2020 ILMEA District Festival Audition Results

The music faculty, private teachers and sender school music teachers associated with South High School are proud to recognize the students that earned placements in the 2020 ILMEA District 1 Festivals in band, choir, jazz band, vocal jazz and orchestra.  Due to COVID-19, in-person auditions were suspended in 2020. The top placing scores were selected for participation in the District

Music Festival, which will be held (virtually) on November 21, 2020.

Student musicians enrolled in music ensembles in the DGS Fine Arts department continue to annually demonstrate remarkable success at both the District and All-State level. "The experiences these students have at District Festival ignite their passion for music, and in turn, they return to South High School and ignite the passion of those around them." said DGS Fine Arts Chairman Glenn Williams. "Additionally, DGS is equally well represented in all areas of ensemble performance – band, choir, orchestra, vocal jazz and jazz band - in this process."

Please join us in congratulating these student musicians:

SENIOR CHORUS

Samantha Bachara (11) - Soprano II

Zoe Boyd (12) - Alto II 

Nathan Frewen (11) - Tenor II

Sophia Girik (12) - Alto I

Yasmine Khan (12) - Alto I

Mina Kostic (11) - Soprano I

Diana Kwak (12) - Soprano II

Faith Nelson (11) - Soprano II

Abby Parson (10) - Alto II

Emelia Parson (10) - Alto I

Sydney Richardson (11) - Alto I

Gwendolynne Royle (11) - Soprano I

Jordan Stewart (11) - Alto II

SENIOR BAND AND ORCHESTRA WINDS AND PERCUSSION

Allison Ford (11)  - Trumpet (Band)

Katherine Opila (11) - Band (Trombone)

Katie Steffgen (11) - Band (Clarinet)

Derek Reynolds (12) - Trombone (Orchestra)

SENIOR ORCHESTRA STRINGS

Luidas Davies (10) - Violin

Colin McLaughlin (10) - Cello

Philip Okunev (11) - Violin

Olivia Roti (11) - Viola

SENIOR INSTRUMENTAL JAZZ

Owen Anderson (9) - Guitar - (Jazz Ensemble II)

Derek Reynolds (12) - Trombone - (Jazz Ensemble I)

Andrew Brandt (11) - Trombone - (Jazz Ensemble II)

Anthony Rosalia (12) - Tenor Saxophone - (Jazz Ensemble II)

SENIOR VOCAL JAZZ

Zoe Boyd (12) - Alto - (Vocal Jazz Ensemble I)

Nathan Frewen (11) - Tenor - (Vocal Jazz Ensemble I)

DGS Choirs Fall Concert 2020

Congratulations to the students and staff affiliated with the South High School Choirs for producing a virtual Fall Concert.  

Produced by the DGS Choral Team, safety protocols followed in making this video include students submitting individually recorded videos which were mastered by the staff. During the video recording day students only lip synched to the recordings, not making any vocalizations during the recording session. The DGS Choral team then synchronized the mastered audio recordings with the lip synch video to create this production. Special thanks to the students and staff for creating this Fall Concert in such a safe environment. A full program of the concert including titles, composers, and student performers can be found at this link: https://tinyurl.com/yytuc3o5

DGS Bands welcomes MSgt. Matthew Summers from "The President's Own"

The South High School Wind Ensemble welcomed MSgt. Matthew Summers, Assistant Principal Euphonium in "The President's Own" United States Marine Band to rehearsal today.  The virtual clinic focused on breathing, tone, technique, and life as a military musician in one of the finest bands in the world.  Thanks to Msgt. Summers and the United States Marine Corps for providing this experience for the student musicians in our Wind Ensemble.
 

Mustang Artists at the 2020 Chicagoland 4x5 Exhibition

Aaron Mitchell, artist

Adam Mezyed, artist

Alex Pragrides, artist

Benajmin Abarro, artist

Cameron Wilde, artist

Cassandra Rapp, artist

Isabel Bowditch, artist

Levin Kandakudy, artist

Marilyn Mejia, artist

Max Soja, artist

Max Soja, artist

Samantha Groseth, artist

Sarah Weigel, artist

Dubbed the "largest small show in the nation," and dedicated to the memory of Fremd High School art teacher Lew Hubbard, the Chicagoland 4x5 High School Art Exhibition showcases student and faculty artist and forges connections and provides opportunities for student artists through a myriad of corporate and collegiate sponsors. All of the work in the exhibition must be within a 4x5 inch framework.

The show in 2020 will be fully virtual with all artwork chose for the show to be displayed.  The virtual opening will take place on November 11, 2020 at 5:00 PM.  

Congratulations to the participating artists from South High School:  Benjamin Abarro, Isabel Bowditch, Levin Kandakudy, Marilyn Mejia, Adam Mezyed, Aaron Mitchell, Alexis Pragrides, Cassandra Rapp, Max Soja, Sarah Weigel and Cameron Wilde.

Additionally, after completion of competitive judging, Aaron Mitchell was cited with an Honorable Mention Award in the Computer Generated Art category.  Congratulations to every participating artist and special kudos to these Mustang Artists for the artistic success!

Downers Grove Public Library/District 99 Student Art Exhibition

 

Work from student artists from Downers Grove South and North High Schools will be featured at the Downers Grove Public Library from October 31 - November 30, 2020.  A variety of 2D and 3D works will be showcased during the exhibition.

For information about the Downers Grove Public Library operating hours, please click HERE.    

Thanks in advance for supporting these student artists in this public form.  

Celebrate the Music Bowl Virtually!

 

In commemoration of what would have been the 2020 DGS Marching Mustangs Music Bowl, we are excited to share a fun virtual event with you. We have been so fortunate to host so many amazing students, parents, families, and friends at this event over the years. As we reminisce on so many great memories, we have put together a YouTube playlist of 10 Grand Champion Performances from DGS Music Bowl History. The oldest dating back to Marian Catholic High School in 2003 to Warren Township High School in 2018!

(Grand Champion Bands selected for this playlist were not picked for any particular reason other than what we were able to find in our archives)

Here's how you can participate:

1) Go to this YouTube Playlist.

2) Kick back and watch 10 phenomenal performances.

3) Anytime between now and Saturday October 17th - hit the "Like" button on your favorite performances.

4) Next week we will announce the "Crowd Favorite". Or maybe "Super Grand Champion"? (We're still deciding what sounds cooler...)

For our DGS Friends and Families:

Feeling nostalgic? Asking yourself, "what about the Marching Mustangs?". We've got you covered!

Follow this link to another YouTube Playlist of the DGS Marching Mustangs over the years.

Very special thank you to Mike Legel!

Mike is a DGS Band Alumni Parent who spent many years as the videographer of the Marching Mustangs. Both of these playlists were created by Mike, using all of his footage over the years. Thank you, Mike!

Woodridge Public Library Focus on Nature Photography Contest

Congratulations to South High School junior Courtney Peterson for being selected as the winner in the Abstract Nature category for the 2020 Woodridge Public Library Focus on Nature Photography Contest.  The contest had 10 separate categories and participants were only eligible to win in one category.  The contest was an open contest to artists of all ages and ability levels.  

To see the entire gallery of winners click HERE.   To see an album of all 498 entries click HERE.