Choirs Calendars

Everybody knows LHHS regularly sends talented, destined-to-be superstars graduates into the world.

We’ve written time after time about grads in the spotlight, but proud parents Steve and Lu Terry, whose son is an up-and-coming artist and lighting designer on and off Broadway, points out that “for every star we see on stage or screen there is a legion of artists and technicians behind them giving them the support needed to shine.” Literally.

Lee Terry, a 2004 graduate, has an impressive resume that includes lighting for the Tony award winning composer Tom Kitt, the stand-up comedian Mario Cantone, and “Cedar City Falls”, an eight-episode play series written primarily by the Emmy Award winning writing team of “Sex and the City”. Lee also made his Off-Broadway debut as a designer last July with “The Shoemaker” and is designing yet another Off-Broadway show, which will open this June entitled “The Eyes of Babylon”.

The Terrys say “Babylon” is a must see for those visiting the Big Apple this summer.

“The play is a true story based on a Marine Corps soldier’s journals, beginning the morning of 9/11 and ending after his tour in Iraq and his return to society,” Lu Terry notes. “It is an intimate portrait of war and the triumph, which comes from identifying one’s convictions and then finding the strength to stay true to them.”

She tells us that son, Lee, returns to Lake Highlands frequently and designs the lighting for the annual Lake Highlands High School Espree Show.

After LHHS, Lee Terry graduated from UNLV and now he lives in NYC with his wife, Emilee and a dog named Boots.

The Lake Highlands High School musical ensemble, Espree, will be performing its annual show, this year entitled TROUBLE, at 7 p.m. March 4 and March 5 at the high school auditorium. The high-energy performance, with costume changes, live music and a broad selection of new and favorite songs, is appropriate for all members of the family.

Espree, the 19-member auditioned group, includes 12 vocalists and a full band. It was selected in September to perform live on Channel 4, KDFW-TV and the group spent a day before Christmas performing seasonal favorites at various shopping and hospital venues. The cast member of the TV show Glee, Mark Sallings, is a graduate of Lake Highlands High School and sang in the LHHS choir program. Glee is about a similar ensemble musical group at a mythical Ohio high school.

"Espree shows are a wonderful opportunity for parents or grandparents to take their elementary-aged children out for an evening of live music," says Crysta Jones, the parent coordinator for Espree. With tickets priced at $5 for seniors and students; $10 for general admission and reserved at $12, the evening is less expensive than going to the movies. Tickets will be available at the door or may be purchased in advance by calling 214-348-5427 or by clicking the button -- below -- to purchase online. Lake Highlands High School is at 9449 Church Road, Dallas.

As you put away the last of your Christmas decorations and clean out your closets this new year, the Lake Highlands High School choir kids are hoping you’ll donate your gently used unnecessaries to their second annual garage sale.

Booster Club volunteers are beginning to collect and catalog donated items now for the sale in the LHHS cafeteria Saturday, January 29 from 8 am to 3 pm.

To arrange for a pickup of your donations, email Donna Kent or Anne Dankberg. And mark your calendar for the shopping day – truly recycling at its best.

On 11/16/2010, 11 of our Lake Highlands choir students competed in the TMEA Region 3, Pre-Area Choir auditions. Congratulations go to Ryan Berg, Jordan Chumbley, Rachel Jones, Mary Ellen Kidd, and Roman Milan. These five students will represent LHHS on January the 8th for the final audition to determine the All State Choir members.

Just a friendly reminder...

Please turn in all John Stallings donations by Tuesday, November 30th, in order to be included in the Holiday Choir Concert program this year. Please e-mail Sharon at thewillards@sbcglobal.net if you plan to submit a donation and please include your dedication.

Beginning in 1987, the Stallings family began the John Stallings Scholarship to honor musically gifted students at Lake Highlands High School. Over $56,000 in scholarships have been awarded. If you are a former scholarship recipient, please let me know what you have done since receiving this scholarship. We will include a short update on the scholarship recipients along with our listing of donors in the Choir Holiday program this year.

If you would like to contribute to the scholarship, simply send a check to the address below. If the donation is given as a gift, in honor of a student, teacher(s) or friend, or in memory of a loved one, please include this in your e-mail.

The John Stallings Scholarship Fund
c/o LHHS Choral Department
9449 Church Rd.
Dallas, TX 75238

We hope you will attend the Holiday Choir concert on Tuesday, December 7th at 7:30 p.m.

Thank you so much for your support,

Sharon Willard
John Stallings Scholarship fundraising chairman

Once again, beginning October 20 LHHS Choir will be selling Holiday Poinsettias. They are available in red, white or pink, and will be delivered to the high school, on Wednesday, December 1st. The poinsettias will sell for $10 each. Be sure to place your order with your favorite choir person by Monday, November 1. If you would like to place a large order for you business or church please email Shannon Kidd at srkidd@kiddcorp.com.

VARSITY REVUE 2010 "A Tribute to the 90's" is upon us!!

Thursday September 30th at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday October 2 at 6:00 p.m.

TICKETING INFORMATION:

This year ADVANCED RESERVED SEATING is available only through the link, http://lhabc.ticketleap.com (2 dates, Gen Admission/Reserved for each date). The joy here is you get to select your own seats. There is a small $1.33 per ticket service fee but we've altered our advance ticket prices so they will still be less expensive than at the door.

Pricing: Advanced Reserve Seating $9 ($11 at the door)

Advanced General Admission $5 ($7 at the door)

LHHS Musicians Place First in UNT Talent Show

Lake Highlands High School seniors Thomas Mullins and Ryan Berg placed first among 10 acts that competed in the University of North Texas Talent Show, which took place during the All-State Choir Camp in July.

To take part in the Talent Show, Mullins and Berg had to audition and be selected as one of the top 10 acts. They passed that first test earlier in the week. The final competition, on July 16, was judged by Crystal Stewart, a former Miss Texas and runner-up for Miss USA; along with a faculty member of UNT's School of Music. For the competition, the two performed Back Streets and Concrete, with Berg singing lead vocals and playing rhythm guitar and Mullins singing harmony and playing the keyboard. They won the competition, taking first place.

Both young men sing in A Cappella Choir, the auditioned LHHS choir for juniors and seniors, and they both are vocalists in Espree, the high school's auditioned show band. Both ensembles are under the direction of Michael O'Hern, LHHS head choir director, and Terry Berrier, the high school's assistant choir director.

The LHHS Choir Department announced the student leaders for next year’s A Cappella choir, the high school’s auditioned vocal ensemble for juniors and seniors. The officers are: president, Ben Wolf; vice president, Emily Hillman; secretary, Kristen Gavigan; treasurer, David Green; librarians, Rachel Jones and Hannah Volkert; big/little sis sponsors, Emily Hawkins and Elizabeth Kidd; technical officer, Luke Smith; historians, Candice DiPaolo and Priscilla Wasson; photographers, Emily Graham and Coley Quilling; student director, Andy Chilian; soprano section leader, Katie North; alto section leader, Libby Seely; tenor section leader, Ryan Berg; bass section leader, Roman Milan.

Because of generous donations from the community, the Lake Highlands High School Choir Department was able to award five scholarships, named in memory of one-time LHHS choir member John Stallings, to graduating seniors this year. Seniors receiving scholarships this year were Carly Anthony, Carmen Burroughs, Timothy Davis, Martin White and Megan Williams. Another scholarship, presented by the Dallas-based Contemporary Chorale through the LHHS Choir Department, was presented to Catherine French.

Two LHHS seniors were honored at the May 14 LHHS Choir Banquet for their outstanding vocal contributions this year as they were selected to take part in the Texas All-State Choir. Those seniors, Timothy Davis and Whitney Sides, were both vocalists with the LHHS Espree stage band for the past two years. In addition, Whitney was a member of the high school’s drill team, The Highlandettes, and Tim a member of the LHHS baseball team.

Honors presented at the LHHS banquet and concert celebrating the end of the 2009-10 season recognized individual effort and high achievement. Those receiving recognition at the May 14 events were:

The LHHS Academic Excellence Award to Megan Hancock and Robbie Liebendorfer. In LHHS Women’s Choir: Outstanding Girl, Julia Dankberg; Outstanding Musician, Mary Ellen Kidd; Most Improved Musician, Susan Duncan. In LHHS Choraliers: Outstanding Girl, Luz Reyes; Outstanding Musician, Tracy King; Most Improved Musician, Ashera Westbrook. In LHHS Men’s Choir: Outstanding Boy, Jordan Chumbley; Most Improved Musician, Parker Starr; Outstanding Musician, Brice Paterik. In LHHS A Cappella Choir: Dedication Awards, Bradley Paterik and Elly Collett; Outstanding Musicians Patrick Thornton, Whitney Sides, Roman Milan and Rachel Jones; Most Improved Musicians, Jay Coffey, Catherine French, Max Hearst and Katie North; Outstanding Boy, Timothy Davis; Outstanding Girl, Carly Anthony. The LHHS Espree “Spirit of the Group” Awards, Havilland Voss and Luke Trowbridge.

News and Notes 2010 - 2011

Lake Highlands Choirs - "News and Notes"