Posted in Event

Volunteers needed for Auroris

Our amazing dance group Auroris is having their annual dance shows Friday 1/27 and Saturday 1/28 at 7:00pm and are in need of volunteers to help with tickets and merchandise the evening of each show. If you have some time to help before and/or after the performances, email Allison Rickett.

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NN Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble Concert, Friday, May 6

Come hear the talented Niles North musicians Friday, May 6, 7:30pm in the NN auditorium.  The  Jazz Band and Percussion Ensemble will perform under the direction of Michael Moehlmann, Band Director. He welcomes special guest artist Koplant No, a jazz quartet. They are described as a forward-thinking, cinematic electro-jazz ensemble that fuses intricate compositions and jazz improvisation with electronica, progressive rock, and hip-hop. Called “one of the most innovative ensembles in the Midwest” by Minnesota Public Radio’s David Cazares, they are the recipients of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and have performed at venues across the country in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., St. Louis, and at the 2015 World Saxophone Congress in Strasbourg, France. Their potent music has the rare ability to satiate the most discriminating jazz aficionados, while completely disarming the anti-jazz crowd, and has been described as “a textural feast for the mind’s eye.” Koplant No is: Joel Vanderheyden (tenor saxophone), Brian Lewis Smith (trumpet, laptop, keys), Drew Morton (bass, synth), and Rob Baner (drums, loops, vibes). 

See you there!

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World Famous Kishi Bashi Coming Tuesday, May 3 at 7pm!

International recording artist Kishi Bashi will perform in concert with District 219 orchestra students, as well as musicians from McCracken and Golf Middle Schools at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3 in the Auditorium at Niles North High School, 9800 N. Lawler, Skokie.  There will be added singers, percussionists, and a student banjo player. This one-of-a-kind concert is free to the public.

Niles North High School is one of four schools in the country that will receive a performance from Kishi Bashi. The North Orchestras entered a contest earlier this year, uploading their performances of Kishi Bashi songs to YouTube, and were selected as one of the winners.Niles North’s YouTube Kishi Bashi entry.

NPR describes Kishi Bashi as “a master of building his music from the ground up, from live violin loops to layered singing to beatboxing, in order to create pocket symphonies steeped in classical music and 21st-century pop.” His music incorporates electronics, acoustic violin, singing and beautiful lyrics.

 

 

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“AS YOU LIKE IT” April 29-30, 4pm & 7pm

Niles North Theatre presents “As You Like It”, William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy about love and forgiveness, dukes and shepherdesses, and country life and courtly etiquette. Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke falls in love with Orlando. When she is banished from the court, Rosalind calls herself Ganymede and travels with her cousin Celia and the jester Touchstone to the Forest of Arden, where her father and his friends live in exile. New friends are made and families are reunited. By the end of the play Ganymede, once again Rosalind, marries Orlando. Orlando and Rosalind, Oliver and Celia, Silvius and Phebe, and Touchstone and Audrey all are married in the final scene.

Watch a promo here:

“As You Like It” will be performed in the Drama Performance Center at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30. Tickets are $10. Call the Box Office at (847) 626-2122 or go to www.nntheatre.com. There is a free community performance at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 28.

The cast:  Violette Shearer as Duke Senior, Ari Bearman as Amiens, Yourtana Sulaiman as Melancholy Jacques, Joseph Nagler as Duke Frederick, Florence Loach as Le Beau, Ari Bearman as Charles, Joseph Nagler as Jacques de Boys, Callie Folke as Adam, David Stasevsky as Touchstone, Tiselle Talaboc as Sir Oliver Martext, Lizzy Soglin as Corin, Michael Small as Silvius, Vaughn Celdran as William, Katie Bean as Rosalind, Nina Codell as Celia, Anajé Silva as Phebe, and Lena Folke as Audrey. Ensemble:  Mary Awaysho, Vaughn Celdran, Oren Efergan, Sara Gentry, Florence Loach, and Tiselle Talaboc.

Production Staff:  Annaliisa Ahlman, Director; Barbara Reeder, Scenic Designer and Technical Director; Teresa Ripley, Costume Designer; Michael Rourke, Lighting Designer; Linda Room and Anita Scanlon, Costume Assistants; Hannah Doherty, Assistant Technical Director; Brian Fallon, Hair Designer; Dani Brown, Stage Manager; Kati Yau, Assistant Director; Kylie Smith, Assistant Stage Manager; Jimmy Fraus, House Manager; Ken Otsuka and Zach Zirlin, Promotional Materials; Debbie Neitlich and Anne Zavell, Production Assistants

 

Stage Crew:  Jessica Hansen, Master Electrician; Jacob Bernstein, Sound Crew; Hannah Brown, Costume Mistress; Zain Dababneh, Properties Crew; and Jessica Hansen, Carpenter. Set construction:  Mika Alexander, Ari Bearman, George Big, Vaughn Celdon, Kayla Chinitz, Hugo Cruz, Zain Debabneh, Hannah Doherty, Beatrice Draghiceanu, Yoni Eisenstein, Callie Folke, Lena Folke, Jimmy Fraus, Jessica Fucik, Sara Gentry, Jessica Hansen, Sam Hirsch, Florence Loach, Olivia Morales, Lia Moreno, Joseph Nagler, Allison Newman,  Uche Nwansi, Antonia Papanikolaou, Emaurie Pelt, Bryanna Plaisir, Esho Rasho, Alphonso Riddick, Nathaniel Schetter, Margaret Selinger, Anajé Silva, Nick Slanks, Michael Small, Lizzy Soglin, Spencer Soglin, Mikki Stotter, Shane Tolentino, Tiselle Tolobos, Karen Wallace, Marty Wiviott, Mary Ellen Youseph and Ben Yusen.

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25th Anniversary Vocal Jazz Night-Saturday, April 16

Don’t miss this exciting celebration of Vocal Jazz at Niles North on April 16.25yrs_img_assist_custom-791x612

Saturday, April 16, will bring over 50 of Dan Gregerman’s former vocal jazz students from locations throughout the U.S. to return to their roots, as well as reconnect with former classmates. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Auditorium at 9800 Lawler, Skokie. Tickets are $10.  Niles North vocal jazz groups Take One, Sound Check and Harmonic Motion will perform several numbers.  There is also a free community performance at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 15.

The evening’s performances will include Take One, under the direction of Daniel Gregerman, singing “I’ve Got The World on a String,” arranged by Paul Langford, “”Teach Me Tonight,” arranged by Kelly Kunz, and “Mister One-Take,” by Gary Fry. Harmonic Motion, directed by Kathryn Lachey, will perform “Long Ago and Far Away,” arranged by Paris Rutherford and “Rather Be,” arranged by Mark Brymer. Sound Check, under the direction of Logan Farris, will sing “Song for My Father,” arranged by Raymond Roberts and “In My Life,” arranged by Steve Zegree.

The program was started in 1991 by Daniel Gregerman, and under his direction the program has grown and flourished. Although definitions of vocal jazz may differ, it can commonly be agreed to be a style of singing, either a cappella or accompanied by a rhythm section, that embellishes the melody with ornamentation or improvisation, with the ability to transform a song into something distinctive and personal. Since the vocal jazz program began, the program has gained recognition beyond Niles North’s borders, for instance, headlining the Puerta Vallarta Jazz Festival in Mexico.  In 2014, Gregerman was the recipient of the John LaPorta Jazz Educator of the Year award, an accolade for an outstanding educator with a focus on jazz education.

 

 

Posted in Arts News, Event

The Second City Comes BACK to North!

COMING NEXT SATURDAY! GREAT SEATS STILL AVAILABLE!

SPEND AN EVENING FULL OF LAUGHS!

On Saturday, March 19, 2016, Chicago’s legendary sketch comedy theatre, The Second City will make their appearance again at Niles North High School, 9800 Lawler Avenue, Skokie, IL 60077, at 7:30 p.m.

This must-see evening of comedy features some of Chicago’s best and brightest in a special one night engagement. Fresh, fast and spectacularly funny, The Second City celebrates over 55 years of cutting edge satiric revues and continues to launch the careers of comedy superstars. The Second City is truly a Chicago landmark and a national treasure.

second city facebook 1

This irresistible new show features classic material made famous by Second City stars like Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell as well as brand new scenes, songs and improv straight from their sold out shows in Chicago and Toronto.

Tickets for this one-night only event are $30 general seating; $50 limited cabaret seating, and $10 student-only general admission seating with an ID. Tickets (non-student) can be purchased online at http://www.secondcitycomestonorth.org For more information email to info@secondcitycomestonorth.org or call 888-797-1606, leave your name and number, and your call will be returned by a volunteer.

There will also be a 50/50 cash raffle and additional prizes the night of the event. To pre-purchase raffle tickets or to make a donation, visit http://www.secondcitycomestonorth.org/#!raffle/cdhu.  Tickets will be for sale at the event.The community is welcome to attend. This performance is suitable for audiences who are 14 years old and above.

This event is sponsored by The Niles North Athletic Booster Club and the Niles North Fine Arts Parents & Patrons, Ltd.

 

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Fall Jazz Concert TONIGHT, Friday, 11/6/15

Niles North fine arts fans will enjoy hearing the Vocal Jazz ensembles and Jazz Band tonight at the Fall Jazz Concert in the NN auditorium. The concert begins at 7:30pm and is great way to start your free weekend entertainment.

Bring your cash, checks and credit cards too! We’ll be having a fundraising bake sale, selling raffle tickets for our “Night of Magic” with Bill Cook on Sat. Dec. 5th and we’d welcome your membership to Niles North Fine Arts Parents & Patrons (get a car magnet!)

Show your support for our students!

Posted in Arts News

ILMEA District VII Festival musicians chosen!

Forty-one Niles Township High School District 219 musicians have been invited to perform at upcoming Illinois Music Educators Association (ILMEA) District 7 Festivals this month. This is the largest contingent from D219 to ILMEA in many years. Students from the orchestra, choir and band underwent stringent auditions to qualify for the festivals. Their performances will determine whether these musicians receive an invitation to the All-State Festival in Peoria, IL during the 2016 Illinois Music Educators Conference on January 27 through 30, the most prestigious high school music festival in the state of Illinois, and the highest single honor a high school musician can achieve.
The following students will perform at the ILMEA District VII Concert Festival on November 7 at Glenbrook South High School:
Band:  Oscar Benbow, alto sax; Lucy Chavez, oboe; Filip Czarkowski, trumpet; Juliana Tichota, percussion.
Orchestra: David Caplan, cello; Robert Sanders, violin; and Daniel Aisenberg, clarinet.
Choir:  Jacob Austria, bass; Justin de la Cruz, tenor; Gabriella Dizon, alto; J.P. Dizon, bass; Hannah Eisman, soprano; Al Estacion, tenor; Goodwin Francis, tenor; Anna Hill, alto; Flonja Hoxha, alto; Thomas Montgomery, bass; Russell Reyes, tenor; Geoffrey Schmelzer, tenor; Sophie Steger, alto; and Joy Yelenosky, soprano.
The following students have been selected for the ILMEA Jazz Festival held at Niles West High School on November 21:
Vocal Jazz Ensemble:  Jacob Austria, bass; Justin de la Cruz, tenor; J.P. Dizon, bass; Anna Hill, alto; Russell Reyes, tenor; Geoff Schmelzer, tenor; and Emma Steger, alto.

CONGRATULATIONS!