Juilliard students help high school singers give voice to their art
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Aiken Standard photo.[/caption]
From reporting by the Aiken Standard:
High school students gave youthful voices Wednesday to an early art form that dates back to Italy in the late 1500s.
As part of Joye in Aiken's educational outreach program, students from the S.C. Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville sang works from early Baroque opera during a master class conducted by students from The Juilliard School's Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute of Vocal Arts.
Joye in Aiken receives grant support from the S.C. Arts Commission.
Read the full story from the Aiken Standard here.
Tuning Up: Journey to Juilliard, SCGSAH expansion
Good morning!
"Tuning Up" is a morning post series where The Hub delivers quick-hit arts stories of interest to readers. Sometimes there will be one story, sometimes there will be several. Get in tune now, and have a masterpiece of a day. And now, in no particular order...
Journey to Juilliard. After facing adversity from the moment he was born, Midlands teen
Robert Mason, a student at the S.C. Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities (SCGSAH), found his passion and stuck with it. Now it's paying off: Mason will be on his way this fall to study at one of the most prestigious performing arts programs in the country.
He sat down with WIS-TV to share more about his about his journey to Juilliard School and his passion for dancing.
SCGSAH expansion to add music building. SCGSAH officials
broke ground last week on a new 10,000-square-foot building for the school’s music department. The planned two-story building will include additional studios, practice rooms, large ensemble spaces and humidity-controlled instrument storage space. The S.C. General Assembly appropriated $4.31 million dollars for this project, which the school expects will take one year to complete.
A "Grants Roundup" note. During times when there are no grant applications due within a ~30-day window, The Hub does not run "Grants Roundup."
Juilliard in Aiken to celebrate memory of founder Gregory White Smith
Juilliard in Aiken is ready to “Make Miracles Happen” when its Performing Arts Festival and Outreach Program returns with eight days of performances and a lineup of spectacular young stars from March 7 – 15, 2015. With a theme based on the title of a book written by the late Juilliard in Aiken founder and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gregory White Smith, the 2015 program promises a seventh year of joy, hope, wonder and excitement. The final Saturday of the festival features a memorial celebration for Smith, who lost his nearly lifelong battle with brain cancer in April 2014.
Steve Naifeh, current Juilliard in Aiken chair, says that the vision Smith and Sandra Field (the organization’s president emeritus) had six years ago was to bring Juilliard’s world-class art to as many people in the area as possible, without regard to circumstance or background.
“Greg believed as I do, and as The Juilliard School does, that great art is transforming,” Naifeh says. “He wanted everyone, everywhere, to have access to it. That’s why all of our performances are either free or low-cost. And it’s why we have such an extensive outreach program.”
Naifeh said the organization’s school outreaches have served more than 20,000 students since Juilliard in Aiken’s founding in 2009. This year the program will reach students from age five to college.
Naifeh noted that the success of last year’s festival, which brought 1,000 people to a historically accurate, three-hour production of Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion, bodes well for the future.
“It proved that Aiken audiences truly appreciate the level of quality that characterizes every performance,” he said. “The Juilliard School is one of the most prestigious and highly respected institutions in the world. I think our audience will be pleased that this year’s festival offers so much variety while maintaining Juilliard’s extremely high standards in terms of artistry and talent.”
Highlights of the festival include the return of Juilliard Dance -- not seen in Aiken since 2012 -- and a free Juilliard Juniors Dance program for families with children ages 5 - 10. The Allant Trio will offer piano, violin and cello, and Juilliard Jazz will perform a concert at the Etherredge Center and during After Hours at the Willcox. The Showcase Concert on Friday, March 13 features piano duo Anderson & Roe and guest artist baritone Elliott Carlton Hines, who will also perform sacred songs in a worship service open to everyone on March 15 at Second Baptist Church.
For the performance and outreach schedules and to purchase tickets, visit www.juilliardinaiken.com.
Via: Juilliard in Aiken
Star of Jackie Robinson film is a graduate of S.C. arts education programs
In an opinion piece for The Times & Democrat, Dr. Leo Twiggs, board member for the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, discusses the success of one student who was the product of South Carolina's public school arts in education programs.
Local woman takes advantage of opportunities
April 29, 2013 2:45 am • By DR. LEO TWIGGS
The number one movie in the box office showcases the talents of two South Carolina actors. One of whom is a graduate of the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities (SCGSAH).
SCGSAH alumnae Nicole Brown Beharie graduated from the school’s Drama program in 2003. An AP student at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, Nicole wasn’t initially encouraged to SCGSAH to continue her studies. Her mother had the tenacity to contact me, a board member for the school, to find out more about the program. Thankfully, I was able to give her the information she needed for the application, and Nicole was accepted.
Attending the school afforded Nicole, as it does all students, opportunities not otherwise provided in a traditional school setting. After two years of intense study in academics and drama, her chosen artistic discipline, she was the first SCGSAH student to be accepted and attend one of the most prestigious performing arts institutions in the world, the Juilliard School for Drama. It felt fortuitous that I was on campus the day she received her acceptance letter. I knew nothing but good things would come from this amazing actress.
And I was right.
She was the first student to receive the prestigious Robin Williams Scholarship by unanimous vote of the Juilliard drama division faculty. Now she is playing a starring role in the country’s top ranked movie, “42.” Handpicked for the role of Jackie Robinson’s wife by Rachel Robinson herself, Nicole shines as she embodies the small-statured but strong companion to the baseball legend.
Nicole’s story is one of many to come from the state-supported public arts high school. The South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities fosters artistically talented South Carolina students, no matter their race, gender or economic station in life. And it fosters growth into amazing things.
So when Nicole gets her first Oscar nomination, be it for “42” or another role, she will have done so with the foundation of a South Carolina public school. A school that historically attains the third highest SAT scores in the state, without selecting its students by academic standards, and has received more than $120 million in scholarship offers since the inaugural graduating class in 2001. A school that succeeds because it provides a life-changing opportunity for every one of the students that attends.
South Carolina is full of students just like Nicole, and it is our job to reach them and let them know of the opportunities provided by this great state. By supporting SCGSAH and arts education, you give a voice to these talented students and help change lives.
— Dr. Leo Twiggs
Artist
Board Member, SCGSAH
Board of Trustees Chairman, South Carolina Hall of Fame
[caption id="attachment_5642" align="aligncenter" width="600"]
Nicole Beharie as Rachel Robinson in "42"[/caption]
Via:
The Times & Democrat
Editor's note: Beharie is paired with another South Carolinian in "42;" Jackie Robinson is played by Anderson native Chadwick Boseman.
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South Carolinians Nicole Beharie and Chadwick Boseman star as Rachel and Jackie Robinson in "42."
Image source: http://42movie.warnerbros.com[/caption]
Application deadline extended for Juilliard Summer Jazz Camp
Application deadline extended to May 15!
There's still time to apply for the Juilliard Summer Jazz Camp in Aiken, a one-week program for students ages 13-18 who are dedicated, disciplined and passionate about jazz. The camp is scheduled for June 10-14, 2013, at the University of South Carolina-Aiken and is open to students from across the United States who meet the requirements.
The program is designed to give young jazz musicians a taste of a Juilliard Jazz student’s life and to help them refine their technique, improvisation and performance skills. Teachers include members of the Juilliard Jazz faculty, current senior students and alumni. The daily camp schedule is from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and includes musicianship classes, individual practices, ensemble classes and rehearsals, listening sessions and jam sessions. The camp concludes with a concert featuring all students.
Instruments for this year's camp are the trumpet, saxophone, trombone, guitar, piano, double bass and drums. There is no vocal program.
The camp is a collaboration between the Juilliard School, Juilliard in Aiken, and the University of South Carolina-Aiken.
Tuition is $400 with additional optional fees for housing and meals. Limited financial assistance is available for those who qualify. Application and non-refundable $150 deposit are due May 15.
To find out more or to apply, visit the Juilliard in Aiken website and read the camp application.
Via: Juilliard in Aiken
Young jazz musicians invited to apply for Juilliard Summer Camp
Application deadline April 15
The Juilliard Summer Jazz Camp in Aiken is a one-week program for students ages 13-18 who are dedicated, disciplined and passionate about jazz. The camp is scheduled for June 10-14, 2013, at the University of South Carolina-Aiken and is open to students from across the United States who meet the requirements.
The program is designed to give young jazz musicians a taste of a Juilliard Jazz student’s life and to help them refine their technique, improvisation and performance skills. Teachers include members of the Juilliard Jazz faculty, current senior students and alumni. The daily camp schedule is from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and includes musicianship classes, individual practices, ensemble classes and rehearsals, listening sessions and jam sessions. The camp concludes with a concert featuring all students.
Instruments for this year's camp are the trumpet, saxophone, trombone, guitar, piano, double bass and drums. There is no vocal program.
The camp is a collaboration between the Juilliard School, Juilliard in Aiken, and the University of South Carolina-Aiken.
Tuition is $400 with additional optional fees for housing and meals. Limited financial assistance is available for those who qualify. Application and non-refundable $150 deposit are due April 15.
To find out more or to apply, visit the Juilliard in Aiken website and read the camp application.
Via: Juilliard in Aiken
