Our two formal school performances will take place on Saturday, December 9 in the George Cunningham ’40 Performing Arts Center on the CB campus. In addition to a wide variety of music by the CB choirs, we have invited the choir from St. Robert School to join us in performing at our 2:00 pm concert, and the choir from St. Elizabeth Ann Seton to perform at our 7:00 pm performance. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors.

We are also preparing for our Christmas performance tour on Tuesday, December 5. For this annual tour, we take our show on the road to visit and perform for three local elementary/middle schools in the diocese. I’m excited to announce that this year’s trip will take us to St. Mary, Sacred Heart, and St. Francis of Assisi schools.

Our music for both sets of performances includes well- and lesser-known Christmas carols, contemporary Christmas songs, a Renaissance motet, vocal jazz, handbells, candy canes, and more. Tickets for the December 9 performances, which are available here on the CB website, make a great Christmas gift!

The pandemic has disrupted many beloved events in our lives, including Sacramento’s annual Chalk It Up, in which local artists bring their talents to the sidewalks of Midtown. This annual festival, celebrating its 30th anniversary, typically draws crowds in the hundreds, making it an impossibility for safe social distancing. But that hasn’t stopped the creativity. This year, artists chalked 89 different locations in Sacramento for the public to enjoy safely. One such artist is CB’s own Andres Sanchez ’21 who garnered some attention on Good Day Sacramento. Way to go, Andres!

JACOB CHERRY ’17

Nominated for Outstanding Lead Male in a Play- Hamlet, Hamlet

Previous Nominations

Outstanding Lead Male in a Play- The Royal Family, Tony Cavendish (2017)

Outstanding Leading Male in a Musical- Animal Crackers, Harpo Marx (2016)

Outstanding Supporting Male in a Play- The Tempest, Trinculo (2016)

“I am constantly looking back on my time in CB theatre, always extremely grateful for my time there, and impressed by our ability to create such sophisticated productions. Hamlet was probably the most daunting one yet, and I’m just so grateful for the response we got from our audience. It meant a lot to me, especially for one of my last shows.”

EMILY DAVIS ’18

Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Female in a Play- Hamlet, Ophelia

This is Emily’s first nomination!

“Ophelia was my first big role in a main stage production and it was terrifying in so many regards. Being able to really delve into her psyche was was an amazing, exhausting, and emotional journey. This nomination is particularly special because I’ve never won anything related to theatre. Of course an award does not make up a person, but being nominated for a role that terrified and pushed me is such an honor. I can say without a doubt that the only reason I was nominated was because of those working beside me along the way.”

SPENCER FITZPATRICK ’20

Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Male in a Play- Hamlet, Horatio

Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Male in a Musical- State Fair, Pat Gilbert

These are Spencer’s first nominations!

“I am extremely humbled to have received these Elly nominations. I loved playing both parts, and just being a part of what I knew were really great shows, and then to be reognized with the nominations was amazing. Our theatre department is incredible and we are so lucky to have all of these dedicated, talented people to work with. We all- the actors, tech crew, musicians, and directors- work hard, and the Best Overall production nominations for both shows recognize everyone involved.”

OWEN LARSON ’20

Nominated for Outstanding Lead Male in a Musical- State Fair, Wayne Frake

This is Owen’s first nomination!

ANA RILEY-PORTAL ’19

Nominated for Outstanding Lead Female in a Musical- State Fair, Margy Frake

This is Ana’s first nomination!

“I loved playing Margy Frake because of her spunk and her confidence in knowing what she wanted, or at least, what she didn’t want. Being a part of a CB production was the highlight of my junior year. Between the supportive cast and crew and the incredible directors, Mr. Jackson and Ms. Christianson, there was never a dull moment in the process. The cherry on top was being nominated for an Elly award. I’m so excited to attend the Ellys and see the outcomes!”

JENN ROBERTS ’18

Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Female in a Musical- State Fair, Emily Arden

Previous Awards and Nominations:

Elly Award winner- Outstanding Lead Female in a Play- The Royal Family, Julie Cavendish (2017)

Nominated for Outstanding Lead Female in a Musical- Sweet Charity, Charity (2017)

Nominated for Outstanding Lead Female in a Musical- How To Succeed…, Rosemary Pilkington (2015)

Jenn will be starting her Freshman year at NYU this fall.

ALEX VASILYEV ’19

Nominates for Outstanding Supporting Male in a Musical- State Fair, Abel Frake

This is Alex’s first nomination!

Here’s the full list of talented nominees along with the video trailers for these terrific shows!

HAMLET

Hamlet Trailer

Best Overall Production, Education Plays

Jacob Cherry ‘18- Best Lead Male

Emily Davis ‘18- Best Supporting Female

Spencer Fitzpatrick ‘20- Best Supporting Male

Michael D. Jackson- Sound Design

Michael D. Jackson- Direction

Michael D. Jackson- Costume Design

Heather Christianson ‘01- Scenic Design

STATE FAIR

State Fair Trailer

Best Overall Production, Education Musicals

Ana Riley-Portal ‘19- Best Lead Female

Owen Larson ‘20- Best Lead Male

Spencer Fitzpatrick ‘20- Best Supporting Male

Alex Vasylyev ‘19- Best Supporting Male

Jenn Roberts ‘18- Best Supporting  Female

Michael D. Jackson- Choreography

Michael D. Jackson- Direction

Graham Sobelman- Music Direction

Open Mic: Say farewell to the seniors in style at the final Open Mic of the year. Friday May 11 @ 7pm on the main lawn

Hollywood Bowl: Our annual tradition of pop music and flashy choreography continues Saturday May 12 @ 6pm on the main lawn.

Bring a blanket and a picnic! To whet your appetite for the shows, check out this video shot by senior Aidan Smith-Fagan ‘18 of our Vocal Jazz Choir in rehearsal!

For your chance to see our students’ exceptional work, don’t miss the One Acts 2018 February 9-11.  Performances are Friday and Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm.  Tickets are $5 at the door or at https://secure.acceptiva.com/?cst=016337. The One Acts feature two original student short plays by seniors Emily Davis ‘18 and Jacob Cherry ‘18 as well as our monologue and scene entries from the Lenaea  Festival.  See you at the show!

For a peek at the Willamette choirs, check out this video!

http://https://youtu.be/hia4gr9MCxg

This year’s invited conductors were both from Southern California. Christopher Borges, who teaches at Bakersfield High School, led the men. His award-winning choirs have a long list of accomplishments, and have performed at regional conferences of the American Choral Directors Association. The conductor for the women’s festival was Cari Earnhardt who is the Director of Choral Activities at Fresno State. She has led choirs and has made numerous appearances worldwide as a guest conductor.

These festivals are incredibly fun and important for the students’ development as singers and musicians. They have the opportunity to hear other choirs, work with a different director, and perform with what will be for most them the largest choir they have ever been involved with. The sheer volume and combined energy of the massed choirs are awesome, and are an educational experience not to be missed.