HSPVA Summer Experiences

Theatre senior Isabella Jarosz attended Cherubs at Northwestern University. 

Every summer, kids from HSPVA go out of state and even out of the country for experiences that enrich their skills as artists. This summer, kids from HSPVA got accepted into highly-selective audition-based programs like Northwestern's Theatre Cherubs program, Carnegie Hall's National Youth Orchestra, Perry Mansfield's Pre-Professional Dance Intensive, and Skidmore and NJPAC's Jazz Intensive. 
 
Theatre senior Isabella Jarosz attended Cherubs at Northwestern University. She spent five weeks working on honing her acting skills and improving control over her voice and body from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. each day.

"I think I learned the most in my elective classes," she said. "I was able to take a Chekhov study, as well as a devising class specific to solo performance. I learned a lot about the history of my craft, and about how I can shape the future of it." 3 other HSPVA Theatre students attended this camp; 1 attended the Acting camp like Isabella did, while 2 others attended the Technical Theatre Camp. 
 

Orchestra junior Jonathan Jalbert attended the National Youth Orchestra program sponsored by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute. (Photo: Chris Lee)

Orchestra junior Jonathan Jalbert was accepted into the prestigious National Youth Orchestra (NYO) program sponsored by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute that brings together young musicians from across the country. Jonathan was one out of four Clarinet players chosen out of the entire United States. After a three-week residency at Purchase College in New York, which consisted of rehearsals, social activities and a performance, NYO performed Mozart's 22nd Piano Concerto with renowned pianist Emmanuel Ax and Bruckner's Sixth Symphony, conducted by Maestro Christoph Eschenbach (the music director of the National Symphony in DC), in Carnegie Hall. The bulk of their program was a tour of Europe for ten days where they performed works by Debussy, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninov, and Prokofiev in Amsterdam, Montpellier, Copenhagen, and Prague, in some of the most spectacular concert halls in the world. Jonathan has expressed a deep appreciation for the program:

"This was the greatest musical experience of my life so far, and it left me with a much deeper appreciation for music. I loved every part of this experience and it has inspired be to be both a better musician and a better person". Both of Jonathan's parents are musicians as well.  
 

Dance senior Adele Carlson attended Perry-Mansfield's Pre-Professional Dance Intensive in Steamboat Springs, CO.

Dance senior Adele Carlson attended Perry-Mansfield's Pre-Professional Dance Intensive in Steamboat Springs, CO. The intensive was six weeks long and concentrated on training 16 pre-professional dancers in classical ballet and modern dance techniques with supplemental classes in choreography, improvisation, Pilates, and yoga. Perry-Mansfield is a unique program in that dancers also live with theatre majors and take electives with them. Electives include acting for dancers, visual arts, equestrian arts, repertory, jazz, dance on film, and creative writing. Dancers have Saturdays off to explore the town on steamboat springs, and Sundays are reserved for camp activities, master classes and six more hours of rehearsal for the final performance. Because the program is focused on attaining maximum artistic growth and creativity, there are no phones, clocks, or mirrors on the campus. 

Adele says, "Spending the past three summers at Perry-Mansfield has been a life altering experience for me. I've met so many new people and connected with them on a deeper level. the various classes I was able to take outside of the dance realm helped me find other artistic outlets for expression. "
 

Jazz senior Alex DeWalt attended Skidmore and NJPAC's Jazz Intensive this summer. 

Jazz senior Alex DeWalt attended Skidmore and NJPAC's Jazz Intensive. Alex describes her experience as empowering and speaks of the gender imbalance in the Jazz scene.

She says, "I will get to see these people on the bandstand later in my life, and we will be changed musicians (hopefully for the better) and can have a tighter bond because we have grown and matured. New Jersey had a different impact on me. Coming from a camp where there were only five girls to an all-female camp was a major transition. I had never been surrounded by so many female artists, and I felt I belonged to the community. Being able to work with the gifted women and listen to their journey with music made me realize that there are many women out there who haven’t been listed on the list alongside the greats. There I got to meet young women from the age of 17-28 and it was a beautiful experience to make music with them". 
 
I've been inspired just by talking to my fellow peers about their summer endeavors. It's clear that PVA kids are driven, passionate, and excited about their art area and are attending programs to enhance their passions. It's nice to know that there are young people who want to keep exploring the human condition with their art.