List of 20 news stories.

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  Break Through a Creative Lens: Artists Plan their Summers

  Isha Seth '28 Arts Editor
  Some students have already begun preparation for their art-filled summers. Pianist Edouard Ferragu ’28 will head to Poland to play with the Warsaw Philharmonic, an opportunity he earned through a competition. “I actually had to compete with the piece that I’m going to be playing with the Philharmonic,” he said, explaining that preparing for this opportunity required much effort. Ferragu will also attend the Music Academy of the West in California where he “will be playing a lot of chamber music.” He has begun to practice the pieces he will play at the Academy, adding “There’s a lot of preparation” to be done “before as it’s a lot of music, so it takes a long time to learn.” 
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  From Hopkins to Greece: Choir and Visual Arts Learning Abroad

  Jean Wen '29 Assistant Arts Editor
  From singing in outdoor venues to sketching ancient architecture, Hopkins choir and visual arts students will soon be on the streets of Athens. From June 8th to 17th, students traveling to Greece will spend their days performing, visiting museums and historical sites, exploring islands and cities, and experiencing the Greek culture that inspired much of Western art, architecture, and music.
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  Lights, Music, Prom: How Prom Came to Life

  Saisha Ghai '27 Lead Arts Editor
  When eleventh and twelfth grade students walked into Hopkins’ Hollywood themed Prom on June 2, they saw the curated centerpieces and red carpet beckoning them into the venue. Each item was designed and set up by the Hopkins Prom Committee, better known as PromCom, a team of nine students who deal with the logistics of setting up Prom so that it is enjoyable for every attendee. 

   
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  The Secret Behind the Suspense: How the Senior Banner Was Made

  Margot Beckerlegge '29 Assistant Arts Editor
  As you just saw, the Senior Banner was revealed to the whole school on Prize Day, and the audience erupted in cheers. But how did we get here? Who puts the time and effort into creating a banner for each graduating class? This year, Studio Art III and the Senior Banner Committee have banded together to make this collaborative piece.
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  Reclaiming the Narrative: the MENA Art Gallery

  Margot Beckerlegge '29 Assistant Arts Editor
  “A reminder that art has the power to bridge gaps, foster understanding, and create meaningful connections” is what Kenzy Abdalla ’27, co-head of the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) affinity group at Hopkins, hoped the MENA art exhibit served as. The MENA gallery ran from April 7 to April 17. It included a map of countries, religions, and cultures represented alongside artworks by a diverse group of MENA artists. Courtney Jaser, faculty advisor of the MENA affinity group, outlined the exhibit’s original goal: to promote “awareness and [education] about the Middle East and North Africa.”
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  Reflection and Impact: Hope Hartup's 100th Show

  Karolina Jasaitis '27 Arts Editor
  As the curtain rises for her 100th Hopkins show, Hope Hartup isn’t just marking a milestone; she’s celebrating decades of storytelling, creativity, and impact in the theater. 
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  Trending Traditions: AAPI Art in Modern Media

  Jean Wen '29 Assistant Arts Editor
  From ancient art like calligraphy to global films like "Everything Everywhere All at Once," and the worldwide popularity of anime and K-pop, Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) art is becoming increasingly visible in Western culture. This growing visibility raises important questions as AAPI art moves from traditional forms into modern Western culture. At Hopkins School, several events celebrating Asian American culture occur every year, particularly during AAPI month, which begins on May 1.
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  “Fearless” Actress and Singer Bar Avraham faces her final season at Hop

  Giuliana Wright '29
  Bar Avraham ’26, Co-head of the Hopkins Drama Association (HDA) and lead singer in the band Persian Goodbye, is taking her final bow at Hopkins.
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  Are You Still Watching?

  Ellie Luo '28 Assistant Arts Editor
  The hum of the television fills an otherwise dark room. Something’s happening on the show you have put on, maybe some boring exposition you couldn’t care less about. You don’t know, because your focus is on the smaller screen in front of you: your phone. With the rise of short-form content, attention spans have decreased dramatically, from around 2.5 minutes down to 40 seconds according to National Geographic. Shortened attention spans have caused a lack of awareness during movies in and out of the theaters, leading to a rising trend of people watching a second screen. This effect has been deemed the “second screen phenomenon.” 
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  Behind the Set Pieces: Inside the New Theater Tech Class

  Saisha Ghai '27 Arts Editor
  If you walked into the scene shop, where the set pieces of each Hopkins Drama Association (HDA) production are built, during the school day you might see students measuring wood, with sawdust on the floor, and music playing in the background. While usually set design for HDA productions takes place during an afterschool program, this semester David Kenton has begun to teach a new Technical Theater class, focusing on the behind-the-scenes of every HDA production.

• Hopkins Musicians Strike a Chord at CMEA

  Veena Scholand '26 Arts Editor
  The Connecticut Music Educator’s Association (or CMEA) has been a festival for middle school and high school student musicians in Connecticut for over a century. According to Hopkins’s head of the Arts department, Robert Smith, “Hopkins has sent more students to the festival than any other high school in Connecticut.” The audition entails performing the year’s designated piece, a short sight reading, and a scale. Musicians participate in a regional ensemble that performs in the winter time. Students that are accepted are also able to audition again for a chance to perform at All States on the national level.
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  Quinby Berry: Enjoying the Harmony that Music Brings

  Keegan Slovinski '28
  Some singers find their voice over time. Quinby Berry ’26 found his—and then used it to lead others. A tenor deeply involved in Hopkins’ arts community, Berry has taken the stage in productions ranging from the musical Cabaret to the Hopkins Drama Associations (HDA) production 1960’s set Twelfth Night. In the latter, he performed in a Beach Boy-inspired band, distinguishing the production's time period. Still, he has most enjoyed his time leading the Harmonaires, Hopkins’  tenor and bass a cappella group.
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  Artist of the Issue Article: Caryn Kim

  Hejing Wen '29
  As a toddler, Caryn Kim ’26 was already surrounded by music. With a mother who worked as an organist and piano teacher, Kim grew up hearing music at home—and before long, she was learning it too. Music became part of her childhood in a natural, almost inevitable way.
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  Artist of the Issue-: Cora Turk-Thomas

  Silvia Gozar-Zimbrean '29
  Theater has always been an essential part of Cora Turk-Thomas’s ’26 life. From helping out in elementary school shows to becoming production stage manager (PSM) at Hopkins, their love for it has only grown, not only connecting them with others, but giving them skills they can carry with them throughout the rest of their life.
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  HDA’s “The Drowsy Chaperone” Will Keep Audiences Wide Awake

  Isha Seth '28 Assistant Arts Editor
  The Hopkins Drama Association (HDA) is preparing for their performance of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” a show featuring “tap dancing, a roller skating groom, and challenging and fun music” according to Director Mike Calderone. HDA’s rendition of the musical comedy will open on February 26 in the Academic and Performing Arts Center.
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  Hopkins's Opinions on AI Music

  Elyssa Power '28
  Artificial intelligence, or AI, has become an increasingly visible part of daily life at Hopkins. Regarding the use of AI at Hopkins, Max Blechinger ’26 said, “I think in general it’s useful for studying or looking stuff up, but I prefer final papers for English so I don’t like that we have English exams now.” As AI tools influence the humanities, questions begin to emerge about its role in music. AI-generated music programs are capable of producing melodies, harmonies, and even complete songs within seconds. While these tools have gained attention online, their long term impact on students and faculty at Hopkins remains unclear, and opinions on AI music range from negative to indifferent.

• Piroetta: Shaping a Story through Dance and Light

  Ellie Luo '28 Assistant Arts Editor
  Vivid lights spill across the stage as the crowd erupts into a roar of cheers. The newest Video Production film shines on the screen, lighting up the entire theatre with its glow. From A Day In The Life videos to horror films for the haunted house, Advanced Video Production experiments and refines their skills in all sorts of genres, tinkering with pace, framing, and edit styles. This year, the class will collaborate with the Technical Theater class and the dance community to present their film, “Piroetta” in the APAC theater on May 1st. Made in homage to Italian Filmmaker Dario Argento, the project will showcase the creativity of the filmmakers, tech crew, and the dancers on campus to visually blend storytelling and movement.
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  Sappho Walked so Taylor Swift Could Run: The Evolution of the Love Song from the Ancient Agora to the MetLife Stadium

  Aerin O'Brian '26 Lead Arts Editor
  A lot has changed since ancient humans gathered in the agora to debate, to learn, to exchange ideas and to be entertained: we no longer believe that the Earth is flat, we made Icarus’s dream of flying a reality and did not get scorched by the sun, our phones contain more information than several libraries of Alexandria, but one thing has remained the same – we keep falling in love and we keep singing about it. Occasionally, we still gather in large stadiums to hear our modern-day poets pour our feelings into songs. When Charles Darwin traced the origins of music to the courtship rituals of birds, he concluded that, “Love is still the commonest theme of our songs.” So, as much as we are sometimes embarrassed to admit – relegating love songs to the guilty pleasure purgatory of our Spotify playlists – singing about love is part of our biology. While love remained an ever-present subject through the ages, the popular cultural attitudes towards love and the love song have waxed and waned, shifting from moralizing to mocking, from sentimental to rebellious, from wholesome to transgressive, from embarrassing to embracing.
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  Beach Boys and Romance: HDA Presents "Twelfth Night"

  Veena Scholand '26 Art Editor
  From 60’s music to thrilling fights, HDA’s production of Twelfth Night prepared through the months of October and November to take the stage on December 4th, 5th, and 6th. As opening night approached, the excitement of the cast and crew grew for a “very unique” production, says Fiona Wiman ’28, playing Olivia.
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  From the Kiln to the Breakfast Table: Ceramics at Hopkins

  Saisha Ghai '27 Arts Editor
  From the classic Greek vases depicting mythology to the delicate Ming dynasty pottery, ceramics have earned their place in society over hundreds of years. At Hopkins, Ceramics is a class that provides students with new methods of problem-solving, forcing students to turn a lump of clay into a pinch pot or an inedible baked good. Students practice wheel and hand-building techniques, experiment with different colored glazes, and follow the steps required to prepare and fire their work.