Upcoming Prism and Choral Concerts Signal the Start of Spring

Forty-six middle and upper school students in Masters Singers, 1877: Vocal Edition, Tower Singers and Dobbs 16 are preparing for next week’s choral concert. Choral teacher Caitlin Adler said, “It promises to be a wide range of genres and instrumentation” with a combined choir performance of “Earth Song” by Frank Ticheli.

Seventh grader Ada Garberina, an alto in Masters Singers, loves the community she’s found with the group and says she can’t wait to perform “What About Us” by Pink because “It is a song that I enjoy listening to as well as singing.”

Jennifer Carnevale, Dobbs 16 director and chair of the Department of Performing Arts, previewed the concert and revealed that “Dobbs 16’s set list will be pulling from the repertoire of artists such as: Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, Fleetwood Mac and Zendaya/Labrinth.”

Meanwhile, the Prism Concert will feature the 32 students in the String Ensemble, Chamber Music ensembles and the Middle School Orchestra, led by Curt Ebersole, concert director. The program contains a wide variety of baroque, impressionistic and 21st-century works.

For the finale, Ebersole proudly notes the String Ensemble will be performing “Gallop” by Juli Korb ’24, a recent Masters graduate who is currently studying music at the University of Vermont. 

“I believe she started composing this last spring, while still a student here. She completed and sent me the score/parts in the fall,” Ebersole shared. “Not surprisingly, it's like a gallop — quick and agile. I love that Juli composed yet another well-crafted work for strings. She is very talented, and I will watch her growth as a composer with keen interest.”

Middle School Orchestra violinist Stella Imamichi ’29 reflected on what she values about being a musician. “I like when you work diligently on a piece, you practice it correctly and then you are rewarded with your part fitting in perfectly with the rest of the music,” she explained. “I also enjoy getting to meet people who I wouldn’t have met without music. I made friends with Reina from fifth grade even though I have no overlapping classes or activities with her.”

Senior Justine Pascutti, violinist and concertmistress, spoke about music being an outlet and a way to create harmony within the community. 

“I’m looking forward to sharing our music with the Masters community and celebrating all of our hard work throughout the school year,” she said. “This concert is especially meaningful to me, as it’s my last performance with the group. String Ensemble has been such an important part of my time at Masters, and I consider myself so fortunate to have had this experience.”