Spring
1958
Oklahoma! becomes the first joint Buckingham and Browne & Nichols play
Summer
1976
The Kolomaika Dance Troupe tours the USSR
Fall
1984
Students form the Jazz Group at the Upper School
November
2019
The Lindberg-Serries Theater is dedicated at the Upper School
Fall
2020
The Fall Play is performed outside in masks and filmed for the audience due to COVID restrictions for on-campus events.
Performing Arts
Click play to enjoy recorded performances by BB&N's musical groups while you scroll through this exhibit page. The pieces included are, in order:
1. "Instrumental Miniature 2", composed by Igor Stravinsky, arranged by Brian Reasoner, performed by the Upper School Orchestra, 2007.
2. "O Occhi Manza Mia", composed by Orlando di Lasso, directed by Joseph Horning, performed by the Upper School Chorale, 2007.
3. "Mary Ann", by Marianne Faithfull, performed by the Upper School Chorale on their tour of Spain, 1999.
4. "Jerusalem", composed by Sir Hubert Parry, performed by seniors in the BB&N Knightingales and the Voices of the Knight, 2007.
Above: a selection of programs from musical performances over the years, which can each be viewed in better detail by clicking on the image; from left to right: a 1976 Glee Club performance, a 1987 Chamber Music event, the 1999 Concert Tour in Spain, a 2003 all-school assembly performance by groups from all three campuses, the 2000 Grandfriend's Day performance, a 2002 Winter Concert, and a 2006 Spring Concert.
BB&N has a rich history of musical education stretching back to both Buckingham and Browne & Nichols. Today, the school's music program is described: "In the Lower School, students develop their musical voice through singing, creating original songs, and exploring a diverse variety of instruments, genres, and cultures. Middle School students continue their musical journeys in music appreciation classes and have the opportunity to engage in performing ensemble electives. Upper School music offers dynamic and fulfilling performing ensembles, as well as opportunities for exploration in audio production and music composition." Music classes and groups include audio production and music technology, chamber ensembles, chorale, chorus, orchestra, and jazz band.
Below: left, Lower School students learn the recorder with teacher Howard Worona; right, Taisha Gibson '95 and Julie Dangel '95 sing together.
Over the years, students have enjoyed the benefit of meeting professional musicians, including those in the BB&N community. Perhaps one of the most memorable of these meetings came in 1995, when BB&N parent and world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma came to perform a concert for Lower School students, accompanied by violinist Stefan Jackiw '03 and harpist Kathy Moreno Dorkin.
Below: a short clip from Yo-Yo Ma's hour-long performance with Kathy Moreno Dorkin and Stefan Jackiw, April 3, 1995. Footage courtesy of Howard Worona.
Above: photos from the joint production of Oklahoma!, put on by Browne & Nichols and Buckingham, 1958.
BB&N's theater history reaches back to Buckingham's 1910s-1920s King-Coit productions and Browne & Nichols early Drama Club activities. Sixteen years before the merger in 1958, the two schools came together for the first time for a joint production of Oklahoma!. The current drama program continues this tradition, and is described: "In the Lower School, the drama program engages 5th and 6th graders in improvisation, scene work, monologues, and performances, fostering skills in character development, dialogue creation, and real-life connections. In Middle School, performing arts offers opportunities through production development and self-expression. Upper School students can explore and cultivate their creative skills through theater, dance, and related disciplines, from performance on stage to designing and directing students."
In addition to the Fall Play, Winter Play, Spring Musical, and Senior Show, Upper School students can take theater studies classes and dance classes. At the Middle School, students can join the BB&N Players, and Midde School drama students frequently take top honors at the Massachusetts Middle School Drama Festival held every spring. At the Lower School, the 6th grade musical has been an annual highlight of the spring drama season since 2010, involving every sixth grade student in all aspects of the production. This includes being the performers and scenic designers. All Lower School students are also included in the creation of the sets and prop creation during art class.
Above: left, George Serries teaching students in the theater, 1972; right, Mark Lindberg watches a rehearsal from the audience seats, 2001.
In 2019, the Upper School Theater was dedicated the Lindberg-Serries Theater in honor of two long-serving drama teachers, both of whom shaped the BB&N theater program. George Serries taught French, English, and Theater at first Browne & Nichols and then BB&N from 1964-1982. One story from the Winter 1989 Bulletin expresses his philosophy and impact:
Asked once, "Who are the stars of this play?" he replied, "They are all stars." Alison Carnduff '81 recalled that although she had all of six words to speak in one of his productions and had treated the role perfunctorily, she was brought up short by George's reminder that in those six words and two minutes she represented "an entire life."
Mark Lindberg taught Theater at BB&N from 1982-2019. He brought humor to his work, but was also unflinching when it came to tackling difficult topics. In an interview with The Vanguard, he described the power of theater: "It should be a place where you're uncomfortable. You should go to the theater expecting that you won't be totally happy in that room for the next two hours." His colleague Rory Morton '81 described his legacy as "painfully honest, unerringly direct, and incredibly funny," and he had a huge impact on the students he encouraged to join the theater program.
Above: production photos from OR21, performed in the 2020-2021 hybrid year during COVID.
Left: the poster for the Spring Show Dream: The Musical, 2021.
The 2020-2021 academic year took place in a hybrid learning environment due to COVID. Despite social distancing restrictions, the show did indeed go on. At the Lower School, the 5th Grade plays were performed outdoors and the traditional 6th grade production became three homeroom plays filmed outdoors at the stunning BB&N mansion at 30 Gerry's Landing. Theater teacher Ross MacDonald recalls the Upper School theater performances that year: "Despite the restrictions imposed on us by hybrid “cohorts”, we managed to create two full-scale “film” adaptations of Oedipus Rex (OR21) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Dream, The Musical). Our fall show also saw Grade 9 students participating for the first time in some decades! Our Senior Show was performed in the Lindberg-Serries Theater with socially distanced audience members." The following year's Fall Show, Cyrano, took place with masked rehearsals, and by the time the 2022 Winter Musical Into the Woods went up, audience members were asked to show proof of vaccination upon entry.
Above: Kolomaika dancers perform, undated.
Right: above, a button from the Kolomaika Dance Troupe's tour in the USSR, 1976; below, dancers perform in 1976.
Russian teacher George Deptula started a Russian Chorus at Browne & Nichols in the 1950s. After the chorus disbanded in the early 1970s, he became interested in forming a Russian dance ensemble. He hired instructor and choreographer Hardy Margosian, and the Kolomaika Russian Dance Troupe was born. The ensemble went on two tours to the USSR, one in 1976 and one in 1981, and disbanded shortly after the second trip.
Listen to a conversation about the Kolomaika Dance Troupe, held between former Russian teacher Armen Dedekian and Kolomaika founding member Lincoln Gamble '76. Find a transcription of this audio clip at the link here.
Below are photos from BB&N's music, theater, and dance programs over the past 50 years.
