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December 2011 Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 2   Home Greetings from Murray Savar I heartily welcome all of you to the upcoming Winter Concerts at AIS!   Over 25 percent of the Upper School will be singing – the largest Upper School Choir in AIS history! Our Middle School Choruses and Instrumental Ensembles will be joining this performance of uplifting music of the season! Dr. Cara Latham and Mr. Benjamin Vaughan are busily rehearsing their ensembles for this inspiring evening. We are preparing both traditional and new works this year.  A highlight will be the performance of Un Nacimiento, written and arranged especially for our choir by esteemed Latin American composer Diego Luzuriaga.  Mr. Luzuriaga, also a teacher at Friends Central School, will be in attendance. (Fun Fact: Mr. Luzuriaga is married to one of Agnes Irwin's newest additions, Clare Luzuriaga, Communications Manager and Graphic Designer).  This new carol was one of two winners of the Vocalessence 2006 Carol Contest.  It was subsequently premiered and recorded by Vocalessence of Minneapolis that same year. Our Lower School is bursting with excitement over the premier performance of "The Miserable Muse," an original children’s winter holiday musical that I've composed.  All 213 Lower School students will be singing and acting in this original musical, which weaves the muses of mythology into a contemporary scenario.  The audience will witness the transformation of “Malaphonia,” the miserable 10th muse of noise and cacophony, into a joyful patron saint of children’s singing!    Please plan to attend this enjoyable, funny, and moving extravaganza on Tuesday, December 13 at 8:30 a.m. We have scheduled an additional performance on Thursday, December 15 at 1:30 p.m.  Everyone is invited!   Murray Savar is the Music Coordinator for the Lower and Upper Schools at Agnes Irwin.   Haute Hats by AIS Studio Art Students Inspired by the 2010 award-winning portfolio of 12th grader Sally Baer (a member of the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers), AIS Studio Art students worked in pairs researching, sketching, and constructing their first 3-dimensional project of the year: wearable paper hats!    Careful consideration was given to 1) maximizing the utility and flexibility of the medium, 2) communicating a specific style or theme, and 3) creating a stable, wearable piece of art that demonstrated creativity, originality and good craftsmanship.   Click here to see the array of haute hats crafted by AIS Studio Arts Students!   AIS Student to Perform at Carnegie Hall   Miji Ryu, a senior at Agnes Irwin, will perform with a youth orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Friday, December 2.  Congratulations, Miji!   Xanadu: An Insider's View Review by Virginia Small, a junior at AIS who performed the role of Calliope in XANADU     When asked to write a review of XANADU, my first thought was “How in the world do I condense the wonderful and demanding process of staging an Agnes Irwin musical into a short article?” I was truly befuddled. Then I realized that my job was not so much to describe the intense mental process of the actors nor to describe the tremendous amount of work that goes into putting on a full-scale production but rather to convey in just a few words the unforgettable experience of being part of the production that was XANADU. Read Virginia's Full Review Here   Click here to visit the XANADU media gallery   Focusing on the Figurative   With a focus on figurative art, students in Advanced Studio Art III and IV worked at the easel using charcoal pencils and pastels, drawing from observation of anatomical casts in plaster and wood.   Winter Concerts Schedule at AIS December 7 The Bel Cantos to Perform in Camden   Between performances at St. James School in Philadelphia and the Gordon Theater (Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts) in Camden, New Jersey, the Bel Cantos plan to set up impromptu singing spots throughout Center City. ("Flash mob" sites and other "on the spot"' singing have been prearranged.) The Bel Cantos will conclude their city trip with a short concert at the Hopkinson House in Washington Square.   December 12 Middle and Upper School Winter Concert   7 p.m. Location: Laura Thomas Buck '49 Pavilion December 13 and 15 Lower School Winter Concert "The Miserable Muse," an original musical by Murray Savar, Music Coordinator at AIS. Interweaving the muses of mythology into a contemporary musical, Mr. Savar has creatively involved every student in the AIS Lower School.   8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 13 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 15 Location: Laura Thomas Buck '49 Pavilion   Message from the Arts Board Arts for Eburru: Students Raising Funds for School in Kenya   This coming January, the Agnes Irwin Arts Board will host an art exhibition entitled "Art for Eburru" in which artwork from the AIS community will be sold in order to raise money for a secondary school in Eburru, Kenya. Click here for art submission deadlines and other information.   January 20, 7 p.m. • The Moran Gallery IMPULSE ARTS NIGHT The official kick-off to Arts Week will feature a lively open mic night where anything goes – music, poetry, drama - all in a positive and welcoming setting.   January 23-27 • Various campus locations ARTS WEEK In an effort to promote the arts at AIS and to the community more broadly, the student-run Arts Board is dedicating a week in January to showcase the various disciplines in Agnes Irwin's Arts Department. Previous Arts Weeks have included workshops with visiting artists, visual arts activities and performances by the Bel Cantos and Haverford Notables.