Fine Arts

Our choral and dance students may not have been able to spend their spring break in NYC as originally planned, but that didn't stop them from chatting with some of the current stars of Broadway. The students took part in their very own virtual talkback with the associate conductor of Frozen and seven of the cast members who pay Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, Hans, Weselton, Oaken and the dance captain. For nearly 90 minutes, the cast members spoke with our students and gave them some great tips about performing and life!

Senior Michael Wattelet made the Illinois Music Educators Association All-District Classical and Jazz band this year, and will also be representing Carmel at ILMEA All-State on jazz trumpet at the end of January 2020.

Members of the Advanced, Treble, Cadence and Parkway choirs performed live on stage at the Gurnee Mills Holiday Celebration on December 6 as they competed in a “Caroling for Cash” contest offered by 102.3 WXLC and Consumers Credit Union. Carmel Catholic was among the three choirs in Lake County who were selected to sing and have won $500 for the choir program.

Congratulations to senior, Isabella Poma, who auditioned for and was selected as a member of the Illinois Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) All-State Show Choir.

Students in the Carmel Choral program presented their final concert of the year on Tuesday, May 7. The combined choirs sang "Make Them Hear You" from the Musical Ragtime as their concert finale. The song featured the choral class of 2019 pictured in the front row.

Cadence also performed in the final concert as they said goodbye to their 2019 theme “A Night Out With Cadence.”

Several seniors were featured as soloists in the final concert of the year.

This spring, the Archdiocese of Chicago hosted the 2019 NCEA convention at McCormick Place in Chicago. As a part of the celebration, student artwork from across the Archdiocese was featured during the convention; only 50 pieces were selected and displayed as part of the competition. One of the 50 selected pieces was created by Rebecca Unze, a junior at Carmel Catholic High School. The theme for the art competition was “My Chicago” and young artists were encouraged to express their love for and experiences of the city.

Every spring in April, the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives sponsor a nation-wide high school arts competition called An Artistic Discovery. This art contest gives talented young artists the opportunity to be recognized by the nation as well as in their Congressional District. For each competition, the Congressional District brainstorms and determines a theme for the contest. The 2019 contest theme for District 10th, which was determined by Congressman Brad Schneider, was ‘Character’; artists were encouraged to interpret the theme however they wished.

Visual arts students’ work was showcased during the Spring Semester 2019 Student Art Exhibition. The hallways of the Fine Arts wing, starting at the hallway near the Brandsma Chapel entrance and ending in the Black Box, were filled with wonderful artwork from the following classes: Photography I and II-Honors, Graphic Design II-Honors, Introduction to Art, Ceramics/Sculpture I-UCP, Ceramics/Sculpture II-Honors, Art I, Drawing/Painting II-Honors, Open Studio Art Honors, and Studio Art AP. In addition, the exhibition featured work from Harbinger, Art Club, and the Wellness Day Therapeutic Artmaking sessions.

Snow in April did not stop the Ceramics/Sculpture I and II students from experiencing the wonderful Raku firing process. During the Raku Workshop with Carl Mankert, from Chicago Kiln Service, and his assistant Ian, students had the opportunity to learn about the Japanese firing technique known as Raku and they were able to glaze their vases and sculptures. Prior to this event, Ceramics/Sculpture I students spent two weeks planning and constructing their nature inspired vases and Ceramics/Sculpture II students designed and created a vase inspired by a Raku artist whom they researched.

The Harbinger 2017-2018 magazine is one of 28 nationally to be named as a finalist by the National Scholastic Press Association in its prestigious Pacemaker competition.