Festival of the Arts

The Festival of the Arts

Mairin Kziepak ('28)

The 25th annual Festival of the Arts occurred on May 3rd, 2025, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. The afternoon featured displays of photography and visual artwork lining the atrium hallways, complimentary snacks in the cafeteria,  impressive performances from the theatre, band, and orchestra ensembles in the auditorium, and a special “open-mic” venue in the library. 

The Art 1 display, the beginners’ art class at Bishop O’Connell,  included medieval self-portraits, eye-catching abstract designs, and multicolored ink printing art, among other pieces. Abby Bond, a member of the Art 2 class, showcased a beautiful pastel rendition of Vincent Van Gogh’s The Water-Lily Pond with stunning accuracy, hung proudly on the Art 2 showcase. 

Ariella Telor, a junior,  is taking both Art 2 and Advanced Art Honors. Her works showcased at the Festival of the Arts highlighted the fluidity and vibrant colors of nature. In her artist statement, Telor said that she takes inspiration from the outside world and the Impressionist movement to celebrate beauty through painting. 

Kate Pausin, a sophomore, is also taking Advanced Art Honors. Her paintings experiment with lighting, color, and movement dynamics, specializing in creative self-portraits and portraits. Her expertise in mediums ranges from oil and acrylic paints to markers and pencils. Her work includes two particular paintings depicting a sunset scene from different perspectives, in two different mediums–or the materials used by an artist, for example, paint, pastels, charcoal, graphite, clay, and more. 

Post-AP Art is provided for student artists who have completed the AP course, and the exhibit offered arguably the most variety, with realism to digital graphic design pieces. Each piece showed the development of the respective artist and their journey through O’Connell as some of the school’s most talented and hardworking student creators. 

The photography exhibit featured works from students like Harper Johnson and Ella Woodcock and was heavily focused on wildlife, such as rivers, forests, otters, birds, lions, and other scenery and creatures. 

Visual art wasn’t the only attraction, and various musical groups performed in the auditorium throughout the festival, offering an entertaining environment for guests. Orchestra began at 1:00, performing works such as The Lost Relic, The Endless Voyage, Danse Bacchanale, Fire in the Forge, and Chasing Shadows. At 1:30, the three bands by the names of Ye Banks and Braes of Bonnie Doon, Caribbean Rondo, and Jungle Dance performed, and later, the concert, symphonic, and jazz bands were on stage for a combination of solo and joint concerts. 

From 2:30 to 3:30, the choirs were on stage. The Women’s Camarata sang Build Me Up Buttercup and Say A Little Prayer, and the Men’s Chorus sang Surfin’ USA and I’ll Make a Man Out of You. The O’Connell singers sang Dancing Queen and Dream a Little Dream, and Chamber sang Valerie and Africa. The cast of Godspell also made an appearance, performing songs from O’Connell’s spring musical. 

The library served as a tranquil coffeehouse, with open mic sessions lasting ten minutes each. Guests could pop in whenever they pleased to enjoy some coffee and student productions, including Angelica Terpenning and Valentina McQuillan, with multiple open karaoke tracks, or Jillian Sok singing I Could Talk to You All Night and playing her ukulele.
This year’s Festival of the Arts was one to remember, and students are encouraged to attend and participate in next year’s festival.