On Tuesday December 15th, Tuscarora held an evening with the Arts. The combined efforts of Mr. Hartman, Mr. Moore and Mr. Karos helped to make the evening a delightful experience for the eyes and ears.

The evening kicked off with the official opening of the first ever THS Photography competition exhibit. Mr. Hartman’s digital photography classes submitted images to be judged and out of the 155 submissions, 35 images were chosen to be printed and framed for display. There was also a Best in Show competition within the larger competition and that distinction was awarded to Erin Schneider a freshman at THS and student in Mr. Hartman’s Digital Photography 1 class.

The judges for the photography show were two former THS students both of whom now pursue careers in the visual arts.

Erin Brennan, class of 2007, is a professional photographer specializing in weddings and portraits whose work can be seen at: http://erinbrennanphotography.com/

And Allison Cook, class of 2008, is an artist who specializes in woodworking, ceramics, and photography whose work can be seen at: http://www.delaneyclayart.com/

Both of the judges volunteered their time and expertise to help make this idea into a reality and both are to be commended for their willingness to give of themselves in order to inspire young artists. When asked about the event, Mr. Hartman remarked “It’s kind of a really cool full circle kind of thing. To have two of my former students now serving as judges for my current students is just a really neat experience for me as an educator.” he also adds “I’m incredibly proud of my students, all of my students, from my current crop of freshmen to the judges for this show.”

But the evening’s activities didn’t stop there, while Mr. Hartman was hosting the photography show in the media center, in the auditorium the Mixed Choir, Jazz A Capella Group and the Titan Tempo Show Choir gave inspired performances under Mr. Terence Moore’s direction. After our talented vocal groups concluded the THS Concert Band took to the stage to deliver still more exceptional performances under the direction of Mr. John Karos.

The musical selections for the evening featured pieces by Mary Lynn Lightfoot, Patrick Liebergen, Roger Emerson, Moses Hogan, Kirby Shaw, Mac Huff, Johannes Brahms, John Phillip Sousa, Samuel Ward, Tschesnokoff and Alfred Reed. The show ran the gamut from technical classical masterpieces to seasonal holiday favorites.

The vocal and instrumental performances were the obvious result of a great deal of commitment, passion, and discipline put forth by Mr. Moore, Mr. Karos, and every single one of the students who participated. The amount of effort required to put on a live concert is, to say the very least, impressive and our musical department, from kids to teachers, is to be applauded for  a product that was exceptional in every way.

In case you missed the evening, not to worry, there will be more “Evening with the Arts” events in the future. Stay tuned to announcements, find out first, and, of course, the Titan Times for news and information about the visual and performing arts here at Tuscarora High.