The Highlander By: Miguel Bittencourt
RING FEST
The Highland Academy Handbell Choir has been working and preparing for the Festival since the start of the year, culminating in the actual performance. It took considerable effort because it involved very advanced, technical, demanding pieces. Our solo piece, “Dorian Dance,” a challenging and intricate composition, was prepared for combination with Fletcher Academy. Haraldo Alvarez, Highland Academy’s music director, would love to conduct “Carillon” by Dean Wagner, who happened to be one of the clinicians this year, at Ring Fest one day. “Seeing the students playing with other academies, and being one of the newest programs, we are still playing at the same level as all of those groups,” said Alvarez.
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This year’s Ring Fest seemed different from last year’s, so I decided to ask some students what made this year’s festival different from previous years. Corinthia Lopez says, “The songs were better last year, but the food was good, and we had a better spot to play.” “Well, it seemed that there were a lot fewer ringers, but maybe that is just an optical illusion. The main one I would use is that our group this year was way more prepared and experienced, so we played better than last year,” said Seth Gagatam. I also wanted to hear from some students who attended Ring Fest for the first time this year. Sophia Joy says, “I thought it was gonna be long days of practice and severe soreness, but I had lots of fun and I learned a lot more than I thought I would.” “I thought it was going to be all day long, almost no breaks and much soreness. Well, some of it was true, but I had so much fun, I learned a lot, like techniques, how to play better and have a good posture when playing.” Ring Fest, which first began in 2000 in Toledo, Ohio, has grown in size over the years. As time passed, schools have returned year after year, culminating in the Festival’s 25th anniversary this year.
Editor In-Chief Magdalen Carlson Reporters Helena Cortelli Eliayna Burnett Reuel Jabali Evan Parris Danielle Caldwell Cartoon Art Design Joash Alvarez
Design & Art Director Tristan Naumann Photographer Malachi Armantrout Miguel Bittencourt Sponsors Stephanie Rufo Melissa Weisner
This milestone not only marks a quarter-century of musical excellence but also celebrates the enduring spirit of teamwork and learning what Ring Fest has fostered among handbell choirs. All the songs that were performed were chosen based on the songs the Festival has done before: “Capriccio,” “Come Emmanuel,” “Dance of Redemption,” “Fancy,” “Huron Carol,” “Toccata” and “King’s Weston,” and all the solo pieces have been performed before and are now played one more time. This year’s clinicians were Chuck Kobb, H. Dean Wagner, and William Ashley, who started this beautiful and meaningful Festival in Toledo, Ohio, 25 years ago. As we rehearsed, the clinicians noticed how tired and bored we were. So, Chuck Kobb would tell us a dad joke every time he stepped on the platform to conduct, and every time he stepped off, he would tell us another one. Everyone would fake laugh. However, in the end, it made the long hours of practice a lot more fun. H. Dean Wagner, as we rehearsed the last song of the performance, told us that we were going to repeat from measure 67, as he moved both hands up and down, referring to the brain rot found on TikTok. On the actual night of the performance, right before we repeated from measure 67, he does the forbidden, brain-rot hand motion from TikTok. “Capriccio,” one of the pieces we performed, is a highly advanced piece that requires exceptional technique, rhythm, and concentration. William Ashley, the conductor of this piece, provides a brief description of it; the time signature begins with 7/8. It switches multiple times to 6/8, 3/8, and 3/4, representing angels dancing in heaven, which is impossible to dance to those kinds of time signatures, emphasizing that it is very natural for angels to dance. Later on in the piece, the angels look down at Earth and see us crucifying Jesus, and you can hear C5 ringing, slowly, announcing what has happened. However, later in the piece, it all comes down to Jesus resurrecting, and the piece returns to its fast, active style; angels start to dance and praise God one more time. Overall, this year’s Ring Fest brought together hard work, new experiences, and a lot of memorable moments. From challenging music to funny clinician moments, everyone walked away with new skills and unforgettable memories. It was a reminder of how far our handbell choir has come and how exciting the future of the program will be.
What is on your Christmas wishlist?
In each edition of The Highlander we will have a hidden Highland Cow for you to find. Be the 1st person to come to Mrs. Rufo and you will receive a Small Sonic Slushes page 8