Fine Arts

Carmel students in Drawing and Painting Honors partnered with The Memory Project to create portraits for youth who have faced substantial challenges, including neglect, abuse, loss of parents, and poverty and homelessness. These children have few special belongings to help capture their life stories. Carmel students focused on children of the Syrian refugee crisis, creating portraits during the Fall 2020 semester.

Students displayed an immeasurable amount of flexibility, adaptability, strength, fluidity, and hardiness in the preparation and performance of their fall production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare.

During eLearning in November, students in String Ensemble crafted a virtual performance: individual tracks edited together to create an ensemble. With our minds on the upcoming holiday, they studied and performed Morten Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium.” Students explored Lauridsen’s simple Renaissance harmonies that create complex emotions in this portrayal of the Virgin Mary. Lauridsen was heavily influenced by the Spanish Baroque painting “Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose'' by Francisco de Zurbarán. To create a powerful performance, students closely examined the music, making connections between the text, painting, and their own faith.

Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19 restrictions, Carmel’s Fine Arts department still found a way to showcase students’ talents and spread some Christmas cheer in a completely new virtual format. On December 22, the department presented the annual Christmas concert on their YouTube channel. The concert included unique performances from a large variety of ensembles. Students from Carmel’s choral, instrumental, dance, and dramatic arts programs were all featured throughout the presentation.