Ballard Marching Band Wins First Place in Syttende Mai Parade!

Photo provided by Sara Stevens.

Congrats to our band students and Mr. Gillespie for winning first place in the Syttende Mai Parade Band category. From the Parade runners: “Thank you everyone in the parade for a very successful day yesterday. We had beautiful weather and a larger group of participants than we have in several years. Attendees all raved about it being fantastic.”

Syttende Mai Parade Bands:

1. Ballard High School Marching Band
2. Shorecrest High School Marching Band
3. Ingraham High School Ram Band

Rave Reviews of the One Act Play Festival

Bravo to the cast, crew, and directors of the One Act Play Festival! They knocked it out of the park with this festival of five One Act Plays that had the audience alternately on the edge of their seats in suspense and then guffawing with laughter. Congratulations to our graduating seniors - directors Elliot Jakupcak, Ella Papineau, Autumn Bailey, and Milo Palmer, and actors Lizzy Waller, Kari Owens, and Dillon Carney. The Ballard Playmakers will miss you!

 Spring Concerts - Seat Reservations Available

The Spring concerts are coming up soon! 

June 1 | Choir Spring Concert

June 6 | Orchestra Spring Concert

June 8 | Band Spring Concert

All performances are at 7:30 pm in the performing arts center.

While all concerts are free to attend, you can make an optional donation of $25 to BPA by reserving a seat for these well-attended, final concerts of the year. Seats can be reserved now on www.showtix4U.com!

Congratulations, Seniors - Read All About Them!

Seniors - it’s your time to shine. You emerged from the pandemic with grace, you continued to play, sing, act, and dance through it all —and you’re almost ready for your next steps. Let us celebrate YOU! 

This week’s featured seniors:

Ben Gerardi

Monse Eckert-Mariscal

Nils Hoerlein

James Servey

Read all about them here.

SENIORS! Please fill out this quick form and submit a photo so we can honor you in the newsletter and on our social channels via our Senior Spotlight series. Look for the QR Codes in the music and theater classrooms!

Royal Room Performances June 13

Don’t miss the end of year Jazz Concert at Royal Room - Vocal Jazz, Jazz Lab Band, Big Band, and Fiddlers. This is the only jazz concert. It’s a small venue and we want to make sure there is enough room for all families to see the performances, so be ready for elbow to elbow fun.

The following groups will perform:

• Fiddlers
• Vocal Jazz
• Jazz Lab
• Ballard Big Band

Save the Dates for Music Camps!

At the beginning of each year, all students in band, orchestra, and select members of choir go away for the weekend to learn songs, marching steps, bond, and have fun to set the foundation for a terrific year ahead. Save the dates and look for camp payment and detail information.

Upcoming Camps for 2023-2024:

• Band Camp - Sept 8-10
• Orch Camp - Sept 15-17
• Choir Camp - Sept. 29-Oct 1

Incoming 9th Grade Performing Arts Meeting June 22 at 7 pm

Ballard High School’s Music and Theatre Departments are hosting an Incoming 9th Grade Performing Arts Meeting for all students who will be involved with the BHS Music and Theatre programs next year. It will be held on Thursday, June 22nd at 7:00 pm in the Ballard High School Performing Arts Center. It is a time to meet the teachers, learn about the program, hear from current students, and meet other 8th graders that will be in the program next fall!  We will also be talking about next year’s calendar of events and answering many questions that people often have as they enter the performing arts program. Please help us to pass the word along! 

Band

Upcoming Band Performances

May 23 – North High School band festival at Lincoln (all three bands and percussionists; school day trip).

May 26 – Brass Band Plays at Reubens 5:30-6:30 pm.

June 3 – Brass Band at Honkfest, 1 pm and 4 pmFix.

June 4 – Joint concert with Wind Ensemble North Seattle College at 3 pm.

June 7 – Symphonic Band performance with Whitman.

June 8 – Final Spring Band Concert.

June 9 – Ballard FC game: Vocal Jazz National Anthem; Drumline Halftime Show; Brass Band after the game.

June 13 – Final Jazz concert at the Royal Room, 5:30 pm load in, 6:30 pm downbeat.

Save the Dates for Band Camp!

Band camp this year is Sept 8-10. This will be a full weekend away for all band students to bond and learn how to march! More details soon.

Choir

Attention Treble Choir Parents!

We are looking for a number of parent chaperone drivers for the Treble Choir tour on June 9. This involves performances at area venues and middle schools. The day runs from approximately 8:15-3:40, and is not only fun, but a great opportunity to meet other parents and students involved in choir. Please email Jaimee BPAB Choir Rep at [email protected] if you're available! 

Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, May 30

OSPI Superintendent’s 50th Anniversary Art Show

During school day

Benaroya Hall

Vocal Jazz performance

This performance is open to the public, but you need to reserve free tickets here https://cart.seattlesymphony.org/25498/25499

Thursday, June 1

Spring Choir Concert @ BHS, 7:30 pm

All choirs to perform and awards night

Alumni are invited to sing the traditional closer, Deep Peace, with the choirs.

Coffee Orders will be available for students who sold coffee. Please pick up your bag!

Monday, June 5

Vocal Jazz Solo Night, 7:00 pm

In the BHS black box, all are welcome!

Friday, June 9

Treble Choir Tour

Friday, June 9

Ballard FC Game-Vocal Jazz

Tuesday, June 13

Vocal Jazz Concert at Royal Room

Thursday, June 22 

Incoming 9th Grade Performing Arts Night, 7:00 pm

Orchestra

Upcoming Events

June 6: Orchestra Concert at 7:30 pm

June 13: Fiddlers perform at Royal Room with Jazz

Save the Dates for Orchestra Camp!

Orchestra Camp will be Sept 15-17. More details coming soon!

Theatre

For questions about Theatre Arts classes that meet during the school day, email Mr. Riley’s theater substitute, Ms. Indira Rampersad at [email protected].

The district only pays for teachers’ salaries; everything else we have to raise or donate.

Thanks for supporting BPA! We are reviewing the fundraising results from this school year and making a strategic plan for next year. Stay tuned for more information.

BPAB Board Invites You to Join Our Team!

Updated list! Thanks to a few volunteers who have stepped up, some positions have been spoken for and new ones have opened up. Please check out the list below to see how you can help out. Some roles are short-term, some can be done completely over email (no meetings involved), some are year-long jobs with monthly meetings ensuring you will make new friends and feel part of an amazing team of other parents (without embarrassing your teenager)! Training provided, no experience necessary! 

Open Positions: 

• Fundraising Chair
• VP Communications
• Social Media Lead
• Dine Out Coordinator
• Sponsorship Coordinator
• Co-Chair Fall Direct Drive/Brewery Event
• Spring Mattress Sale Coordinator
• Co-Editor Newsletter
• Graphic Designer (event posters/graphics)
• Uniforms Lead Coordinator
• Visual Media Lead (archive our photos)

Want more information? Read about these volunteer opportunities on our website!

Interested? Email [email protected] with any questions.

Volunteer at Spring Concerts 

Spring concerts are coming up! Please sign up to support the bake sale and/or to help collect uniforms from our seniors and other musicians not performing at graduation after each concert.

6/1 - Choir Concert: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f084fa9a92caaf85-bake6#/ 

6/6 - Orchestra Concert: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f084fa9a92caaf85-bake4#/ 

6/8 - Band Concert: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f084fa9a92caaf85-bake5#/ 

Seniors: Fill out Your Senior Spotlight Form!

Seniors–it’s your time in the spotlight to be recognized for all the work you’ve done over the last four years. Fill out this brief questionnaire and submit a favorite photo from your time in band, choir, orchestra, or theatre.

Check out the videos of the May 17 Syttende Mai Performances of the Marching Band. Thanks to Wally Chen for the great band videos!

Check out past performances any time on our YouTube and Vimeo channels.