Special for The Swellesley Report by Wellesley High School Bradford and Parents of Performing Students (POPS). This is one of the senior POPS profiles we will post.
Whether inside or outside of Wellesley High School’s Performing Arts, Nora Jarquin ’22 has devoted her time in high school to building a better community in the department. Jarquin is involved in many performing arts offerings, from choral groups, including Keynote Singers and Rice Street Singers, to a selective a cappella group, Ladies First, to winter and spring musicals.
“I continue to participate because of the community. All of these activities have given me a place to collaborate and connect with my best friends and all kinds of students around a shared love of music and art. I love feeling connected to each person I share these experiences with and feeling a place, ”Jarquin said.
Dr. Kevin McDonald, the institute’s choir director, has witnessed Jarquin’s commitment to those around him. “What sets Nora apart from most is her passion to improve this place. It’s not just him: he was trying to improve for everyone involved, and he was successful. Here he wants to leave a legacy that he continues to the youngest singers. He took a lot of responsibility to build himself as a singer not only as a singer, but as a person, so he has had a real lasting impact. ”
Jarquin’s parents enrolled him in piano studies at the age of seven, and he continued until his sophomore year. Along with playing the piano, he joined the high school choir and began performing in the eighth grade. But it was observing the performing arts community at the institute that prompted him to continue after middle school. “Listening to, standing and singing with eighth graders is a very crazy experience because middle school students are very quiet when they sing,” Jarquin said, “And all of a sudden you’re all surrounded. these big kids who are really singing out loud and having a great time, and they make you want to do that. ”
Jarquin had both Keynotes, which focuses more on classical music, and Rice Street, which is a jazz band, and stayed in both for three years. This year, it was Keynotes intensive. Dr. McDonald noted how extraordinary his commitment was to these groups. “Nora came in with that passion for singing and that passion for acting and the desire to do well. He has never come out without giving less than 150,000% every day, in every class, in every rehearsal ”.
Jarquin appreciates the interconnected communities that have been part of his high school music experience. “[Keynotes] became this big family. And it’s really awesome because we spend time in class together and then we play together. And most of us are in a cappella groups, so we see each other outside of school,” Jarquin said.
Ladies First auditioned for the women’s a capella group at the beginning of the second year and continued in the group for the next three years of high school. “You see how much fun they are having when you see these people acting. I remember seeing the First Ladies before I was there, and they were having a really nice [and] very good time and you want to be a part of that so badly, ”Jarquin said.“ And so I immediately said, ‘Yeah, doing the audition I’m doing’. And I like to spend time with her and make connections and Ladies and Keynotes are not like any other class in school. ”
Last year, as head of music for Ladies First, she was able to choose the songs the band sang. For example, in October he adapted the songs of Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea for the band in a small concert. However, Dr. McDonald has noticed that his leadership skills go beyond the music he organizes. “For me, leadership comes with two things, the desire to serve and the desire to sacrifice, and that’s the way Nora did in her work, because it was very generous for others to want joy and others to want it. To live success, to focus on other people.”
Faced with the challenge of COVID, which significantly reduced the chances of acting, singer Lucy Calcio ’22 Keynotes was impressed with Nora’s commitment to ensure that everyone involved could live the choir for a full year. “He was really immersed when he was doing it hard, he directed Instagram, he told all his friends to sign up for choir classes, and the dedication to gathering more people and bringing people to concerts was really built. The environment went up this year,” Calcio said.
Jarquin was also able to think creatively, and COVID created activities that were helpful and effective in developing students ’musical skills.
The virus, however, was not the only challenge Jaruin had at the institute. After participating in the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame, her voice began to feel tired. “Instead of resting, I kept singing, and that was a learning curve for me. And when you do it over and over again, several weeks at a time, it creates clots, “Jarquin said. When Jarquin finally went to the doctor, he was diagnosed with nodules and lumps in his thyroid. He underwent voice therapy for eight months and eventually underwent surgery to remove those lumps. Jarquin was unable to speak or sing for two weeks after the operation.
In her latest musical, Mamma Mia !, she made Donna a substitute student. “I’ve never had a major role like that. And it means a lot after going so far with my voice, ”Jarquin said. Despite the challenges he faced as a result of his surgery, Calcio noted that overcoming this hurdle so well helped him develop as a singer. “Seeing that he gets into that, while he cares about his voice, his confidence has grown a lot,” Calcio said. “He has gone from being the person he did in the first and second years of the choir, to being a leader in everything he does and being a first place.”
Jarquin is pursuing a career in the performing arts at the University of Washington, where he will graduate with a degree in Global Studies. He hopes to join an a cappella group and perform in college musicals.
Article written by WHS Bradford Staff: Adam Juma ’23
