FOR THE LOVE OF THE ARTS
Otis starred in the play as well , with TJ O ’ Sullivan ’ 98 helping to direct and handle tech . Five minor roles were given to Prep seniors . Kenny Dillon ’ 14 and Andrew Schrynemakers ’ 15 were instrumental crew members who helped with set design .
“ Rehearsals were tough to pull off which is why it took 15 months to prep ,” said Otis . Some took the old-fashioned route of memorizing their lines from the script while others rewatched and listened to their parts over and over on their commutes to work to learn them . And then , in a series of unfortunate events , the rights to perform the play at the Prep got denied .
“ Reason ? An Aaron Sorkin blackout . Certainly his choice ,” said Otis . “ So if we were going to do it we would have to do it during the school day on Monday , May 19th as a ‘ no charge assembly ,’” he went on .
I doubt there are many schools with a faculty brave enough to attempt such a venture . And fewer still where the student body has given the faculty such a warm , energetic , and well-deserved ovation .”
— Robert Gomprecht ’ 65 P ’ 89 ’ 94 GP ’ 20 ’ 24 , former principal ( 1994 – 2015 )
Originally planned to run for three nights with proceeds going to an undetermined charity , the play became a one-nightonly event on May 19 , 2014 . Of course , members of the Prep community flocked to Rose Hill in droves to see their favorite teachers perform . The production was a huge success , garnering praise from then-principal Robert Gomprecht ’ 65 P ’ 89 ’ 94 GP ’ 20 ’ 24 .
“ Today ’ s faculty performance of A Few Good Men was , as they say , a tour de force ,” said Gomprecht in a congratulatory note to the faculty and students in the cast and crew . “ I doubt there are many schools with a faculty brave enough to attempt such a venture . And fewer still where the student body has given the faculty such a warm , energetic , and well-deserved ovation ,” he added .
ABOVE : Wicks practicing the violin during lunch with an audience of Rams in what is now known as Moglia Commons .
LEFT : The Jazz Ensemble is a featured aspect of each Admissions Open House .
What Sound Do Rams Make ?
Fordham Prep ’ s ensembles , led by Visual & Performing Arts Chairperson LaGamma ’ 09 , are seen ( and heard ) at many events throughout the school year . The Jazz , Classical and Festival ensembles perform numerous community events during the course of the year . Students in the working Jazz Band are in quite demand , performing at the Prep ’ s annual IGNITE gala , the Fathers ’ Club ’ s Christmas Party in Manhattan , and the Prep ’ s Hall of Honor Ceremony at the New York Botanical Garden . They even lend their talents to the St . Ignatius School Fundraiser in Central Park and entertain patrons of Alvin & Friends Restaurant in New Rochelle .
“ What I miss most about performing in Fordham Prep ensembles is the experience of playing in a band ,” said former Jazz Band pianist and student at the Royal Academy of Music in London Luca Gierlinger ’ 22 . Trained as a classical soloist , Gierlinger embraced the opportunity to perform a different style of music . He ’ s one of the many Jazz Band alumni who hold these performances dear in their memories of the Prep .
Violinist and violist Declan Wicks ’ 19 played in the Classical Ensemble during his time at the Prep . As a British-American dual citizen who returned to the United States for his junior year of high school , he was grateful for the musical experiences at the Prep .
Wicks remembers getting along well with LaGamma , spending much of his free time practicing his instruments in the third-floor music room . He also performed in the orchestra pit for the 2018 FPDS production of Newsies .
Before coming back to America to attend the Prep , he didn ’ t really have any confirmation of his skills as a musician . He ’ d begun playing the violin at age four when his mom accidentally signed them up for an instrumental “ mommy and me ” course in New York . Still , he remembers instructors in London being quite reserved about his talents in his early teens .
“ I was just starting out and I was like 13 , so there ’ s no way for them to really kind of have an idea of , you know , how good I was going to be or anything ,” he laughed .
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FORDHAM PREP RAMVIEW