JM Celebrates the Season With Two Free Concerts

SILER CITY, N.C. — Student musicians ring in the holiday season at Jordan-Matthews High School next week with two free public concerts featuring instrumental and choral music.

“Holiday Band Concert: A Celebration of the Season” is headlined by the JM Concert Band directed by teacher JC Harper. The band plans to perform Themes from the Nutcracker Suite, Christmas Concerto, Selections from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and Sleigh Ride. The evening also includes two numbers by the JM Guitar Ensemble and a violin performance by sophomore Quinn Woolford. The band concert is Monday, Dec. 12, 7 p.m., in the JM Auditorium.

“Holiday Choral Concert: A Celebration of the Season,” a companion concert later in the week, features two class-based ensembles — The Choral Jets and The Mini Petersons — followed by performances by The Golden Tones a cappella group and a Combined Chorus drawn from the two class-based ensembles. The evening concludes with a longtime JM tradition — “Carol of the Bells” — a Ukrainian carol that carries a particular poignance this year as Ukrainian families defend their nation and culture in an unprovoked war. The choral concert, with all ensembles directed by 2022-23 Chatham County Schools Beginning Teacher of the Year Elliott Peterson, is Wednesday, Dec. 14, 7 p.m., in the JM Auditorium.

Admission to JM’s single holiday concert in previous years was based on a small contribution used to strengthen the local community. Because there will be two concerts this year, admission to each will be free. But JMArts will still accept donations of nonperishable food items for the West Chatham Food Pantry to help families in our community and contributions of any amount to JMArts to continue providing a full range of arts opportunities for students regardless of their family’s financial status.

JMArts President Rose Pate says every donation helps support programs for students, including registration for chorus and band members to participate in the Carowinds Festival of Music this spring. “We are happy to see the full reawakening of all our performance classes this fall,” said Pate. ”There's no better way to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season than with music.”

More information about JMArts, including a schedule of all upcoming arts events and information on membership, is available online at JMArts.org.

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Soloist Courtney Shackelford, right, performs with the Jordan-Matthews Chorus during the 2021 Holiday Concert, one of the early performances after in-person classes resumed during the pandemic. (Photo by Chip Pate)

Clarinetists Tracy Alston, from left, Karsyn Vann and Christian García Torres perform with the Jordan-Matthews Concert Band during last year’s Holiday Concert. (Photo by Chip Pate)

‘Almost, Maine’ brings love (and plays) to the JM stage

SILER CITY, N.C. — Residents of a fictional small town near the Canadian border explore love in unexpected and hilarious ways in “Almost, Maine,” a romantic comedy performing this week at Jordan-Matthews High School.

“Almost, Maine,” regularly one of the most produced plays in high schools nationwide, will be on stage Friday, December 9, and Saturday, December 10, at 7 p.m. The play by John Cariani is built around nine short scenes with surprise endings and was first produced Off-Broadway in 2006 before becoming a worldwide hit in regional and local theater.

“One cold, clear, winter night, as the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, the residents of Almost, Maine, find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and hilarious ways,” is how the theatrical licensing agency describes the play. “Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend — almost — in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.”

This is the first full-length play produced at Jordan-Matthews in decades. Though the school is renowned for its annual musical — with many actors over the years being nominated for Triangle Rising Stars awards for their performances — that musical was the only full-scale dramatic production. Things changed this fall when theater classes resumed after a decades-long hiatus.

Sawyer Shafer, who initially came to Jordan-Matthews last spring to direct “Oklahoma!,” was appointed theater teacher last summer and has been offering classes this fall. “Almost, Maine” is a production of his Theater Arts 1 students. Not only are they performing on stage and backstage, but they are even directing some of the vignettes.

While Shafer directs most of the scenes, Mylie Cardman directs “Her Heart,” Andrey Ureña-Seceña directs “Sad and Glad,” Jeffery Davis Chay directs “Story of Hope” and Isabella Palacios directs “Seeing the Thing.”

"It is extremely exciting to be able to bring plays back to JM on a regular basis,” said Shafer. "I hope the community enjoys the oddities of ‘Almost, Maine’ enough that we can make plays a regular part of our theater programming and expand this opportunity to students outside of the theater class.”

JMArts President Rose Pate, who brought theater back from that long hiatus a little more than one decade ago by writing original works around existing music, is excited about plays returning to the stage — and what this particular show offers for everyone involved.

"Our Theatre Arts 1 students are using ‘Almost, Maine’ to study all aspects of bringing a play to the stage, from character development to sound and lights,” she said. “Its setting on one cold winter night, during the magic of the northern lights, makes this a perfect holiday play.”

Admission is $3 per person or $5 for two people and is being charged to help defray licensing fees required to perform the play. All tickets will be sold at the door.

Spanish translation, prepared and produced by students, will be provided through headsets available at the auditorium.

More information about JMArts, including a schedule of all upcoming arts events and information on membership, is available online at JMArts.org. A full cast list for “Almost, Maine” is available at JMArts.org/s/JMAAlmostMaineCastList.pdf

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”Almost, Maine,” a full-length romantic comedy structured around nine short scenes, performs on December 9 and 10 at Jordan-Matthews High School. (Title art features a portion of a watercolor by JM artist Chloe Dickerson)

Dance returns to JM after decades with free ‘Winter Dance’ performance

SILER CITY, N.C. — Dance performances return to Jordan-Matthews High School after many decades, when beginning students take the stage this week for “Winter Dance,” a free, 40-minute show featuring five works in the styles of jazz, modern and hip hop.

“Winter Dance” — set for Friday, Dec. 2, 7 p.m. in the JM Auditorium — is the first public performance since dance classes returned to JM this semester after a several-decade hiatus.

JM Dance is now under the direction of Tara Rooks, who came to Siler City this fall to begin her first full-time faculty position in schools. She previously taught residencies for K-12 students as a dancer and instructor with Annex Dance Company in Charleston, S.C. Before that, she served as a dancer, choreographer or instructor with Burlington (N.C.) Dance Center, West Virginia Dance Company and Infinite Dance Studios in Australia.

“When I interviewed, I liked the feel of JM, and the idea of building a program from the ground up is very exciting,” she said when named the school's dance instructor. “High school dance was where I got inspired to study dance in college and make it my career. I want to bring this vibrant option to JM students, especially those who’ve never had a chance to study dance. Maybe they can discover a passion they never knew existed.”

JMArts President Rose Pate, who retired this summer after more than four decades as the school’s librarian, has been working to expand the arts program and bring dance back to Jordan-Matthews. She is excited for what “Winter Dance” means for local arts.

“We look forward to showcasing the work of our beginning dance students, and we appreciate the support of the district and Northwood as we start to develop our dance program,” she said. “This concert is free, so all of our family, friends and public can enjoy the event.”

More information about JMArts, including a schedule of all upcoming arts events and information on membership, is available online at JMArts.org.

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Dance 1 students rehearse during class for “Winter Dance,” their first public performance on Dec. 2. (Photo by Tara Rooks)

Dylan Mendoza Huezo, left, and Logan Johnson are enrolled in dance classes that returned to Jordan-Matthews High School this fall. Dance 1 students are performing “Winter Dance," their first public show, on Friday, Dec.2. (Photo by Tara Rooks)