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Page 4 Piano The piano department is currently in rehearsal for our Spring Piano Concert, which will take place on April 14, 7:00 p.m., in the Harrison Theatre. This concert will feature not only several solo piano repertoire works, but some delightful ensemble pieces that the students have diligently been working on this semester. Please mark this date on your calendar and come support our piano students! Each year many of our piano students generously give of their time and talents by performing throughout our community. They perform in nursing homes, assisted living centers, community events, churches, and at school-related events. Recently, a group of piano students performed for the Tuesday Music Club, a local organization that has done so much for Polk County students pursuing an education in the arts. The students performing were: Amy MacDonald, Chris Suryo, Beatrice Dalov, Jessica Sokolski, Sherika Small, and Everett Fortier. The students did a wonderful job and were warmly received and appreciated. We also had pianists join the strings and guitar departments for a concert at Bok Tower’s Pinewood Estate. Those students were Melody Eckert, Chris Suryo, and Jessica Sokolski. Their time and talents are certainly appreciated. Our department will be working on some fun projects this semester. They will have the privilege of participating in a master class on March 14, with Eunmi Ko, the new piano professor at the University of South Florida. She will be performing for our students, as well as listening to one of our pianists. This is always an inspiring and educational event. Soon after, we are having a guest speaker come in to talk to the students about the field of music therapy. This is an occupation that many students are interested in pursuing, but few schools offer such programs. This will give our students an opportunity to ask questions and receive information about this inspiring program. We hope to see you at our Spring Concert on April 14 and appreciate your support! Piano students pose for a picture with Dr. Ward after their recent performance at the All-County Piano Concert. Theatre The Theatre Department is busy with rehearsal for the spring play, Radium Girls, by D. W. Gregory. The cast is comprised of 38 students representing all four grade levels including the entire senior class. Cast members, as well students in the playwriting and directing classes, had the opportunity to work with Mrs. Gregory during her two-day residency as the Theatre Department’s guest artist, this past month. Tickets for this production will be on sale soon; the performances are set for April 22-24 in the Black Box Theatre. The April 22 and 23 shows begin at 7 p.m., while the April 2 matinee starts at 2 p.m. Radium Girls is based on the true story of a group of young girls working for the U. S. Radium Corporation in Orange, New Jersey when they mysteriously began falling ill and dying. Radium was all the rage, having been recently discovered by Madame Curie, and was an ingredient in the paint the girls were using for watch dials and other instruments during the war effort. Only it wasn’t as innocent as it appeared. The girls soon realized the illnesses were the result of the paint they were ingesting after “pointing” the brushes on their lips, as they were told. One of the girls, Grace Fryer (played by senior Ragan Lineberger), fought through her illness for justice from the company both for herself and the friends she had lost. The story is poignant, funny at times, and rings true today, nearly 100 years later. Recent events in the theatre department included an evening of improvisation and monologues by the freshman and sophomore classes, respectively. Audience members warmed up the main stage theatre by throwing their ideas into the improv mix. Then, sophomores presented contrasting monologues from contemporary plays from classic American playwrights including Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, and William Inge. Next on the department agenda will be an evening of scenes and monologues from the senior class.
Guitar Harrison Guitar has had a banner season. January began with Aeolian and the Harrison Guitar Quartet performing at the Florida Music Educators’ Association President’s Concert. The ensembles played to an audience of over 1,000 people, their largest audience ever. They made a tremendous impression, playing a half-hour program of challenging music. January also brought a visit from Scott Totten, music director and lead guitarist with the legendary rock band, The Beach Boys. Scott, who has also played numerous Broadway musicals and has performed with such legends as Tom Jones and America, spoke to our students about career development. He followed up with a rock guitar workshop and jammed with our guitar students a bit. January ended with a performance at Bok Tower’s Pinewood Estate by the Harrison Guitar Quartet. The quartet played to a capacity crowd. The quartet has also recently been invited to perform at the Guitar Foundation of America’s annual convention which will be in Denver this June. This invitation is the result of a competitive process, in which four ensembles were ultimately invited to perform for the ensemble showcase. Coming up in the department, we will host the Romeros on March 15. This family guitar quartet has been called “the royal family of the classical guitar.” With its two senior members having been knighted by King Juan Carlos I of Spain, that description is not too far off. With over 100 recordings collectively, the Romeros were also honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Harrison A-Team Page 5 On February 16, the Harrison A-Team (Academic Team) competed in the 33 rd annual Polk County Academic Tournament. For the second time in the past three years, the Harrison A-Team won the county championship! Representing the Harrison A-Team in the tournament were Dan Basalone, David Hallock, Tyler Henderson, Chet Humphries, Ian Kellett, and Will Smith. Each student will receive a $500 scholarship from the Polk Education Foundation for the win. It was another exciting competition that even the most hardened athletic supporters would have enjoyed! Harrison trailed the leaders after the 5-point round, and was tied with the lead after the 10-point round. The team then trailed for most of the final, 15-point, round but made an astounding comeback in the last five questions. At the end of the final round, there was a tie for first place between Harrison and Lakeland Christian School. It was a sudden-death situation where the first correct answer would determine who wins or the first wrong answer would cause a loss. Both teams passed on the first tie-breaker question, and then Tyler Henderson correctly answered the second and final question - sealing the win for Harrison! In addition to this accomplishment, Tyler Henderson, Chet Humphries, and Ian Kellett were named to the eight-member Polk All-County A-Team and will compete in the 31st Commissioner’s Academic Challenge at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort April 21-23. Congratulations to the entire A-Team for another successful year! The spring Guitar Concert will be on April 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the Harrison Theatre. The coaches and members of the Harrison A-Team sport their new hardware after winning the County Championship for the second time in three years.
Page 1 and 2: the HERALD Volume 13 • No. 3 Marc
Page 3: Musical Theatre The Musical Theatre
Page 7 and 8: Visual Art Greetings from Visual Ar
Page 9: Motion Picture Arts In January, the

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