The week before finals, UHS hosted its annual Celebrating the Arts Week from Dec. 11 to Dec. 15, which focused on spotlighting the artistic talents of the student body. The week consisted of dress-up days, holiday activities and lunch fest performances.
The process of planning the week involved precise attention to detail and tight communication between students and staff. Fine Arts Commissioner and senior Sophia Kurani talked about the challenges she faced when coordinating the celebration.
“The collaboration between Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) teachers, student artists, ASB and staff was unlike anything I’ve done before and took a lot of getting used to,” Kurani said. “We relied heavily on communication with VAPA teachers as they were the core of all the lunch fests and showcases we had planned.”
To ensure a successful performance, each performer had to commit their passion and dedication to the process. As described by junior Francis Lung, the bassist for the Jazz Band’s lunch performance on Monday, everyone worked together to present their best work.
“In hopes that we would get to perform our music for literally every student and staff on campus, our jazz band rehearsed every morning so we could get our pieces to perfection,” Lung said.
Many students found that the diligent work they put into their performance ultimately brought a positive response from their audience. Band performer and junior Michelle Lee expressed the joy of seeing the crowd’s reaction after her performance.
“I always love being able to showcase all of our hard work to my friends and family,” Lee said. “Plus, I always love seeing everyone enjoy the music that we put out there because it makes what we do even more meaningful.”
For some, the best part of performing consists of the sense of community that is built by working together artistically.
“My favorite part of choir is being able to meet all sorts of creative and interesting people who have a shared passion for music,” Madrigal singer David Kim said. “Some of my most treasured memories come from pre-concert and post-concert chatting, as well as the excitement that each performance brings.”
The wide variety of performances this year during Celebrating the Arts Week proved to be broadly enjoyed. Junior violinist Ally Kim discussed her overall opinion of the performance setup this year.
“All our arts programs had an unprecedented platform to perform this year,” Kim said. “I liked how we had the arts week, concerts, Office Hour showcases and lunch performances all together!”
With the opportunity to showcase their passion for art, performers encouraged students to seek out new forms of expression and use art as a means to balance their lives between creativity and stress.
“Right after we performed, we realized that the octet had come a long way,” junior cellist Amy Lantz said. “I hope that more people start chamber groups in the future and listen to more classical music since it is a fun way to connect with peers and escape from academic pressure.”
On the stressful week before finals, such artistic escapes during Celebrating the Arts Week proved especially beneficial for the student body. It was not only a chance for students to take a break from their academic work, but also for students to appreciate the talents of their peers and enjoy various forms of artistic expression.
