York Community High School Hosts Fine Arts Week

Submitted by Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205.

York Community High School will be celebrating its annual Fine Arts Week during the week of March 2-6, 2015. For over 30 years, Fine Arts Week has recognized the talents of York’s student musicians, dancers, actors, visual artists, singers, orators, poets and unique performance artists. In addition, several nationally and locally recognized artists and groups, representing a wide variety of artistic endeavors, host workshops that provide information and inspiration to the students. Performances and seminars are scheduled during each class period throughout the week. Teachers are invited to bring their classes to the auditorium, as well as other specified locations, to enjoy the diverse talents of its student body, faculty and outside performers and speakers.

One of the more popular attractions during Fine Arts Week are the student Talent Shows. York possesses such an eclectic mix of talent that there are three separate 50-minute Talent Show segments. Try-outs for the Talent Show are scheduled for February 9th and 12th after school. The Talent Show culminates with an evening performance open to the public on Thursday, March 5th at 7pm in the York Auditorium. Ticket sale revenues from the evening performances provide funding for the following year’s Fine Arts Week. Additional funds are raised through community concerts and grant writing.

This year, York is excited to have Lily & Madeleine, the up-and-coming folk pop songwriting duo from Indianapolis, share what they call their “blood harmony” in two special performances and a Q&A session. York will also feature Modern Vices, a “dirty doo-wop” rock band comprised of all York grads. Modern Vices was signed to Autumn Tone Records in 2014 and just released their first album, self-titled.

On Wednesday, March 4th, the Fine Arts Week committee will host an FAW event at 7pm at Fitz’s Spare Keys in downtown Elmhurst. This special off-campus concert will include the soulful blues-rock of York student group, They Found Us; the “stubborn American rock” of The Rented Mules, comprised of three York teachers; and headliners, Bloody Mary, an all-girl rock band from Chicago. Admission is free, but donations for Fine Arts Week will be accepted.

Countless hours of planning and coordination make the week run smoothly. Faculty coordinator, Chris Gemkow, along with a dedicated student committee have been working since early September to recruit outside talent, design original artwork for posters and t-shirts, and schedule the logistics for a week’s worth of presentations and entertainment.

Mr. Gemkow, looks forward to this year’s events, “Fine Arts Week gives York’s students a chance to express their creativity and artistic abilities in ways rarely offered in most classrooms. One of the best things about Fine Arts Week is that the events are largely planned, promoted, performed, and directed by the students. The entire student body benefits from the student and professional performances scheduled throughout the week,” he said.

Student committee member, Adela Skowronski, adds, “Fine Arts Week seems to invoke a kind of increased awareness of others in the student body. You’d be hard pressed to find another York community event that connects with almost every single student at York the way that Fine Arts Week does.”

FAW 2015 - Official Event Calendar