CHARLOTTE — Fine Arts students at Charlotte Catholic High School displayed their talents at a May 15 Fine Arts Festival. Performances were given by the Freshmen Chorus, the Choral Ensemble, the Honors Choir and the Honors Women’s Choir. Student’s works of art and photography were on display throughout the evening, showcasing the talents of the visual arts students.
The Visual Arts segment of the festival featured the works of 21 students who received 2017 Mid-Carolina Scholastic Art Awards. The art displays, including drawings, paintings, sculptures, photography and photographic printmaking, represented seven Gold Key Awards, three Silver Key Awards, and 11 Honorable Mentions. In addition, senior Bella Garner and sophomore Perris Bowling received National Silver Key awards for their photographic printmaking.
The 45-member Freshman Chorus opened the musical portion of the event with three selections. The larger Choral Ensemble, with 54 members, sang a variety of songs including the hymn “With a Voice of Singing” and a traditional spiritual.
The Honors Choir took the risers next, bringing the audience with them on a journey to the pasture and to the rainforest. The listeners were enthralled with “Tres Cantos Nativos,” in which the singers snapped their fingers, clapped, and stomped in imitation of the sound of thunderstorms in the rainforest, and also sang melodies based upon those sung by native Brazilian Indian tribes. The Honors Women’s Choir also joined the Honors Choir in singing “Offertory.”
The Honors Women’s Choir opened its own set with “This Little Babe” and “Esto Les Digo.”
Dottie Tippett, who announced her retirement after 37 years of teaching at Charlotte Catholic, surely thought that was the end of the performance. Her colleagues and alumni in the audience had a surprise for her, though, as many former students from her entire career had gathered unobtrusively in the audience to salute her. Mercy Sister Paulette Williams, Charlotte Catholic’s principal from 1980 to 2000, was also present. Theatre teacher Marcus Riter compiled a video presentation that included memorabilia and photos from the many musicals that Tippett directed, messages of love and appreciation from former students, and interviews with her colleagues, who reminisced about her time at the high school and praised her many years of dedication to teaching. It was a fitting tribute to a teacher who came to Charlotte Catholic in 1981, and has brought the beauty of music, and taught an appreciation for it, to thousands of students. After the video tribute, alumni in the audience were invited to come forward and join the choir members to sing “Teach Your Children” as a way of thanking Tippett for all she has meant to the Charlotte Catholic community.
Pictured are Brian Macuga, Charlie Fox, Adam Hackett, Brady Berger, Jack McArdle and and Andrew Allen enjoying a moment with Tippett after the concert
Principal Kurt Telford said, “She has brought out talents and strengths in all of us, and has done it with patience, humor and love. She is, and always will be, a much-loved member of our CCHS family.”
— Carolyn Kramer Tillman