Arts Gala Takes Centre Stage in a Week of Artistic Celebration

At St. Michaels University School, the arts continue to take centre stage.

From April 13 to 16, the Senior School Visual Arts Show once again transformed Brown Hall into a gallery space, showcasing the depth and diversity of student work across disciplines. While the exhibition has become a highlight in its own right, it is part of a broader and growing tradition: Arts Week at SMUS.

Now in its third year, the Arts Gala has quickly established itself as a cornerstone event, designed to celebrate artistic achievement. Created in response to student voice, the evening brings together performers, visual artists and the wider community in a shared recognition of creativity, commitment and craft.

"The Arts Gala event is a night of the students and for the students," described Keith Driscoll, Director of Boarding and Student Life, who was an important driver of making this event and week become a staple of the school calendar. "The night is also an opportunity to recognize and show appreciation for the students' passion and commitment to their art."

"Beyond the student work and performances, there is an entire team of dedicated teachers and supporters that foster and have fostered this development. For many, that started in Junior School and continued through Middle School. Arts Week is meant to be a culmination of that focus and attention to the breadth of arts at SMUS."

Before dinner, the Symphony Orchestra opened the evening with a commanding performance of Dance of the Knights by Sergei Prokofiev. The precision and unity were evident from the first note, a reflection of both the ensemble’s dedication and the leadership of strings teacher Stel.la Guillén Fàbregas.

The Senior Choir, led by Christina Banman, followed with a haunting rendition of Acxiom by Vienna Teng. Exploring themes of digital surveillance and the influence of technology, the performance was both musical and visual. With the gymnasium in darkness, students illuminated their faces with smartphones in carefully timed unison, creating a striking and memorable effect.

A highlight of the evening came from SMUS alumni Zachary Santella ’12 and Fintan O’Brien ’14. Having recently returned to campus to lead informal workshops and jam sessions with students, the duo performed an original song, The Garden. As the first alumni performers featured at the gala, their presence offered a powerful reminder of the paths that can begin at SMUS.

Concert Band, led by Head of Music Ian Farish, continued the program with a rich interpretation of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. The evening also made space for storytelling beyond music, with spoken word performances by Georgia James, Rory Davidson and Yuhe Pan, whose pieces brought a different kind of rhythm and reflection to the stage.

Energy lifted again with the Jazz Band’s lively performance of Prima Veritas by Paul Baker, earning enthusiastic applause, particularly for soloists Luka Pittman on saxophone and Jason Zhang on trombone. 

The evening closed with a surprise return from the cast of Les Misérables, who gathered in a flash mob-style performance of One Day More. Drama teacher Morgan McLeod noted the production’s record-breaking run, which drew more than 2,500 audience members over four performances, a significant increase from typical past attendance averages of 1,400. The nod was a clear sign of the program’s continued growth and excellence.

Beyond a single evening, the gala reflects something larger: an arts program that is active, visible and evolving. Recent highlights include the student-led publication of the latest edition of SMart Magazine, a publication guided by Head of Visual Art Chris Bateman '94, and an alumni feature singer-songwriter on Cati Landy ’13, whose path from SMUS stages have led to her to celebrate one of her song's being used in an upcoming Netflix show.

Looking ahead, the Cross-Campus Strings Concert on April 28 will bring together Middle and Senior School strings students, reinforcing the continuity of arts education across divisions.

Together, these moments speak to a culture where the arts are not confined to a single week or event, but are woven into the everyday life of the school, offering students the opportunity to explore, perform and create in ways that stay with them long after the final curtain.