“We have liberated our musicians…from basements and attics all over the campus . . . We hope now that no student will leave our campus without having been touched by the arts,” announced Headmaster Seymour St. John at the 1971 dedication of the Paul Mellon Arts Center, according to the Choate website. St. John’s wishes for the school are certainly being fulfilled today, especially by the many ensembles and classes in the music department.
Singers can take their pick from any of the eight choral groups on campus. Members in the Festival Chorus and Chamber Chorus, both directed by Mr. Ralph Valentine ’62, receive academic credit that can help fulfill the arts requirement. The other six vocal groups, five of which are student run, are all a capella. Female singers can join Lillith or the Wimawehs (which originated at Rosemary Hall), while the Kaprophones and Maiyeros are options for boys who know how to carry a tune. Milagros, Choate’s very own gospel choir, and Stonatos, a faculty-student singing group, are always crowd favorites when they perform at all-school meetings. Mr. Valentine proudly attests that all of the groups bring “a huge variety of vocal music to the school.” Some students join one group, while others join three or more, taking full advantage of all that the choral music program at Choate offers.
Those who are a bit shyer or just want to hone their singing skills can learn from any of the three outside voice teachers who give lessons in the PMAC. Students can showcase their work at voice recitals: one on February 18 and the other in the spring. The theater department also offers options for vocalists, such as the annual Winter Cabaret and Spring Musical.
Options for instrumentalists are also abound on campus. In addition to the opportunity to take private lessons, Brass, wind, and percussion players can join the Band and Wind Ensemble, Orchestra, or the more selective Jazz Ensemble or Chamber Orchestra. The Band and Wind Ensemble, rehearses twice a week under the direction of Mr. Gary Partridge, and holds its main performances during Parents’ Weekend, the end of winter term, and at Prize Day and Graduation. The Chamber Orchestra, directed by Phillip Ventre, for advanced string, piano, and wind players has gained renown traveling the world. The group has performed in Canda, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Austria, and China. Most impressively, they have held concerts at Lincoln Center, the Great Wall of China, the Guggenheim Museum, the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, and at Yale University. During June 2006, the ensemble toured Vienna, Salzburg, Budapest, and Prague in celebration of Mozart’s 250th birthday.
To host the abundance of musical groups on campus, the school provides sufficient space in the I.M. Pei designed Paul Mellon Arts Center. For the use of musicians, the PMAC holds two theaters, one recital hall, and twelve practice rooms. The Seymour St. John Chapel boasts an organ (of the four currently on campus), and one harpsichord. Said Ali Smith ’09, head of Stonatos, co-president of The Wimawehs, and a cast-member in the Spring Musical for the past two years: “The musical helped me make friends as a freshman, and all aspects of the arts introduce you to great people and interesting faculty. The PMAC is a virtually limitless practice space, with all of the practice rooms, black box theater, and its own recording studio.”
Even though there are plenty of rehearsal spaces on campus, they are not always available to students who need them. Said Ellie Foster ’08, “The only time I've wished for some improvement is in terms of the availability of the facilities. Choate has one of, if not the most stunning and practical Arts Centers of all New England prep schools. However, often when I've tried to hold rehearsal, I've found that the music rooms on the fourth and fifth floors are locked, and those that aren't are usually being used by other students. I'd like to see further accessibility to the resources that we have.”
Students who don’t necessarily play an instrument or sing but love music can also take an academic course in the subject. Courses include Music of the 1960’s, Music Production, and the History of Jazz. Whether you are someone like Mary Foster ’10, whose musical endeavors include the a capella group Lillith, Jazz Band, and the Band and Wind Ensemble, or you are someone who just wants to learn about music production, Choate will have something for you.
