School Life

Arts

Save the Dates! D-E Performing Arts Department Presents...

Performing Arts Calendar 2024 

Tuesday, March 5
7:00 pm
Lower School Chorus – Grades 2 - 4
Schenck Auditorium

Sunday, April 14
Handbells
The Riverside Church
490 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 
4:00 pm

Friday, April 19
7:00 pm
Jazz Rock
Schenck Auditorium 

Thursday, April 25
7:00 pm
Fifth Grade Opera
Hajjar Auditorium

Friday, April 26
7:00 pm
Orchestra Extravaganza 
Lower / Middle / Upper School Ensembles
Schenck Auditorium

Saturday, April 27
Hudson Valley HandBell Festival
Time & Location TBA 

Friday, May 10
4:30 pm
Middle School Musical
The Wizard of Oz, Jr.
Schenck Auditorium

Saturday, May 11
3:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Middle School Musical
The Wizard of Oz, Jr. 
Schenck Auditorium

Monday, May 20
7:00 pm
Cabaret Night
Hajjar Auditorium

Tuesday, May 21
7:00 pm
All-School Chorus and African Drumming Ensembles Spring Concert
Schenck Auditorium

Thursday, May 24
4:00 pm 
Student Directed One-Act
Lab Theatre, 111 Leggett 
 
Thursday, May 30
Music Lesson Recital
6:00 pm
Hajjar Auditorium

All performances are subject to change. Please come back here for showtimes, locations, tickets, and more!

NEW! The D-E Performing Arts Spotlight eNewsletter

Check out the latest in D-E Performing Arts news, from our students, faculty and staff!

A Look Back: Stage Band, US Chorus & Jazz Workshop Winter Concert 2024

Bravo to our Stage Band, US Chorus and Jazz Workshop musicians for a lively and wonderful Winter Concert! The ensembles performed to a highly appreciative audience, opening with a spirited rendition of “The Flintstones”. Individual musicians showed off their improvisational skills during numbers including “Lucky Seven” and “Afternoon in Paris”, and our vocalists’ blended voices in “Lullabye” and “Funny Valentine” were truly D-Elightful. The concert finale – Benny Goodman’s jazz classic “Sing Sing Sing” – then featured a drumming battle! Cheers to all our Performing Arts Department musicians, directors, and supporting crew! 

A Look Back: Alumni Artist Ambrose Proctor '21 Shares "Three of Hearts" Exhibit

D-E's Swartley Gallery was excited to welcome alumni artist Ambrose Proctor '21 for their "Three of Hearts: On Nature, Friendship, & Art" exhibit earlier this year. 

This exhibit explored the history of playing cards and visualizes how relationships with others can change. Ambrose is currently a student at Union College and is studying Anthropology and Visual Arts as they continue to pursue their artistic creativity. Ambrose’s work has covered many mediums, from embroidery and painting to printmaking and sculpture. In their art, they explore themes of intimacy, attachment, and their relationship to nature.  Thank you Ambrose for sharing your work and perspectives with us! 

Bravo to our Middle/Upper Schools Orchestral Ensembles!

Bravo to our Middle and Upper School musicians for their exceptional Winter Orchestral Concert this past Friday. Selections from the concert included, “O Mio Babbino Caro” by the Middle School Strings Ensemble, “Farandole from L’arlesienne Suite No. 2”, and a Cello Concierto with soloist (and D-E Concerto Competition winner) Giana Kim ’24! Again, cheers to our incredible student-musicians and faculty!

A Look Back: Stage Band Jazz Brunch D-Elights Audience

We had a fantastic time at Stage Band Jazz Brunch! Hosted in Hajjar Auditorium, the curtains were set, and the lights were drawn low to fit the smooth vibe. Our jazz ensemble, led by Rob Debellis, played a fantastic set from “A Night in Tunisia” to “Woodchopper’s Ball”. The ensemble even did an impromptu rendition of “Happy Birthday” for an audience member’s child!

Bravo to our Stage Band!

CONGRATS to Cast & Crew of "She Kills Monsters"


BRAVO! D-E Performing Arts Department proudly presented the Upper School Fall Play, “She Kills Monsters” (SKM),  to appreciative audiences in early November. The play was performed in D-E's Hajjar Auditorium and featured memorable scenes and a fantastic set, compelling costumes, and dramatic, futuristic lighting and backdrops.  

Written by playwright Qui Nguyen, the play follows Agnes Evans after she’s lost her family, including her younger sister, Tilly, in a car crash. Amidst her grief, Agnes uncovers Tilly’s Dungeon and Dragons game set-up and embarks on a fantastical journey to connect with her late sister.

Congratulations to the entire "SKM" cast and crew for an unforgettable dramatic event! 
 
 

Swartley Gallery Presents: Transpessimism by Coco Klockner '10

We are thrilled to present another D-E alumni Swartley Gallery Series Exhibit with Coco Klockner '10 and their exhibit, "Transpessimism" that wrestles with the language used when we talk about the body and its relation to gender.

The exhibit will be open from October 20-November 20, 2023.

The Swartley Gallery Presents "A Study of Lascaux & Paleolithic Mark-Making," A Lower School Exhibit

We were proud to host an exhibit featuring our very own Lower School! "A Study of Lascaux and Paleolithic Mark-Making" took a cue from the ancient paintings found in the Lascaux Caves in France. These paintings are significant in their depiction of Paleolithic flora and fauna and reflect a deeply human consciousness of the environment.

Curated by LS Art Teacher Christine Maloney, K-5 students took inspiration from this historical finding. Cheers to our Lower School Artists! The exhibit was open in the Swartley Gallery from October 10 to October 13.

A Look Back..."Dabbling" Exhibit by Tara Weinstein

We were thrilled to present an art exhibit at Swartley featuring our very own physics teacher and D-E Science Department Chair, Tara Weinstein! "Dabbling" celebrated all forms of artwork created entirely by Ms. Weinstein -- including gorgeous examples of mixed media, wearable art, and pieces with whimsy. 

Welcome!


A structured involvement in the arts unleashes the kind of creativity that can invigorate one’s entire learning experience. Studying the arts can also help a student grasp mathematical and visual concepts, develop critical literacy, and see patterns across academic disciplines.

At Dwight-Englewood, the arts play an important role from Preschool through the 12th grade.

All Lower School students learn how to listen to and create music. One activity that defines the Lower School experience is the Creating Original Opera program, in which all fifth-graders participate. Additionally, our studio-art program offers children the opportunity to explore many forms of visual art. Students work from both their own imagination and direct observation. By starting out early in life making art, our students ignite a lifelong love for the arts.

At the Middle School level, drama, music, and studio art challenge students to become confident and imaginative innovators. This growth continues in the Upper School, where a program such as Jazz Rock helps aspiring singers and musicians select the right composition to show-case their talents.

In the Upper School, students can choose from courses in studio art, sculpture, ceramics, and photography/video production; theater courses that explore acting technique, writing for the stage, production, and the technical arts; and music courses in orchestra and chamber ensembles, chorus, stage band, or handbell choir.

One of the most exciting things about Dwight-Englewood’s arts program is that so many of our instructors boast significant professional experience. Many are active on Broadway, play in musical ensembles, or pursue visual-arts careers. By sharing their real-world experience with students, our teachers serve to inspire and to prepare a new guard made up both of people who make art and those who deeply appreciate it.

Private Music Lessons Program Information for 2023-2024

D-E offers opportunities for students to be able to study with our professional faculty in a familiar and convenient environment. To learn more click here for 2023-2024 Private Music Lessons Program Booklet.

Questions? Email Jake Lloyd at lloyd@d-e.org
Mailing Address: 315 East Palisade Avenue Englewood, NJ 07631
gps: 81 Lincoln Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-9500 Email: d-e@d-e.org
Located in Englewood, New Jersey, Dwight-Englewood is a greater New York City area private school with a rigorous college prep curriculum for boys and girls in preschool through grade 12.