News

2016 School Art League Award Recipients

A&F congratulates the School Art League Award Recipients:
Diana Branzan, winner of the 2016 School Art League/ Pratt Institute/ Marcia Friedmutter $10,000 scholarship – Teacher: Greg Nachtmann
Marquise Naipaul, winner of the Jane Chermayeff Design $1,000 Award – Teacher: Maggie Chang
Karen Au, winner of the Art Directors Club $1,000 Award – Teacher: April Lombardi…[read more]

ArtsConnection Exhibitions in Midtown

Congratulations to the LaGuardia art students whose works are on display in various financial firms in midtown Manhattan, through ArtsConnection. Students’ work is professionally framed and displayed for a year

12/2/15 To a Great Mind Nothing is Little II, Lioneye Captial
Students:
Gabrielle Robinson
Michelle Bernstein
Maya Greenberg
Alina Ananyeva

Teachers:
Jane Felber
April Lombardi
Evangelos Viglis…[read more]

Dario Natarelli Named Presidential Scholar in the Arts

Congratulations to LaGuardia student Dario Natarelli for being named Presidential Scholar in the Arts! And Congratulations to Semi-Finalist Dyanna Bohorques!

2016 Reunion

June 10-11, 2016
For classes that graduated in years ending in 1 and 6 and all our Founding Classes from 1940-1949. Friday, June 10, 5-7pm: open tours of the “Castle” (the former Music & Art High School building at 443 W. 135th St.), followed by a special Gospel Chorus Alumni Reunion Concert at 7:30pm. The concert will feature Gospel Chorus members from both Music & Art (M&A) and LaGuardia performing some of their favorite pieces. (The tour and gospel chorus reunion are available to all alumni, not just those with a graduation year of “1” or “6.”). Saturday, June 11 will be a joyful afternoon and evening spent reuniting with classmates and seeing work by current students at LaGuardia High School. There will be a reception with food and live music, school tours, catered buffet dinner, a free photobooth, class pictures with professional photographers, and more! The Semi-Annual Art Exhibit will be on display throughout the day, and the Semi-Annual Orchestra and Chorus Concert will begin at 7:30pm (program includes Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 – Titan, and Maurice Durufle’s Requiem). See more at: https://alumniandfriends.org/reunions/

Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra

On April 11th at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, the award-winning Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra – under the direction of Justin DiCioccio (MM ’71) – celebrated the brassy, swinging sounds of Contemporary Concepts, the “thought-provoking” (All About Jazz) album of standards released in 1955 by pianist, composer, arranger, and band leader Stan Kenton and his orchestra.

The album featured seven standards, including “What’s New, ” “Stella by Starlight, ” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin, ” with six propulsive arrangements by Bill Holman and one by Gerry Mulligan, and featuring strong solos from Charlie Mariano and Lennie Neihaus (alto sax), Bill Perkins (tenor sax), and Carl Fontana (trombone), among others. Especially memorable is the contribution of drummer Mel Lewis, who drives the rhythm section throughout, coming on like a proto-Buddy Rich.

Stan Kenton’s work in the 1940s and 1950s ushered in a new era for orchestral jazz, consolidating a hard-swinging style and an inventive take on big-band sounds that, although not always suited to the casual listener, found a mainstream audience.

“Stan Kenton made an indelible mark on arranged big band jazz, ” says Assistant Dean and Chair of MSM’s Jazz Arts program Justin DiCioccio, who stands in for Kenton as band leader on April 11. “The innovative, wind-in-your-hair ‘bop’ sound of Contemporary Concepts was no exception.”