Arts

Fine Arts News

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Our Student Performers: The “Unsung” Heroes of the Holidays by Scott Bonasso

Multi-colored lights and garland adorn the lampposts along Westheimer Rd.; dozens of lit-up reindeer run up the side of a building in Highland Village; ornamented fir trees pop up in stores and offices; familiar, nostalgic melodies creep into TV and radio advertisements; colder weather provokes an actual fire in the mostly dormant fireplace in Flores Hall!

Yes, Christmastime is here at SJS — and with it, a palpable sense of relief and optimism. Relief that it will not be 90 degrees all year long; that we have two long breaks within the span of a month; that the fun, festive holiday season is upon us. Optimism brought on by the fact that we, students and teachers alike, are almost halfway through another busy, challenging year at the top school in Texas. We can do it! We are doing it!

The sights and, in particular, the sounds that make the holiday season so special for our community do not just happen. There is a great deal of planning and hard work put in by both directors and student performers. While the rest of the world is celebrating Easter and cranking the air conditioning, ensemble directors are already conferring on Candlelight repertoire and ordering sheet music and scores. While SJS students and academic teachers are getting their sea legs at the start of school in August, ensemble directors and music teachers are planning Christmas and Hanukkah chapel performances, contracting guest instrumentalists for Candlelight, and working with St. John the Divine Church to devise the logistics
of transforming the sanctuary for that magical event. And perhaps most impressively, as most people are just starting to think about Halloween candy and the possibility of a cold front in early October, the students in our amazing ensembles are already rehearsing holiday music — the payoff for which is still months away.

Indeed, the magic our community experiences in December takes inspired forethought, exhaustive planning, and months of rehearsing.

The festive and eclectic Christmas selections performed by our Middle School ensembles at the MS Holiday Chapel; the stirring lessons-and-carols performance given by the St. John’s Singers and LS students at the Lower School Christmas Program; the grand, majestic choral-orchestral works offered by all of our choirs and the US Chamber Strings at Candlelight; Kantorei’s caroling performances at the Wassail Party, US lunch, MFAH, and Houston Methodist Hospital’s Crain Garden — all of these productions take months of intense, behind-the-scenes rehearsals. And the student performers love every minute of it. They believe in their mission. Their motivation is not academic credit, recognition, or kudos — it’s spreading the joy of the holiday season that they themselves find so magical and meaningful.

In a time where noise and distraction is a scroll away, let this be a moment of reflection and presence. This Christmas, I hope we all feel and express genuine appreciation for our talented, hard-working student performers — for the selfless, altruistic effort they put into preparing and providing our community with the beautiful sounds of the holidays.
Upper School Dance and STUCHO by Libby Agarwal '26

Tears of joy filled my eyes as I watched my vision take form on stage last year during the annual Student Choreography Showcase, presented by the SJS Upper School Dance Department. For me, as well as the other choreographers, the Student Choreography Showcase, STUCHO, means so much more than just a performance. Each choreographer plans for months to curate not only a piece but also a storyline and an emotional journey.

The SJS Upper School Dance Department has two dance concerts each year; the Student Choreography Showcase in January and the Dance Concert in April. While the Dance Concert includes pieces by professional choreographers and highlights students from upper school and middle school, STUCHO features the works of upper school dancers created through diligent preparation outside of class rehearsals.

This year’s choreographers include Libby Agarwal '26, Erin Bray '26, Kenzie Chu '26, Lydia Huang '26, Angel Huang '28, and Nola Miles '28. To prepare, each choreographer attended a choreography workshop with Elijah Gibson in order to polish and put their ideas in motion. Then, in November, adjudication took place, allowing choreographers to receive outside opinions from professional choreographers on their work for the first time.

STUCHO has always been my favorite part of every year with the SJS Dance Department. The showcase has not only helped me grow in my creative process but also as a leader; conducting rehearsals and working with fellow upper school dancers to create the best performance possible.

Each choreographer puts their heart and soul into their dance, so I hope you will join us on January 9, 2026 at 7 p.m. in the Lowe Theater to watch our pieces and celebrate the choreographic process together! Keep dancing through life with the Dance Department by following us on Instagram (@sjs.dancedepartment)!

Last Years Choreographers: Talulah Monthy, Kai Gomez, Rayna Kim, Libby Agarwal, and Alyssa Theofanidis

Libby Agarwal’s 2025 STUCHO Piece “Down to Earth”
Dancers: Erin Bray, Emerson Chenevert, Claire Chih, Kenzie Chu, Lydia Huang, and Joshua Jones
SJS Place in the TPSMEA All-State and Region Choirs

Congratulations to the following SJS students for being selected for these prestigious honor choirs:

All-State Choir: Ian Byrne, Andrew Christensen, Eliza Dorros, Creighton Garcia, Amelia Nuckles, Suraj Verma, and Annie Voorhees.

Region 3 Treble Choir: Yasmin Archer-Yearwood, Lyla Eve Bauer, Kaviya Dhir, Bryanna Micu, and Sarah Nguyen.

Region 3 Mixed Choir: Abi Balachandran, Ian Byrne, Andrew Christensen, Claire Connelly, Eliza Dorros, Henry Galbraith, Creighton Garcia, Aris Hanna, Abhi Kandala, Brayden Lim, Avi Musher, Amelia Nuckles, Daniel Pan, Suraj Verma, and Annie Voorhees.

TPSMEA Middle School Region Choir: Milena Solano-Arango, Isabel Laporte, Ben Wilson, Daniel Johnson, Noah Musher.

TPSMEA Children's Honor Choir: Margaret Byers, Hazel Gray, Kieran Horowitz, Noël Ihekweazu, Kairav Patel, Miles Peck, Lucas Wang, Maddie Jones, Dylan Dhir, Marcus Lee.
Looking Back!

As we kicked off the 2025-2026 school year, the Fine Arts Department has been in full swing, delivering remarkable performances, concerts, and exhibits to our community. Here's a look back at everything we've accomplished over the past four months:
Photos by Charles Tsang and Judy Peterson

Upper School Studio Play: Love, Death, and the Prom

Upper School Fall Play: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

LS/MS/US Fall Choral Concert

Class 2 Program: It's a Hit

Middle School Musical: Frozen JR.

SJS Visual Arts Faculty Exhibit
Artist: Carla Wall
Artist: Dan Havel

MS/US - Band/Orchestra Fall Concert
Alumni Spotlight - Hunter Perrin '95

A lot of my formative musical moments occurred while I was at St. John’s: my first gig was during sixth grade at a St. John’s garage sale where we played Beatles, Rolling Stones and James Brown tunes. I also played in the jazz band and performed in several musicals (West Side Story and Oklahoma).
Other key moments included a domestic exchange program to Albuquerque Academy, where I studied classical and flamenco guitar. Another was my independent study project, focusing on the classical guitar, which allowed me to prepare for my audition to UT Austin School of Music. I earned an undergraduate degree in classical guitar performance from UT Austin and a masters degree in classical guitar performance from Yale School of Music.

I then moved to New York and played in local bands and worked on film music. Mary-Bonner Baker (my wife, then girlfriend) wanted to pursue film and TV so we decided to move to California.

Next stop was Los Angeles, where I joined John Fogerty's band and spent five years traveling around the world playing the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Along the way, I got to play with some of my heroes including Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

We have since moved back to Houston to be closer to family and our two daughters both attend St. John’s.

I’m staying connected to other St. John’s alums professionally by working regularly with Paul Beebe '96 and Annie Eifler '98 performing regularly around Houston as part of the Gulf Coast Entertainment roster.
Looking Ahead

Please mark your calendars and join us in celebrating our students and faculty through the upcoming events, exhibits, and performances. Log in to visit the online school calendar for a comprehensive listing of all school events as well as more detailed information.

December 2025
12/8 – 1/9/26: Lower School Art Exhibition
📍  Glassell Gallery
12/12: Candlelight
📍 St. John the Divine Church – 7:00 p.m. Wassail to follow in Flores Hall afterwards.
January 2026
1/9: US STUCHO Dance Show
📍 Lowe Theater – 7:00 p.m.
1/20 – 2/27: Artist in Residence Exhibition
📍  Glassell Gallery
1/28 – 1/30: US Winter Studio Show - "Let the Right One In"
📍 Black Box Theater – 7:00 p.m. (each night)
February 2026
2/10: Choral/Instrumental Concert
📍 St. John the Divine Church   – 7:00 p.m.
2/12: MS Pop Show
📍 Lowe Theater – 4:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m.
2/26 – 2/28: US Musical Show - "Mary Poppins"
📍 Lowe Theater – 7:00 p.m. (2/26 & 2/27), 2:00 p.m. (2/28), 7:00 p.m. (2/28)