Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts

Infobox_School
name = Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts


motto =
established = September 1979
type = Public - Magnet
affiliation =
district = Pittsburgh Public Schools
grades = 9–12
president =
principal = Dr. Rhonda Taliaferro
head of school =
dean =
faculty =
staff =
students =
enrollment = 577 as of 1-October-2008cite web |url=http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/14311012791719437/blank/browse.asp?a=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&c=57174 |title=Pittsburgh High School for the Creative & Performing Arts Fact Sheet |accessdate=2008-10-01 |work=PPS Web Site ]
athletics = none
conference =
colors = black and white, Also red, yellow, white and blue written out in CAPA's symbol
mascot = Unicorn
free_label = Representative
free_text = Mark Brentley, Sr.
free_label2 =
free_text2 =
location = 111 Ninth St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15222coord|40.444860|N|79.998564|W|type:edu|display=title
country = USA
contact number = 412-338-6100
website = [http://capahs.pghboe.net/ CAPA]

Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) is a magnet school located in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. CAPA is one of ten high schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.

CAPA High School offers students six art majors: visual arts, literary arts, theater, instrumental music, vocal music, and dance. The theater major includes traditional theater, musical theater, technical theater, and costume design. Arts classes are taught by adjunct faculty who are working professionals in their respective fields.

Admission is by portfolio or audition. It also offers a complete range of academic studies including Pittsburgh Scholars Program (PSP) and Centers for Advanced Study (CAS), along with activities like the National Honor Society, yearbook, newspaper, student council, Amnesty International, and ski club.

CAPA opened in September 1979 with just 35 students and it was housed in Baxter Elementary School in the Homewood neighborhood. The school moved into its current space at Ninth Street and Fort Duquesne Boulevard at the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year.

The 8-story, convert|175000|sqft|m2|sing=on building is a world-class facility that includes a 400-seat auditorium, a black box theatre, an art gallery, media arts center, television studio, fitness center, computer labs, and special rehearsal spaces for all the departments. This new location allows students to study their crafts in the hub of Pittsburgh's cultural center and to easily collaborate with working artists from across the city, region, state, and country.

Recent all-school collaborative productions have included: Aida, "The Madwoman of Chaillot" (produced in parallel both as "straight theatre" and as a musical), The Crucible, Parade, and Ragtime. Students from the department also appear in both professional and semi-professional productions around the city. Other collaborative productions with outside groups include the musicals Titanic, West Side Story, Crazy for You, Fiddler on the Roof, and Les Miserables.

Departments

Literary arts

Mission Statement: The literary arts program at CAPA high school is a four year, intensive course of study in creative writing—one of only a dozen nationwide. Here at Pittsburgh CAPA, students with a love of writing and a commitment to achievement have opportunities to pursue their passion that are unavailable virtually anyplace else. Students participate in many activities including the national Poetry Out Loud competition, and the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. [cite web |url=http://capahs.pghboe.net/Lit%20Arts/home2.htm |title=Literary arts mission statement |accessdate=2006-12-21 |work=CAPA Website]

Department coordinator: Mara Cregan

Faculty: Kristin Kovacic (poetry), Maureen McGranaghan (dramatic writing), Mara Cregan (nonfiction)

Visual arts

Students in the Visual Arts Department will learn the fundamentals of painting, drawing, sculpting and pottery, photography, printmaking, and fiber arts. Student work is regularly displayed around the school as well as on the Astrovision which can be seen outside the building and in the lunch hall. [cite web |url=http://capahs.pghboe.net/Visual_Arts/home.htm |title=Visual Arts Department |accessdate=2006-12-12 |work=CAPA Web Site ]

Department coordinator: Valerie Wescott [cite web |url=http://capahs.pghboe.net/Visual_Arts/teachers.htm |title=Teachers |accessdate=2006-12-12 |work=CAPA Web Site ]

Faculty: Mary Barr (painting), Jacques Baynes (drawing), Dennis Childers (digital media), Tenanche Golden (art history), Denise Suska-Green (ceramics), Michael Haritan (photography), Karen Page (textiles), Steve Murdock (sculpture), Tresa Varner (printmaking)

Dance

Mission Statement: To provide a comprehensive and quality dance education in an environment that nurtures the talent of each individual. Emphasis is placed on the theory and practice of refining and enhancing dance technique, understanding and applying corrections and stimulating creativity within each student.cite web |url=http://capahs.pghboe.net/Dance/homepage.htm |title=Dance Home |accessdate=2006-12-03 |work=CAPA Web Site ]

Department coordinator: René Mastriano-Polanco (Ballet and Pointe)

Faculty:Leslie Anderson-Braswell (Ballet and Pointe),Amy Farren (Jazz dance),Kevin Maloney (Modern dance),Greer Reed (Horton Technique)

Theatre

Straight Theatre/Musical Theatre/Costume/Technical Theatre

The theatre department provides a 4 year structured course in various forms of Musical and straight theatre. Every year the musical theatre students perform in 2 recitals and the All School Musical along with many other opportunities through the year.

Department coordinator: Marilyn Rossi-Stabler

Faculty: David Cabot ( Voice and Speech/Acting)

Billy Hartung, (Acting/R and P/Other)

Tawnya Hall, (Acting)

Jon Cannard, (Technical Theatre)

Rob Pruitt, ( Private Voice/Theory/Music Class)

David Pressau, (Music Director/Theory/R and P/Other)

Fannie White, (Costume)

Jerry Ross, (Dance)

Jane Tinker (Private Voice)

Instrumental music

Classes available to instrumental music majors include orchestra, wind ensemble, string orchestra, chamber music ensembles, various jazz bands, music/jazz theory, music history, piano lab. Each student receives a weekly private lesson with a professional faculty member specializing on his/her instrument.

Mission Statement: The mission of the Instrumental Music Department at CAPA is to nurture the full development of each student's musical potential through intense involvement in every aspect of the art.cite web |url= http://capahs.pghboe.net/Instrumental/InsturmentalHomeWEb.html|title= Instrumental Home|accessdate=2006-11-16 |work= CAPA Web Site]

* Department coordinator: David Knapp.cite web |url= http://capahs.pghboe.net/Instrumental/TeachersInstrumental.html|title= Instrumental Teachers|accessdate=2006-11-16 |work= CAPA Web Site ]
* Associate Coordinator: Bernard Black
* Faculty:
**"Woodwinds:" Phil Koval, James Guerra
**"Brass:" Bernard Black, Carl Jackson
**"Strings:" Raymond Eichenmuller, Yunga Reitz, Paul Thompson
**"Percussion:" Roger Humphries, Jan Fung
**"Piano:" Alaine Fink, Donna Greco, Suzanne Polak
**"Theory:" Sam Buccigrossi, Gilbert DeBenedetti
**"Computer/Sound Tech:" Ben Opie, Rick McNerny
**"Guitar:" Richard Gibson (leader of Rich Gibson and the Hurricanes)
**"Harp:" Lucy Scandrett
**"Theater/Production Manager:" Chris Howard

Vocal music

*Department coordinator: Linda Ross-Brown (Concert Choir Director)
* Assistant Coordinator: Mr. Peter Bianchi (Choir Assistant & Private Voice)
*Faculty
**Mr. Stephen Neely (Opera Workshop, Private Voice, Freshman Voice Class, & Eurhythmics)
**Mr. Tim Tucker (Jazz Choir Director, Music History, Solfeggio, Music Theory, Piano)
**Ms. Diane Rudolph (Freshman Choir Director, Private Voice, & Tri-M Music Honor Society Sponsor)
**Ms. Etta Cox (Private Voice & Solfeggio)
**Ms. Barbara Benvin (Private Voice, Accompanist, & Tri-M Music Honor Society Sponsor)
**Ms. Demarius Cooper (Private Voice & Solfeggio)

Other Faculty

*Ms. Alaine Fink (Accompanist)
*Ms. Suzanne Polak (Piano Lab)
*Mr. Gilbert Debenedetti (Music Theory)
*Mr. Samuel Buccigrossi (Music Theory)
*Mr. Ben Opie (Computer Technology)

References

External links

* [http://capahs.pghboe.net/ Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts website]
* [http://www.pghboe.net Pittsburgh Public Schools]
* [http://capapgh.org Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (an independently run site by the Parent, Teacher, Student Organization (PTSO))]