Artist of the Issue: Candilla Park
September 11, 2017
Filed under Artist Of The Issue, Arts
Candilla “Candy” Park ‘18 is what some might call a Renaissance girl. From writing and debating to playing instruments, dancing, and painting, Candy has explored many mediums of art.She has dipped her toes in some areas while taking a full dive into others. In her opinion, however, “the best t...
Summer Reading, Reviewed
September 11, 2017
In the all-too-likely event that you skipped your summer reading, dear reader, I’ll relieve your suspense now: you did not miss any transformational experiences. That being said, you’ll find a pleasant few hours’ reading. Both the recommended community book (The Town that Food Saved) and the Diversity and...
Max Klein ’18 Makes Exquusite Music
June 2, 2017
Haunting. Elegant. Intense. Playgoers were in awe of the music composed by Max Klein ‘18 that accompanied Groton’s production of Equus. Charlie Hawkings ‘17, who played psychiatrist Martin Dysart, said that Max’s music “truly captured the essence of the play.” Yet Max’s composition, despit...
Five Plays, Two Shows: One Acts Return
June 2, 2017
Spring term has flown by, with memorable events from Circle Fest and Events Dance to Spring Fling taking place throughout. Preeminent among these spring traditions, though, is the One Act Festival, in which students direct short one-act plays (often written by students). This year’s One Act Festival ...
Artist of the Issue: Michael Aduboffour ’17
June 2, 2017
Filed under Artist Of The Issue, Arts
While some Groton students blow the community away with their visual art, theatrical pursuits, or dance, Mike inspires with his words. He is an artistic force to be reckoned with in his own right. This year, Mike has truly blossomed as an artist, releasing his first professional single "Vapor" this winter and ...
13 Reasons Why Not
May 11, 2017
Filed under Arts
Thirteen Reasons Why, a Netflix series based on the novel by Jay Asher, is considered controversial because of its portrayal of suicide. The show is about the reaction of various people to the thirteen tapes that 17-year-old Hannah Baker made before she committed suicide. Each of the tapes focuses on ...
Mohamad Hafez brings art to the Circle
May 11, 2017
Filed under Arts, Visual Arts
This spring, Syrian artist Mohamad Hafez installed his powerful work around the Circle. Thanks to Beth Van Gelder, Mr. Hafez has been welcomed into our community to tell his story through his work. Ms. Van Gelder first noticed Mohamad’s work in an ad in Artscope Magazine for an ...
DAMN.
May 11, 2017
It has been over two years since Kendrick Lamar released To Pimp A Butterfly. The album, eclectic, masterful, and wildly successful, ushered in a new era of experimental rap-jazz that, at first listen, seems to continue in DAMN.. But Kendrick’s new album, released on April 14th, is notably more mat...
Artist of the Issue: Piper Higgins ’17
May 11, 2017
Filed under Artist Of The Issue, Arts
An Open Mic head, Choir Prefect, and Music Prefect, Piper Higgins does it all. And yet, she has never taken a music lesson in her life. In her five years at Groton, Piper has continually inspired others with her beautiful voice and guitar playing. You simply can’t miss her filling the Chapel and...
Embrace your angst with the best of the 2000s
By BECKY ZHANG ‘18 AND ROSELLE LOVELL-SMITH ‘18
January 27, 2017
Filed under Arts, Music, Reviews
Thought you’d seen the last of us? Don’t worry. DJs Beckybeckyhi and Rizzle Lizzle Smizzle heard your pleas and are back with another angsty playlist to get you through these chilly winter months. Get ready for our freshest playlist yet, throwing back with a few classics from your wildest middle school...
“La La Land” breaks records, Senko’s heart
January 27, 2017
“Cinemascope presents, in full color, a motion picture spectacular: an adventurous escapade of music, love, and dreams in a whimsical cityscape!” No, this is not a synopsis for a traditional movie-musical from the 20s, 60s, and 70s - it’s the promotional text for this year’s frontrunner for B...
Theater Department Thinks Outside the Boxes
January 27, 2017
Sixteen voices echo off the walls of the black box theater. Just seconds before, sock-clad feet were finding their places for the opening number, and hearts were beating with anticipation as Matthew Higgins Iati ’17 played the song’s intro chords on the piano. It’s the first run-through of the beginn...
Artist of the Issue
January 27, 2017
Filed under Artist Of The Issue, Arts
She does it all: singing, songwriting, guitar, and theater. At Groton, one would be hard-pressed to find a musical aspect of the school that Phoebe isn’t involved in. From two years of a songwriting FSA to co-leading Open Mic to her various other endeavors, Phoebe embodies music at Groton School. Whil...
Cozy on up with “A Charlie Brown Christmas”
Becky Zhang '18, Assistant Arts Editor
December 15, 2016
Filed under Arts, Music, Reviews
Christmas is the best time of year for celebrating the joys of family, friendship, and childhood. If you’re looking to get in the sentimental Christmas mood, it’s time for you to (re)watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” It is “one of the best movies ever,” according to Dr. Reyes. Parents and f...
Artist of the Issue: Matthew Higgins Iati
Michael Senko '18, Assistant Arts Editor
December 15, 2016
Filed under Artist Of The Issue, Arts
One February day in 2012, the Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany, was harboring three magnificent musical ensembles: The Staatskapelle Orchestra, the choir of St. Paul’s London, and the trebles of St. Thomas’ Choir School. The cathedral, rebuilt in 1994 after destruction during the 2nd World War, is...
This winter, students dive into art through FSAs
Daisy Fey '18, Reporter
December 15, 2016
Filed under Arts, Music, Visual Arts
This winter, many students on campus have chosen to substitute a sport for an FSA as their afternoon activity. There are currently many FSAs focusing on art and music, with each student holding a strong passion for his or her project. On discussing his or her motives and an overview of winter projec...
Mudge Fellow Silas Finch brings talent to Groton
Karla Sanford '19, Reporter
December 15, 2016
Filed under Arts, Visual Arts
As Ms. Van Gelder says, Groton’s annual Mudge Fellow must be someone who “works well with teenagers” and with whom “kids can relate.” Silas Finch certainly embodies these traits through his friendly character and incredible work. Silas was introduced to Groton five years ago when his brother...
Learning how to groove: Faculty playlist
October 20, 2016
Longfellow once said, “Music is the universal language of mankind.” If this is true, then what better way to get to know the Groton faculty than through music? If you can take your teachers’ advice on school work, why not do the same for music? “Everybody Dance Now” by C+C Music Factory Clas...
Previewing Parents Weekend Concert
October 20, 2016
Every fall, many parents visit the lovely and colorful Groton campus for Parents’ Weekend. And each year, a music concert that features many talented student musicians is held. This annual event is thought of to be one of the most enjoyable events that happen during Parents Weekend. In just one pe...
Halloween Costumes at Groton: A Guide
October 20, 2016
Filed under Arts
As bats and skulls appear in the Schoolhouse Forum, students are turning their attention to the spookiest day of the year: Halloween. Although some teachers seem anxious about having a campus full of sugar-filled teenagers brandishing plastic swords and sporting facepaint, nothing can stop the student bo...
Artist of the Issue: Anson Jones
October 20, 2016
Filed under Artist Of The Issue, Arts
One of the most most angelic voices on campus belongs to the unforgettable Anson Jones ’17. There’s no doubt you’ve seen her perform, whether in chapel, on stage, at Open Mic, or in the music wing serenading the halls with various songs using her “voice that sounds like butter melting across a ho...
Clint Eastwood’s Sully: A Review
Michael Senko '18, Assistant Arts Editor
October 20, 2016
Everyone has heard about it: the 2009 miracle on the Hudson. It was an uncanny feat of triumph, and 155 lives were saved. After an unheard of double-engine failure, a full-sized passenger plane landed on the Hudson. An American hero was born, an epitome of the will of human survival. The world was u...
Pumpkin spice playlist: Must-listens for Fall Term
October 7, 2016
Filed under Arts, Music, Reviews
Fall is here: the season of letting go and starting over. While it may seem that we have been at school forever, we remain in a time of transition, reflected both in nature and in the mind. The trees are turning bronze and shedding their leaves while we, too, are forced to leave the past behind and focus...
Accomplished vocalist to perform at Groton
October 7, 2016
Filed under Arts, Music, Showcase
On Thursday, October 27th, Groton welcomes Nedelka Prescod and her band to the Circle as part of the Gammons Concert Series. Every year this series presents four to six free concerts for members of the greater Groton community that are held in Gammons Recital Hall. The first concert of this school year...
Take a chance on Chance the Rapper
Michael Senko '18, Assistant Arts Editor
October 7, 2016
Filed under Arts, Music, Reviews
It has been around four months since Coloring Book, Chance the Rapper’s 3rd official mixtape, dropped exclusively on Apple Music. Announced a week before it was set to release, it attracted all sorts of interest: Chance made first became mainstream with his album Acid Rap in 2013, saturating his gospel-influenced,...
Artist of the Issue: Mac Galinson
October 7, 2016
Filed under Artist Of The Issue, Arts
To some people, art means taking a piece of paper and drawing when inspiration strikes. To others it means photographing the natural world. To Mac Galinson, it means acting on stage or writing songs for guitar. Mac has been acting since he was nine. He recounts his beginning in theater as a fairly unremarkable...
An introduction to the arts at Groton
Becky Zhang '18, Assistant Arts Editor
September 13, 2016
Filed under Arts, Music, Showcase, Theater, Visual Arts
GUAC GUAC, or the Groton Undiscovered Artist Club, is an Instagram account (@thisisguac) created in October 2015 featuring a range of artwork by students and faculty, from photography to white-board sketches, knitting, and body art. GUAC has now more than three hundred followers and this year’s Art...
Artist of the Issue: Langa Chinyoka
Michael Senko '18, Assistant Arts Editor
September 13, 2016
Filed under Artist Of The Issue, Arts
If you were to stop any returning student on the Circle and ask them, “Who is the coolest person at this school?” the answer, every time, would be Langa Chinyoka. She is, therefore, the Circle Voice’s obvious choice for the first Artist of the Issue for the 16-17 school year! Langa, of DAWG, Grotones...
Artist of the Issue: Candace Tong-Li ‘16
Daisy Fey '18, Contributing Writer
June 5, 2016
Filed under Artist Of The Issue, Arts
You may have attended a concert she has lead or seen some of her paintings hanging up around the schoolhouse. You may have seen her recently published, illustrated book, samples of which are posted around the college office. At Groton, it seems that no matter which way you turn, the remarkable talent ...
Students Direct, Perform in Play Festival
June 5, 2016
Groton’s one act festival, arguably its most attended and enjoyable theatre production, continued its strong record this year with five new one-act shows. These shows were directed by six Groton students and used four original Grotonian works as their scripts. This year’s festival, rather unfortunate...
King of the Jungle
Michael Senko '18, Staff Writer
May 13, 2016
Disney’s new movie “The Jungle Book,” directed by Jon Favreau, is a cinematic spectacle. Baloo’s fur flows and shakes with shocking realism, the sound of Kaa’s scales squirming and sliding across branches is impeccably slimy, and the half-warehouse-in-LA, half-CGI jungle is packed to the brim...
When Life Gives You Beyoncé or Vice Versa
Adia Fielder '17 and Langa Chinyoka '17
May 13, 2016
The iconic new album from Beyoncé is an emotional journey. Primarily but not only about Beyoncé’s relationship with Jay-Z, “Lemonade” is about growth and healing. Pray You Catch Me The opening song of “Lemonade” is raw and stripped back – it introduces the themes of the album; th...
Artist of the Issue: Steven Anton ’16
Will Robbins '16, Assistant Sports Editor
May 13, 2016
Filed under Artist Of The Issue, Arts
Steven has been a major contributor to Groton’s Music Department since Third Form. He began playing the piano in kindergarten and picked up the saxophone in fourth grade, but it wasn’t until eight grade that Steven began playing the bass, his strongest instrument. After Tarik Welch’s ‘12 graduation,...
Maru-a-Pula Marimba Band Comes to Groton
Hadley Callaway '17, Assistant News Editor
May 13, 2016
On April 28th, the Maru-a-Pula Marimba band visited Groton for a musical intervention. “We’re here to help you,” said MaP principal Andy Taylor on the CPAC stage, after joking that studies show that AP scores are improved after listening to marimba. “You’re going to feel like a bubble in a...
Orchestra Trip
April 22, 2016
Each year since 2005, one of Groton’s three primary musical ensembles has gone on tour, most often internationally. A year after the jazz band began the tradition with a tour of Japan, orchestra played throughout Switzerland in 2006. In 2009, they traveled to China, and in 2012, South Africa. Jazz...
Flowers and Fortissimos: Spring Music FSAs
Kevin Xiao '18 and Rohan Varkey '18
April 22, 2016
This term, a wide variety of art FSAs ranges from classical piano to an actual band! Matthew Higgins Iati ’17 will be working with Ms. Lanier on a “Piano Work” FSA this spring. His practices will consist of a plethora of pieces—including the Schubert Impromptu and a few Mozart Sonatas. When...
Artist of the Issue: Emma Rimmer ’16
Claudette Ramos '16, Assistant Arts Editor & Columnist
April 22, 2016
Filed under Artist Of The Issue, Arts
From channeling the glamorous Glinda in this winter’s theater production of “The Wiz” to sweetly serenading the student body in her clear, ringing soprano during a Lessons and Carols solo, Emma Rimmer ‘16 has left a considerable effect on the Groton arts scene. Since Second Form, she has participated...
Zootopia: A Review
Candace Tong-Li '16, Arts Editor
April 22, 2016
From the start, this year’s Disney blockbuster was bound to be a hit. From playful marketing to adorable character design, “Zootopia” drew people of all ages into cinemas the moment it hit the screen. It’s not surprising, seeing as most Disney and Pixar movies rise to the top of the box office...
Artist in Residence: Luke Pontifell
February 9, 2016
Filed under Arts, Visual Arts
Each year, Groton invites an artist from outside the community to share his or her artwork with the school. The visiting artists are honored as Mudge Fellows, or people brought to the school by a fellowship in name of the Mudge family. The program is designed to introduce the Groton community to inspirational...
Music for Your Mid-Teen Crisis
Roselle Lovell-Smith '18 and Becky Zhang '18
February 9, 2016
You’re walking alone around the wintry Circle. All your friends have early practice, but you have late. The Dining Hall is serving root beer pork for dinner. The world has never been more desolate. You turn to your Walkman for some smooth tunes, but all you have is Kidz Bop. What do you do? The...