![“[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)
Annual campus vocal concert to feature all upper school choirs
Camerata sings “Chili con carne” during their performance in this year’s United Voices concert, held in February at the Rothschild Performing Arts Center. For the upcoming spring vocal concert, Camerata will be singing “Walkin’ On That Heavenly Road,” “The Nightingale” and “Blackbird.”
April 26, 2018
All upper school choirs will perform in the spring vocal concert in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center on May 3.
Bel Canto will sing “Cantate Domino,” “Island Songs” and “Walk, Children, Walk!” Camerata and Acoustics together will perform “Non sono in questa rive” and “Walkin’ On That Heavenly Road.” Separately, Acoustics will sing “Blackbird,” while Camerata will perform “The Nightingale.” Guys’ Gig will sing “Africa” and “Thinkin Bout You.” Cantilena will perform “I Thank You God,” “Famine Song,” “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” “Flare,” “Liebst du um Schonheit” and the song they sing every year, “How Can I Keep From Singing.” Downbeat will perform “Rock This Town,” “Some Nights” and “Take Me Home.” For the finale, all choirs will sing the Harker School Song.
Praveen Batra (12) will be the student director for both Camerata and Acoustics and conduct “Walkin’ On That Heavenly Road,” Dilara Ezer (11) the student director for Acoustics and conduct “Blackbird” and Millie Lin (12) the student director for Cantilena and conduct “Famine Song.” Student directors lead rehearsal warmups and conduct a song for their choir.
“What I really like about conducting is that it’s a little bit like dancing and through these movements, you’re able to change the sound of other people in the entire choir and make something really beautiful,” Millie said.
Evan Bourke (9), a member of both Bel Canto and Guys’ Gig, commented about performing in concerts.
“[Performing on stage] brings other people happiness. That’s part of it, but the energy of the crowd also really feeds into our energy on stage, and so it’s just this giant feedback loop of positivity and fun. It’s just a really great experience,” he said.
Vocal music teacher Susan Nace, the conductor for Cantilena, Guys’ Gig and Camerata, also described the connection between the audience and the performers.
“My favorite part of every concert is the communication and the connecting. It’s the energy, and it’s part of the educational process, too,” she said. “It’s seeing my performers, seeing my students learn how to communicate their song and to connect profoundly with people in their audience because if they do not make that connection, that heart to heart connection, then why are we doing it?”
Other upcoming performing arts events include the annual instrumental Spring Concert, in which middle and upper school orchestras will perform in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. on May 4.
