DGN Chamber Choir performing at Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove

The North High School Chamber Choir will participate the the 23rd annual Christmas Extravaganza sponsored by the West Towns Chorus.  The Chamber Choir will be a part of the "Preview Show" (closed to general public) on December 5th and then perform again at the December 6th 2:00 PM performance (open to general public).  Information on how to purchase tickets for the December 6th performance is available on the poster above.  Take the time to celebrate the season through the lens of great choral music in the Village of Downers Grove!

Happy Halloween from DGN Choirs!

ILMEA Choir Audition Information

Attention choir students in grades 10-12! If you are auditioning for ILMEA District 1 Choir, please note the following, including some WONDERFUL help sessions that are available through local colleges. In addition, practice tracks and music selections are available on this blog in the right-hand menu!

1) Sign up by Tuesday, September 16th, on the Fine Arts Office window.  Our school will cover the registration process and also cover the audition entry fee.  (Students who sign up, but later cancel, will be held accountable for the registration fee.)

2) Auditions are Tuesday, October 14th, at Carl Sandburg High School after school/evening.  School Bus transportation will be provided for any student who wishes to use District 99 transportation.  (Parents may also drive their child to and from the auditions.)  More details about the auditions will be shared with those who sign up, in late September. 

3) The VanderCook School of Music (Chicago) will be holding several ILMEA help sessions.  These help sessions are very inexpensive ($5) and a wonderful way to get extra help preparing the literature.  Please see the details at the following website:  http://www.vandercook.edu/events/2014-ilmea-high-school-audition-master-classes/

4) Elmhurst College (Music Department) will be holding a ILMEA audition help workshop for choir students on Saturday, September 28 from 12:30 – 6 PM.  Registration details may be found here:  http://public.elmhurst.edu/music/ilmea

5) The DePaul Univiersity School of Music offers a free audition session on October 4th that is targeted at choir students.  Registration is due by September 22, and may be done here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ilmea-all-state-choir-audition-preparation-workshop-at-depaul-tickets-12722993817?ref=ebapi

Congrats to the 2014-2015 Concert Singers

Sincere thanks to ALL who auditioned!!

 I appreciate all the hard work and preparation you put into your auditions. It was wonderful to hear you all sing, and I hope you all were able to learn and grow from the audition experience.

You all made the decision extremely hard to make.

I am excited to work with EACH of you this year in

Concert Choir!

Congratulations to the following

2014-2015

North High School Concert Singers: 

Tim Berberich Alec Burns Erin Callaghan Zoe Covey Esther Farley Sophia Fotos Ben Goedert Ethan Kinnear Jack Langan Hannah Link

Mikaela Maurer Sean Mitchell Emma Moravec Carley Neary Fletcher Peters Brendan Quealy Lucas Sheppard Emma Southworth Brooke Walsh Nolan Young

REHEARSALS BEGIN MONDAY MORNING,

MONDAY, SEPT. 9, at 7:25 am sharp!

DGN Choirs - Varsity Ensembles for 2014-2015

Thanks to all for a fantastic three days of auditions.  Each of you can be proud of the work that you've done to prepare for your audition, and each of you should know that you make our program better by your musicianship and your passion for music.  Regardless of whether or not your audition turned out the way you were hoping, know that we need you to be a strong leader in your choir!

As always, you are welcome to visit with me about your audition - perhaps I can help you to better understand how I came to the decisions that I did, and how to prepare better for auditions in the future.

Below are the alphabetical name listings for next year's Treble Ensemble & Chamber Choir.  Congratulations to those of you who will comprise next year's groups!

Dr. Piekarz

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North High Treble Ensemble, 2014-2015

Sophie Chaulk

Elise Cismesia

Keara Corbett

Megan Geraghty

Meghan Hopkins

Heidi Kutchek

Maya Lee

Maggie Maloney

Myriah Nelson

Sami Russ

Montana Serafin

Caymen Sheets

Sharon Stagaman

Annie Vitti

Madi Wahlgren

Connie Wash

Anna Webster

Julia Wool

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North High Chamber Choir, 2014-2015

Ian Cates

Rachel Davis

Nate Doro

Max Duggan

Kevin Flavin

Robbie Gartlan

Keaton Hellman

Abby Hodonicky

Abby Huskisson

Shannon Kennedy

Claire Kozik

Allison LeBeda

Megan MacArtney

Tyler Marzullo

Grace Reberg

Liam Rowley

Robert Thomas

Sydney Wagner

Stephanie Weidman

Freddy Zimmerman

Choir Recognition Night

Choral families and friends gathered Friday evening to celebrate the many successes of DGN Choir Students throughout this school year at the 12th Annual Choir Recognition Night. Huge thanks to the Music Booster parents who helped organize a wonderful dinner, and thanks to all of our families for your continued support! 

Special recognition was given to the 53 singers in the class of 2014! Congratulations DGN Choirs!

Frozen in the 21st Century - Tuesday Night!

You won't want to miss the 2014 DGN Choral Showcase: Frozen in the 21st Century!  

Join us in the Clarence Johnson Auditorium this Tuesday evening, May 6, at 7:00 PM as we feature over 200 of DGN's best singers and dancers in a captivating musical review that is sure to set your toes tappin'.  Admission is FREE, but come early for the best seats!

Showcase Solos & Duets

“Frozen in the 21^st Century”

DGN Choral Showcase 2014 Solos & Duets

As always, thanks to all who auditioned – we heard almost 80 auditions and it was WONDERFUL to hear you all!  Soloists, please check in with us to get a copy of your music on Wednesday or Thursday!

Stupid Cupid – Freshman Ensemble

Erin Callaghan & Fletcher Peters

I See the Light – Concert Singers

Keara Corbett & Ben Goedert

  

Written in the Stars – Concert Choir

Tim Berberich & Shannon Finegan

Let It Go – Treble Choir

Natalia Marra & Claire Schneider

How Do I Know – Treble Ensemble

Rachel Davis

________

Almost There – Solo

From “Princess and the Frog”

Sharon Stagaman

Cheetah Sisters – Quintet

From “The Cheetah Girls”

Elise Cismesia, Kileen Dietrich, Esther Farley, Sophia Fotos, Hannah Link

I Just Wanna Be With You – Duet

From “High School Musical 3”

Julia Lambert & Freddy Zimmerman

In Summer – Solo

From “Frozen”

Nate Doro

Love Is An Open Door – Duet

From “Frozen”

Robbie Gartlan & Sydney Wagner

Stuck On You – Duet

From “Austin & Ally”

Max Duggan & Nolan Young

When Will My Life Begin – Solo

From “Tangled”

Heidi Kutchek

Who I Am – Solo

From “The Pirate Fairy”

Myriah Nelson

A Day In Downtown San Fran!

Sunday was filled with a lot of exciting events. We started the day with Alcatraz. We learned about the history, and the way the inmates were controlled over a wonderful audio tour. We then made our way to a tour of the city which included Ghirardelli Square. We stopped at the original chocolate shop in San Francisco to pick up a nice little treat. After a sweet tooth, we started our tour of the city. Our first stop was at the legendary Lombard Street. After a long walk up the hill, we took some breath taking pictures, and made our way to what else but the Golden Gate Bridge. There we also took some great pictures. We then finished our day with the world famous Mamma Mia!

Alcatraz, Mamma Mia, and More!

We started out the day with a trip to Alcatraz where we got to see the cells of infamous prisoners and hear about their lives in confinement. We took the ferry back to Pier 39 for a quick lunch and visited Ghirardelli Square! We had a tour of San Francisco that included a walk up Lombard Street and a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge. We ate a great meal at Hunan Home in Chinatown and ended the night with a FANTASTIC performance of Mamma Mia!

Stairway to Heaven

One of my favorite moments today is something that miraculously includes physical activity, which to most people who know me well is probably a bit of a shock. Trecking up and back down the crooked (and famous) Lombard street had to be all of a half an hour at most, and believe me, there was a lot of uneasiness at exercising our muscular endurance following our Gharardelli excursion. However, the stretching of our hamstrings turned out to be so worth it- the view was of course breathtaking, and standing a top the hill with the city sprawled out beneath us was insane in more ways than one. This short experience that could to some be considered another of the many stops we made today turned into a totally unmissable experience to share with some of our closest friends and definitely made today memorable. #swag

A Day At The Sea

Yesterday was filled with lots of driving and exploring as we headed down the coast to Carmel and Monterey.  We stopped several times along the way to see some great landmarks, and we know the students will look forward to sharing what they've learned upon their arrival.  Some highlights include...

Stopping for some deep-fried artichoke in Castroville:

Visiting the Lone Cypress on the famous 17 Mile Drive:

Finding time to share our treats:

The Freshman Choir members at the beach:

The Carmel Mission:

Monterey Bay

What a day! After breakfast we loaded the buses and went for a 17 mile drive along the beautiful California coast. Made a few stops along the way to take pictures on the beach. Afterward, we headed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where we got to enjoy the wonders of the sea, it was gorgeous! Finally, we finished the night with a delicious meal at Bubba Gump and headed back to the hotel.

First Day Fun

So yesterday was filled with lots of exciting events. We started with an amazing workshop at San Fransisco State University. From there we explored the beautiful campus and had a nice lunch on campus. We then made our way to Grace Cathedral and held an open concert to all. It was a really good experience for all of us. The group learned a lot from the experience at the university and at Grace Cathedral, and are sure we will take what we learned and apply it to our everyday learning at North. After singing, we had some time to take cable cars to Fisherman's Wharf and walk around the pier. Followed by dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, we went to a local improv show where a number of our group members participated. Lastly, after a good night sleep, we are ready for another action packed day!

Choir Performance at Grace Cathedral

After a wonderful morning at San Francisco State University, we headed downtown to Grace Cathedral for our performance.  The cathedral was stunning, and while it was exciting to explore the space, it was even more thrilling to sing in it!

We continued the tradition of closing our concert with the North High Alma Mater - we even had a few audience members singing with us!

The massive cathedral space is hard to see from our performance pictures - these might give one a clearer picture.  They had strands of ribbon hanging from the ceiling which looked beautiful especially with the sunlight streaming in from the stained glass windows.

San Francisco State, Sunshine and Fisherman's Wharf

Hitting the Ground Running

To say that San Francisco hit us like a blizzard in March (which actually happens back home) is an understatement. Though the term "culture shock" crosses my mind, it's been a good kind of shock- eye opening and exciting in every way. Starting the day off with words of wisdom from San Francisco State's Dr. Brandes was definitely a highlight, and I think I speak for each of us seniors who are planning to pursue music next year that she had some very reassuring things to say about the music world and having the courage to do what you love. No matter how much a musician loves his or her craft, there is always that lingering doubt that passion might not be enough; however, Dr. Brandes said that no matter what field you enter, there is always a chance that it won't work out. What really matters is that you put your whole self into your work, because if you really love it, that will be enough. To hear this from someone so seasoned re inspired my confidence that music is what I love, and music is what I will always do in some form. The clinic was a truley memorable experience, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the trip has in store.

Annie Ketchmark

Our Clinic At San Francisco State University

Had an amazing experience at the clinic at San Francisco University thanks to Dr. Brandes. So excited for our performance at Grace Cathedral!
- Emma Rotz

Another Great Day: The Mission, Carmel, and Monterey

What a fun-filled day! We woke up early for a scenic drive to Monterey Area and Pebble Beach - needless to say the views were GORGEOUS! From there we enjoyed a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Carmel Mission Bisilica. We ended our day with a delicious meal at Bubba Gumps. Looking forward to another great day! Goodnight San Francisco!

And We're Off!!!

San Francisco Tour Excitement and Updates

Excitement is building as we prepare to leave for our San Francisco Choir Tour tomorrow afternoon!  98 choir students and 5 District 99 faculty members will depart for the west coast to tour and perform in the San Francisco area.  An updated itinerary can be found on the right-hand side of this blog.  Pictures and updates will be posted throughout our tour.  We are happy to have four student bloggers to offer their unique perspective throughout the tour - look for special posts by Emma Rotz (Freshman Choir), Tim Berberich (Concert Choir), Shannon Kennedy (Treble Choir) and Annie Ketchmark (A Cappella Choir).  We are looking forward to a wonderful tour!