Darien Public Schools Music Department News

Friday, March 19, 2021

Darien Music for Youth Beethoven contest winners!

Darien Music for Youth sponsored a student contest to support the DPS Music Department 2020-2021 curricular theme: Beethoven! Students from each school in grades K-12 submitted posters, poetry, prose, and musical compositions to celebrate the life and music of Beethoven. Congratulations to the winners from each school:

Darien High School: Camilla Lash, Fajr Maqsood, John Raskopf

Hindley School: Eleanor Crosby, William Ernst, Chris Li, Ryann Elise McGee, Lukas Metzler, Lainey Powell, Charlie Reinbold, Josh Rosenberry, Riona Uppal

Holmes School: Katherine Au, Oliver Chan, Dhritee Dhami, Sophie Echeverri, Brandon Katsuyama, Matthew Nardone, Teagen Nygren

Middlesex Middle School: Paloma Dudas, Ilse Fedoronko, Manny Gufsa, Darragh Hallinan, Emily Harris, Lilly Keehlwetter, Maya Lesniewski, Lucie Smith, Kinga Sigmond, Lauren Valji

Ox Ridge School: Alex Abelson, Louisa Berger, Claire Blake, Mila Chada, Ryan Kim, Myles Marengo, Lara Mesta, Greeley Morgan, Brianna Qin

Royle School: Liam Bell, Willa Curley, Henry Haller, Sophie Lahoud, Audrey Lewis, Josie O'Kane, John O'Leary, Timmy Trudel, Augusta Wartels

Tokeneke School: Madeleine Cantwell, Elena Cappella, Mackenzie Godfrey, Thomas Keefe, Della Peloso, Ryder Rauseo, Reese Salmore, Molly Skinner, Rachit Veeturi

Virtual performances from DPS strings

Click below for the latest virtual concerts and recitals from the DPS music department! Visit the Music Department Website Concert Videos page for a full list of concert videos!

DHS Orchestra - Black History Month Performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQF1JRzUoJg&feature=youtu.be
MMS Orchestra Winter Concert - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOhCuH_iREY&feature=youtu.be
Hindley Beginning Band Recital Click Here
Holmes Beginning Band Showcase Click Here
Ox Ridge 3rd-5th Grade Strings Winter Recital Click Here
Tokeneke 5th Grade Band Royal Crown march
Tokeneke 5th Grade Band Holiday Medley
Tokeneke 4th and 5th Grade Orchestra Winter Concert

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

NAfME All-National Honors Ensemble Virtual Concert - March 4, 2021

John Raskopf, sophomore at Darien High School, joined the "best of the best" for the National Association for Music Education (NafME) 2020 All-National Honor Ensembles (ANHE) Virtual Event January 7– 8, 2021, as a tenor in the 2020 ANHE mixed chorus.

Raskopf qualified for the ANHE mixed chorus alongside just 22 other students from Connecticut and 241 vocalists across the nation. The selected students rehearsed and recorded challenging repertoire under the direction of Frances Fonza, one of the most prominent conductors in the United States. During the virtual festival, the students were surprised by a guest appearance by choral composer and superstar Eric Whitacre!

The first ever NAfME All-National Virtual Concert will premier on March 4, 2021 beginning at 7:00pm. The Mixed Choir portion of the concert will be at 7:30pm.

Click here to register: https://csiconnect.conn-selmer.com/anhe

If you cannot attend the live virtual concerts, the final concert videos will be shared on the NAfME YouTube Channel for one year beginning March 5, 2021.