Visual & Performing Arts Extracurriculars
Programs
We've Got the Music in Us
As members of our steel band ensembles, the GSA Concert Band, and the GSA Jazz Band and jazz combos, our students grow as performers and share their love of music with the community in a wide range of public performances, such as our Winter Concert, our Spring Concert, the Blue Hill Fair, the Blue Hill Memorial Day parade, varsity basketball games, and in regional, state, and national competition. Martin Conte '11 teaches steel band, and Phelan Gallagher '02 directs our other music ensembles.
All the World's a Stage
To have fun, to grow as actors, and to strengthen their abilities to be truthful, brave, bold, flexible on stage and in front of a camera are the goals of the Thespians of GSA, directed by Erin McCormick '00. Most years, the Thespians mount a fall play and compete in the state Drama Festival in spring. They also have shifted to more video production.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
A big part of GSA's reputation for arts excellence comes from the strengths of our diverse visual arts courses. Students in those courses show their artwork in public exhibits, such as the Student Art Show at the Blue Hill Public Library. Beyond those courses, many students participate in the September Studio Based Learning program at the nearby Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, or Haystack’s follow-up mentor program. ALL GSA students explore their creative interests in our Spring Arts Festival. Find out about these opportunities from VPA Department Chair Melissa Rioux '01 at m.rioux@georgestevens.org.
Events & Exhibits
Music
Wilson Museum: GSA's Deep Space jazz combo will perform at the Wilson Museum in Castine on Friday, June 16, from 6-7 P.M. The free concert will take place in the Hutchins Education Center. For more information, CLICK HERE.
GSA Spring Concert: The concert band, jazz ensembles, and steel band band groups will perform on the GSA front lawn (note change) on Sunday, June 4, at 1 P.M. Some outdoor seating will be available, but feel free to bring a lawn chair or blanket if you'd like.
Memorial Day: The GSA Band will play and march in the Blue Hill Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 29.
MMA Graduation: Deep Space will play at the Maine Maritime Academy graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 6.
National Jazz Festival: is scheduled for Saturday, April 22, in Philadelphia, Pa., There will be separate live and virtual festivals this year, and the GSA Jazz Band and Deep Space jazz combo will participate in the virtual festival under the direction of Phelan Gallagher '02. For more information, visit https://www.nationaljazzfestival.org. Here is a link to their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/nationaljazzfestival.
State Jazz Festival: The GSA Jazz Band and combos competed in the Maine State Jazz Festival at Hampden Academy on Friday, March 17. Read how they did in GSA News HERE.
Janwillem van de Wetering Jazz Invitational: The GSA Jazz Band joined musicians from MDI, Ellsworth, Bucksport, and Shead at The Grand in Ellsworth on Wednesday, March 1. After a daylong workshop and master class with saxophonist Leland Baker, the day culminated in a FREE public concert starting at 6 P.M. Read more HERE.
Pep Band at the Playoffs: The GSA Pep Band played when our Eagles competed in the Class C quarterfinals at the Cross Center in Bangor.
Winter Concert: The GSA Concert Band, GSA Jazz Band, jazz combos, and Steel Revolution, our after-school pan group, performed a concert for local elementary students on Dec. 7, at 10 a.m. That same day, a free public concert was performed in the gym at 6 P.M. Student art from our visual art classes was on display. Refreshments made by our Culinary Arts students were served after the show.
Wreaths Across America: The GSA Band performed at the Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Maine Coast Mall on Sunday, Dec. 11, at 9 A.M.
Drama
Sherlock Holmes, May 2023: The Thespians of GSA are busy filming A Trilogy of Mysteries: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Robbie Bennett '23 and Erin McCormick '00 wrote the screenplay, and all aspects of the film, including original costumes and a musical score, are being arranged by GSA students and staff. A premiere date has yet to be set, but the team is aiming for Arts Fest.
Creative Collaboration: Several GSA students worked with Kate Russell, who runs Threadbare Theatre Workshop. Joining them in taking free weekly lessons was Erin McCormick '00. Actors from six schools put on a sold-out one-day live show of Macbeth at the Reversing Falls Sanctuary on Saturday, April 1, at 4 p.m.
The Crucible, Fall 2022: Cheers to the cast and crew of "The Crucible" on their successful performances. The Thespians of GSA performed Arthur Miller's exciting, suspenseful drama based on the true story of the Salem Witch Trials in October.
The "promenade" style performance, for which the audience moved through sets located in nature, took place behind GSA's Hinckley House dorm on Tenney Hill. Watching the play outdoors and moving from scene to scene both added a touch of realism to the play and lightened the mood, even though the topic of "The Crucible" is very serious. Congratulations to all on two wonderful performances. We look forward to seeing what you do next!
Visual Arts
Spring Arts Festival: This annual celebration of arts of all kinds, with workshops, performances, and more, will take place on May 25 and 26, 2023! Learn about the History of the GSA Spring Arts Festival.
The Student Art Show at the Blue Hill Public Library, held every spring, is a chance for students from the Blue Hill Peninsula to exhibit their work in public. Student art is on display at the library through April. An exhibit reception will be held at the library on Friday, April 7, from 4-6 P.M. For more information, visit the library website. https://bhpl.libcal.com/event/10283902