Behind every piece: practice, reflection, and the courage to share.
The Winter Arts Festival on Wednesday, January 21, was a great success for the Gann student community with over 150 student participants showcasing their talents in visual and performing arts. While the program instructed attendees to meet in the Dining Hall, the room looked vastly different than it did just hours before when students were eating their lunches at the round tables.
Before the evening Festival, students and faculty were invited to a preview during lunch. The servery was transformed into a Studio with art on every wall, computers set up with graphic animations, framed black and white digital photography, canvases, paper cut dioramas, and glossy pop culture marketing campaigns.
The center of the room featured tall, interconnected panels that served as necessary extra gallery real estate to present an impressive array of 2D explorations such as charcoal renderings of geometric shapes, highly articulated student self-portraits, and interior studies in linear perspective.
In addition to learning about students’ developing skill sets, a highlight of the night was also seeing the reflective process and passions of Gann’s students represented. There were many compelling renderings of self-portraits, beloved pets, everyday objects, shots of flowers and plant life, and interdisciplinary work including the final projects done in the Hebrew through Art class.
With offerings from all of Gann’s Studio and Media Arts Foundations, there was plenty to look at. Parents and grandparents were especially excited to see “new” digital media that was created using Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro. These are industry-standard programs that students often encounter in specialized classes in college – but at Gann, all students are empowered to explore these tools as young adults.
After the visual arts showcase, everyone made their way down to the Black Box Theater for the performance arts. As people took their seats, the Grateful Dead was in full swing, playing Derek and the Domino’s Layla. With three singers sharing the spotlight and an energetic mix of electric guitar, bass, piano, and drums, the band’s performance felt joyful and vibrant — the perfect way to kick off the evening.
Next, Liana G. ’26 and Jacob K. ’28 introduced themselves as the student emcees for the night. With quick wit, confidence, and easy banter, they guided the audience through the program, keeping the energy high between sets and bringing warmth and humor to each transition. It helped to have an excellent stage crew who invisibly managed lights, sound, and scene changes with calm precision.
They first welcomed the Classical Music Club. This brand-new performance group, founded and led by Jeremy Yospin, Noah Klebanov, and Jonah Klebanov debuted with a beautiful rendition of Hatikvah including both choral singers and orchestral musicians.
Gann’s Chamber Orchestra performed next (conducted by Thom Hasselberger) who led the group through a series of classical pieces, from the otherworldly theme song from Interstellar to an impressively coordinated set of classical pieces that garnered great applause.
The Red Cleffers took the stage next with guidance from Spike Kraus, invoking some powerful childhood nostalgia with a song from Newsies, a sweet rendition of the Beatles “Blackbird,” and a memorable mashup of “I Will Go the Distance” and “Defying Gravity” which was a crowd favorite.
Next up, the Gann Dance Company performed an intricate lyrical piece to a song called “Running out of Time.” This song resonated with the dancers – Gann students are incredibly busy! The choreography was fresh, the song had techno/percussive/Bollywood vibe and a catchy, looping lyric that the dancers took full advantage of as they moved across the stage.
Gann’s Buttonfly improv group took over the mic next – and brought on big laughs with their quirky, whimsical, and witty improvised scenes. Though there were many of them on the stage, they found a way to let each member shine while keeping the comedic timing. They covered topics such as knitting, female competition, the French Revolution and rolling heads, hot peppers, puddle stomping, and deep thoughts about citrus fruits.
The Shenaniganns followed, showcasing a medley of songs that featured some awesome solos, a mix of English and Hebrew songs, and a whole lot of smiles. This group showed a lot of confidence and precision, and it was clear how cohesive they are. While we saw some familiar faces, we also enjoyed seeing the confidence and joy the whole group embodied as they performed for the packed room.
Last but not least, the funkiest part of the evening was Jazz Band who gave us a range of songs that showcased their love of the art form – and their members’ ability to play multiple instruments with lots of passion and a playful spirit. While the songs were familiar, these Gann students brought their own style and energy to the set list and it was clear they were having a blast – the feeling was mutual, and this performance was a perfect sweet treat to end the night.
Massive kudos to the hundreds of students, teachers, Club presidents, staff, and especially Lynda Bachman for bringing the community together for this unforgettable night!