![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Upper school choirs perform at annual spring choral concert
Downbeat and trumpet player Jack Farnham (10) rehearse their collaboration on “Trashin’ the Camp” by Phil Collins.
Bel Canto, Downbeat, Guys’ Gig, Camerata and Cantilena performed in the annual spring choral concert, “In Concert: Pastiche,” on April 30.
Bel Canto opened the concert, performing “Bring Me a Little Water, Silvy,” “Tres canciones de los elementos,” “Imagine” and “Walk, Children, Walk!”
Downbeat performed after Bel Canto. Before the concert, Caroline Howells (12) commented on her expectations for the concert as a senior in Downbeat.
“It’s definitely sentimental for us,” Caroline said. “We do have a few more performances for Downbeat, but this is the last one where it’s really all the choirs of the Upper School being together.”
Downbeat began with “Lullabye.” They then performed “Trashin’ the Camp,” which featured Jack Farnham (10) playing the trumpet.
Jennifer Sandusky, Director of Bel Canto and Musical Director of Downbeat, commented on the collaboration between Downbeat and Jack.
“It gave the singers a really great opportunity to see how a great musician works in terms of jazz improvisation,” Sandusky said. “That collaboration was a real educational experience for everyone, including myself.”
Downbeat then performed “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
“[A] traditional Downbeat song is Bridge Over Troubled Water, and it’s going to be our last time singing that tonight,” Downbeat member Madi LangRee (12) said before the concert. “That’s going to be pretty sentimental for us, and then we also are getting honored tonight as seniors.”
Downbeat and Bel Canto then performed “On Top of the World” together.
“For the Bel Canto and Downbeat collaboration, that’s something that I’ve just made a goal of doing every year because I think it gives the Bel Canto kids an opportunity to sing repertoire with the older kids and to have that experience of singing up to that level,” Sandusky said.
Guys’ Gig followed Downbeat, performing “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and “The Harker Work Ethic Song,” a parody of Bruno Mars’ “The Lazy Song.” Guys’ Gig and Camerata then performed “Dragonborn Theme” from “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.”
After an intermission, Camerata performed “Vox Populi,” “How High the Moon” and “Sleep Song.”
“I think [the concert] went very well as a whole,” Camerata member Elina Sendonaris (11) said. “My favorite song was Sleep Song.”
Cantilena concluded the concert. They first performed “Erin Hennlein weiß,” a Renaissance song by Antonio Scandelli about chickens.
Next, they performed “Songbird” by Sarah Quartel and the Bollywood song “Barso Re” by AllahRakha Rahman. Ishanya Anthapur (12) would have conducted “Barso Re” but was unable to attend the concert.
Agata Sorotokin (12) conducted the last song of the concert, “How Can I Keep from Singing?”
The choirs will sing together at the Upper School graduation ceremony on May 23.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on May 13, 2015.
Praveen Batra (9) is a reporter for the Winged Post. He enjoys informative writing, design, and typography. In his spare time, he likes to write mobile...
Vijay Bharadwaj (11) is one of the opinion editors for The Winged Post and Aquila. She served as the assistant opinion editor and the Wingspan copy editor...