Music for Youth Bernstein Contest Award Winners Announced

We are proud to announce the 2019 Music for Youth Leonard Bernstein Award winners. The work of these students was selected from hundreds of submissions and students were recognized with Outstanding Achievement Certificates, Music for Youth Water Bottles and cash prizes. The Music for Youth Leonard Bernstein theme is in support of the Music Department's 2018-19 Curricular Focus theme on the Music of Leonard Bernstein.

Ox Ridge Award winners Colton Stafford, Emily Riva and Cate Hendrickson with Principal Dr. Luke Forshaw. (missing Mila Chadda, Sophia McAnany and Brianna Qin)

Hindley Music for Youth Award winners Sydney Chernichaw, Mason Mastellone, Auggie Dudas, Lauren Clark, Darragh Hallinan and Lucie Smith with Principal Mrs. Julie Droller.

Royle Music for Youth Award Winners Josie O'Kane, Maddie Mitchell, James Barnett, Sebastian Pareja, Hannah Huang and Anna Keehlwetter with Principal Mr. Dean Ketchum and Royle Music teacher Ms. Kathleen Theisen.

All Music for Youth - Bernstein Award Winners 2019

Ox Ridge

K-2  1^st Mila Chadda,  2^nd Colton Stafford  , 3^rd Sophia McAnany

Grade 3-5  1^st Brianna Qin,  2^nd Emily Riva,  3^rd Cate Hendrickson

Tokeneke

K-2   1^st Ivy Childs,  2^nd Jackson Peraino 3^rd Hayden Hines

Grade 3-5   1^st  Bella Fiordalis , 2^nd  Tess Hageney,  3^rd  Ella Hough

Hindley

K-2    1^st Sydney Chernichaw,  2^nd Mason Mastellone, 3^rd Auggie Dudas                  

Grade 3-5   1^st Lauren Clark 2^nd Darragh Hallinan,  3^rd Lucie Smith

Royle

K-2  1^st Josie O’Kane, 2^nd Maddie Mitchell, 3^rd James Barnett

3-5   1^st Sebastian Pareja 2^nd Hannah Huang, 3^rd Anna Keehlwetter

Holmes

K-2   1^st Nishka Sahgal   2^nd Tilly Mann,   3^rd Sabrina Mohr

Grade 3-5   1^st Claire Chan,  2^nd Sophie McCleary,   3^rd Kimball Atha 

MMS Writing                                                                                                                                        1^st Place:  Lily Cowles

2^nd Place: Remi Repsher                                                                                                                               

MMS Poster Art 

1^st Place:   Charlotte Corcoran

2^nd Place:  Joyce Huang

DHS Music Composition

1^st Place: Evelyn Sload

2^nd Place: Alex Sutanto

Tokeneke 1st Grade Classes Present Kindness Themed Program

The combined 1st Grade classes of Mrs. Carsten, Ms. Coudert, Mrs. Marsh and Mrs. Micolo at Tokeneke School presented a program of musical selections related to Kindess and friendship on Tuesday, January 29th. The students were lead by music teacher, Mrs. Becky Parnoff.

The students performed songs such as, "Hello to All the Children of the World,"  "You've Got a Friend in Me" and "All You Need is Love" and spoke about their meaning of the word kindness. 

Cello Boot Camp Event at Darien High School

Nearly 40 cellists from area schools attended a Cello Boot Camp event at Darien High School with Stamford Symphony Cellist Eliot Bailen on Wednesday, January 23rd.

Darien HS senior cellist, Elizabeth Garijo-Garde is coached by Stamford Symphony cellist Eliot Bailen at the Darien Cello Boot Camp event.

Students were coached on all aspects of cello performance by Stamford Symphony cellist Eliot Bailen at the Darien Cello Boot Camp event on January 23rd. 

Music for Youth Leonard Bernstein Contests!!

The Darien Music for Youth organization has announced their annual poster, writing and music composition contests for students in grades K-12 in the Darien Public Schools. These contests are in support of the Darien Music Department's 2018-2019 curricular focus theme addressing the Music of Leonard Bernstein to celebrate the 100th year of his birth. You can access information and entry forms at the links below or on the Darien Music Department web page at:  www.darienps.org/music

Music for Youth Elementary Poster Contest Forms below 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13hLIahQXSHg_jyTPFVL65D5sfusK5HYh/view?usp=sharing

Music for Youth Middlesex Middle School Poster and Writing Contest Form:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13gFR71SmBSAwWoUk4SOq0HxKByeY4I9H/view?usp=sharing

Music for Youth Darien High School Poster, Writing and Music Composition Form:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13mlbOE2pN7LfKB9migyJ3zEdYUsH4tko/view?usp=sharing

Cello Boot Camp at Darien HS with Eliot Bailen on January 23!!

Eliot Bailen has an active career as an artistic director, cellist, composer and teacher. Strings Magazine writes, "At Merkin Hall ‘cellist Eliot Bailen displayed a warm focused tone, concentrated expressiveness and admirable technical command always at the service of the music.” Founder and Artistic Director of the Sherman Chamber Ensemble, now in its 37^th year, whose performances the New York Times has described as “the Platonic ideal of a chamber music concert,” Mr. Bailen is also Founder and Artistic Director of Chamber Music at Rodeph Sholom in New York and Artistic Director of the New York Chamber Ensemble. Principal cello of the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, New York Chamber Ensemble, Orchestra New England, Teatro Grattacielo and the New Choral Society, Mr. Bailen also performs regularly with the Saratoga Chamber Players, Cape May Music Festival, Sebago-Long Lake Chamber Music Festival as well as with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, New York City Opera and Ballet, American Symphony, Stamford Symphony and New Jersey Symphony. Heard frequently in numerous Broadway shows, in 2015 he was solo cellist for ‘Allegiance.’ As a composer, Mr. Bailen’s commissions include an Octet (“For Ellen”) for 3 winds and strings (2013), a Double Concerto for Flute and Cello (2012) commissioned by the Johns Hopkins Symphony Orchestra and Perhaps a Butterfly (2011), for Soprano, child soprano, flute and string trio. His Saratoga Sextet, commissioned by the Saratoga Chamber Players, premiered in June, 2014 (“The crowd loved it!” writes the Schenectady Daily Gazette). Recently Mr. Bailen’s musical, The Tiny Mustache, received a third grant for further development from the Omer Foundation after its successful debut. Mr. Bailen has received over thirty -five commissions for his "Song to Symphony" project, an extended school residency program that presents children's original musicals in an orchestral setting (subject of a NY Times feature article Sept. 2006). This project was recently awarded a special Alumni Grant from the Yale School of Music. In 2002 he received the Norman Vincent Peale Award for Positive Thinking. Mr. Bailen received his Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from Yale University and an M.B.A. from NYU. He is on the cello and chamber music faculty at Columbia University and Teachers College.Add caption