Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

By Katharine Viles

This weekend, a step into Steinbach Theater is a step onto the breezy porch of a wealthy Mississippi plantation and into the twisted relationships of high Southern society. In the Theater 520 production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” director Mark Efinger and his cast of seventeen talented actors and actresses will have their audience to sit among the characters and become part of the world the play constructs. In the show, Anne Hunter ’10 plays Maggie, a vivacious but strong-willed woman who escaped a life of poverty when she married Brick. Brick, played by Ken Tharp ’11, is the son of the rich plantation owner Big Daddy, played by Ricker Bailey ’11. The entire family gathers for Big Daddy’s birthday party, including Big Moma (Carolyn Whittingham ’11), Big Daddy’s unwanted son Gooper (Julian Danziger ’11), and his wife Mae (Rei Konolige ’12). Everyone except Big...

Battle of the Bands

By Bryan Ha

Just in time for the crisp spring weather and the lively atmosphere on the campus ground, crowds gathered around the steps of Samuel Phillips Hall last Friday to watch the annual Battle of The Bands. Sponsored by WPAA, eight bands competed for the victory and a winning trophy. Both a panel of judges and the student body determined the winner. The judge panel consisted of three faculty members: Zachary Hobbs, Assistant Director of Community Service, Liz Davisson, Teaching Fellow in Community Service and Derek Jacoby, Instructor in Music.

While both student and faculty members were enjoying the drinks and popcorn served by WPAA and eagerly waiting for the show to begin, school president Faiyad Ahmad ’10 and future school president Mike Mackay ’11 came up to the stage as MCs. The night began with Four Courners, consisting Charlie Oliva ’11, Ryan Yost ’11, Peter Nelson ’11, Zach Fine...

Jazz Band Visits Brazil

By Amanda Zhu

This Sunday, Latin Jazz filled Cochran Chapel as the Philips Academy Jazz Band played its final concert of the year. While the Chapel was noticeably less full than usual, it was filled with friends, parents and grandparents happily tapping their feet to the rhythm, itching to dance along.

“I think the concert went really well, there was just something so powerful about being together onstage playing the music that we love,” said saxophonist Arianna Chang ’13. The opening piece was slow and rhythmic with a steady beat and great dynamics. The piece featured Hunter Schlacks’11 on the tenor saxphone and Michael Scognamiglio ’10 on the piano. The Jazz Band then performed “Manteca,” a forceful, upbeat piece that had many of the players tapping their feet. The lively, South American nuance of the piece put the audience in a buoyant mood. “Manteca” had the band’s conductor, Music Department Chair...

Academy Orchestras Celebrate a Year in Music

By Eve Simister

On Friday night, Cochran Chapel resonated with the sounds of Saint-Saëns, Beethoven and standing ovations for the Academy Orchestras’ final concert of the year. Along with outstanding orchestral repertoire, the Senior Concertos of violist Jacob Shack ’10 and cellist Rainer Crosett ’10 were highlights of the evening.

From the Corelli Ensemble’s powerful first chord, the audience was immersed in “A Splash of Cold Water” by Gwyneth Walker. After the fervent introduction, a soft, legato melody arose, as if the surprising “splash” had lost its sting.

Corelli’s next piece was “Lullaby for String Quartet” by George Gershwin, featuring a violin solo by Mathew Lloyd-Thomas ’12. “It’s a bit of a somber piece. [It is] quiet, a bit reflective, not as open really, a little introverted,” said Lloyd-Thomas. “I liked how it was different from a lot of the pieces we usually play and it gave each section an opportunity to...

Senior Recitals: Younghoon Moon and Jennifer Miao

By Rachel Ryu

Last Saturday, both Younghoon Moon ’10 and Jennifer Miao ’10 bid farewell as they performed their final solo pieces for Phillips Academy. Both musicians gave heart-wawrming performances in the Timken Room for their Senior Recitals. The warm timbre of the violin and the gentle notes of the piano left a memorable experience for the audience.

The recital started off with classical pieces, both in F major. Miao eased the audience into the recital with the first movement of Mozart’s “Piano Sonata in F Major.” Her quick fingers produced a crisp sound for the difficult trills and ornaments. After Miao’s initial piece, Moon took the stage and performed all four movements of Beethoven’s “Spring Sonata for Violin in F Major,” with Director of Performance Christopher Walter accompanying on the piano. Moon captured the lively style of the sonata with effortless strokes of his bow, using every inch of the...

Senior Recitals: Bobby Chen

By Steve Kim

Bobby Chen ’10, readily dubbed as “Yo-Yo Chen,” performed his Senior Recital last Sunday to finish off his music career at Phillips Academy.

Chen began the performance with “Le Grande Tango” by Astor Piazzolla, accompanied by pianist Sayuri Miyamoto. The tango was undoubtedly a difficult piece, filled with swingy scales and complex harmonies. Nevertheless, Chen performed with proficiency and profound understanding of the music.

Fellow cellist Rainer Crosett ’10 said, “I completely sympathize with how difficult [“Le Grande Tango]” is. Bobby played really, really well. He had all the notes down, and his dynamics really showed that he understood the piece. He also had an amazing stage presence.”

Chen then performed “Adagio and Allegro in A flat Major, Op.70” by Robert Schumann.

Chen handled the subtleties of the “Adagio” with an almost perfect control of the sound of his instrument. His performance clearly showed his care for dynamics. The “Allegro” presented...

Senior Rectials: Jennifer Chew

By Paul Noh

“It felt like a roller coaster ride,” said pianist Jennifer Chew ’10 after her senior recital this past Sunday. And indeed it was. In her recital, Chew took the audience on a roller coaster ride of a broad range of emotions that characterizes her wide scope of piano repertoire.

Having played the piano since the age of six, Chew was noticeably very comfortable and relaxed on stage.

The first piece of the afternoon, Bach’s “Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp major, BWV 848” featured rapid broken major chords that Chew played effortlessly. The running right hand seemed to complement the lilting left hand accompaniment in a timeless dialogue between the two.

A definite highlight of the first half of the recital was the “Polonaise-Fantasie in A-flat major, Op. 61” by Frederic Chopin. A lively piece in military style, the “Polonaise-Fantasie” presented a conflict between the freedom of the fantasy and the...

Addison Gallery to Reopen in the Fall

By Eliana Kwartler

Next September, after a long wait and much anticipation, the Addison Gallery of American Art will reopen to the public.

Over the past year, the Addison was completely renovated. Julie Bernson, the Addison’s curator of education said, “We wanted to keep the integrity of such beautiful architecture.” Despite the building looking the same, there is now a much larger storage area and more staff. The Addison has over 17,000 works of art, but only 1,000 are on display at any given time. Before, all 3-D works were stored off-site due to the lack of space, but now there will be room to store the entire collection in the building. One of the most notable and visible additions is the new learning center. The learning center is an educational space designed to create more access to and engagement with the collection. Because the Addison has only a small fraction...

LaRosa’s: Italian at Home

By Stephanie Liu

Spread the word—there’s a secret passageway to Italy, and it’s just a ten-minute walk downtown. LaRosa’s is a newly opened family restaurant that offers signature sandwiches, salads, prepared foods and desserts, all for student-friendly prices. Co-owned by Jamie and Mike Cammarata and Paul LaRosa, the restaurant features delectable menu options that are always homemade and never fried to preserve the authenticity of the flavor. According to chef LaRosa, signature sandwiches are the best options, because they are pre-crafted and an easy order for any customer on the run or who simply cannot make decisions from the loaded menu. LaRosa’s is particularly known for its oven-toasted chicken parmigiano sandwich complete with LaRosa’s own tomato sauce, provolone, mozzarella and parmesan. The restaurant has sold over one thousand chicken parmigiano sandwiches since its opening in the late fall. For vegetarians, the portobello sandwich is particularly satisfying with its roasted mushrooms...

Campus is Cookin': Celebrate the End of Term!

By Apsara Iyer and Eve Simister

As spring showers give way to summer heat, and the end of the school year rapidly approaches, celebration fills the air. If tanning or tennigolfing on the Great Lawn doesn’t satisfy your cravings, try whipping up these five delicious party treats to put the “fiesta” in food. Sparkling Celebration

With humid breezes come the scents of summer flowers and the craving for cooling drinks. A sparkling fruit soda refreshes the palate and stirs up memories of barbeques and beach parties.

The key to this drink is using seltzer and lots of ice, but the combination of fruit flavors is open to variations. For one invigorating version, put ice in a tall glass, then fill one third of the way with orange juice, one third with cranberry juice and one third with seltzer. Fiesta Nachos

Whether mild, medium or extra hot, nachos are the ultimate fiesta food. Adding vegetables and beans...