Big Beats, Broadway & Bright Futures: News from Wiseburn Da Vinci Performing Arts
🎭🎶 From the excitement building around MAMMA MIA! to Da Vinci’s first-ever student pit band and the growing Drum Ensemble and Drumline, there’s so much happening in WDV Performing Arts!
This month, we’re also launching our new Student Spotlight, featuring Elijah (EJ) Saintlouis and Aaron Peters, whose passion, creativity, and initiative inspired an exciting new opportunity for student musicians.
Read on to celebrate the talent, teamwork, and bright futures of our WDV Performing Arts students!
“October has tremendous possibility. The summer’s oppressive heat is a distant memory, and the golden leaves promise a world full of beautiful adventures.” – Sarah Guillory
Well, the oppressive heat hasn’t exactly become a distant memory just yet, but…the leaves are golden, and beautiful adventures are underway!
ADVENTURE 1 – CURTAIN UP ON MAMMA MIA!
MAMMA MIA! has a cast and crew of 75 talented students who have been working with tremendous dedication and have already accomplished so much! The set is designed, construction and painting are underway, and all ensemble vocals have been learned and perfected. Just as importantly, the Blackbox has been filled with joy, kindness, and collaboration.
In the words of George Gershwin, “Who could ask for anything more?!”
Choreography begins this week! And if you need a dose of ABBA, stop by the Blackbox and “you can dance, you can jive” right along with us!
ADVENTURE 2 – DA VINCI’s FIRST STUDENT PIT BAND FOR THE MUSICAL!
A big, musical-theatre-style WELCOME to Casey Weisman, Da Vinci’s first-ever Student Pit Band Instructor and Conductor! A Northwestern graduate with a Bachelor of Music, Casey brings a wealth of experience as a composer, conductor, writer, music director, music producer, and pianist. We’re thrilled to have him leading our six student musicians as they make their debut performing in a live musical theater pit band!
Meet our musicians: EJ Saintlouis (drums), Desmond Sparks (percussion), Aaron Peters (keyboard), Eko Alli (keyboard), and Ciaran Oley (guitar).
We’re still looking for a few more musicians! We need one more keyboard player, a bass player, and one more guitar player. Interested? Please reach out to Diane at dfeldman@davincischools.org.
Pit rehearsals are underway, and everyone already sounds soooooooo goooooood!
P.S. We were inspired to take this exciting next step in our musical theatre program by two Performing Arts students featured below in our new STUDENT SPOTLIGHT section!
ADVENTURE 3 – DRUM ENSEMBLE & DRUMLINE CONTINUE TO GROW
Our Drum Ensemble and Drumline continue to grow under the direction of Ian Williams, with nearly 15 students participating across both groups and representation from all Da Vinci high schools! Students have been hard at work learning new, increasingly challenging cadences while building their rhythm, precision, and teamwork.
With momentum building, Drumline is looking forward to making its performance debut this spring!
🥁 Want a sneak peek? Check out the Drum Ensemble in practice on Instagram!
ADVENTURE 4 – STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: NEW TO OUR NEWSLETTER
We are excited to include our new Student Spotlight at the end of our Performing Arts update! Each month, we will celebrate student achievements from our varying performing arts programs.
**STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: ELIJAH SAINTLOUIS and AARON PETERS**
Thanks to this dynamic duo, we now have a Student Pit Band for the musical!
Elijah (EJ) Saintlouis (DVC 12th grade) and Aaron Peters (Da Vinci Connect High School 11th grade) have been involved in theatre since its inception at Da Vinci Schools in 2023.
Aaron participated in our 6th–8th grade theatre program, while EJ served as assistant lighting designer for our inaugural musical, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, as a ninth grader. The following year, EJ became our lead lighting designer and assistant technical director.
Last year, EJ was one of just six lighting designers out of 57 nominees to be nominated for a Jerry Herman Award for his lighting design for INTO THE WOODS!
Aaron has always been interested in playing the piano and serving as a music leader, so he was invited to become assistant musical director when he started high school. Since then, he has continued to develop his piano and keyboard skills, learned to lead rehearsals, and made his debut in our professional orchestra pit last year as a keyboardist for INTO THE WOODS—an exceptionally challenging show. He was the only student musician in the production.
What inspired you to initiate the introduction of a student pit band?
EJ: “Music and theatre have both been a big part of my life, and I wanted to find a way to bring those two worlds together at Da Vinci. I thought it would be cool to create an opportunity for other students to play music and experience what it's like to be part of a live show."
AARON: “My first experience playing in a pit orchestra was during INTO THE WOODS last year, and I really enjoyed being able to help bring the show to life through the music. After months of preparation, getting through the first performance and seeing all that work come together was such a great feeling and I wanted to create an opportunity for other Da Vinci students to have their own memorable experiences and be part of something they could look back on after high school.”
How has participation in the WDV Performing Arts program impacted you at school?
EJ: “WDV Performing Arts has given me a place where I feel like I belong. I've been able to explore my interests in lighting and music while working with people who share the same passion. Theatre has pushed me to take on leadership roles, solve problems under pressure, and step up when something needs to get done. It's taught me that a production is about much more than what's happening on stage. Every person behind the scenes matters, and being part of that team has helped me grow both creatively and personally”.
AARON: “Being part of the theatre program has helped me become much more confident and has given me opportunities to take on more leadership roles both in and outside of school. It has also taught me how to stay organized and handle stressful situations. Balancing rehearsals, performances, tech week, and schoolwork has definitely helped me improve my time management and learn how to manage a lot of responsibilities at once.”
How has WDV Performing Arts contributed to your post-high school plans?
EJ: “Before getting involved in performing arts, I don't think I fully understood how many different career paths existed behind the scenes. Through my experiences with sound, lighting, live music, and filmmaking, I've discovered how much I enjoy the technical and creative sides of production. It's helped me see that I want to continue pursuing opportunities in entertainment and media after high school. WDV Performing Arts has given me hands-on experience, helped me build connections, and shown me that something I'm passionate about can become a career. It's also inspired me to keep creating opportunities for other students the same way the program has done for me.”
AARON: “Before being involved in theatre, I knew I had always loved musicals, but I never really considered working on them myself. Being part of WDV Performing Arts introduced me to opportunities like playing in pit orchestras and musical direction, and showed me that these are things I could continue doing after high school. I can definitely see myself continuing as a pit musician in college and beyond, and theatre has helped me discover a path I hadn’t originally considered.”
Last Spring, EJ played drums and Aaron played keyboard for our High School Musical Theatre End-of-Year Showcase. Inspired, the pair proposed the idea of having an all-student Pit for the musical… and the rest is Pitstory!
EJ and Aaron are a beautiful example of how believing in an idea can create magic. They were the catalysts that led us to launching a new and innovative learning opportunity for student musicians here at Da Vinci. Knowing how to play in an orchestra pit can lead to many lucrative opportunities for those who wish a music-focused career. We applaud EJ and Aaron for their fearlessness and belief in the empowering processes of the performing arts!
