Arts

The arts are an essential piece of the Upper School curriculum and community life. Students are required to take at least three semesters in the arts, choosing from a robust selection of electives in the visual arts, music, and theater. Student artwork is showcased in the Harry M. Drake Gallery, and the Upper School's two concerts and three theatrical productions are highly-anticipated community events, all of which take place in the Huss Center for Performing Arts, the school's state-of-the-art, 650-seat auditorium.

Music

Upper School music courses are ensemble-based and include two orchestral ensembles, two choral ensembles, a jazz ensemble, and the Honors Music Seminar. All ensembles perform in two concerts every year, and the extracurricular a cappella singing group also performs at school events. Private music lessons are also available through the school, with instructors who specialize in teaching high school students.

Visual Arts

Visual arts coursework is offered in ceramics, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and the video arts. Advanced Art Workshops enable students to deepen their skills through independent projects and create a small body of work for presentation or exhibition in the Harry M. Drake Gallery.

Theater

Topic-based theater courses focus on Theatrical Arts, Acting, Design, Directing, and Production. Three audition-based theatrical performances each year include the Fall Play, the Winter One-Acts, and the Spring Musical.

2023-24 Upper School Arts Calendar

We look forward to welcoming live performances back to the Upper School! Please note that all dates and performances below are subject to change.

For a full list of performances and art events, click here!

November 17-18, 2023: Upper School Fall Play: Sense and Sensibility | Program | Photos
December 8-9, 2023: Pops Concert
January 26, 2024: Upper School Winter One-Acts
April 17, 2024: Middle/Upper School Jazz Band Cabaret
April 27, 2024: Vocal/Orchestral Spring Concert & Community Chorale
May 17-19, 2024: Upper School Spring Musical: The Logic Pit

HARRY M. DRAKE GALLERY Exhibition Schedule

September 8-September 29, 2023: Alumni Exhibition
October 6-November 3, 2023: Regional Artist Exhibit - Anomalies: Interventions into the Digitized Feminine Space
November 10-December 15, 2023: US Advanced Workshops and MS Capstone Exhibit
January 8-January 27, 2024: Regional Artist Exhibit - Mikayla Ennevir
February 10-Spring Break, 2024: Regional Artist Exhibit - Anita Gobalaswamy
April 5-April 26, 2024: Advanced Workshop Spring Exhibit (Grade 12)
May 3-June 3, 2024: Advanced Workshop Spring Exhibit (Grade 11)

June 11, 2021: Upper School Musical

Friday, June 11 was the livestream debut of Song, Dance, and Taking a Chance, this year's Upper School Spring Musical. The show is a musical theater experience that follows the structure of a typical musical, but is populated with exciting numbers from 17 different shows. It’s a love letter to musical theater in video form! View the program. The show is available for on-demand viewing beginning on Saturday, June 12. The trailer for the show, featuring a takeoff of "Hello" from The Book of Mormon, is below. Enjoy the show!

May 21, 2021: upper school spring showcase

Friday, May 21, 2021 was the livestream debut of the 2021 Upper School Spring Showcase, featuring performances by the Academy Symphony, Honors Sinfonia, Summit Singers, Academy Chorale, Jazz Band, Orchestra Winds, and the Community Chorale. View the performance program or view the livestream. Congratulations to all our Upper School musicians and singers!

2021 Senior Art Seminar Exhibition

The 2021 Senior Art Seminar Exhibition is the creation of students enrolled in the Honors Art Seminar, the Upper School's most advanced art seminar. This year, seminar students worked hard to curate two exhibitions of their work. "The Observer Effect" is on display in the Harry M. Drake Gallery on the Randolph Campus through June 6, 2021; and "Atmospheric Pressure," a virtual exhibition, is accessible online here.

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