One of the things that makes our annual Melody Miles fundraiser so special is our musicians. Students and community members line the road singing and playing for you as you walk, run, or dance your way along our scenic local race route. We love having community members of all ages join us for this fun day! Musicians are welcome to sign up as solo artists, duos or groups!
Please consider signing up today!
Please join us as we raise funds to support arts education and arts related initiatives in the Hamilton-Wenham School District -- have a great time listening to great music with a great community!
This year the Hamilton-Wenham Friends of the Arts is bringing our 5k race back, in person, at Winthrop Elementary School, on Saturday, May 28th at 10am. Our talented student performers are also returning to sing and play for you as you walk, run, or dance your way along our scenic local race route. And don’t worry, if you still want the challenge of our 5 mile race, we are offering the option as a virtual opportunity for you to still support the arts AND get a coveted race t-shirt! We can’t wait to see you at the starting line.
Aeneas Strozier, a junior at the Hamilton/Wenham Regional High School, is this year's double bass player in the Massachusetts All-State Ensemble.
The All-State Ensemble is made up of the finest musicians in the Commonwealth as determined by audition. Not only did Aeneas get accepted, but as there is only one bass player in the ensemble (as opposed to 10 trumpets accepted), it's a demonstrable fact that Aeneas is the best jazz bassist in the entire state. FOTA was happy to provide a mini-grant to cover the fees for his participation.
Aeneas makes the school proud, and we wish him great success and wonderful memories as he takes part in this year's All-State Jazz Band.
It's hard to believe we are at the halfway point in our school year! It's been so rewarding to see our students fully participating in the arts in person once again.
It's our pleasure to connect with all of you and share updates from our arts departments. This fall, the high school welcomed Andrew Lease as the new Theater Teacher and Auditorium Manager. Mr. Lease is hard at work, updating and revamping the Ferrini Dramatics Center. He oversees about 10 different spaces/nooks and closets around the school that are dedicated specifically to the theatre. This includes everything from going through each item in the different rooms and then re-imagining the spaces to best serve the students and community. For example, he moved 100's of books and boxes that were on bookshelves stage left and then re-imagined the space to include the history of the program, props, and make-up tables for his tech theatre classes (pictured below).
He is also working with the administration on revamping the lighting system in the space and hopes to make headway with this for the fall of 2022. More updates to come, especially on how parents, alumni, and volunteers can join the efforts to revitalize the space or even get involved with other aspects of the HWRHS theatre program (community involvement and integration is one of Mr. Lease's passions).
To keep up to date on all things HWRHS theater check out:
We missed you! It’s been so wonderful to see our students perform once again. Congratulations to our middle and high school band and chorus on their fantastic winter concerts! Thanks to the A/V team and HWCAM, both concerts can be viewed online.
We love supporting the arts in our district. Read more about what we’ve been up to in our latest newsletter!
We are excited for the High School Winter Art Show and Concert this week! The art show will begin at 6pm, and the concert at 7pm. Stop by and say hello to FOTA member, Chris Bevilacqua, to learn more about what we do.
Hamilton-Wenham FOTA P.O. Box 198, Hamilton, MA 01936
