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SC Governor's School music students perform in Germany
SOUTH CAROLINA - April 4, 2011 - SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities (SCGSAH) music department traveled to Germany during spring break, March 13 -19. 31 of the school's current music students were accompanied by seven adult chaperones and four faculty members for the department's fourth biennial European performance tour.
"The trip to Germany was my first time on a plane and going out of the country. Going to Germany was the best decision I have ever made," says Jewel Watson, SCGSAH music student. "You never know how much a country can change you until you walk into the lives of the unknown and find yourself taking a second glance at who you really are."
Student performances were held in the Thomaskirche (German composer J.S. Bach's church in Leipzig), the Festsaal in the resort town of Bad Schmiedeberg, St. Gertrauden Kirche in Frankfurt-an-der-Oder (in a joint concert with a local Knabenchor, an all-male ensemble made up mostly of youth), the Schillerschule in Berlin (a German school whose curriculum is taught mostly in English) and at the Kirche am Hohenzollernplatz (Church at Hohenzollern Square) in Berlin. The performances featured brass, woodwinds, piano, strings and vocal chamber groups, followed by choral selections sung by all performers. The performances were universally well-attended and enthusiastically received.
"We traveled to where our music lives and breathes," says James Masanotti, SCGSAH music student, "and in the great cathedrals and halls of Europe we sought to understand how music has made a mark on our lives."
The group attended several world-class performances including an organ recital in the Thomaskirche, the Vienna Boys Choir and Leipzig Youth Wind Symphony at the Gewandhous in Leipzig, the Dresden Symphony at the Semper Opera House, and the Berlin Chamber Orchestra at the Philharmonie.
In Leipzig, visits included composers Bach, Mendelssohn and Schumann historic sites, and the instrument collection at the Grassi Museum. In Dresden students learned about the horrors of World War II, and gave an impromptu choral performance in the magnificent Frauenkirche, recently rebuilt following its 1945 destruction. Berlin visits included Sans Souci (the palace of Frederick the Great in nearby Potsdam), the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, and the Pergamon Museum.
"As a parent of one of these well-behaved, educated, and young music professionals, I was privileged to be able to join them at the 2011 Germany trip," says Dr. Raphael Diaz, father of SCGSAH music student Carolina Diaz. "Their passion for music is evident and reminded me that music is food for life. These young men and women are ready to take on the world thanks to their great school and the excellent job of their teachers."
Photo: Male (L-R): Christophe Beaumier, Josh Boyd, Daniel Maltz, Adam Wells, James Masanotti, Stephen Jones, Justin Birney, Jason Varnadore, Vance Deatherage, Derek Priester, Douglas Temples, Alex Mason, Kedrick Armstrong
Female (L-R): Grayson Mills, Mady Kent, Rosemary Alter, Taryn Wetherington, Anna Grace Price, Jennifer DiLeo, Kristen Murdaugh, Liza Cooper, Jewel Watson, Carolina Diaz, Ryleigh Bullock, Morgan Esarey, Bethany Barrett, Grace Odell, Kelly Thomas, Megan Lewis, Lexi Mathis
Students' Home Counties:
Aiken County
Douglas Temples, Aiken, South Aiken High School
Anderson County
Anna Grace Price, Anderson, Homeschool
Justin Birney, Anderson, TL Hanna High School
Josh Boyd, Anderson, Westside High School
Beaufort County
Mady Kent, Bluffton, Bluffton High School
Taryn Wetherington, Bluffton, Bluffton High School
Berkeley County
Morgan Esarey, Goose Creek, Stratford High School
James Masanotti, Ladson, Stratford High School
Charleston County
Megan Lewis, Charleston, Charleston County School of the Arts
Colleton County
Kristen Murdaugh, Smoaks, Colleton County High School
Darlington County
Christophe Beaumier, Hartsville, Hartsville High School
Florence County
Jewel Watson, Florence, West Florence High School
Georgetown County
Kedrick Armstrong, Georgetown, Georgetown High School
Greenville County
Grayson Mills, Greenville, Christ Church Episcopal
Jennifer DiLeo, Greer, Eastside High School
Carolina Diaz, Greer, Riverside High School
Grace Odell, Pelzer, Homeschool
Horry County
Stephen Jones, Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach High School
Laurens County
Rosemary Alter, Clinton, Clinton High School
Lexington
Daniel Maltz, Lexington, Lexington High School
Oconee County
Vance Deatherage, Townville, West-Oak High School
Orangeburg County
Derek Priester, Cope, Edisto High School
Pickens County
Adam Wells, Clemson, D.W. Daniel High School
Jason Varnadore, Easley, Easley High School
Alex Mason, Easley, Wren High School
Bethany Barrett, Liberty, Liberty High School
Richland County
Ryleigh Bullock, Chapin, Chapin High School
Spartanburg County
Kelly Thomas, Moore, Dorman High School
Lexi Mathis, Duncan, Beech Springs Academy
York County
Liza Cooper, Rock Hill, Northwestern High School
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The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities is a public residential high school located in Greenville, South Carolina, providing a unique arts and academic education to the state's emerging artists. Young artists, usually in 11th or 12th grade, study creative writing, dance, drama, music, or visual arts during the academic year and rising 9th and 10th grade students attend summer programs in these areas, with summer dance programs open to rising 7th through 12th grade students. For more information, visit http://www.scgsah.org/ or call 864.282.3713.
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