High-spirited competition marks the long-standing EA Day tradition, both on and off campus. However, the arts, a so-called “oak” or pillar of Haverford, also undertake projects and showcases leading up to and during EA week.
Some of these showcases include the recent Fords Fall Rock Contest and the Music Exchange Concerts.
These performances are the culmination of hard work and dedication. Musical performers—especially elite groups such as the Notables—deal with long practice hours, late nights, and successive concerts. In the sports-centered enthusiasm of EA week, it’s easy to lose sight and appreciation of the various other disciplines working hard at Haverford—athletes, artists, musicians, performers, and many more.
The Music Exchange Program Concerts—held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings of October 22 and 23—were one such show of musical skill. The concerts, dubbed the “Danish Invasion Concerts” by the Notables, consisted of the Haverford Notables, the Baldwin B-Flats, and visiting student musicians from Ordrup Gymnasium in Copenhagen, Denmark.
“On Tuesday night, we were at Wallingford Presbyterian Church,” Notables director and upper school music teacher Mr. Donald Holdren explained. “They have a really nice space there. Acoustically it’s really live, and the audience is really close to the performers. You get this real sense of give-and-take from the audience who are chair-dancing along, and you get a ton of energy from that.”
At Haverford on Wednesday evening, the crowd buzzed with excitement. Centennial Hall was filled with students, who received a taste of the performance during assembly that week, and others, looking to support the outstanding student musicians. The environment was a complete switch for the performers.
“Wednesday night, when we came [to Haverford], it’s a different space. We had lighting effects, and we had a smoke effect going on,” Mr. Holdren said. “Special thanks to Vic, Dex, and Mr. Hengst for pulling all of those things off.”
“The concert was absolutely fantastic,” Notables Co-President and Sixth Former Finn Kelly said. “The week has honestly been so much fun, and I think the concerts really bring us together.”
The night was full of excitement, as the audience was treated to a variety of songs from the groups.
“We have these two songs that we sing as a full group with the Danes and Baldwin. They help bring us all together across diverse cultures,” Kelly said.
Collaboration is never easy, and it is especially important when singing, where pitch, timing, and tone matter so much.
“I think one of the most important things about singing on a stage is being connected to each other and being able to be uniform,” Baldwin Senior and B-Flat Anya Okechukwu said. “In some cases, it’s kind of difficult to connect with everyone, but obviously this week is helping us get to know each other and that helps us get better.”
The groups have worked hard over the past few weeks to deliver their best work to eager audiences at Haverford and beyond.
“We’ve been preparing songs for a few weeks before the students from Ordrup arrive. Once they got here, we’ve been booked every night,” Kelly said. “On Monday night we had a rehearsal with all three groups, Tuesday night we had a concert, and Wednesday was supposed to be our big concert, and I think it turned out great. We definitely improved across the week.”
Perhaps the hardest role to play in this performance was by the Danish students. Having traveled eight hours to Philadelphia only a week prior and immediately immersing themselves in American culture, the students from Ordrup persevered through difficult changes and brought their “A-game” nonetheless.
“I think it was easy to form good friendships. They are amazing,”
Danish student Alexander Tharin Holm
“When I was little, I used to watch music videos on YouTube, and they really caught my eye,” Ordrup Senior and singer Alexander Tharin Holm said. “So I started doing piano and when I started high school, I joined a choir to learn how to sing.”
Coming from Denmark and meeting peers provides unique insight into how similar we all can be as a species.
“The boys and girls have been so nice and welcoming. I think it was easy to form good friendships. They are amazing,” Holm said.
Holm performed a solo during the song “Pompeii” by Bastille and “Funeral” by Lucas Graham, providing a clear window for the audience to the dedication and talent of the Ordrup group.
“We practice one-to-two hours a week back home,” Holm said. “It took me a couple of weeks to learn my songs and my solo. It was awesome.”
The Baldwin School B-Flats were no exception to the trend of perseverance and hard work culminating in this week of concerts.
“The B-Flats have practice during the day every B day for 70 minutes. That’s where we practice our own repertoire,” Baldwin Senior and B-Flat Daria Scharpf said. “We’ve only had a very short time to practice our joint repertoire—around two hours.”
“We start in August and September on a retreat, where we get to bond a little bit and get to know ourselves more,” Baldwin Senior and B-Flat Amelia Skawinski said.
After the concert, the groups burst into song once more—this time celebrating a member’s birthday. For the many musician-athletes, this was a perfect segue into end-of-season athletic competitions.
The musical exchange concerts were not the only ones heard in the weeks leading up to EA week. The Fords Fall Rock Contest—HAVERROCKfest—was a “collection of different Haverford school bands performing their songs in the amphitheater,” Fourth Form Macroband member Ray Kresge said.
The Macroband played various songs, including “Fine by Me” by Andy Grammer and “Feel Again” by One Republic.
“It was a lot of the songs we did last year,” Kresge said. “It was really cool to be able to improve and add more different techniques and things and really perfect the songs. It was nice to see the culmination of a lot of hard work we’ve been putting in.”
For the Macroband, this concert was a first in some ways.
“This was our first HaverRock concert, so I was obviously nervous but very satisfied with how it all went,” Kresge said.
Like with the Notables, B-Flats, and Ordrup students, connection is key when it comes to creating a cohesive performance.
The Macroband is a really tight-knit group of six guys,” Kresge said. “We’re all able to gel together well. We meet every Friday from 6:30-7:30 and are led by Kyle Struve, Head of the Conservatory.”
The band’s ties go beyond the stage and Conservatory.
“These guys were the first group of people to welcome me at Haverford,” Kresge said. “They were a big gateway to a lot of success I’ve been able to cultivate here at Haverford. I’m very fortunate to have met these people and to have been given these opportunities.”
“For me, it’s something I get to do and where I can express a part of myself I love with my good friends,” Fourth Form Macroband singer Mookie Dombar said.
As a lead singer, it is often easy to succumb to the pressures of watchful eyes and audiences.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily more pressure than anyone else. We’re all just kind of doing our thing,” Dombar said. “I can get really hard on myself because I can very easily tell when I mess up. But I think it’s just my job to make sure that I keep moving forward.”
In the midst of EA athletic excellence, it is easy to lose sight of the various moving pieces that define this community. We must keep in mind the people behind the scenes, the students who may not be showcased this week but continue to work hard, all while giving athletes the recognition they deserve.
