PHS students’ favorite rom-coms

On October
17, the Princeton
High School
Orchestra
(PHSO)
collaborated with
the PHS UNICEF
community
service club, as
well as Princeton
Middle School,
to host a benefit
concert promoting
the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals that UNICEF has set
to achieve by 2030.

This event occurs every other year; this
year’s edition specifically placed emphasis
on presenting the 17 goals. These goals
include ending poverty, improving global
education, achieving gender equality, and
making clean energy affordable. PHS
UNICEF leaders and officers discussed
these goals while the orchestra played
music in-between
presentations.

“[We combined]
artistry with
mission … [to
support children]
artistically from
where we are in
Princeton,” said
PHSO conductor
and UNICEF club
advisor Robert
Loughran.

While in previous
years the concert featured PHSO alumni,
this year, only current orchestra members
participated. Loughran described this
experience, noting that the soloists were
all student performers.

“We have a really talented piano section
in the orchestra … [that performed] solo
repertoire that [coincided] with what
[was] presented on stage by the officers,”
said Loughran.

During the concert, all members of
the PHS orchestra program — as well as
some Princeton Middle School orchestra
members — had the opportunity to
perform.

As the event was open to the community
at a low cost of attendance, it reached
a wide range
of community
members.
Moreover, the
performers had
the opportunity
to expand
their musical
talents while
simultaneously
learning more
about global
issues. PHSO
violinist Elif
Cam ’26
describes her
connection to
these goals as a musician after studying
UNICEF’s mission.

“I personally donate to UNICEF,
and I have researched the Sustainable
Development Goals a lot, so for me, it
[was] truly really special to have a concert
in honor of [this cause],” said Cam.

 PHS UNICEF
leader Ava Tabeart
’25 shared her
hopes to inspire
other high school
students.

“Community
service shouldn’t
be  thought of
as a graduation
requirement … it’s
really something
that [we hope
students will]
embrace and try
to make the most
of,” said Tabeart.

PHS Orchestra and PHS Unicef co-host a benefit concert

   A cappella singing is often considered a whole different genre of music. Through the fusion of different voices, a cappella groups create a unique performance quality and different dimension of music. 
Being in an a cappella group means participants get to be in a chamber performance setting but still have a more flexible time commitment. In addition, unlike choir, many groups arrange and adjust their own vocal parts to fit the singers’ needs. 
At PHS, there are four student-led a cappella groups: Cats Meow, Cloud Nine, Testostertones, and Around 8. They are each unique in their own way, providing completely different experiences, though they sometimes perform together at events like Friday Night Lights at the Princeton Public Library. 
Founded in 1983, Cats Meow is PHS’s first a cappella group; it is a choir affiliated and all upper voice a cappella group. They perform at all PHS choir concerts, and even go on tour with the choir every other year. The group explores many different genres of music, such as jazz, pop and R&B. Through their rehearsals and performances, the group has forged close bonds while creating musical experiences together. 
“You bond very intensely with everyone in the group because it’s so small … we learn to trust each other on stage,” said Cats Meow director Vivian Clayton ’24. 
Cloud Nine is PHS’ second female identifying a cappella group, though they are non-choir affiliated. Regardless, they are still allowed to perform both in and outside of school.
“We performed at Hispanic Heritage Month and we sang Gracias a la Vida … we sometimes do Cornerhouse affiliated [performances],” said Julia Wang ’25, a member of Cloud Nine. 
The third a cappella group is the Testostertones, the only PHS all male group. Rehearsing a few times each week, the members of the a cappella group have grown into a tight-knit community.. 
“Tones culture is at an all time high right now … we have a wide range of guys and I think that that only builds [on] the connection that we have with each other,” said Testostertones director Theo Balavoine ’24. 
Finally, Around 8 is PHS’s only all gender inclusive group––an aspect that distinguishes it from the rest. However, similarly to the other a cappella groups, being part of this ensemble forges friendships and connections among its members. 
“It’s a nice chance to meet people that have different interests from you, but you all can come and sing [together],” said Noa Zacks ’25, a member of Around 8. 
Auditions for these groups are generally held in late May and early June, and are open to all students for non-choir affiliated groups, like Testostertones and Cloud Nine. General audition materials include preparation of a short verse or chorus and sight reading in front of the current a cappella group. 


Finding harmony in PHS a capella groups

  From back to center stage, Sedona Raphael ’24 has had quite a successful high school acting career. Recently featured on the TV show “Law and Order,” Raphael has played over 15 roles since her debut in middle school. While others are out with friends, Raphael devotes all her time to acting programs and audtitions, often spending long restless nights filming self-tapes. After graduation, Raphael aspires to major in musical theater to continue to master her art. 
What productions have you been in and what roles have you played? 
   I played Katherine in “Newsies” last year, which was super fun; it was a great experience to get to have that role. Some of my favorite roles that I have played [are] Double Zero in “The Wolves,” ... “Mary Poppins,” Bambi Bernet in “Curtains,” and ... about seven different roles in “The Laramie Project.” It was crazy, it was a self-directed show [over three weeks], so our cast was made up of ten actors who basically walked the process ourselves.  
When and how did you start acting?
    I grew up singing in the back of my mom’s car or just for fun, and so music has always been a part of my life. For a long time, I was actually a competitive gymnast, so that was how I performed then; on the floor [and] on the beam. One day I had an injury where I couldn’t go to the gym anymore, so my mom decided to sign me up for an open call at a community theater for a little musical, and I ended up getting the lead ...  once I did that, I did not want to go back to the gym, and then I really started pursuing acting and theater professionally.
Can you describe your acting and training background?
   I take private voice lessons, I have an acting class, and I do a lot of summer intensives. A lot of learning I’ve done though, is from different projects I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of. I’ve always been the biggest supporter of the fact that you watch and you learn. Being around other people, you can always pick up new information. Even just watching a TV show, when someone has a line, I would just pause it and say it back as myself to see how I would say that line. I [am] so grateful to have all these opportunities and the training that I need to get this far.
How do you prepare for auditions under time pressure?
   It’s a bit different for musicals and TV and film. For musicals, I always have an audition binder with all my songs that I sing, and those will be ready to go at any moment. And I have about six monologues in my head at all times, so I can just throw them out any time they are needed. If it’s a musical, I will always do character work and understand the show and the background and why it’s an important story to tell. For TV and film, I’ll get a request for a self tape, which is where you film yourself at home doing the material that they sent you. I’ve had cases where they send you a scene that morning and you have to record it and get it back by that night. So it definitely takes a lot of practice, and I’ve gotten better at it over the years, but it can be a little stressful. There are a lot of great people that will always help you, and it’s really fun.
Do you get any criticism from judges or just being in the public view? How do you deal with that?
  It’s hard because part of being on stage and performing and acting is being vulnerable, which is not something that’s super easy, especially when you’re telling such a truthful and important story. I think some of the best advice I’ve ever been [given] is that you’ve got to do it because you love it. Because it’s such a hard business and artist-subjective, so what I like isn’t going to be the same as what someone else likes, and that’s okay. Sometimes it comes with criticism, and sometimes it’s hard to understand why. The biggest thing is to just keep going and not let anybody get in your head; and know that if you’re doing it because you love it, it’s the right thing. 
What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself or someone who aspires to become an actress?
  Don’t take yourself too seriously, and find the joy in what you are doing. Art is about telling important stories and making change and using your voice to promote kindness and good. Perfect is boring and unattainable, nobody likes perfect. You don’t want to see somebody be perfect, they’re not human. I would just say be yourself and don’t really care about what other people think. Do it because you love it.

From stage to screen: the acting career of Sedona Raphael ’24

On February 23rd, 2024, the three choirs at PHS performed in the PAC at 7:30 PM. The event was led by a guest conductor and clinician, Shannon Jacob Dorman who teaches students at Boston College about spiritual gospel music. The Gospel Event began in 2010, when choir teachers Vincent Metallo and Sarah Pelletier wanted to expose their students to more repertoire from black culture. 
    “This was partially in the curriculum, but we really wanted to allocate one event to highlight this style [of music],” Metallo said.
    The students performed familiar folk tunes and spirituals that have been rearranged in a more current style. Essentially, it was the evolution of spiritual music, which was then turned into gospel music. The pieces were written about historical events using symbolism and important references to black history. The songs that the choir sang during the event were: “Ride of King Jesus,” “Glorious,” “I Feel Your Spirit,” and “Wade in the Water.”
   “[Gospel music] talks a lot about spirituality and religion…most of the songs are very emotional…” said Theo Balavoine ‘24, a baritone, and choir representative, “...forming [the music] allows us to share important parts of history…culture…and spread positive messages.”
   A challenge that some singers faced during the event was the range of notes that had to be sung.    The music was relatively in a higher range, which took a lot of vocal strain, making it difficult to learn and execute. In addition to that, the style of singing used for gospel music was different compared to other pieces of music that the choirs typically sing which are traditional choral arrangements. 
   “Some of the harmonies [were] really challenging, but our Choir Directors [worked] section by section so that we [could] feel confident about our parts,” said Vivian Clayton ‘24, an alto singer, “It [was] super satisfying once we [got] our parts right because the chords [were] really beautiful.”
   However, when performed correctly, the music comes together. 
    “I have never sung gospel before, [but] I hope [to] grow as a singer from the experience” said Konrad Hedges ’26. 
   During the performance, the majority of the pieces were accompanied by the Princeton Studio Band. Despite a busy schedule, the three choirs have been preparing for this event for around two months. Regardless, the event allowed choir students to explore a different genre of music. 
   “My favorite aspect about this event [was] being able to perform and learn music that I haven’t really been exposed to before,” said Aishwarya Vedula ‘25, “I also like how we [worked] with a professional in the field of gospel music to help us learn more about the music and its significance.”



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