Fall 2022
Fall 2022
It is hard to believe that this semester has come and nearly gone. This year began with our first ever New SCAPA Student Orientation workshop: SCAPA Ignite which welcomed nearly 80 new students to our program. Since then we have had an exciting fall full of artistic growth and many many group and individual student successes, some of which are highlighted below.
Growing as an artist is often a complicated endeavor; filled with highs and lows and challenges both external and internal. Parents are an important part of encouraging your student in their art form. Take time to celebrate accomplishments before setting goals for the new year. In the coming semester, be sure to take in performances or opportunities to experience our students' work first hand. Also, try to experience some of the great work of students in a different arts area from your own (or your student's). Lafayette is a community of artists who support artist!
Ryan Marsh,
SCAPA Lafayette Program Coordinator
This fall we welcomed Mr. Herman Bratcher to the SCAPA faculty. He is a SCAPA Bluegrass and Lafayette alum and joins the SCAPA voice faculty along with teaching music technology and directing Lafayette's Tenor-Bass Chorus.
This fall we also welcomed Mr. Chris McCurry as our new Literary Arts teacher. He has been a Lafayette faculty member since 2011 and was named the Kentucky High School Teacher of the Year in 2021. He is a published author, poet, and co-founded Workhorse Publishing a publishing company and community for working writers.
Freshmen SCAPA Ignite
Dance Majors
Art Majors
Theatre Majors
Voice Majors
New Promo Video
SCAPA Lafayette has a new promotional video to share with prospective students and families. Several of our outstanding students and faculty appear here. Thanks to FCPS Creative Media team for helping us showcase SCAPA Lafayette.
Kentucky Music Educators Association All-State groups are the premiere honor ensembles in Kentucky. Lafayette SCAPA regularly leads the state in numbers of All-State ensemble participants. This year was no different! This included 97 LHS students in total, 72 of which are SCAPA students. Selection for All-State is always a rigorous and competitive experience. Congratulations to all of our All-State musicians who will travel to Louisville in February for the All-State rehearsals and performances!
Concert Band
Cyrus Faulkner (SCAPA) French horn, Emma Gilliam flute, Seth Gladding French horn, Isaac McKinney (SCAPA) French horn, Jack Przygoda (SCAPA) trumpet, Gabriel Regalado (SCAPA) baritone saxophone, Ben Schade (SCAPA) snare, Finley Smith (SCAPA) clarinet, Luka Wolfe, bass clarinet
Symphonic Band
Maddie Andreatta (SCAPA) clarinet, Thomas Beck (SCAPA) clarinet, Natalie Butler flute, Jayden Doan bass trombone, John Koenig (SCAPA) trombone, Logan Liu (SCAPA) clarinet, Ian Ransom (SCAPA) trombone, Hian Seo (SCAPA Art) flute, Noah Shofner (SCAPA) trumpet, Ava Vono (SCAPA) clarinet, James Weitkamp (SCAPA) French horn, Hunter Bellis trumpet (alternate), Odin Conrad timpani (alternate)
Jazz Bands
William Allen guitar, Gabe Brown (SCAPA) trombone, Kargan Caswell (SCAPA) tenor saxophone, Sam Dailey (SCAPA) tenor saxophone, Leo Duncan (SCAPA) alto saxophone, Ashton Hogue (SCAPA) trombone, Adam Inouye (SCAPA), vibraphone, Jeremiah Matocha (SCAPA), trombone, Alan Sharp tenor saxophone, Liam Sharp (SCAPA), trumpet
Symphony Orchestra
Claire Abraham (SCAPA) cello, Kaiya Bensing (SCAPA Art) violin, John Copeland (SCAPA) bass, Lucas Falco cello Amber Knight (SCAPA) violin, Jose Lino (SCAPA) violin, Ryan McGuffey (SCAPA) violin, Tess Nelson (SCAPA) violin, Sarah Padgett (SCAPA) violin, Annabelle Raybould (SCAPA) violin, JooEun Shin (SCAPA) viola, Evelyn Watt (SCAPA) violin, Luise Wendroth (SCAPA) violin, Liam Rayens (SCAPA) French Horn, Amanda Woolum (SCAPA) oboe
Commonwealth Strings
Kaia Bush, bass, Julian Dziubla, viola, Jonathan Francis (SCAPA) cello, Caroline Gravil (SCAPA) violin, Hannah Knox (SCAPA) cello, Meredith Lee (SCAPA) viola, Anmol Nayak viola, Ashley Powell (SCAPA) violin, Mary Richardson (SCAPA) viola, Sara Tucker (SCAPA) cello
Mixed Chorus
Zade AlQahtani bass, Joshua Bylund (SCAPA) tenor, Colin Clevenger (SCAPA) tenor, Will Darragh (SCAPA) bass, Nauval Fauzi bass, Marianne Gebb (SCAPA) alto, Kharis Hanson (SCAPA) soprano, Charlie Kennedy (SCAPA) tenor, Jocelyn Langdorf alto, Parker Olukalns (SCAPA) bass, Abigayle Stokes (SCAPA) soprano, Sally Thalacker (SCAPA) soprano, Sofia Wu alto, Grace Yi (SCAPA) alto, Aubrey Young (SCAPA) soprano
Soprano-Alto Chorus
Annelise Brown (SCAPA) soprano, Kim Christian alto, Hadley Collins (SCAPA) alto, Natalie Langdorf, alto, Aloe Martin (SCAPA) alto, Kara Peters (SCAPA), soprano, Madelyn Royster (SCAPA) alto, Katerina Salisbury (SCAPA) alto, Ashlyn Taylor (SCAPA) soprano, Ashley Vela (SCAPA) alto, Bella Walker soprano, Grace Walton (SCAPA) soprano, Latoyria Williams-White (SCAPA) soprano
Tenor-Bass Chorus
Andrew Campbell bass, Daniel Gnau bass, Brody Mancuso (SCAPA Theatre) tenor, Gus Ringenberger (SCAPA) tenor
Junior High Mixed Chorus (Grades 7-9)
Emma Adkins (SCAPA) soprano, Logan Gwynn tenor, Janeway Howard (SCAPA) soprano, Isabelle Kelemen alto, Ryann Lee (SCAPA) soprano
Junior High Treble Chorus (Grades 7-9)
Elena Boyle (SCAPA) soprano, Camila Cortes (SCAPA) alto, Inge Walther (SCAPA) soprano
Band
Band News
After another terrific marching band season, the Lafayette Band is well into the concert band season. The Lafayette Band hosted its annual area concert on December 7. Elementary and Middle School bands from Clays Mill, Picadome, Wellington, Stonewall, SCAPA Bluegrass, and Jessie Clark joined the Lafayette Concert Bands and Percussion Ensemble for a night of playing together. Nearly 700 students participated in the event.
2022 Area Concert
The Lafayette Advanced Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Chris Strange has been selected for an invitation to perform at the 2023 annual Kentucky Music Educators Conference in Louisville in February. An invitation to perform for state and national conferences are some of the most prestigious and important invitations that high school ensembles can receive. Nearly two-thirds of the Advanced Jazz Ensemble is comprised of SCAPA Majors.
Dance
SCAPA dance majors are wrapping up an important unit on college dance programs across the US and Canada. This includes research, presentations and supplemental reading on issues that concern higher education in dance. Additionally, dancers are learning choreography for Dance SCAPA 2023. The program will be March 10th and 11th at the Lexington Opera House. Outside of SCAPA our talented dancers have been very busy with Dance Team, private competition successes, and the many Nutcracker performances that are taking place this holiday season.
Dancers will begin the new year with a guest artist who will be teaching classes, talking about career pathways in dance and setting two pieces of choreography for Dance SCAPA. SCAPA is proud to bring Nathan Fister for this residency January 4th-11th. Nathan Fister (he/him) is so excited to return as a guest artist to SCAPA. He is a graduate of SCAPA Lafayette High School (Contemporary Dance) and a proud alumnus of the Kentucky Governor’s School for the Arts (Dance). He received a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a minor in Performing Arts Administration from Western Kentucky University. He is active as a choreographer and performer in New York and throughout the US.
Kayla Chambers-Reed (sophomore) founded Lexington's African American Ballet Troupe this summer. With a grant from Partners for Youth, Kayla and the group organized free weekly ballet classes for hundreds of students. Now the troupe will premiere Ebony Nutcracker on December 20, 2023 at Lexington's Lyric Theatre. Congratulations to Kayla on this incredible work!
Literary Arts
Lexington Youth Poet Laureate Candidates:
Sophie Watson (SCAPA Lit Arts) (Runner Up)
Nel Afenya (SCAPA Lit Arts (Cohort)
Lillian Bramble (SCAPA Theatre)(Finalist)
SCAPA Student named 2022 Lexington Youth Poet Laureate
On December 3, the four finalists for the Lexington, Kentucky Youth Poet Laureate title performed for judges at a commencement ceremony at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. Olaoluwakiitan (Kiitan) Adedeji, has been chosen as the inaugural 2022 Lexington Youth Poet Laureate by a panel of esteemed judges.
The finalists including, Sophie Watson (Lit Arts) (runner up), and Lillian Bramble (SCAPA Theatre), will serve as official ambassadors to the City’s historic and vibrant cultures of poetry and literature, using their positions to promote local writers and the transformative qualities of poetry and the written word. Nel Afenya (Lit Arts) was also one the ten students selected for the 2022-23 cohort from which the finalists and winner were selected.
Adedeji said, “I have found that one of the best ways to capture my experiences is through poetry. By reading other black Kentucky poets, like Crystal Wilkinson and Bernard Clay, I can set a standard for how I want to use poetry to express my identity. With poetry, I can find the heart of something and with each poem, I can discover something new within my black experience.”
Teen Howl Featured Readers
Two SCAPA Lafayette Literary Arts students are featured readers for Lexington's Teen Howl. Teen Howl is an open mic opportunity first launched in 2011 for the under twenty-one crowd that meets on the first Thursday of every month at Third Street Stuff & Coffee. December's featured reader was Ryan Eby. Other readers from SCAPA Lafayette included Evelyn Weaver (Lit Arts) and Kathuure Miriti (SCAPA Theatre) also participated in December. January's featured reader will be River Alsalihi. Come out and support River on January 5th at Third Street Stuff & Coffee.
Ryan Eby featured reader
River Alsalihi
Frankie Moore
Evelyn Weaver
Vanesa Medina-Santiago
Tony Robinson
Kathuure Miriti (SCAPA Theatre)
Piano
Fall Piano Events
The Piano Majors performed music from the Classical Period in a recital on November 11.
Dr. Irina Voro, piano professor at the University of Kentucky, gave a Masterclass on music of the Classical style period on October 31.
Dr. Richard Crosby, piano professor from Eastern Kentucky University, gave a presentation on Nocturnes on December 2.
Piano majors are preparing to attend the KMTA All-State Piano Ensemble February 17-20, 2023 held at Campbellsville University. This is the first time a school group has been selected for this event. Students in grades 4-12 are selected by audition and participate in multiple ensemble levels. Piano ensembles utilize digital pianos which are capable of creating a variety of instrumental sounds to create a "piano orchestra." Goals of the All-State Piano Ensemble include reinforcing musical skills such as rhythm, listening, interpretation, expression, sound exploration and collaborative playing.
Strings
Strings News
SCAPA string majors recently participated in the KMEA Solo and Ensemble. Out of the 33 solos and ensembles performed, 32 received the highest ranting of Distinguished.
Many of our students have also been very busy performing in local venues with our gig group, the Fiero Strings. To date, we’ve had eight gigs around Lexington.
Our winter concert was a success as we performed to a full house in Beeler auditorium.
SCAPA String majors participate in masterclasses and end-of-semester graded performance juries.
Rob Landes conducts LHSO
Jurassic Strings
Rob Landes is an award-winning violinist who started playing the violin at 3 years in Orem, Utah. Now living in Kentucky, Landes recently teamed up with the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra for an upcoming collaboration on YouTube. The video will go live on youtube in mid-December. Subscribe to Landes on his YouTube channel and look for Lafayette Orchestra soon!
Theatre
Join Lafayette Theatre for a magical "tale as old as time" January 26-28 in Beeler Auditorium! This show will involve over 120 Lafayette students in the company onstage, offstage, and in the orchestra.
Theatre Production headed to SETC
The Old Man and the Old Moon is going to the Southeastern Theatre Conference to represent the state of Kentucky!
After passing though the high school regional festival and placing in the top three, we had a fantastic time celebrating theatre at the Kentucky Theatre Association High School Festival in Campbellsville! We bowled, we performed, and are so excited to say we also won second place in the state!! And to add to it, Brady Ernst (SCAPA) was selected for the All-Star Cast and Kathuure Miriti (SCAPA) was awarded Outstanding Performer!
We are so excited to represent the state of Kentucky at the Southeastern Theatre Conference with our friends from McCracken County and their stunning first place show, “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane!” We’re so excited for the chance to continue to grow and tell this story!
Theatre Bowling, KTA Festival
TOMATOM Cast at KTA Festival
Kathuure Miriti & Brady Ernst
TOMATOM Photo Gallery courtesy Sally Horowitz Photography
The cast of The Hold Man and the Old Moon
SCAPA Lafayette Musical - Lexington Opera House
Wednesday, April 19- Saturday, April 22, 2023
Tickets on sale soon!
Visual Art
Photography by Addison Shafer won the PTA 'Show Your Voice' Reflections contest.
The annual EKU Regional Art Show & Competition is opening for submissions in February. Students can submit work for jury to be sent to state. The winners of the regional show have the opportunity to showcase their work in EKU's Center for the Arts Gallery with an awards ceremony and formal gallery opening.
Literary Arts majors are collaborating with Visual Arts majors in January to develop graphic novels!
Visual Arts majors will begin developing work to be displayed at the Artist's Attic Gallery in downtown Lexington in the Spring. The gallery's president and working artist, Bre Kort, will visit the majors as a guest speaker and organize the exhibit.
Lafayette and SCAPA students participated in LexArts Horse Mania this past spring. Some of the participating SCAPA artists included: Ainsley Kurtz, Jack Martin, Audrey Arnold, and Sophia Cruse. The full-size horse painted with an underwater theme has made its way back to Lafayette and will find a permanent pasture on campus.
Voice
Gala Solo Performances
Each year the Choir Gala features twelve SCAPA Voice Majors in the opening performance of their concert seasons. This year performers included: Colin Clevenger (11), Hadley Collins (11), Aileen Conner (12), Will Darragh (11), Marianne Gebb (12), Kharis Hansen (12), Parker Olukalns (11), Madelyn Royster (12), Finn Sayers (11), Abigayle Stokes (11), Ashley Vela (12), Tori Williams-White (12), and Aubrey Young (12)
John Jacob Niles Recital
Sophomore SCAPA Voice majors presented a recital of the music of John Jacob Niles at the UK Fine Arts Library Niles Gallery. Niles is a Kentucky native composer and musician who collected and arranged folk music of Appalachia and helped to bring it to the mainstream. Performers included: Parker Bell, Katie Bowden, Annelise Brown, Sienna Johnson, Charlie Kennedy, Meredith Kirby, Kaden Sotelo, Ashlyn Taylor, and Gus Ringenberger
Individual Vocal Competition Winners
Aileen Conner (senior)
UK High School Voice Competition: Top Ten Finalist
KY State NATS auditions: 1st place winner H.S. Women Classical
Miami of Ohio Schmidt competition: 3rd place winner
Abigayle Stokes (junior)
UK Opera Theatre Vocal Competition for Young Singers: Linde Couch Award & 2nd Place
KY State NATS: 2nd in Musical Theatre & semi-finalist in Classical Voice
CS Music Summer Feedback Competition: Winner & Top 10 High School Musical Theatre
Aileen Conner (top),
Abigayle Stokes (below)
Ashley Vela, soloist
Tori Williams White, soloist
Will Darragh, soloist
Colin Clevenger, soloist
J.J. Niles Recital - Sophomore Voice Majors
Governor's School for the Arts
Logan Ward, GSA 2022
Sam Dailey, GSA 2022
SCAPA Lafayette Hosted a GSA Ambassador for an assembly for freshmen-juniors to share opportunities that GSA has to offer and how to apply. To open the assembly, four Lafayette SCAPA GSA Alums shared a sample of each of their art forms and a brief testamonial about how GSA changed them as an artist. Featured student artists were: Sam Dailey (instrumental music), Logan Ward (literary arts), Skylar Seavey (theatre), and Sylvia Quinio (dance).
About GSA:
Every summer professional artists and educators guide over two hundred of Kentucky’s finest young artists through three weeks of incredibly intense (and incredibly fun) arts instruction. For three solid weeks, the students live, breathe, eat and sleep the arts. GSA is offered at no cost to the student. Upon completion of the Summer Program, alumni are qualified for several exclusive benefits including opportunities to access scholarships from 30 colleges and universities (both inside and outside of Kentucky), and the Toyota Alumni Fund for GSA alums.
GSA Application Deadline Due, Sunday January 8, 2023.
Save the Date:
Friday, May 12, 6:30PM at Castle Hill Winery in Versailles.
SCAPA Seniors and families are invited to attend.
Looking Forward
Students interested in changing their major can apply to do so beginning on January 15 and are due on March 1. Auditions must take place by March 15. More information available online.
About SCAPA Lafayette News
SCAPA Lafayette Newsletter is published several times throughout the year to look forward and celebrate good news. Lafayette has always had an impressive commitment to the arts. The arts are in our DNA. Because SCAPA and Lafayette Arts are deeply connected you will often see programs, events, and good news that exemplify this connectedness. Lafayette and SCAPA have an incredible synergy that can only happen through vibrant arts programs and a large comprehensive high school. We think you will agree when you see and experience the artistry of our incredible students and dedicated teachers.