria
Special Thanks
Chancellor Stephen Spahn, Vice Chancellor Blake Spahn, and our Global Heads of School, for their visionary leadership and support of the arts
Global Music Team
Dwight School Dubai Faculty and Staff Facilities and Operations Department
Communications Team
The Dwight School Foundation
Fiona Imboden
Dwight School Dubai Performing Arts Department
Global Communications and Concert Logistics
Emcees: Naya Marshad and Hamza Youssef Stage Manager: Terrence Christgau
Thank you to all parents for supporting our students’ sparks of genius!