Strutting their stuff – Lopez school’s annual winter concert is Thursday

One of Lopez’s annual special treats, the school’s winter concert and art show, takes place Thursday, Jan. 17, at the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. The art show will be open for viewing from 6 to 7 p.m., and the concert, featuring the school’s high school band and middle-high school choir, will begin at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free.

This is the 15th year that long-time music teacher Ann Marie Fischer will be putting on the concert, and she believes that this year’s performance will be among the best.

Both the band and the choir have attracted students who are “pretty serious about music,” says Fischer, who has been putting in long hours preparing the kids for the show. Several performed in previous winter concerts, and have continued developing their musical skills throughout the year.

The eight-member band will be presenting a variety of musical styles, among them blues and rock. One of the numbers will be performed in Spanish by band member Juan Velasquez.

It will even present two original tunes written by band members. One was created by Robin Fay and Matthew Sutton, while the other was written by Jean-Jacques Tetu. The kids’ original tunes will be included on a CD the band will be recording later this school year.

The choir, which consists of 21 talented voices, will also present different types of songs, one of them in Latin. Fischer will accompany the choir on several of its songs, as will young guitarists Ian Finneran and Kurtis Dengler. Youth violinists Russell Ritchie and Todd Foley will accompany the choir on some Celtic songs.

Up to 75 art works on display

Some extraordinarily talented kids’ art to be exhibited at the school

“There will be some really cool stuff,” adds the school’s new art teacher Laura Sher, who is gearing up for her first winter art show. She might have added that there will be a whole lot of art on display — upwards of 75 pieces, perhaps even more, and representing many media.

Some of the kids are extraordinary talents who, Sher says, “take their work seriously. They want to learn a lot,” she adds, “and they’re willing to take risks.”

Sher will be presenting the art works of four of her classes — a sixth grade class, a seventh grade class, a mixed middle-school class, and a mixed high school class. Among the works will be self portraits, papier mache, even a representation of a Diego Rivera mural. “There will be a little bit of everything,” Sher says.

Before the students began working on their individual projects, Sher required them to research their respective subject areas. Some kids learned about Celtic designs, while others studied those of naturalists. High school geography teacher Craig Kelly led one of the sessions. Sher feels the exercise was an essential component of learning to be an artist. “It’s how artists operate,” she says.

During the four days leading up to the showing, Sher will be spending many hours at Lopez Center hanging the works. She will also be on hand at the exhibit talking to attendees about her program and the individual works on display. None of the student art will be for sale.

— Ted Grossman is editor of islandssounder.com and The Islands’ Sounder. He can be reached at (360) 376-4500 or email.

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