The student news site of The Archer School for Girls

The Oracle
The student news site of The Archer School for Girls

The Oracle
The student news site of The Archer School for Girls

The Oracle

S5 E8 – The Scoop on the annual winter concert, backstage memories

By Charlotte Burnap, Senior Reporter
March 4, 2025
Junior Chloe Kirk rehearses "The Moldau" by Smetana with the upper school orchestra. Kirk was accepted into the Composer Fellowship Program with the LA Philharmonic, where she plans to hone her orchestral skills through creating original pieces.

Beyond the sheet music: Composer, musician redefines classical music boundaries

By Ally O’Boyle, Staff Reporter
February 4, 2025
Archer's orchestra director Hannah Murray plays her violin with the middle school advanced ensemble, the Metro-Gnomes. This is Murray’s first year at Archer, following the retirement of Susan Smith, who served as orchestra director for 23 years.

Striking a chord: Archer’s new orchestra director intertwines movement and music

By Meredith Ho, Sports Editor
October 12, 2024
Smith demonstrates how she conducts her students in the orchestra room. The Spring Concert in May was Smith's last as orchestra director at Archer. "I hope that the joy and the whimsy continues," Smith said. "I hope that the program continues to grow. I hope that students still want to be in this space and be together in this space."

Learning alongside them: Orchestra director announces retirement after 23 years with program

By Vivianne Arnold, Senior Reporter
May 30, 2024
Performing the "Cup Song," the Unaccompanied Minors join together on the veranda to sing. Before each concert, the Unaccompanied Minors participated a tradition of performing a "Riff-Off," inspired by the 2012 a capella film "Pitch Perfect." Cohen said she felt especially connected to the rest of a capella during tech week. "I just think it was a great concert," she said. "I was so grateful for the opportunity to spend the concert with everyone."

Photo essay: Behind the scenes of the spring concert

By Lola Thomas, Culture Editor
May 14, 2024
Cellist Serena Ho (‘29) performs “Allegro” from Serenade No.1 in D in the Winter Concert. Orchestra Director Susan Smith formed the Metro-Gnomes at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year, and this was their first concert. The quintet performed without a conductor. “I feel really accomplished. I’ve never really been in a group with just five people,” Ho said after the concert.

‘Joyful to work with’: Metro-Gnomes perform in first concert, form deeper connections within group

By Charlotte Burnap, Senior Reporter
February 9, 2024
Kareena Desai ('30) sings a solo in "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell as eighth grade Dean of Culture, Community and Belonging and middle and upper school choral director Hannah O’Connor smiles at her. Desai began taking Indian classical singing lessons — Hindustani classical — about one year ago, and she joined middle school choir this year. "When I auditioned for the solo, I thought priority was given to eighth graders, so I wasn't really confident that I was going to get it," Desai said. "So I'm really grateful for the solo. I always get a little nervous ... but it's actually really fun."

Photo Essay: ‘We all need joy in our lives’: Annual Winter Concert embodies ‘The Joy of Music’ title

By Emily Paschall, News Editor
January 24, 2024
Junior Camila Blank practices her violin solo piece, "Saint Saens Violin Concerto No. 3, 3rd movement." She performed this piece at the Sphinx Performance Academy at the Julliard School in 2022.

Camila Blank takes on music leadership roles, selected for collegiate, advanced orchestras

By Meredith Ho, Sports Editor
February 7, 2023
Sophomore Camila Blank conducts the orchestra to her piece, "The Carousel." Each rehearsal, there is typically a 20-25 minute period of playing "The Carousel" where Blank makes note corrections, checks for intonation and makes sure the orchestra plays as one. "Even just being at Archer and having chances to be a leader in smaller ways and gain those skills," Blank said. "That's been really helpful for building up to larger things like this."

A new ‘precedent in the music department’: Camila Blank as Winter Concert’s first student composer

By Maia Alvarez, Features Editor
November 16, 2021
The middle school Orchestra performs a song during the Winter Concert. The musicians recorded two videos, one for audio and one for visual, which were then edited together and added to virtual background and streamed on Vimeo.

Musical magic: Winter Concert adapts to virtual setting

By Thea Leimone and Greta Irvine
February 11, 2021
"We were really excited to perform the new music that we had been working so hard on, so the cancelation of the Spring Concert was a bit disappointing, choir and a cappella member Langdon Janos ('22) said. "I still had such an awesome experience in the choral program this year." Digital illustration: Molly Solowitz.

Music department cancels annual Spring Concert due to COVID-19

By London Sinclair, Senior Reporter
June 7, 2020
Upper school orchestra prepares to perform the piece "Classical Symphony" by composer Sergei Prokofiev. The choir, a cappella, and orchestra ensembles previewed the concert for all of the upper school on Jan.15.

Annual Winter Concert promotes inclusion,’ ’empowerment’ among performers

By Vaughan Anoa’i, Editor in Chief
January 26, 2020
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