Artists, in Residence

The faculty of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Deerfield are inspired by the words of Dan Hodermarsky, who taught art at the Academy for many years:

"Young people are awakened by the unique and universal power of the creative arts and discover that the fine arts offer freedoms and powers unlike any other in today's world."

The visual arts, dance, music and theater play a significant role in the life of the school, both through academic courses and co-curricular activities. Theater productions, dance and music concerts, and art exhibitions by students and faculty, as well as by visiting artists, help shape each student's cultural awareness and aesthetic sensitivity. Deerfield takes pride in the fact that each faculty member within the Fine Arts Department is a practicing professional artist. 

Visual Arts

The department's courses are designed to quicken an appreciation for the arts and to provide opportunities for students to discover the joy derived from creating works of art. Freshmen and sophomores interested in several arts find that the one-term introductory courses not only answer their needs but also provide the background for more specialized courses. Underclass students with more defined interests and skills and upperclass students should consider the more specialized offerings or one of the historical survey courses. Some additional courses for upperclass students are offered every year as spring term electives, and as such do not appear in this Course of Study. Recent elective offerings have included: Architecture II; Publications Design; The Woodcut & Linoleum Print; and Introduction to Photography and Advanced Photography.

Dance at Deerfield

Dance at Deerfield is included as both an academic and a co-curricular option. With several well-attended recitals each year, dancers have many opportunities to exhibit their talents. Students can take dance instead of a sport for each of the three trimesters. For example, the fall offering is a unique opportunity for intermediate and advanced dancers to study intensively as well as rehearse for the Fall Parents' Weekend Performing Arts Showcase. Classes consist of modern, ballet, and jazz dance techniques.

Dancers practice and perform in a two-story, state of the art dance studio with a generous 40 by 60 foot Stage Step sprung dance floor. There is also a dance loft studio in the Main School Building.

Opportunities within Deerfield's dance program are supplemented by an extensive series of performances and master classes by such outstanding dance companies as Alvin Ailey, Momix, Ballet Chicago, and David Parsons. In addition, each year the works of several local choreographers are commissioned for students who are participating in the program.

Theater

Deerfield is proud of its exciting, active theater program. In a typical year more than 100 students participate as actors and technicians and more than 4000 patrons attend these presentations in the Academy's Black Box Theatre. Recent productions include: The Elephant Man, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), Columbinus, Little Mary Sunshine, The Crucible, Arsenic and Old Lace, Amadeus, Scapin, Dancing at Lughnasa, Equus, Steel Magnolias, and The Laramie Project. Since 2002 Deerfield has been selected three times to represent the United States in the American High School Theatre Festival at the world-renowned Edinburgh International Fringe Festival in Scotland. One critic wrote, “I have been coming to the Fringe for 25 years now and have never seen a finer performance from a more talented and energetic group of teens from America. They are hilarious and witty, and I highly recommend you check out this fine performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Our state of the art facilities allow unlimited creative and artistic outlets. We also offer a variety of popular courses: Introduction to Performing Arts, Beginning and Advanced Acting, Directing, and a variety of Tutorials for specialized study such as Gotta Move, Gotta Act. Student written and directed productions are strongly encouraged, and new students are always welcome as performers and technicians. No previous experience is ever required in order to work on any production, other than a desire to work hard and have some fun. Since rehearsals are conducted in the afternoon, students may choose to participate in theater in lieu of community service or athletics.

In addition to our student productions, we have had several guest artists in residence who have attended classes and presented workshops and individual performances.  These artists have included the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, the National Theatre of the Deaf, the cast of The Buddy Holly Story, the David Parsons Dance Company and the multi-talented English director/scholar, Jonathan Miller.

There is considerable interest among the Deerfield community for theater and the performing arts. We have a lot of good fun and there is an active place for anyone wishing to participate—no one sits on the bench!

Music at Deerfield

Deerfield Academy supports a vibrant music program consisting of various instrumental ensembles. In a typical year more than two hundred students are involved in music. Our two main instrumental ensemble classes, Wind Ensemble and Chamber Music, meet during the class day. This allows students freedom to pursue other co-curricular interests such as athletics or community service without diminishing their level of involvement in music. Other smaller groups, such as jazz ensembles, and wind chamber groups meet in the evening prior to study hours.

Our Wind Ensemble for winds, brass, and percussion, is currently sixty students strong and performs two main concerts during the school year. Our Chamber Music class is designed to accommodate string players as well as our more accomplished pianists. Students regularly perform masterworks of the classical and romantic literature such as quartets and quintets by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Dvorak, Borodin, and Ravel.

We have a support staff of sixteen applied music teachers, offering private instruction on all ensemble instruments as well as piano, guitar, and voice. Opportunities in vocal music include Academy Chorus and a cappella Chamber Singers.