DHS Tri-M Music Honor Society Holiday Caroling

Members of the Darien High School Tri-M Music Honor Society recently sang carols in Darien neighborhoods as a fundraiser for after school music programs in Southwestern Connecticut such as the K.E.Y.S. program in Bridgeport and Project Music in Stamford.  The Tri-M Music Honor Society is comprised of members from the Darien High School Chorus, Orchestra, Band and Music Theory classes. 

Pictured (L to R): Catherine O'Connor, Robbie Gaaserud, Kasey Mazzone, Anika Satish, Lana Schmidt, Lauren Picard, Maya Nalawade, Sophie Larizza, Sophia Talwalker, and Darien residents, Tiffany and John O'Connor.

Darien High School Musicians Chosen to Perform in Western Region Honors Ensembles

24 musicians from the Darien High School Band, Orchestra and Chorus have been chosen to perform in the CMEA Western Regional Music Festival to be held at Darien High School on January 11-12th. 

The Darien Public Schools Music Department is proud to announce that 24 outstanding musicians from Darien High School have been chosen through a highly competitive audition process to perform at the Connecticut Music Educators Association Western Region Music Festival. The honors music festival will take place at Darien High School on January 11-12 where the students will have the privilege of working in Band, Orchestra, Chorus, and Jazz ensembles with some of Connecticut’s most accomplished high school musicians conducted by nationally renowned conductors and educators. Richard Sadlon, the Director of Music in Darien states that, “The students chosen for participation in the CT Western Region Music Festival have consistently worked and studied over several years to develop their musical skills and been chosen as among the finest high school musicians in Western Connecticut. We are all extremely proud of their musical accomplishments.”

The students representing Darien High at the 2019 Connecticut Western Region Honors Music Festival are:  Band:  Jack Armstrong,trombone, Shea Ehrhard, French Horn, Ben Henry, clarinet, John Lochtefeld, baritone sax, Grant McIntyre, tenor sax, Celia Mundt, flute, Anna Schorr, clarinet, Evan Tong, clarinet, Doug Werner, alto sax and Jacob Won, clarinet.  Orchestra:  Frank Drugge, French Horn, John Fallon, mallets, Elizabeth Garijo-Garde, cello, Andrew Qin, violin Meghan Shaughnessy, viola. Chorus: Eleanor Chase, soprano, Henry Domenici, tenor, Juliette Kieman, soprano, Elle Mitrano, soprano, Amina Mobarik, alto, Caeleigh O’Connor, alto, Caroline Orphanos, soprano, Ethan Schrader, bass and Henry Steinthal, bass.

All of the students who participated in the Connecticut Western Region Festival will be eligible to audition for the Connecticut All-State Festival ensembles.  Congratulations to all of the students and their teachers, Mr. Christopher Andrade, Chorus, Mr. Jonathan Grauer, Band and Ms. Jane Minnis, Orchestra. The regional honors ensemble concerts will take place at the Darien High School auditorium on Saturday, January 12^th.

5-6 Jazz Lab to Perform Jazz Showcase!

The Darien 5-6 Jazz Lab will be presenting their winter Jazz Showcase performance in the Orchestra Room at Darien High School on Thursday, December 13 at 4:30 p.m. The ensemble will feature all of the students and their high school assistants performing their improvisation on jazz standards. The 5-6 Jazz Lab Director is Mr. Collin Walters. The group will also be performing on the Sweet Night of Jazz on February 6th.

Darien School Groups to Perform at Stamford Mall Holiday Concert Series.

Several Darien School musical ensembles will be performing in the Stamford Town Center's "Holidays in Harmony" concert series. All of the student performances will being at 4:00 p.m. the the mall's Center Court. The following school ensembles will be participating: Monday, December 3, Holmes Elementary School Chorus, Tuesday, December 4, Darien High School Flute Ensemble & Tokeneke Elementary School Chorus, Wednesday, December 5, Darien High School Tudor Singers, Thursday, December 6, Darien High School Strings, Friday, December 7, Middlesex Middle School ROCKestra.

Darien Schools Announce December Concert Schedule

The Darien Public School Music Department would like to announce their schedule of upcoming holiday winter concert programs for the month of December. The concerts will feature nearly 2,000 Band, Chorus, and Orchestra students performing in 10 concert programs throughout the district. There is no charge for any of our winter concerts. The schedule of concerts is as follows:

December 3       MMS Grade 6&7 Winter Chorus Concert             6:30 p.m.             DHS Auditorium

December 3       MMS Grade 8 Chorus and Camerata Concert       8:00 p.m.             DHS Auditorium

December 5       MMS Grade 6, 7, 8 Orchestras Winter Concert     7:00 p.m.             DHS Auditorium

December 6       MMS Grade 6, 7, 8  Bands Winter Concert           7:00 p.m.             DHS Auditorium

December 10     Tokeneke Holiday Concert                                     9:15 a.m.             Tokeneke School

December 11     Holmes Holiday Concert                                        9:30 a.m.             Holmes School

December 12     Darien HS Holiday Spectrum Concert                   7:00 p.m.             DHS Auditorium

December 13     Ox Ridge Holiday Concert                                     9:45 a.m.             Ox Ridge School

December 14     Hindley Holiday Concert                                        9:30 a.m.             Hindley School

December 18     Royle Holiday Concert                                            9:15 a.m.             Royle School

For more Music Department information go to: www.darienps.org/music or sign on to the Music Department Blog at: www.darienmusic.blogspot.com

Orchestras Perform Fall Halloween Concert

The DHS Chamber Orchestra and Concert Orchestra were joined by the Grade 8 Orchestra and the DHS Tudor Singers on October 29th to perform Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" from Carmina Burana as their concert finale. Jane Minnis is the Director of Orchestras at Darien High School, Christopher Andrade directs the Tudor Singers and Austin Scelzo and Dylan Spielvogel instruct our middle school strings. You can hear the finale at the link below:
O Fortuna from Carmina Burana - DHS Orchestras&Tudor Singers

                                                                 Happy Halloween!!

Darien HS and MMS Orchestras Present "The Haunted Ballroom" Concert

The Darien High School Concert Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra will be presenting their first concert of the season, The Haunted Ballroom"  on Monday, October 29th at 7:00 p.m. in the Darien HS Auditorium. The high school Orchestras will be joined by the Middlesex Middle School 8th grade Orchestra. Ms. Jane Minnis is the director of Orchestras at Darien HS and Austin Scelzo is the orchestra Director at Middlesex Middle School. 

Darien HS Wind Ensemble, Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble Present Their Fall Concert!!

The Darien High School Concert Band prepares for their first concert on the school year. The band under the direction of Mr. Jonathan Grauer, will present their concert on Thursday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m. The event will be live-streamed at:

https://youtu.be/njWud3WL2Ro

The Darien HS Wind Ensemble rehearses The Divine Comedy complete with special effects for their concert on October 25 at 7:00 p.m. They will be joined by the Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble. This concert will be a live-streamed event and can be seen at: https://youtu.be/njWud3WL2Ro

Darien High School Choruses Present Fall Concert

The Darien High School Concert Choir and Tudor Singers presented their first concert of the school year on Monday, October 22 at Darien HS. The concert also included performances by the Middlesex Middle School Grade 8 Chorus and Camerata Singers. All of the choruses, made up nearly 375 students, combined forces to perform the final selection. Christopher Andrade is the director of the Darien High School choruses and Kimberly Sadler and Tom O’Donnell are the directors of the Middlesex Middle School choruses. The ensembles were accompanied by Royle School music teacher, Kathleen Theisen.

DHS & 8th Grade Choruses Prepare for October 22 Concert!

The Darien High School Concert Choir prepares for their first concert of the school year. The concert performance will be at DHS on Monday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m. The Darien HS choruses are directed by Mr. Christopher Andrade and accompanied by Ms. Kathleen Theisen.

The Darien High School Tudor rehearse for their upcoming performance at Darien HS on Monday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m.. The high school choruses will be joined by our Middlesex Middle School 8th Grade Chorus and Camerata Singers. 

Darien Day at the Stamford Symphony

Approximately 250 students, parents and staff from the Darien Public Schools attended a Stamford Symphony Concert on Sunday, October 14 at the Palace Theater in Stamford. Above, Stamford Symphony conductor Edward Cumming and clarinet soloist, Pavel Vinnitsky speak to our students and their parents in a pre-concert session for children.

The Stamford Symphony opened their season on October 14th with a tribute to Leonard Bernstein at 100. The program featuring the music American composers. The program feature the music of Joan Tower, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin and the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein.

Registration for the Darien Grade 5-6 Jazz Lab

The Darien 5-6 Jazz Lab!!

This exciting opportunity is open to all students in grades 5 & 6 currently enrolled in their school Band ensemble, with exceptions made for a limited number of piano, bass and guitar students. This ensemble is open to students who play all band instruments, piano, bass, guitar and drum set.

Students will be performing music in the jazz, pop and rock styles and will develop skills in improvising and creating and performing their own original music. This ensemble will be taught by Mr. Colin Walters, band director at Tokeneke, Royle and Ox Ridge and members of the award winning Darien High School Jazz Ensemble as well as Music teachers from throughout the district.

This ensemble will meet every Thursday from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. at Darien High School, 80 High School Lane in the DHS Orchestra Room, F023.  Depending on the response for this opportunity, enrollment may be limited, so please respond by promptly returning the form below to Colin Walters, Band Director, Ox Ridge School, 395 Mansfield Ave. Darien, CT 06820, use the google form link below, or send an email to cwalters@darienps.org by Friday, October 12 in order to assure participation. The first rehearsal is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 18 at Darien HS. If you have any questions, please contact Colin Walters at cwalters@darienps.org  or Director of Music, Richard Sadlon at: rsadlon@darienps.org 203-655-3981 ext: 2329.

Sign up for Jazz Lab using google form link: https://goo.gl/forms/KTjaz9E1VyeY5cIh2

Name   :                                                                       Grade:

Instrument:                                                                  School:

Parent’s email:                                                            Parent’s Phone #:

Address:                                                                      Student’s Band Director:

I understand that attendance at all 5-6 Jazz Lab Band scheduled rehearsals is expected and that I will provide transportations to and from rehearsals. (more detailed information will be forthcoming)                                      

Parent signature _____________                              Date__________________                

Darien Day at the Stamford Symphony - October 14th

Darien Day at the Stamford Symphony!!

Sunday, October 14^th is Darien Day at the Stamford Symphony!

The Stamford Symphony has generously donated a block of tickets for their October 14th concert to the Darien Public Schools!  This concert is dedicated to 100 years of Leonard Bernstein’s music, which is also our Music Department’s 2018-19 Curricular Focus Theme We are offering tickets to this performance for a reduced price of $10.00 each if purchased before October 1^st.  Thanks to the Stamford Symphony, our Music Department is able to keep 100% of the proceeds of our ticket sales to help to fund music programs for our students.

The October 14th concert begins at 3 pm and provides a wonderful opportunity for our students and their families to visit the Symphony and explore the magnificent music of Bernstein, Copland, and Tower, at the Palace Theatre, 61 Atlantic Street, in downtown Stamford.  Virtuoso musician, Pavel Vinnitsky will be the featured clarinet soloist on this concert.

Please join us in the Upper Lobby before the concert, at 2 PM, for MusiKids, a 40 minute, interactive music education experience that will help children understand the afternoon’s performance and provide an opportunity to meet one of the orchestra’s talented musicians.  Also available is the pre-concert Behind-the-Baton program, a 30 minute program beginning at 2 PM, for older children (13+) and adults, presented by the conductor Edward Cumming, in the concert hall.

Order your ticket(s) now by completing the form below and returning it to your school music teacher before October 1st, along with your check payable to: Darien Instrumental Program.  Once payment is received we will send you a voucher to present at the Palace Ticket Office. We have a limited number of tickets at this price, so reserve your tickets as soon as you can. This is a perfect opportunity to support our music programs and hear some incredible music with your family.  Questions about Darien Day at the Symphony?  Call 203-655-3981 ext: 2250 or email RSadlon@darienps.org

------------------------------------------------Detach  Here -------------------------------------------------------

Parent’s Name_______________________________________________________________

Child's(Children's) Name(s) ______________________________________________________

Address__________________________________________________________________

Phone # _____________________________e-mail___________________________

Music Teacher ______________________________

Total tickets_________ x $ 10.00 = _________ (total enclosed)

(Return to your music teacher on or before October 1)

Music Department Explores the Music of Leonard Bernstein

Music Teachers throughout the district participated in a Professionl Development session on the "Music and Life of Leonard Bernstein" in preparation for the Department's  Curricular Focus Theme for the 2018-19 school year. The session was lead by musicologist Jeffrey Engel. Students in grades PK-12 will study, perform and celebrate the music of Leonard Bernstein this year, to recognize Mr. Bernstein's 100th birthday.

Darien Advanced Summer Strings Perform for Community Events

Members of the Darien Advanced Summer Strings performed at 5 different community events during their 6 week string program. The students performed at the Darien Library, Sidewalk Sales, the Grove Street Plaza and twice at the Farmer’s Market. The director of the Darien Summer Strings program is Jane Minnis. 

Summer Jazz Workshop Students Perform at the Atria

Students participating in the Darien Summer Jazz Workshop performed their music for a very appreciative audience at the Darien Atria Senior Living facility on Thursday, July 12th. 

Middlesex Middle School Jazz Ensemble Performs for Ox Ridge Students!

The Middlesex Middle School Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. James Carter, shared their music with students and staff members at Ox Ridge Elementary School on Tuesday, June 12th.  

DHS Concert Choir and Tudor Singers Impress at Great East Music Festival!

Members of the Darien High School Concert Choir and Tudor Singers pose with their award plaques from the Great East Adjudicated Music Festival held in Springfield, Massachusetts on May 19.  The Concert Choir was awarded a Gold rating, and the Tudor Singers earned a Platinum rating (the highest designation given). Both ensembles are under the direction of Christopher Andrade.

Middlesex Jazz Ensemble Performs at Darien Senior Center

The Darien Senior Center was in for a treat on Thursday May 31st when Jim Carter (MMS Jazz Ensemble Director) brought the Middlesex Middle School Jazz Band to entertain with a lunch time concert.  The band launched into a jazz classic by Bud Green called “Sentimental Journey” featuring Cosmo Amatruda (Grade 8) on trumpet before moving on to other pieces such as “Mas Que Nada” by Jorge Ben, featuring Jake Dansker (Grade 8) on alto sax.  They rounded off the morning with a rousing number by Stevie Wonder, “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing”, with Jack McDermott (Grade 8) on trumpet and Austin Ennor (Grade 7) on tenor sax.  After the concert, the Darien students joined their enthusiastic jazz fan Senior Center audience for lunch and good conversation.

Pictured:

Bottom row L-R:  Paige Domenici, Katie Keating, Ryan Hoffman, Amelia Del Bene, Cillian Hallinan

Row 2  L-R:  Will Hopper, Bohdan Czebiniak, Nick Huffman, Teddy Peters, Dylan DeRiso, Charlotte Krueger

Row 3 L-R:  Luke Riordan (trumpet), Oliver West, Will Abbott, Austin Ennor, Khrystos Yika,

Row 4 L-R:  Cosmo Amatruda, Jake Dansker, Jack McDermott, Mr. Jim Carter (director), Drew Passaretti

Darien Elementary Honors Ensembles Perform at Music Festival

The 2018 Elementary Honors Band directed by teachers Colin Walters and Krista DiPietro.

The 2018 Elementary Honors Orchestra directed by teacher Jane Minnis and Dawn Hanley.

The 2018 Elementary Honors Chorus directed by teachers Kathleen Theisen and Ruth Lettera.

Congratulations to all of the 2018 Darien Elementary Honors Ensembles at the Music in the Parks Festival at Central Connecticut State University on Saturday, June 2. The Elementary Honors Orchestra turned in a Superior rated performance and earned an overall score of 96, which is the highest score a Darien honors orchestra has ever achieved.  The young orchestra impressed the judges with their artistry, musicality, stage presence, quality tone and rhythmic precision.  The orchestra is directed by Jane Minnis and Dawn Hanley. The Darien Elementary Honors Chorus directed by Kathleen Theisen and Ruth Lettera received a 1^st place trophy and was also awarded a trophy for the Best Overall Chorus at the festival.  The Elementary Honors Band, directed by Colin Walters and Krista DiPietro, turned in a strong performance and received an Excellent rating from the festival judges.

All of the students were rewarded for their excellent performances and fine musicianship by enjoying the afternoon at the Lake Compounce Amusement Park.

Hindley's Principal and the Pea is a Hit at Hindley!

Mrs. Kathy Knapp's third grade classes at Hindley School presented their version of "The Principal and the Pea" to the entire school, on May 31 and then again on Friday, June 1 to a standing room only audience of parents and friends. The performance featured the students singing, acting, dancing, and playing recorders. The third grade classroom teachers at Hindley are Joe Cahill, Julia Belmonte, Laura Coupe and Ryan Healy. Congratulations to the entire Hindley team for an awesome performance! 

Announcing Beginning Band Registration Night!!

The Music Department of the Darien Public Schools is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for all current third and fourth grade students to be a part of our award winning Darien Band program. All current third and fourth grade students in the Darien Public Schools who wish to begin learning a band instrument in the fall of this year are invited and encouraged to attend the beginning Band informational evening meeting to be held in the Tokeneke School Common Room at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 7^th. This presentation will be for interested students and their parents in all five of Darien’s Elementary Schools. An explanation of our Band program, instrument demonstrations, instrument rental program information, and class registrations for this fall will take place at this time. All interested students entering 4^th or 5^th grade in the fall are eligible to begin Band instrument instructions. All students attending these sessions must be accompanied by an adult. Information regarding this opportunity for students will also be distributed to students in their respective schools.

If you have any questions regarding our Elementary Band Program in the Darien Public Schools, please contact the Elementary Band teachers: Krista DiPietro at Holmes and Hindley kdipietro@darienps.org or Colin Walters at Ox Ridge, Royle or Tokeneke Schools cwalters@darienps.org  or call the District Music Office at: 655-3981 ext: 2250.

Music Department Announces Beginning String Instrument Registration

The Music Department would like to announce the opportunity for all students entering grade three in the fall of 2018 to register to play a string instrument in the Darien Public Schools String program. The registration evening, otherwise known as “Introduction to Strings Night” will take place on June 6, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the Middlesex Middle School auditorium.  The students and parents will get an overview of the school string program and will get an opportunity to hear and try each instrument so that they can make a decision as to which instrument they would prefer to study in the fall program.  Parents will also receive registration materials and information on instrument rental programs.

If you have any questions about any aspect of the elementary the string program, please contact your school string teachers, Dawn Hanley: DHanley@darienps.org   Dylan Spielvogel: DSPielvogel@darienps.org or Jane Minnis at: JMinnis@darienps.org  or 203-655-3981 ext: 2287

MMS Jazz Performs at WCSU Jazz Festival

The MMS Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Mr. James Carter, performed at WCSU Jazz Festival on Tuesday, May 15. The students performed for clinicians, attended workshops specific to each of their instruments and were able to hear professional jazz musicians as well as jazz bands from other districts.

The 2018 MMS Jazz Ensemble paused for a picture after their performance and workshop at the the Western Connecticut State University Jazz Festival. 

MMS Tenor saxophonist, Will Abbott, performs his rendition of the Carlos Santana composition Europa.

MMS Students Perform at Fairfield County Strings Festival

On Saturday, April 28th twelve students from the Middlesex Middle School Orchestras performed at the Fairfield County Strings Festival at Trumbull High School. The students prepared and performed challenging literature and were selected through an audition process in which chose 240 students to participate from throughout Fariefield County. 

Pictured above: Ellie Gaaserud, Conan Thibodeau, Chi-an Daugavietis

Students not pictured: Kaitlyn Murray, Helen Zhou, Daphne Konstantinis, Evan O'Rourke, Maggie Russell, Sydney Du, Michael Dong, Moera Kamimura, and Andy Lin

Darien Students Perform in CT Elementary Honors Choir

Four Royle fifth graders were selected to participate in the 2018 Elementary Honors Choir at the CMEA Conference at the CT Convention Center in Hartford on April 20. The students performed a variety of songs including some from Kenya. This all-day choral event was directed by guest conductor Craig B. Knapp and accompanied by Royle's Kathleen Theisen on piano.

Front from left: Cassidy Muscato, Reagan Little, Chloe Procopion, Courtney Haire

Back from left: Craig Knapp, Kathleen Theisen

Darien High School 2018 All-State Musicians

Darien High School 2018 All-State Musicians

Seven outstanding musicians from Darien High School were chosen through a highly competitive state-wide audition process and participated in the Connecticut Music Educators Association 2018 All-State Music Festival. The rehearsals and the concerts for the festival took place at Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT on April 19-21 in conjunction with the state-wide CMEA conference.  The Darien students had the privilege of working in musical ensembles with Connecticut’s most accomplished high school musicians conducted by nationally renowned conductors and educators.   Richard Sadlon, the Director of Music in Darien states that, “These students are among the finest school musicians in our state and we are all extremely proud of their accomplishments and for representing Darien High School and our entire town so well at this prestigious state-wide event.”

Pictured, left to right: Elizabeth Garijo-Garde, Caroline Orphanos, Caroline Lui, Caeleigh O’Connor, Henry Domenici, Sara Baldwin. Not pictured: Isabelle Hole

Darien Public Schools Announce Spring Concert Schedule

The Music Department of the Darien Public Schools is pleased to announce their Spring Concert calendar. All of the Spring Concerts will take place at the Darien High School Auditorium, 80 High School Lane.  There is no charge for admission and the public is welcomed.  If you have any questions or need additional information, you can contact the district Music Office at: 203-655-3981 ext: 2250 or access the Music Department Blog at: www.darienps.org/music

April 30	DHS Spring Orchestra Concert at DHS	7:30 P.M.
May 2	DHS Spring Choral Concert at DHS	7:00 P.M.
May 3	DHS Spring Band & Jazz Ensemble Concert at DHS	7:00 P.M.
May 7	MMS Spring Choral Concerts at DHS Grade 6-7&Viva Voce 6:30pm/Gr.8,Camerata 8:00p.m.	6:30 P.M. 8:00 P.M.
May 9	MMS Spring Orchestras Concert at DHS	7:00 P.M.
May 10	MMS  Spring Bands Concert at DHS	7:00 P.M.
May 14	Hindley Spring Concert at DHS	7:00 P.M.
May 15	Royle Spring Concert at DHS	7:00 P.M.
May 16	Tokeneke Spring Concert at DHS	7:00 P.M.
May 17	Ox Ridge Spring Concert at DHS	7:00 P.M.
May 21	Holmes Spring Concert at DHS	7:00 P.M.
May 31	DHS Small Ensemble Concert at DHS	7:00 P.M.

Darien HS Orchestra Performs Canada Tour

The Darien High School Orchestra, under the direction of Ms. Jane Minnis, traveled to Montreal and Quebec, Canada on April 7 – 11. The Orchestra participated in a masterclass with composer Gilles Bellemare at the Conservatoire de Montreal and performed two concerts in Quebec. The students also performed at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity and were able to tour each of the historic cities.

A video of their performance at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity can be found on YouTube at:

 https://youtu.be/LhCzERhiAXI

Barynya Russian Music Ensemble Concert at Darien HS April 17 7:00 p.m.

Darien Music for Youth presents free Barynya Russian Music Ensemble Concert April 17, 7 pm at  DHS

As part of our celebration of the district’s curricular theme, the music of Russia, Darien Music for Youth invites everyone to a free concert by the amazing Russian Music and Dance ensemble, Barynya, at Darien High School auditorium on April 17th at 7:00 pm. Student posters submitted for the “Music of Russia” contest in January will be displayed in the  lobby of the auditorium before the concert.  Free tickets are

available at the door or from the Music  Office (203-655-3981 x 2250); at Crescendo Music (351 Boston Post Road); or at Barrett Bookstore (314 Heights Rd, Noroton Heights Shopping Center)  Don’t miss this amazing, memorable event!

MMS 8th Grade Orchestra Performs at Darien Senior Center

On Wednesday, March 28 fifty members of the 8th grade Middlesex Middle School Orchestra performed at the Darien Senior Center. The Middle School Orchestra is directed by  Mr. Austin Scelzo.

The 2018 Darien Young Composers Concert

Students in grades 2-12 from throughout the district performed their original music at the 18th Darien Young Composers Concert on April 4th. The students are pictures above with professional songwriter and composer Nicholas Wells. The young composers received feedback from him on their compositions. You can hear the entire Young Composers Concert at the following link:  https://youtu.be/7obTSVGkTYw?t=4m40s

DHS Tudor Singers Perform with US Air Force Concert Band

On Tuesday, April 3 twenty members of the Darien High School Tudor Singers joined the United States Air Force Concert Band and Singing Sergeants Chorus on stage at the Palace Theater in Stamford for a finale performance of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America.”  Here, the students rehearse with the ensembles under the direction of Colonel Larry H. Lang. Christopher Andrade is the director of the Darien HS Tudor Singers.

Middlesex Musicians Perform at Honors Festival

The Music Department of the Darien Public Schools is proud to announce that Band and Jazz Ensemble students from Middlesex Middle School were chosen to participate in the 2018 Connecticut Western Region Middle School Music Festival. The students were chosen to perform in the festival based on their competitive audition scores and earned the privilege of performing in honors ensembles with some of the best middle school musicians in Western Connecticut. The students joined with other students from throughout Western Connecticut on March 16-17 at Wilton High School and were conducted by renowned conductors and educators. The festival is an annual event sponsored by the Connecticut Music Educators Association.

Pictured above:

Front row Left to right: Will Abbott-8th Grade ,Tenor Sax ,Jazz Ensemble, Ella Bates, 7th Grade, Alto, Choir, Luke Ryan, 7th Grade, Soprano, Choir,  Sophia Condon, 7th Grade, Soprano, Choir, Cillian Hallinan-7th Grade Percussion Concert Band, 2nd row Left to Right: John Raskopf, 7th Grade, Alto, Choir, Riley O'Connor, 8th Grade, Baritone, Choir, Caroline Zerbe- 8th Grade-Baritone Concert Band, 3rd row: Alex Sutanto, 8th Grade, Bass, Choir, Not Shown: Nicky Condon, 8th Grade, Tenor, Choir

Clarinet Master Class Boot Camp at DHS with Stamford Symphony's David Sapadin

Stamford Symphony clarinetist David Sapadin coached clarinet students from Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich and Ridgefield at the Clarinet Boot Camp event on March 14.

Middlesex Middle School 6th grade student Sophie Bickford is coached by guest artist David Sapadin.

Darien High School clarinetist Evan Tong performs for David Sapadin and the entire class at the Stamford Symphony sponsored Clarinet Boot Camp event on March 14.