Arts in the News

Last fall’s opening of the renovated Art and Media Center coincided with a colorful and inspired addition to the Centre Street quad. Sculptor Rob Lorenson’s art launched the first installation of the Nesto Gallery outdoor art exhibition series. This summer, members of Milton’s facilities services, Pete Henderson and Manny Tavares, helped Mr. Lorenson and his crew safely de-install the large works of art to make room for the exhibition’s second artist.

In this coming school year, students and adults will enjoy, outdoors, the art of sculptor Joseph Wheelwright. Mr. Wheelwright is a master carver of stones, bones, and other natural materials. He lives and works in Boston and Vermont, where he maintains a foundry for casting his tree personages in bronze. A collection of Mr. Wheelwright’s smaller works, Nature’s Bounty, will also be on exhibition in Milton’s Nesto Gallery from September 18 through October 23.

Many Milton students are familiar with Ovid’s classic poem Metamorphoses from English class. The spring play brings American playwright Mary Zimmerman’s version of Metamorphoses to King Theatre. Performing arts faculty member Eleza Moyer saw the original Broadway production and knew that someday she wanted to stage the play. This version focuses on the love myths of Ovid’s stories. Eleza describes the student production as a “theatrical experience that is all encompassing.” The theatre is set up as a “theatre in the round” and the set includes a pool because Zimmerman uses water as a metaphor for love. The cast and crew consists of students from all four grades, and there is live music and singing interspersed in the dialogue and action.

Metamorphoses opens in King Theatre on Thursday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m., with shows on Friday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 16, at 7 p.m.

This spring’s 1212 play brought another round ofSaturday Night Live comedy to campus. Wicked Sketchy is an original production made up of 18 sketches, written and performed by students. Last spring’s Wicked Sketchy production was so successful that Peter Parisi, performing arts department chair, thought it made sense to do it again. This time, Jake Daniels (I), Mack Makishima (II), Rick Dionne (I), Alex Gistis (II) and Minh-Anh Day (I) took on lead writing and directorial roles in this collaborative project. The 28-student cast pitched ideas to each other and wrote draft skits in small groups, eventually choosing the final 18, which each student had a hand in editing.

View photos of Wicked Sketchy.

The tradition of Milton’s 1212 Plays began over 30 years ago in room 1212 of Warren Hall. The performances evolved from play readings to fully staged productions under the direction of late faculty member Nina Seidenman. When Warren Hall was renovated, and room 1212 became an English classroom, the productions relocated to Wigg Hall. The space may have changed, but the philosophy is the same: intimate productions with small casts, minimal technical demands, and challenging material for both actors and audience.

When Andrew Byun (II) plays his cello, he immerses himself in the instrument and the emotions in the music. It is not surprising that one of his favorite composers is Sergei Rachmaninoff, who wrote challenging, emotive and melodic pieces. Andrew can also easily switch gears and entertain his peers with “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay during a morning assembly.

“Music is one thing I truly enjoy doing. No one has to persuade me to practice. It’s always been a part of my life,” says Andrew, who practices up to three hours a day. He grew up in Canada and Korea, member of an artistic and musical family. His mother is a painter, his oldest sister is an opera singer in Korea, and his other sister studies piano at the New England Conservatory.

Andrew recently appeared onstage at Jordan Hall in Boston for the taping of the 300th episode of “From the Top”—an NPR program “dedicated to celebrating the stories, talents, and character of classically-trained young musicians.” He played the third movement, Andante, from Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19, by Rachmaninoff and the third movement, Danza Finale, from Suite for Solo Cello by Gaspar Cassadó. The latter piece Andrew played onstage during last year’s Dance Concert, at the center of the choreography performed around him.

Listen to Andrew’s “From the Top” performances.

Playing at Jordan Hall was Andrew’s first time performing in front of a large crowd—nearly 1,000 people. Although he was nervous, he says it was an exciting experience. Interviewed onstage afterward, Andrew told the crowd that his most powerful musical experience is working as a teaching fellow at From The Top’s Center for the Development of Arts Leaders. Through this program he works with children at Chittick Elementary School in Dorchester.

“I work with a little boy named Cameron,” he told the audience. “When I first started teaching him, he was very introverted and shy. When I would tell him to do something, he would just do it; he wouldn’t say anything. But now he is much more extroverted and we joke around a lot. Now when I tell him to do something, he always asks me why he should do it! Our relationship has become much deeper and more meaningful. Watching Cameron improve, and seeing how our relationship improves through music, has been very powerful for me.”

At Milton, Andrew plays in both the orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. He is also assistant principal cellist of the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School. He has been invited to play at Carnegie Hall in November 2015.