Category Archives: Music

Allison and Brandon Earn NYSSMA Recognition!

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Filed under Arts, Competition, Music, Students

Earlier this month, two of our Wheatley student-musicians were selected as 2018 New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) All-State musicians. These students were chosen out of thousands of students who auditioned for this honor at solo and ensemble festivals throughout New York State last spring.

Congratulations to Allison Keller (viola) and Brandon Zhu (violin). Allison will play with Symphonic Orchestra at the NYSSMA All-State conference in December, and Brandon will serve as an alternate.

Mrs. Luftig, Brandon, Allison, Mr. Orlovsky and Dr. Ho
Mrs. Luftig, Brandon, Allison, Mr. Orlovsky and Dr. Ho
Mrs. Luftig, Brandon, Allison, Mr. Orlovsky and Dr. Ho
Mrs. Luftig, Brandon, Allison, Mr. Orlovsky and Dr. Ho

Meet our 2018 Wheatley Medalists!

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Filed under Academics, Arts, Community, Community Service, Music, Students

The final recognition given during our Academic Awards Evening is The Wheatley Medal. Presented by the Wheatley Principal, the Wheatley Medal seeks to highlight a senior boy and girl who have exemplified the highest standards of scholarship, ethical conduct and service to school and community.

Here is what was said during the presentation of this year’s medalists, Ananya Bansal and Justin Vega.

The first recipient is known for her warm smile, sharp intellect, athletic skills, leadership, and compassion towards others.  As a change maker, she is always willing to step out of her comfort zone to enhance her life and the lives of others. A catalyst for group discussion, she asks the insightful and critical questions that engage the group and gets everyone involved.

Virtually every teacher looks to her leadership in the classroom where she leads group discussions, poses provocative questions for discussion and assists her fellow classmates. This student has a myriad of interests and is never afraid to take advantage of any challenges or opportunities that may cross her path.

Incredibly well-rounded, she is a scientist, writer, athlete, leader, and activist— as well as an individual who will never compromise her own ideals. A quiet leader, she eschews the spotlight as she goes about her many activities. The Class of 2018 has been fortunate to have her leadership and engagement, and our school is a better place because of her presence.

Please join me in congratulating Ananya Bansal as one of this year’s recipients of The Wheatley Medal!

The next recipient of the Wheatley Medal is truly a Renaissance Man. A thoughtful and passionate scholar, a creative and talented musician, an irreverent and fearless actor, and a quiet yet persuasive leader, he has left an impact in so many areas of our school. In fact, many of us cannot imagine Wheatley without this young man!

He has worked in some capacity on stage or behind the scenes for almost every one of our Tri-M or WTC productions. With a true love of music, he has competed in Wheatley’s Got Talent, played in his church rock band, performed with the Jazz Band and played with the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra. His creativity and technical skills are well known through the videos he has created for Showdown or Tri-M.

Due to his thoughtful analysis, passionate discussions and deep understanding of the many connections across different subjects, his teachers describe him as someone who makes everyone in the class better. There are very few high school students who can receive the many accolades he has amassed and still remain humble and unpretentious. We are all part of his fan club!

You have already heard his name this evening, and you will certainly be hearing his name in the years ahead! Please join me in congratulating the second recipient of the Wheatley Medal, Justin Vega.

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Spring Concert (Part 2) Wraps Up the 2017-18 Season!

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Filed under Arts, Concerts, Music, Students

The second of our two spring concerts was held earlier this evening (Tuesday, 5 June) in the Wheatley Auditorium. The evening featured our Intermediate Orchestra (under the direction of Angela Luftig), our Concert Orchestra (under the direction of Stan Orlovsky), our Chorale (under the direction of Angela Luftig with Rick Wilson as accompanist), our Honors String Ensemble (under the direction of Angela Luftig) and our Symphonic Orchestra (under the direction of Stan Orlovsky).

The concert featured scores of student performers, with 20 of them being members of the Class of 2018. These graduating students have committed countless hours to our music program over the years. We are grateful for their participation and wish them a music-filled life as they graduate from Wheatley!

The graduating seniors include:

  • Sufia Ainechi
  • Adeel Anwar
  • Michaela Balboni
  • Devyn Bennett
  • Rachel Bergsohn
  • Roxane Ghadami
  • Megan Klein
  • Vani Kumar
  • Luke Mazzeo
  • Erin Patterson
  • Jessica Poomkudy
  • Anusha Ramnarayan
  • Amanda Roit
  • Saman Suleman
  • Justin Vega
  • Ally Wang
  • Emily Wang
  • Aiden Wong
  • Carol Wu
  • Ann Yan

A special part of this concert was the tribute to Rachel May, our North Side orchestra teacher, who is retiring at the end of this year. Justin Vega provided a powerful statement as to Mrs. May’s impact on the students performing tonight.

Another special part of the concert was the debut of Justin Vega’s original piece, Serendipity, performed by our Symphonic Orchestra and conducted by Justin Vega.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Coffeehouse 2018 Dazzles the Audience!

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Filed under Academics, Arts, Community, Culture, Media, Music, Student Clubs, Student Performances, Students

After months of submitting, revising, editing, and proofing, the 48th Edition of Vintage, Wheatley’s student literary magazine, was released amidst great fanfare at Friday evening’s Vintage Coffeehouse. During this wonderful event, students, faculty and family members assembled in Room 450 to hear some of the selections included in this year’s edition and to be entertained by the incredible talents of our students.

A huge “Thank You” and “Congratulations” to our Editor-in-Chief, Vani Kumar, our Junior Editors of Literature, Saman Suleman and Anne Yan, for assembling a wonderful team of editors for this year’s truly remarkable edition. Thank you as well to Rick Allen Wilson, our Faculty Advisor to Vintage.

Performers included:

  • Ally and the Suncats
  • Emma Melnikov
  • Kenton Wu
  • Alekya Bokka and Adeel Anwar
  • Michaela Balboni
  • Robert Boubour
  • Alexandra Levine
  • Spectrum (see Wheatley’s Got Talent 2018)
  • Shruti Goyal and Talia Rosen
  • Kimberly Esquillin
  • Kajal Kapoor
  • Justin Vega
  • Vani Kumar
  • Patrick Brady
  • Halli ArbitalJacoby

Wheatley Spring Concert (Part 1) is a Breath of Fresh Air!

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The first of our two spring concerts was held on Wednesday, 30 May in the Wheatley Auditorium. The evening featured our Stage Band (under the direction of Peggy Ho), our Jazz Band (under the direction of Steve Fitzko), our Intermediate Chorus (under the direction of Angela Luftig with Rick Wilson as accompanist), our Intermediate/Concert Band (under the direction of Peggy Ho and Stan Orlovsky) and our Symphonic Band (under the direction of Peggy Ho).

At the beginning of the concert, Dr. Danielle Gately presented the Wheatley music department with a $250 gift certificate from Sam Ash in recognition of the district being named recently as one of the Best Communities for Music Education.

The concert featured scores of student performers, with 14 of them being members of the Class of 2018. These graduating students have committed countless hours to our music program over the years. We are grateful for their participation and wish them a music-filled life as they graduate from Wheatley!

The graduating seniors include:

  • Hallie ArbitalJacoby
  • Devin Brancato
  • Liam Coffey
  • Rachel Fuzaylov
  • Nicole Hetzel
  • Jamie Horowitz
  • Alexandra Kasparian
  • Ally Kim
  • Megan Kirschner
  • Lucas Miller
  • Ryan Schnur
  • Kristen Tursi
  • Justin Vega
  • Alice Ye

Wheatley’s Fine and Practical Arts Dinner Celebrates Students and their Contributions!

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Wheatley has an incredibly talented student body, involved in so many activities both inside and outside the classroom. Areas in which students have always excelled have been the fine and practical arts. From incredible stage performances to award-winning literary magazines and newspapers, Wheatley students have provided so much entertainment and value to our school and community. To recognize some of the students who have made special contributions in these areas, the faculty advisors invite them to a special dinner—held this year at The INN at New Hyde Park.

In addition to a lovely sit-down dinner, the evening features student performances and a mini art show. The faculty advisors and students are reminded of the critical role they play in helping Wheatley remain a school where there is a place for everyone to shine.

A highlight of this evening is the presentation of the Eve and Jerry Jerome Award, a recognition given to the music student who has demonstrated outstanding skill, character and citizenship at Wheatley. Presented by Mrs. Luftig, this year’s recipient is Justin Vega!

Megan, Nicole and Ceci (aka, Spectrum) win Wheatley’s Got Talent!

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Filed under Arts, Competition, Music, Student Clubs, Students

This year’s fifth annual Wheatley’s Got Talent competition took place on Monday night, the fist day of #Showdown2018.

The evening showcased the wonderful talents of our impressive student body. Organized by Wheatley’s Tri-M Music Honor Society and hosted by seniors Ally Wang and Ann Yan, the evening was an entertaining exhibition of the myriad of student talents in our school!

With the assistance of our five Class Advisor judges (Mr. Haig, Mr. Burke, Mrs. Roberts, and Mr. Paulson), six performance acts were evaluated, with three finalists performing a second time — with the winner being determined by the audience vote.

The competitors were:

  • Adeel Anwar (Electric Violin)
  • Megan Kirschner, Nicole Hetzel and Cecilia Jozef (aka, “Spectrum”) (Band)
  • Alyssa Belle (Guitar)
  • Bert Cumming and Matt Baltzer (rap/vocals)
  • Hannah Weinberg and Cydney Siskind (vocals)
  • Dan Fox, Mahesh Pitchayan, Billy Cafarelli, Max Hochstein and Mike Roudbai (aka, “The Moondogs”)

Based on the judge’s decision, the following acts advanced to the second round:

    • Megan Kirschner, Nicole Hetzel and Cecilia Jozef (aka, “Spectrum”) (Band)
    • Alyssa Belle (Guitar)
    • Dan Fox, Mahesh Pitchayan, Billy Cafarelli, Max Hochstein and Mike Roudbai (aka, “The Moondogs”)

     

At the end of the evening, Spectrum was declared winner of this year’s Wheatley’s Got Talent! Congratulations to Megan, Nicole and Ceci, who earned 25% of the ticket sales for the Class of 2018 and 2019! Finally, a huge “Thank You” to Angela Luftig and our Tri-M Music Honor Society for organizing this wonderful event!

[Thank you to Kavina Amin for some of the photos!]