Last week, departments from the Fine Arts Academy held their fall concerts, an opportunity to show off to their peers, parents and teachers the pieces they have been working on thus far in the semester.  On Monday, however, heavy rain flooded the MAC theater leaving the orchestra and guitar programs with an underwater concert hall for their “Danse Macabre” shows later in the week.

The Tuesday performance by the Lamar and McCallum orchestra programs was rescheduled for the cafeteria and the schools were able to come together for the annual tradition concert.

The Wednesday chamber guitar and orchestra concert took place in the FABT, just a parking lot away from its original location.

On Thursday and Saturday, the McCallum Youth Dance Company held their fall concert, ‘Building in Progress/Life Happening’ in the AISD Performing Arts Center—where it was scheduled in the first place—with all levels of dance showcasing unique routines.

The marching band closed out the week with its UIL Area competition, where they performed among fierce winds and earned a third-place finish.

We are happy to present some of the top photos from last week’s show-stopping performances (and unexpected weather).

STAYING FLUID AND FLEXIBLE: The MAC theater was flooded due to the rain on Monday, making the space unusable for the concerts scheduled for later that week. According to assistant principal Gabe Reyes, construction in the adjacent parking lot most likely contributed to the flooding, since land next to the building has been raised, and the gutter from the side of the building has been removed.

“It didn’t mess it [the lesson plan] up entirely, but we’ll be a bit behind when we get back in the theater,” senior technical theater student Mariela Denson said.

Tech theatre classes are currently taking place in the cafeteria since the MAC theater is their typical classroom space. Concerts by the McCallum orchestra, Lamar orchestra and chamber guitar program were relocated to the cafeteria and FABT, and were able to take place on time. Caption by Francie Wilhelm. Photo by Jordyn Berger.

THE MCCALLUM ORCHESTRA CAFE: On the first night of their two-night fall orchestra concert, “Danse Macabre,” both the McCallum orchestra and the Lamar orchestra performed their pieces after months of work. The hour-and-a-half show started with Lamar, then went on to McCallum, and ended with both orchestras playing the Lamar and McCallum school songs.

“My favorite part was getting to play with the Lamar kids,” sophomore Kate Talley said. “It’s a really cool opportunity to be able to play with kids that sort of used to be you and it’s fun to meet new people.” Despite the unexpected venue change both orchestras adapted to the switch. The recent flooding in the MAC theater prevented the show from being put on in the ideal location; the alternative was the cafeteria. 

“It was super different playing in the cafeteria.” Talley said. “You could see the audience more which was maybe more nerve racking.” 

Since the change was fairly last minute, the cafeteria was set up with chairs to accommodate parents, students and teachers only hours before the concert as well as create room for both of the orchestras to perform. 

“The sound quality wasn’t as good,” Talley said. “But I think it was really cool that everyone was able to come together and make a good thing out of a bad situation.” 

Caption and photo by Chloe Lewcock.

UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES: A flooded theatre didn’t stop the McCallum and Lamar orchestras from delivering a thrilling performance together. The cello section helped power the final piece of the concert and despite the unusual circumstances both orchestras managed to put together a terrific performance in the cafeteria. This concert not only boosted the morale for upcoming concerts and UIL but also gave the future members of the McCallum orchestra a taste of what it is like playing at a high school level. Photo by Chloe Lewcock. Caption by Devin Neal. 

SHARING STRINGS: Senior Nathan Dart tuning his guitar at the joint orchestra and guitar fall concert last Wednesday. Dart was a key player in the guitar program’s performance of Scenes from Ellis Island: an arrangement with sections based on photographs from the Ellis Island Museum. The standout piece included a variety of instruments, including harmonica, cello, drums and Dart on the electric guitar.

“I’ve been playing electric for about 10 years, much longer than classical guitar,” Dart said. “I definitely had to adapt to playing electric guitar over a classical ensemble because I play mostly in rock-oriented settings.”

Dart also enjoyed the opportunity to see the orchestra perform. “I don’t get the chance to see them play very often, but they always have a great program and they played really well.” Photo and caption by Francie Wilhelm.

On the second night of last week’s fall orchestra concert, “Danse Macabre,” the McCallum Chamber Guitar Ensemble, and Chamber Orchestra performed their long prepared sets for an audience of parents, teachers, students and McCallum orchestra fans. Senior Thea Krische is among the players for McCallum’s chamber orchestra. The violinist performed at the concert and held the position of first chair, however, despite the recent flooding that unexpectedly caused the move of the concert from the previous location of the MAC to the Fine Arts Building theater. Despite the unexpected move both the Ensemble, and the Orchestra adapted, and continued their concert regardless of the conditions. Caption by Chloe Lewcock. Photo by Francie Wilhelm. 

TO HELL AND BACK: Seniors Tyler Mankinen and Molly Holder perform their class piece, Seven Devils, choreographed by senior Khi Washington. Washington first choreographed the piece last year for Mac Youth Dance Co.’s spring show, Solace. The piece was then adjusted for the senior class to perform on the Thursday and Saturday performances of the dance company’s Building in Progress/Life Happening at the AISD Performing Arts Center.

“It was fun to perform because a lot of my friends who were in the class last year were there, so it was cool to do the piece again for them,” Mankinen said. “I think since the senior class is so close, watching the dance, you can see everyone’s connection with one another which I think is super unique.” Reporting by Alice Scott. Photo by Autry Guequierre.

UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: Senior Julia Wallace standing center stage surrounded by other dancers in the piece “Seven Devils,” choreographed by senior Malakhi Washington. Wallace was one of the many dance majors who performed at the showcase last week.

“It was hard figuring out the spacing and timing,” Wallace said. “The stage is so big compared to the black box where we’re used to practicing.” 

Regardless of the changes, the dancers still performed what Wallace speculated to be a great show. This was one of the McCallum Youth Dance Company’s last shows to include this year’s seniors, which although bittersweet, made the time Wallace spent on stage with them extra special. Photo by Autry Guequierre. Caption by JoJo Barnard. 

A FINAL BOW:On the first night of their two-night fall show, the McCallum dance company takes a bow to close out the evening. The line of seniors joins hands as the show comes to an end for the first night. 

“I think that the piece was great,” senior Azra Kleinman said. 

Kleinman highlights some of her favorite parts of the process and the show in general.

“Being able to work with choreographers on different pieces and being able to see what other classes put together for their dances.” 

After working on the show, elaborate choreography, and even costuming for over a month the dance company finally got to show off its final product on both Thursday, and Saturday nights.  

“It was really nice to see all the pieces come together,” Kleinman said. “And being able to perform after a lot of rehearsing.”

Caption by Chloe Lewcock Photo by Priya Thoppil. 

BANDTASTIC: Junior Malena Linse performs the woodwind feature from movement two of Mac Band’s show, Seeing Stars, during the preliminary round of the Area meet on Saturday. The band advanced to finals and ultimately placed third out of 5A Area D schools just behind Hendrickson HS and Jack C. Hays HS.

“Any performance is both stressful and fun, but area finals definitely felt like the most important one yet,” Linse said. “I think everyone felt the pressure as we got on the field, but as soon as the show started, and we began cheering for Mira and Tyler, I got in the performance mindset and just had fun with it. Reporting by Alice Scott. Photo by Lillian Gray.

NOT THROWING AWAY HIS SHOT: Junior and trombone player Benji Owens strikes a Hamilton-inspired pose after finishing his solo piece during the Mac band’s Area performance, Seeing Stars. The solo provided a nice break from the physical exercise of marching around and made the rigorous hours of practice worth it to Owens.

“It can be nice to be able to take a break from the physical strain of marching during the show, but it’s quite stressful at competitions,” Owens said. “If you mess up, it’s very obvious and can be embarrassing. On top of that, though, it is quite fun to play, and feels really good when you nail it.”

According to Owens, competitions such as this one are rewarding because they are a means of unity for the band.

“Competitions are great because they give the band a common goal,” Owens said. “They give people who are usually tired and like to complain something to motivate them and reveal their love for band.” Photo by Lillian Gray. Reporting by Lanie Sepehri.

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