Milton students say that one of their favorite activities is watching their friends perform. Whether it’s harmonizing with the Miltones or Octet a capella groups, choreographing for one of the dance concerts, exhibiting self-portraits in Pieh Commons, or playing the title role in Antigone, Milton students are engaged in their art, and art energizes the campus every day.
The foundational work in music, performance and visual arts happens in the classroom, guided by caring and talented faculty. Milton art also extends beyond the classroom walls to many venues both on and off-campus.
Milton arts faculty believe that all students can be artists. They believe art is about personal growth and process, and that creative thinking, self-expression, and encountering the challenges of an art form empower students to be creative and confident in all areas of life.
In Milton’s arts program, students experience intense individual attention and coaching along with exhilarating team experiences. They spend hours with dedicated adults who use a wide range of teaching and directing skills, who bring to bear diverse and respected talents, who set the highest standards for students’ performance, and who honor each student’s contribution.
Isabel Chun ’14 Illustrates a New Children’s Book
Isabel Chun (III) has illustrated her first, published children’s book. Her childhood love of painting ultimately led her to this project. Isabel’s vivid and colorful illustrations appear in The Kwik Adventures of Baxter Brave and Tommy the Salami, the story of a young boy who sets off with his dog from the high-rise buildings of Hong Kong for an around-the-world adventure. Traversing four chapters—The Desert, The Ocean, The Jungle and The Mountains—the duo encounter storms, beautiful landscapes, and a variety of animals that help them along the way.
“My favorite chapter to work on was The Jungle, but my favorite illustration is the starry sky that appears in the desert chapter,” says Isabel.
The book contains nearly 100 illustrations, each artfully created by Isabel’s hand. Each illustration was formed in two parts: an ink drawing, which provided the outline, and a watercolor element that filled in the color and texture. Isabel scanned both portions into a computer and merged the two in Photoshop, creating vibrant images that reflect a child’s sense of whimsy.
“The part I most enjoyed was combining the watercolor and ink and seeing the result. The most challenging part of the process was learning how to tell a story through art. This was my first experience with this challenge, and I had to figure out what perspectives would appeal to children.”
Milton's Jazz Combo Performs at International Conference
The Jazz Education Network (JEN) has invited Milton Academy’s Advanced Jazz Combo to perform at this year’s JEN Conference on Friday, January 6 and Saturday, January 7. Milton’s musicians will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, to attend the two-day conference and play alongside some of the best school combos from around the world. “The Jazz Combo will present a musical tribute to JEN's first legends of jazz education—Jamey Aebersold, David Baker, Jerry Coker and Dan Haerle—by performing their compositions,” says jazz faculty member Bob Sinicrope. “The students will also attend many clinics and performances during their time at the conference.” The expected attendance at the conference is 3,000 people from all corners of the globe. The Jazz Education Network’s mission is to “build the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance, and developing new audiences.”
Nesto Gallery Alive with the Kinetic Sculptures of Anne Lilly
Sculptor Anne Lilly uses carefully engineered motion to shift and manipulate our perception of time and space. Constructing precise and interactive sculptures, which move in fluid and mesmeric ways, she elicits connections between external physical space and the viewer’s private, psychological domain. “Each piece utilizes the direct touch of the viewer to impart energy and initiate movement,” Ms. Lilly describes. “I fabricate the work in stainless steel. Stainless is a cold, hard, impersonal material, and I like pressing these qualities against the warm and sensuous response of the work.” Anne Lilly has created public artworks for the City of Boston, and in 2010 she was nominated for the Foster Prize of Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art. Her work was included in the 2007 DeCordova Annual Exhibition and is held in corporate and private collections internationally. Cate McQuaid of the Boston Globe writes, “Anne Lilly’s captivating stainless steel sculptures…are so intricately engineered they appear to do magic. Tall rods rising from cylinders planted on gears rush toward each other, bowing, then fall away in one fluid motion. Rotating grills look like they’ll collide, then they miraculously pass. The movement of each sparely designed piece is full of grace and surprise.” Ms. Lilly’s Nesto Gallery exhibit, Nimbus: Recent Sculptures, opened on December 6 and continues through January 20.
2011–2012
Annual Gratwick Concert
Apthorp Chapel
September 25, 2011
Christina Benega
Fall Jazz Concert
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
October 21, 2011
Jazz Combo rehearses for the fall jazz concert
Four Voices by Chandra Dieppa Ortiz Nesto Gallery Exhibit
October 25–November 22, 2011
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Music and Lyrics by William Finn
Directed by Kelli Edwards and Robert St. Laurence '07
Musical Director Louise Mundinger
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
November 3–5, 2011 view slideshow
The Haunting of Will Shakespeare Class IV Play
by Claudia Haas
Directed by Pamela McArdle
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
November 17–19, 2011 view slideshow
Student-Directed One-Act Plays
Studio Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
December 1–3, 2011
Student Music Recital and Jazz Performances
Keller Room 167, Kellner Performing Arts Center
December 4, 2011
Nimbus: Recent Sculptures by Anne Lilly Nesto Gallery Exhibit
December 6, 2011–January 20, 2012
Winter Concert
featuring vocal groups
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
December 9, 2011
orchestra rehearses for Winter Concert
Winter Concert
featuring Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
December 11, 2011
Improv Night
Directed by Peter Parisi
Ruth King Theatre
Kellner Performing Arts Center
January 20, 2012
A Cappella Night
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
January 21, 2012
Letting Loose: Digital Collages by Wendy Seller Nesto Gallery Exhibit February 7, 2012 – March 6, 2012
Opening Reception, February 7, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde
Directed by Darlene Anastas
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
February 9, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
February 10, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
February 11, 2012, 7 p.m.
Midyear Student Art Show
Kellner Performing Arts Center
February 13, 2012–April 6, 2012
Opening reception, February 16, recess, 10 a.m.
reception for the 2011 Midyear Student Art Show
Love and Intrigue Winter 1212 Play by Frederich Schiller
Directed by Peter Parisi
Wigglesworth Hall
February 23, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
February 24, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
February 25, 2012, 7 p.m.
Student Music Recital
Kellner 167, Kellner Performing Arts Center
February 26, 2012, 4 p.m.
Winter Dance Concert
Directed by Kelli Edwards
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
March 1, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
March 2, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
March 3, 2012, 7 p.m.
dance performance in King Theatre
Poland/Germany Tour Send-off Concert Milton Academy Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Singers Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
March 8, 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Tour to Poland and Germany Milton Academy Chamber Singers and Chamber Orchestra March 9-17, 2012
Nesto Gallery Exhibit At the Horizon: Recent Paintings by Ian Torney ‘82
April 10, 2012 - May 15, 2012
Opening Reception, April 10, 5:30–7 p.m.
Arts Night
Kellner Performing Arts Center
April 20, 2012, 6 p.m.
Spring Improv Night
Directed by Peter Parisi
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
April 20, 2012, 8 p.m.
Milton improv 2011
Spring Orchestral Concert
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
April 27, 2012, 8 p.m.
Spring Vocal Concert
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
April 29, 2012, 4 p.m.
vocal performance, spring 2011
Good Boys and True Spring 1212 Play by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Directed by Peter Parisi
Wigglesworth Hall
May 3, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
May 4, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
May 5, 2012, 7 p.m
The Arabian Nights: A Play
by Mary Zimmerman
Directed by Shane Fuller
Ruth King Theatre, Kellner Performing Arts Center
May 17, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
May 18, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
May 19, 2012, 7 p.m.
Student Music Recital
Kellner 167, Kellner Performing Arts Center
May 20, 2012, 4 p.m.
End-of-Year Student Art Show
Kellner Performing Arts Center
May 21, 2012 – June 7, 2012
Opening Reception, May 24, recess 10 a.m.
Isabel Chun (III) has illustrated her first, published children’s book. Her childhood love of painting ultimately led her to this project. Isabel’s vivid and colorful illustrations appear in The Kwik Adventures of Baxter Brave and Tommy the Salami, the story of a young boy who sets off with his dog from the high-rise buildings of Hong Kong for an around-the-world adventure. Traversing four chapters—The Desert, The Ocean, The Jungle and The Mountains—the duo encounter storms, beautiful landscapes, and a variety of animals that help them along the way.
The Jazz Education Network (JEN) has invited Milton Academy’s Advanced Jazz Combo to perform at this year’s JEN Conference on Friday, January 6 and Saturday, January 7. Milton’s musicians will travel to Louisville, Kentucky, to attend the two-day conference and play alongside some of the best school combos from around the world.
Sculptor Anne Lilly uses carefully engineered motion to shift and manipulate our perception of time and space. Constructing precise and interactive sculptures, which move in fluid and mesmeric ways, she elicits connections between external physical space and the viewer’s private, psychological domain.
