Jane's Pocket Change: Beauty: A Celebration of Music & Life

Last week the CSW community was treated to a concert given by five of our seniors: Deanna Cirielli ‘16, Nolan DeMott ‘16, Hannah Klein ‘16, Kari Watson ‘16 and Napoleon Sylvester ‘16. I was spellbound; not only because of the variety of their choice in music, but because of who was in the Recital Hall and what a magical two hours we shared.
Last week the CSW community was treated to a concert given by five of our seniors: Deanna Cirielli ‘16Nolan DeMott ‘16Hannah Klein ‘16Kari Watson ‘16 and Napoleon Sylvester ‘16. I was spellbound; not only because of the variety of their choice in music, but because of who was in the Recital Hall and what a magical two hours we shared.

Billed as their “Senior Recital,” the five students had been preparing, practicing and promoting the event for weeks ahead of time. Each of the performances constituted  an individual capstone that this group creatively collaborated on to present together and as a fundraiser for Dana Farber. With so much going on as we head into the end of the year, I was hoping I wouldn’t miss it. Luckily, I attended in a front row seat.
 
The room filled rapidly and more chairs were added: parents, siblings, friends from other schools and a range of CSW students—all grades, day students and boarders—were in the warm, supportive audience.
 
Every note struck a form of beauty. Napoleon’s exploration of the contemporary and even avant garde (Cage, Glass, Mason) included a quartet (Napoleon and Deanna, joined by Malik Kuziwa ‘17, and music dept. chair Michael Weinstein) playing an old portable television, an old keyboard and a stack of books in Cage’s Living Room. At one point we were asked to hear the “silences” in the music. Later we experienced a unique piece called Shoes of Your Choice by Alison Knowles, perhaps my favorite of the evening.
 
After performing a Mozart aria, Hannah artfully (and with great humor!) transitioned from her 18th century boy costume to a formal black ensemble to sing Pergolesi and Bohm with energy and skill. Nolan brilliantly played the entire Violin Concerto, Op. 64 by Mendelssohn. Deanna’s Mom then rolled out and placed her harp in perfect position for Deanna’s vibrant performance of a Ginastera concerto. Kari’s own composition, A Sequel Stands Beyond, was spectacular and brought several of the aforementioned performers, plus Rena Wu ’17 onto the stage, too.
 
Transformed by the beauty in the performances, each of us was truly changed by the music, the connection among these young artists, and the joy of the gift we had received. What a wonderful way to slow down and enjoy time together—and I noticed that we were all smiling from ear to ear as we left the Mugar Center for Performing Arts.

As a bonus, listen to their complete performance on RadioCSW. 
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Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.

The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.