The Dwight-Englewood (D-E) Spring Arts Festival is this Sunday, April 26 and is guaranteed to stir the senses!

The Festival officially begins at 2:00 PM in Hajjar Auditorium with the annual Orchestra Extravaganza. At 4:30 PM there will be a Middle School Concert, and then Festival attendees will be treated to an Upper School Concert starting at 7:00 PM. Throughout the Festival, visual arts creations by D-E students will be on display, including cut paper works such as these two striking pieces by Studio Art 1 students Laila ("Lilly") Arang '18 (top image) and Caroline Ju '18 (bottom image).      

As part of the 2:00 PM Orchestra Extravaganza, music ensembles from all three divisions of D-E will all perform, including the Lower School String Orchestra, the Middle School Wind Ensemble, and the Upper School's StringJam, Percussion Ensemble, and US Orchestra.  Compositions by Dvorak, Handel, Purcell, and Yradier ("The White Dove") are on the program as well as highlights from The Phantom of the Opera and other contemporary favorites.  D-E Concerto Competition winner Elliot Roman '18 will also perform Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2.

Middle School (MS) musicians will be showcased at 4:30 PM in Schenck Auditorium, including the Eighth Grade West African Drumming Ensemble; the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Chorus ensembles; and all three MS Handbell Ensembles.  Throughout this segment of the program, the MS Show Choir will also perform selections from Sondheim-Lapine's Into the Woods.

Upper School (US) ensembles will then take to the 'stage' back in Hajjar Auditorium at 7:00 PM.  The US Guitar Ensemble kicks-off the program with an eclectic mix of Bach, Brown/Henderson ("The Thrill is Gone"), and Puente ("Oye Como Va").  The sounds of Sondheim and Lloyd Webber will once again be heard, as well as popular hits from Maroon 5 ("Sugar") and Cold Play ("Viva La Vida"),  as the US Chorus and all US Handbell Ensembles perform.   

Throughout the Festival, beginning at 3:00 PM and until 7:00 PM, D-E's Friends of the Arts (FOTA) will be providing delicious refreshments outside of Hajjar Auditorium.  

All in all, regardless of your tastes, the D-E Spring Arts Festival will be a wonderful live arts experience for all.  The event is free of charge and all in the D-E community are welcome and encouraged to attend and enjoy!