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The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

Music Monday is a new installation featuring a different category of songs on a weekly basis.

Music Monday: Forge through finals with traditional Chinese music

by Mendy Mao, Co-Features Editor May 27, 2024

Music Monday features a different category of songs on a weekly basis. Each Monday, Harker Aquila will release seven songs, one song for each day of the week. As students cram for finals, barely-suppressed...

Harshini Chaturvedula (12) waves her hand as she conducts a the string ensemble's rendition of "Adoration" by Florence Price. "I’m always in admiration of the talented, friendly musicians around me," Harshini said. "Everyone contributes to this community and makes it the amazing group it is for all of us."

Orchestra members take charge in student-led Chamber Music Concert

by Kevin Zhang March 10, 2024

Harmonies greet guests entering Patil Theater, as the glint of instruments sparkle among student performers illuminated onstage. Intermittent notes echo throughout the venue while musicians tune their...

Winter instrumental concert rings in seasonal spirit

Winter instrumental concert rings in seasonal spirit

by Alison Yang and Jessica Wang January 17, 2024

Discord fills the Rothschild Performing theater. Upstairs, the tuning of instruments battles with anticipatory chatter and last-minute pep talks. Downstairs, audience members rustle through programs...

Harshini Chaturvedula (11) plays the viola with Orchestra during the Winter Instrumental Concert. Held on Jan. 13, the concert invited audiences to watch multiple upper school instrumental groups and soloists perform various musical styles, ranging from upbeat Latin jazz to slow ballads.

Annual Winter Instrumental Concert showcases diverse musical styles and performances

by Ariana Goetting and Young Min February 2, 2023

Warm orange lights illuminate the stage as Lab Band settles into their chairs, carefully preparing their instruments. With the flick of the conductor’s wrist, music flows and reverberates throughout...

Performers gather on stage to close out the Big Assembly Day show. Upper school students watched Harker’s annual holiday concert Big Assembly Day (BAD) on Dec. 9, where ensembles from the lower, middle and upper schools performed various acts across all campuses.

Annual Big Assembly Day performing arts concert kindles festive spirit at all campuses

by Alison Yang, Vika Gautham, and Alena Suleiman December 23, 2022

As the audience settles into the plush velvet of the Patil Theater seats, the orchestra crowded on stage awaits eagerly. A sea of middle and high school students — some in glittering gold dresses, others...

Instrumental music teacher and artistic director of the Harker Concert Series Jaco Wong speaks at Friday's performance. Jaco introduced his own piece the “Whampoa Overture," which was then performed by the orchestra.

San Jose Chamber Orchestra performs for Harker community

by Felix Chen, Reporter October 5, 2022

The musicians of the San Jose Chamber Orchestra took the stage in the Rothschild Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. on Friday to perform in front of an audience consisting of students, parents and administration...

Harker Journalism strategic introduce themselves at Tuesday's school meeting. This year's first school meeting included presentations by Model UN, Conservatory, HarkerDev, journalism and athletics.

School meeting recap 8/23/22: First week of school, performing arts and fall sports updates

by Shareen Chahal and Claire Zhao August 26, 2022

Associated Student Body (ASB) President Kris Estrada (12) began the first school meeting of the 2022-23 school year on Tuesday.  Model UN Secretary Generals Mir Bahri (12) and Krish Maniar (12) performed...

Members of the Class of 2022 clap during their graduation ceremony. The ceremony took place at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga on May 19 at 5 p.m.

Class of 2022 graduates at Mountain Winery

by Kinnera Mulam, Ananya Sriram, and Olivia Xu May 28, 2022

The class of 2022 concluded their high school careers at their graduation ceremony at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga on May 19 at 5 p.m. Graduates and faculty arrived at the winery at 3 p.m., followed...

Members of the Wilt advisory watch an announcement from Art Club during the school meeting last Friday. The meeting covered topics including the Ukraine Task Force Fundraising Initiative, upcoming spring musical and Quad mural.

School meeting recap 3/18/22: Ukraine fundraiser, Spirit painting kickoff and Drowsy Chaperone

by Selina Xu, Co-Asst. Multimedia Editor March 24, 2022

Associated Student Body (ASB) Secretary Spencer Cha (12) opened the last Zoom school meeting of the year last Friday.   Spencer began with an update on the Ukraine Task Force Fundraiser initiative,...

Harrison Chang (12) plays the marimba with two wooden bars in each hand at the Chamber Music Concert on Feb. 25. A total of 13 students performed in small instrumental ensembles in the Patil Theater to live and virtual audiences.

Student instrumental ensembles host Chamber Music Concert

by Sally Zhu, A&E and Lifestyle Editor March 5, 2022

13 upper school students performed a total of five instrumental pieces during the Chamber Music Concert on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Patil Theater, with instruments ranging from piano to violin to marimba.  Chamber...

Upper school director of instrumental music Dr. David Hart conducts Jazz Band at the instrumental concert on Jan. 14. The winter vocal concert took place on Jan. 13, both in the Patil Theater of the Rothschild Performing Arts Center.

Choral and instrumental ensembles kick off the year with first concerts of 2022

by Ella Yee and Julie Shi January 25, 2022

Upper school choral and instrumental ensemble members performed in the annual winter choral concert and winter instrumental concert, which took place in the Patil Theater at 7:00 p.m. on Jan. 13 and Jan....

Richard Zhang (11) plays with the orchestra during the Big Assembly Day opening number, "Sleigh Ride." Big Assembly Day occurred on Friday, Dec. 9.

K-12 performing arts students shine at in-person Big Assembly Day

by Alysa Suleiman and Sally Zhu January 9, 2022

Crack!  Heads turn, and the audience erupts into peals of laughter.  The infamous slapstick, two wooden boards that upper school orchestra percussionist Yejin Song (12) clapped together to imitate...

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