Elmhurst Art Museum Portfolio Awards 2011

Triptic - by Adam Kotel

Tina - Juliana Estall

Self Portrait Map - Maggie Cipriano

Elmhurst Art Museum is pleased to host the fourth annual Portfolio exhibition for artistic teens. This exhibition is open to all high school seniors in DuPage, Will, and Kane Counties.
EAM works directly with local high school art teachers who select student art portfolios to be sent to the Museum for judging. Each submitted portfolio consists of six works created in the same medium. Up to twenty-five portfolios are selected for the exhibition. The Museum hosts several educational programs for students including Portfolio 101 and Careers in the Arts Day.
Please join us for Portfolio's opening reception on Saturday, April 9, 2010 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm.
The exhibit will run from April 9-May 1 at the Elmhurt Art Museum.

This year, 17 student portfolios were selected for exhibition by the panel of judges. DGS Fine Arts is pleased and proud to recognize these student artists:

Senior Adam Kotel, Senior Julianna Estall and Senior Maggie Cipriano.

"The breadth and depth involved in creating a winning portfolio is a significant accomplishment" said Fine Arts Chairman Glenn Williams. "To have work exhibited at a world-class facility is a thrill for these student artists."

For more information about visual art at DGS, contact Glenn Williams at gwilliams@csd99.org.

25th Annual MidWest Music Festival Results

On Saturday, February 26, 2011, the DGS Wind Ensemble and Wind Symphony were 2 of 34 high school bands that performed at competed at the 25th annual MidWest Music Festival, held at Lemont High School.

Wind Ensemble earned a Division I rating and finished tied for second place in their division our of 16 performing bands. Wind Symphony earned a Division I rating and finished in fourth place in their division out of 18 performing bands. In addition to the rating and ranking, each ensemble received expert adjudication from a national panel of college band directors.

"One way to expand the boundaries of the classroom is to perform away from DGS and recieve expert evaluation" said Fine Arts Department Chairman Glenn Williams. "We are extremely proud of how our students performed at this event."

For more information about bands at DGS, contact Glenn Williams at gwilliams@csd99.org.

DGS Jazz Ensemble 2011 Essentially Ellington Finalist

The Downers Grove South High School Jazz Ensemble, directed by Craig Roselieb, has been selected, through competitive taped audition, as one of 15 finalist bands for the 16th Annual Essentially Ellington Competition and Festival being held in New York, New York from May 12-14, 2011. To read the official press release from the Essentially Ellington Foundation, please follow this link : Announcing the 2011 Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival Finalists!

More than 1,500 high schools requested audition materials, of which 110 schools submitted an audition tapes which were evaluated by members of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, directed by Wynton Marsalis. The DGS Jazz Ensemble is one of only 15 finalist high school jazz bands that have been selected from this international audition pool.

"Being accepted to this festival is akin to reaching the jazz performance summit for a high school jazz ensemble." said DGS Fine Arts Chairman Glenn Williams. "This represents the pinnacle in performance proficiency for these student musicians."

In the coming months, a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra will come to DGS to work with the students in the jazz ensemble. This elbow-to-elbow contact with an international jazz luminary is but one of the many benefits for students for participating in this program. The jazz performance growth of these students will be exponential in the coming weeks as they intensify their focus to prepare for the competition in May. Additionally, each student musician will now begin a rigorous program to develop the capital needed to participate in the trip to the Big Apple. The entire cost of the trip will be provided by individual students and families.

Wynton Marsalis, Artistic Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center, has this to say about the Essentially Ellington competition and festival for this year: "It is extremely gratifying to see the results of the seeds we sowed 16 years ago when we started Essentially Ellington. The improvement in the quality of the bands down through the years attests to the artistic substance of Duke Ellington's music. The enthusiasm and dedication of students, families, band directors, judges, and alumni testify to the timeless American values that define this competition and festival. I'm looking forward to hearing this year's finalists; it is my favorite time of year."

For information about jazz at DGS, please contact Glenn Williams, Fine Arts Chairman, at gwilliams@csd99.org. Individuals or families interested in participating in this venture by financially sponsoring all or part of the trip to New York May 11-14, 2011, should contact Glenn Williams either by e-mail or by phone (630) 795.8681,

Winter Concert - Wind Ensemble & Concert Band

Congratulations to the members of Concert Band and Wind Ensemble for a sonically stunning performance this evening. Concert Band's performance repertoire included Bach's Prelude and Fugue in g minor and Stuart's Three Ayres from Glouschester. Wind Ensemble provided a "sneak preview" of the 2011 Marching Mustangs production by performing John Mackey's Strange Humors and Andrew Boysen's Frenzy. The evening concluded with a combined performance of Clifton Williams chestnut Variation Overture. A great job was done by all the Mustang musicians on stage this evening.

2011 Scholastics Art Exhibition

Congratulations to the District 99 Visual Art Team for hosting the 2011 Scholastic Art Awards Regional Exhibition. The logistics involved in planning and executing an art exhibition of this scope and caliber take a great deal of time and energy, and we recognize the art faculty involved in bringing this event to District 99 yet again.
An additional thanks is extended to the DGS and DGN parent volunteers who organized the hospitality for today's opening reception. Congratulations to all our D99 student artists who were recognized, and everyone in our community for supporting this large-scale effort. Kudos to all!

NIU Jazz Concert Cancelled - 02-03-11

Due to continuing inclement weather and the closing of District 99 on Thursday, February 3, 2011, the NIU Jazz Concert is cancelled.

Currently, no information is available regarding ticket sales refunds. Right now, we are working on resolution to how this cancellation effects many things, including ticket sales. Once we have enough information and time to make a decision, we'll communicate directly with families regarding closure on all aspects of the event.

IMEA Directors Big Band

Here are a few shots of the IMEA Directors Big Band that performed a winning student composition. Featured in this ensemble were Glenn Williams, Craig Roselieb and Ron Hornish. Bill Miller (DGN) and Frank Piekarz (DGN) also performed. As Vice-President of the IMEA Composition Contest, Brayer Teague (DGN) was the organizer and photographer. Making music as a lifelong process is valued and modeled by our D99 staff.

Thanks to FOFA!!!!!!

Each year at IMEA, Friends of Fine Arts (FOFA) sponsors a dinner for our All-State musicians as a way to say "thanks and congratulations" for a job well done. On behalf of all the DGS students and staff that attended IMEA, we extend gratitude to FOFA for this experience. It is a blessing indeed to be able to sit back, enjoy a meal, and celebrate the great work of these student musicians.