DGN Wind Ensemble Performance This Week

Looking for a brief Fine Arts respite from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? Consider stopping by Downers Grove South High School on Tuesday December 18th at 7 PM as the DGN Wind Ensemble joins the DGS Wind Ensemble for an exchange concert with the Musashino Exchange Band from Japan.

DGN will open the concert at 7 PM (performing "The Twelve Gallon Hat"). DGS will play second (one piece), and then Musashino will perform the program they will be presenting at the Midwest International Band & Orchestra Clinic later this week.

Joining Musashino will be Trumpet Soloist Christopher Martin. Mr. Martin is the Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic, and was formerly the Principal Trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 

General Admission (free) seating will begin at 6:30 PM. We expect a full-house, so you are encouraged to be present when the house opens at 6:30 PM.

There will be an amazing display of musical talent on the DGS auditorium stage on Tuesday evening and it promises to be a night of memorable performances. You won't want to miss it!

Own a Digital Download of Mosaic 2018!

The high-fidelity audio recording of the 2018 DGN Holiday Mosaic Concert is now available for purchase ($10). 

CLICK HERE to download your copy today!

A Reminder For December's FOFA Meeting

This month's Friends of Fine Arts meeting is on Tuesday December 11th at 7:00 pm in the DGN Alumni Room.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend as we review finances and fund raisers, discuss upcoming senior scholarships, address volunteer resources, hear teachers' reports and open the floor to new business. 

DGN FOFA meeting are always concise and informative and well worth your time investment - hope to see you there!

'Tis The Season....

...to attend the Fine Arts Holiday Mosaic Concert and the Holiday Mosaic Art Show at DGN!

This is the can't-miss must-attend Fine Arts event of the season, sure to put you in the holiday spirit as you are entertained by non-stop performances (forming a musical "mosaic") by the DGN Wind Ensemble, Choirs, Orchestra and small ensembles as they showcase their hard work and talents and bring good cheer to all. 

There are two performances on Tuesday December 4th at 5:30 pm and 8:00 pm. The concerts are free and open to the public, with seating 30 minutes prior to the show. Bring a friend or neighbor - you won't be disappointed!

Additionally, there are student art works on display in the lobby as part of the Holiday Mosaic Art Show. Be sure to browse and admire the amazing displays of our DGN art students and stop by on Wednesday December 5th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 for the Mosaic Art Show Reception.

Finally, you can purchase ornaments before or after the Holiday Mosaic Concerts as part of the DGN Fine Arts Ornament Sale with proceeds benefiting the North High chapter of the Tri-M Music Honor Society. Thanks for your support!

We hope to see you there!

Fannie May Candy Sales Wrap-up

The DGN Fine Arts 2018 Fannie May Candy Fundraiser is in the books and orders have shipped and been delivered. 

A few points of interest:

• There were 100 sellers who contributed to the 2018 fundraiser, a significant increase over last year. Great job!
• Participating sellers represented each Fine Arts department
• $14,500 worth of Fannie May goodies was sold - DGN FOFA keeps 30% which means the fundraiser generated $4,350 for our Fine Arts program!

And congratulations to our four student sellers who won the prize drawing for gift cards:

• Caleb M. - Band
• Morgan M. - Choir
• Amanda R. - Band/Choir
• Lucy W. - Band

Thank you to all students and families for your participation and selling efforts! 

And a very special THANK YOU to Judy Lyons for chairing the Fannie May Candy Fundraiser for the past three years - you have done an outstanding job! Your hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated! 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all from DGN Friends of Fine Arts!

Music Is In The Air This Week...

As the days continue to grow shorter and October gives way to November, the DGN Fine Arts Department is busy making exciting music this week!

The musicians of the DGN Wind Ensemble & DGN Concert Band will be joined in performance by the Gaudete Brass Quintet, Tuesday, October 30 at 7:00 PM in the Clarence Johnson Auditorium. This concert will feature a special performance of Suite from MASS, by Leonard Bernstein, and honor the 100-year anniversary of the composer and conductor's birth. The performance of MASS, with the Guadete Brass, is sponsored by the Illinois Arts Council, the District 99 Education Foundation, and the DGN Friends of Fine Arts.

The Gaudete (pronounced gow-day-tay) Brass will also join forces with the Herrick Middle School Band on this concert.

And on Thursday, November 1 at 7:00 PM in the Clarence Johnson Auditorium the Symphonic Band, Jazz Lab Band and Jazz Ensemble will each perform a set of great music - come on in and enjoy, the perfect way to ward off the chill of a late Fall evening...

Hope you can make it out for these two evenings of what are sure to be wonderful musical performances!

The D99 Orchestra Has a Concert...

...tomorrow night - Tuesday!

You will not want to miss Terra Sonos: A Concert Celebrating Planet EARTH, on Tuesday, October 16, 2018 at Downers Grove South High School. The concert, which begins at 7:00 PM in the DGS Auditorium, is free and open to the public. 

Joining the District 99 Orchestra on stage will be students of the Herrick and O'Neil Orchestras, as well as guest violinist Michèle Lekas. 

Fannie May is in the House!

That is to say, it's time for the DGN Fine Arts 2018 Fannie May Candy Fundraiser! The program officially kicked off last week and will run through Thursday, October 25th. Fine Arts students should have already received or picked up their sales packets so if you have not seen the order forms and informational materials yet, be sure to ask them about it. Pertinent ordering information can be found HERE (or, if you prefer a mirthful video message, take a look HERE).

The Fannie May Candy sales program is one of three fundraising revenue streams for DGN Fine Arts (the other two being Spirit Wear sales and the Spring Plant Sale) and it is a vital component in reaching our annual goal of $50,000 to support our Fine Arts students and programs. If every Fine Arts student at DGN sold or purchased one box of Pixies, more than $4,000 would be earned toward that targeted number.

A few helpful selling points/ideas:

• Candy makes a great Christmas/Holiday gift - a perfect way to celebrate the season or say "thank you" to someone.
• Orders will be delivered to you the week of November 12th - in time for Thanksgiving gatherings.
• Prices are the same as in store - but NO sales tax.
• Orders will be delivered by the student seller (or proxy) to the customer - no dealing with crowds and waiting in lines.
• Uh, delicious chocolate confections, right?

Additionally, all students who sell candy will receive a candy bar treat. Students who sell $50 or more will have a chance to win one of four $25 gift cards (Starbucks, Chipotle, AMC Theatres or Target - you choose!) - students who sell $100 or more will be entered into the drawing twice.

Questions? Please contact chairperson Ms. Judy Lyons at 630-699-3777 or jplyons8@comcast.net.

Thank you very much for your support of DGN Fine Arts. Happy Selling!

There is Still Time to Order Spirit Wear...

...to show your DGN Fine Arts pride at this Friday's Crosstown Classic - and future concerts and events!

The Spirit Wear folks will not be selling at the football game this Friday, but there is no reason to panic! Any spirit gear you might have planned on purchasing can be found here (https://squareup.com/store/dgn-friends-of-fine-arts/)!  If you order by Friday, October 12 at 8 am, your items will be waiting for you in the Fine Arts office for your son or daughter to pick up by the end of the day. If you have any questions, or any ideas for items you’d like to see turned into some fabulous DGN Fine Arts gear, please email Wendy Nystrom at dgnfofaspirit@gmail.com. 

Fall Choral Concert

On Tuesday October 9th at 7:00 p.m. join us in the Clarence Johnson Auditorium for the Fall Choral Concert featuring all DGN choirs. This promises to be a wonderful evening of music that you won't want to miss and a fine start to the Fall concert season!

Come on out and hear some of the wonderful things going on in DGN Fine Arts!