2009 Madrigal Singers Graduation Concert

The amazing DGS Madrigal Singers concluded their season with the traditional graduation concert last night. The students performaned with musicianship, elegance, grace and sophistication beyond their chronological years. In addition to regcognizing the contributions of departing seniors, several students performed solos and duets from repertoire of their own choosing. If the performance level last night was any indicator of success, the DGS Choral Program has marvelously prepared these student musicians for success beyond the DGS Music Suite. Well done ladies and gentlemen - bravo!!!

Jazz in The Park 2009 (@ DGN)

Inclement weather precipated a venue change, however, the excellence of jazz performance in District 99 remained undampened last evening. The DGS and DGN Jazz Lab Bands and Jazz Ensembles performed in addition to the D99 All-Star Band directed by Bill Miller and Craig Roselieb. Highlights included mambo dancers, vocalists, and faculty guest artists from both campuses. Special thanks to the Downers Grove Park District for their continued support of this event, which kicks-off the Tuesday night Concerts in the Park series in Downers Grove.

Parents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Events of this nature are not possible without the army of parent volunteers that provide assistance and support throughout the day. We definitely had the best dressed parent crew of the parade route today - well done parents, and thanks!!!

Woodridge Memorial Day Parade

Nearly 100 members of the DGS Marching Mustangs provided musical support for the Woodridge Memorial Day Parade. The 2 mile long parade wove through the village of Woodridge, ending at Jefferson Junior High School. The Marching Mustangs were event #100 - bringing of the up of a fabulously organized parade.

Woodridge VFW Memorial Day Service

Members of the DGS Marching Mustangs provided musical support for the annual Woodridge VFW Memorial Day Service. The service concluded with Salute to America's Finest, a medley of all five military service tunes. At the outset of each selection, members who served in the corresponding Armed Force moved forward into the memorial. It was a stunning ending to a wonderful service.

May 19, 2009 Spring Band Concert

On Tuesday, May 19, the Concert Band, Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony presented a wonderful culminating concert. Highlights included guest conductor Patrick Refsnider, Vandercook College, with Wind Symphony, and, an arrangement of Tank from Bebop Cowboy by student Ton Tran performed by Symphonic Band. Members of the class of 2009 in DGS Bands from Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony were also recognized last night for their musical contributions to our band family. Well done, Mustang Bands! Special thanks to parent Mike Hutton for providing the photographs for this blog post......

Spring Graduation Concert - May 22, 2009

Be certain to attend our Spring Graduation concert on Thursday, May 22, 2009 at 7:00 PM in the DGS Auditorium. Featured will be the Wind Ensemble and A Cappella Choir. The rehearsal of the closing combined rendition of David Holsiger's Sinfonia Voci was fabulous this morning - you will want to be certain to attend this event!

District 99 Orchestra Concert

On Monday, May 18, our District 99 Orchestra performed a spectacular event. Concert Orchestra played difficult music with precision and passion. A highlight was a string rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Senior soloist Rahul Kamath performed a movement of the Walton Viola Concerto with an impressive degree of craftsmanship and musicianship. The evening concluded with a rousing rendition of Glinka's Russlan and Ludmilla Overture. Congratulations and kudos to all orchestra student musicians, but especially to our senior class of 2009 and senior soloist Rahul Kamath for providing us with such a fabulous performance last evening.

Canadian Guitarists Visit DGS

Today we had a guitar ensemble visit us from Windsor Park High School in Manitoba, Canada. This fine ensemble had a fabulous core sound, and featured students playing amplified guitar, bass and a drum set. Thanks to Ms. Mullen for taking the time to set this up for our classroom guitar students!!

Choir Show - Assembly

On Friday morning, May 15th, our Choirs performed part of their We Are The World 2009 Choir Show for area elementary schools. The program is amazing - the singing and dancing was extremely well received by our well behaved visiting audience members.

Chamber Music 2009 - The Art of Music

Monday, May 11, 2009 was our Chamber Music Recital. Student ensembles and soloists performed some amazing repertoire for the 90-minute program. Ensembles ranged from flute choir to percussion ensemble, from trombone quartet to steel drum band, from trumpet ensemble to bassoon solo.

Congratulations to the student performers in this event - nicely done! Special thanks also to Mike Hutton for the images captured from the recital.

Carrot Clarinet

Freshmen Ben Coulliard shows his homemade carrot clarinet. Ben improvised beautifully on this brand new instrument this morning.

Choir Show Rehearsal - Get Ready!!!!

Nearly 300 student musicians are rehearsing in our auditorium for the 2009 Choir Show. The show features World Music - music from cultures and countries all around the world. Don’t miss the choir show on Thursday, May 14th or Friday May 15th at 7:00 PM in the DGS Auditorium. The public is invited to attend the free performances. Be certain to arrive early, as a full house is expected on both evenings.