Explore The Arts at The Potomac School

Last night, the Upper School Madrigal Singers participated in the 36th Washington Independent Schools Choral Festival at Washington National Cathedral; Potomac has sung in this annual event since 1992. Eight independent schools presented individual pieces, and the 260 performers sang three massed anthems: the African-American spiritual Swing Down, Chariot; a lush setting of the Korean poem Mon-Nee-Jo (Evocation), and a stirring finale in Swahili (Baba Yetu), composed for the video game Civilization IV.  

On March 4, the band program delivered an unforgettable performance at our annual Bands Concert, themed “Rhythm, Roots, and Blues.” The evening took the audience on a cultural journey from the songs of North American tribes to the folk tunes of the Appalachian Mountains, the vibrant rhythms of the Caribbean, and the streets of New York—proving that music is indeed a universal language.

The program featured stellar performances by our Intermediate and Upper School bands, the Jazz Band, and a combined percussion ensemble. One highlight of the night was the world premiere of "River of Blues," an original work by guest conductor and composer Mr. Carl Holmquist. This driving, traditional blues piece traces the music's historical journey up the Mississippi River and was performed by our Intermediate School Band alongside guest soloist Mr. Herb Scott.

Our students were incredibly fortunate to collaborate with such high-caliber artists. Mr. Holmquist, an award-winning composer and educator at H-B Woodlawn, not only conducted but also dedicated his time to composing "River of Blues" specifically for Potomac students. The featured soloist was Mr. Herb Scott, a renowned DC-area saxophonist and Blues Alley headliner, who recently received the Joseph R. Biden Lifetime Achievement Award for his music advocacy. His virtuosic solo was a masterclass for our young musicians, all of whom did a fabulous job bringing this complex program to life. Congratulations to your children on a wonderful performance!

Relive the evening by watching the performance and enjoying photos. 

On March 4, the band program delivered an unforgettable performance at our annual Bands Concert, themed “Rhythm, Roots, and Blues.” The evening took the audience on a cultural journey from the songs of North American tribes to the folk tunes of the Appalachian Mountains, the vibrant rhythms of the Caribbean, and the streets of New York—proving that music is indeed a universal language.

The program featured stellar performances by our Intermediate and Upper School bands, the Jazz Band, and a combined percussion ensemble. One highlight of the night was the world premiere of "River of Blues," an original work by guest conductor and composer Mr. Carl Holmquist. This driving, traditional blues piece traces the music's historical journey up the Mississippi River and was performed by our Intermediate School Band alongside guest soloist Mr. Herb Scott.

Our students were incredibly fortunate to collaborate with such high-caliber artists. Mr. Holmquist, an award-winning composer and educator at H-B Woodlawn, not only conducted but also dedicated his time to composing "River of Blues" specifically for Potomac students. The featured soloist was Mr. Herb Scott, a renowned DC-area saxophonist and Blues Alley headliner, who recently received the Joseph R. Biden Lifetime Achievement Award for his music advocacy. His virtuosic solo was a masterclass for our young musicians, all of whom did a fabulous job bringing this complex program to life. Congratulations to your children on a wonderful performance!

Relive the evening by watching the performance and enjoying photos.

On Monday, Upper School art students and Art Concentration students practiced the conception, design and assembly of art books, guided by local artist and teacher, Sushmita Mazumdar. They learned about the ancient East Asian and South Asian origins of "accordion books," and then each student made an original book with a colorful binding. The next step, which is entirely up to each student, will be what original story to inscribe and illustrate in the book. Sushmita shared examples of her own ingenious and beautiful published works and shared some of the ideas that prompted them.

IS self-portrait paintings are now on display throughout the IS. Eighth graders took inspiration from classical paintings from collections around the world, including the National Gallery of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Students really brought themselves to these projects, so a huge congratulations to the group for their tireless effort and for showing the courage to take artistic risks. See their masterpieces and read about what they've been up to this semester. 

Last Thursday, six Upper School Visual and Performing Arts Concentration (VPAC) students visited the Museum of Contemporary Art in Arlington. They met artist-in-residence Marisa Stratton, who shared her studio space, motivations, methods, and professional career as both an artist and a college professor. "It was inspiring to see a young, thriving artist," said Mary Parker Stump '27. Aaliya Haque '26 noted, "Marisa's interpretation of the digital world into the physicality of oil paint was extremely inspiring." The students also explored an exhibition of paintings by Iranian-American artist Hedieh Javanshir Ilchi.

On October 29, the Upper School Madrigal Singers joined ensembles from Bullis, GDS, Holton-Arms, Landon, Maret, National Cathedral, Saint Albans, and Sidwell Friends Schools to present the 27th Annual Vocal Ensembles Night. Potomac performed the festive Regina caeli by Baroque composer Gregor Aichinger and Ken Neufeld’s poignant setting of the folk song Shenandoah.  

In a wonderful example of cross-divisional collaboration and cultural exchange, students from Carol Jia’s US Chinese classes recently visited Mr. Nadel’s MS music classes to help fifth graders practice Chinese pronunciation and tones while they are practicing a Chinese song. Through fun activities and interactive speaking exercises, the younger students learned how to pronounce key words accurately and recognize different tones in Mandarin. The Upper Schoolers served as language mentors, demonstrating proper pronunciation and encouraging confident speaking.