Winter Concerts Are Next Week | Reserve Your Seats!

Winter Concerts are coming up! Concerts are open to the public and free to attend; however, if you’d like to reserve seats, the money directly supports our BPA programs. Visit ShowTix4U to reserve them today!

While the concerts will not be livestreamed, the videos will be posted on our YouTube channel a few days after the concerts.

Bake Sale Help at Winter Concerts

Please consider volunteering or donating baked (or store bought) items for the winter concerts. Thank you!



Dec 12 | Orchestra Concert Bake Sale

Dec 13 | Band Concert Bake Sale

Dec 14 | Choir Concert Bake Sale 

Coffee Pick Up!

If your student sold coffee, please pick up their orders in the lobby the night of their concert. Thanks for helping distribute to your student’s customers!

Join Us! BPAB Board Meetings are Open to All!

Our next BPAB Meeting is in the BHS Library on Tues, Jan 9 at 6 pm.

These meetings are open to all families and supporters of the BPA programs. Listening to the directors’ updates and the planning for upcoming events is a great way to learn more about your child(ren)’s performing arts world. We promise, you will not be pressured to sign up for anything, but you will undoubtedly walk away with ideas for how you can lend a hand if you so choose.

Hope to see you there!

Save the Date!

The 65th Annual Spaghetti Dinner is coming up on Sat, Feb 3, 2023, 5:30-8:30 pm. 

The theme this year is… Night at the Movies.

All of our Ballard Performing Arts groups - band, orchestra, choir, and theater - will provide us with live entertainment throughout the evening. Please join us for a magical night of food, community, and performances at our biggest event of the year. You won’t want to miss it! More information coming soon…

Welcome New Sponsors!

We are excited to announce that we have two new corporate sponsors joining us at the supporting level: Zen Business and Floor Coverings International. You can find all our current sponsors at the bottom of every newsletter and our website home page. Please click on their logos to check out their websites!  

Band

Upcoming Dates

Mark your calendars for these band events:

Dec 6 - Pep band at basketball game, 7:00 pm call time

Dec13 - Band Winter Concert, 7:30 pm (call time 6:30 pm)

Dec 15 - Pep band at basketball game, 4:30 pm call time; second game 8:00 pm call time

Jan 9 - Pep Band at basketball game, 7:00 pm call time

Jan 17 - Pep Band at basketball game, 4:30 pm call time

Jan 26 - Pep Band at basketball game, 7:00 pm call time

Jan 30 - Pep Band at basketball game, 7:00 pm call time

Jan 31 - Pizza and Pep Band night, 5:30 pm 

Basketball Games for Pep Band - Pizza and Pep Band Night January 31st

The band will be playing for various boys and girls basketball games between November and January. Each student needs to attend five games plus the pizza and pep band night (which is mandatory), and they can sign up for which games they would like to attend on the signup sheet in the band room. They wear their band t-shirts to these games. We will also need one or two parent volunteers to be around the band room area while the game is going on. Please sign up here. Thank you for helping out! 

The Pizza and Pep Band night will be January 31st this year. This is a mandatory game and 8th grade band members from nearby schools will be invited to attend to see what BHS Marching and Pep band is like. This event is a great way to promote the band program with rising freshmen. Pizza will be provided and chaperones will be needed. Students will meet at 5:30 pm to rehearse the pep band songs, have pizza at 6:30 pm, play pre-game music at 7:10, and the game starts at 7:30 pm. If you know of 8th grade band students who are considering Ballard, please encourage them to join in on the fun. Please sign up to chaperone here. Chaperones will help with pizza handout and cleanup as well as directing families to the gym. Please plan to be there 5:00 to 7:30 or 8 pm.

Wind Ensemble is Going to Pacific Northwest Band Festival in February and Windfest Concert Band Invitational in March

On February 6th, Wind Ensemble and selected percussionists will play at the Pacific Northwest Band Festival at UW. This will be a day trip and a few chaperones will be needed. Then on March 1st, the Wind Ensemble and selected percussionists will be traveling to CWU in Ellensburg for the day to attend Windfest. This will be a longer day trip and a few parent chaperones will also be needed. Please contact the band rep or sign up here if you are available to assist for either or both of these trips. Thank you!

Jazz Band Trip

Jazz 1 & 2 are headed to Reno April 25-28!

$150 deposit was due Nov 17 - Deposits must be paid with cash or check (made out to BPA). Drop in the secure box in the band room or send to Ballard Performing Arts, PO Box 17774 Seattle WA 98127.

The remaining payments can be paid with CC/ACH using this link on Zeffy, with cash, or check (made out to BPA).

$257 due Dec 15

$257 due Jan 15

$ due Feb 15 (still TBD)

*Email bpabtreasurer@gmail.com if you'd like to apply your student's fundraising credits toward the upcoming trip payments. 

Band Trip to Portland June 7-9

The band trip to Portland will be June 7-9th (missing school on Friday). This will be an exciting trip for the marching band to perform in the Grand Floral Parade on Saturday, as well as in another concert on Friday night. In order to finalize total costs, we are asking everyone to fill out this google form by Friday, December 8, to let us know if your student can or cannot make it. The total cost is going to be somewhere around $500. Fundraising money from coffee or chocolate sales can be used to help pay for the trip. A nonrefundable $100 deposit is due by Dec. 15th (cash or a check payable to BPA in the black mailbox in the band room) for anyone attending. We are also looking for chaperones for this trip (we need 7 male chaperones and 4 females, plus alternates). Chaperones will pay the same cost as students. Please let the band rep know if you are interested in chaperoning, or sign up here.

Choir

If you missed the fall concert, you can watch it on the BPA YouTube page: www.youtube.com/ballardperformingarts and you can watch the Central Washington Concert Choir performance here: https://youtu.be/8iReaMyqBzw.

Upcoming Dates

Tues Dec 5th - TODAY! Vocal Jazz Caroling - details below

Thurs Dec 7th and Mon Dec 11th - After school combined rehearsals with orchestra for Winter Concerts

Sat Dec 9th - Chamber Choir and Tenor Bass at Seattle Seachordsmen - details below

Tues Dec 12th - Orchestra Winter Concert in PAC at BHS. Concert Choir and Advanced Chorale called at 7.30 pm to join orchestra for combined piece

Thurs Dec 14th - Choir Winter Concert in PAC at BHS. All choirs and vocal groups called at 6.45 pm.

Sat Dec 16th - Vocal Jazz Caroling at Seattle Pops (Wallingford), 1-2 pm

Vocal Jazz at local area schools (and a retirement community) TODAY!

Students and chaperones - meet at Loyal Heights Elementary at 7.15 am. Thanks to Tara Roth, Carrie Wallace, Colin Ernst, and Sally Rampersad for driving today. 

If you are in the area and would like to hear vocal jazz performing holiday music, please consider joining us at: 

Loyal Heights Elementary - 7.30 - 7.55am

Hamilton - 8.30 - 8.55am

West Woodland - 9.00 - 9.25am

Whitman - 9.40 - 10.10 am 

Adams - 10.25 - 10.50am

Merrill Gardens - 11.00 - 11.25am

Lunch at MOD pizza and Rotary - 11.30 - 1.00pm

Whittier - 1.15 - 1.45pm

Lawton - 2.00 - 2.25pm

Blaine - 2.45 - 3.15pm

Seattle Seachordsmen on December 9th for Chamber Choir and Tenor Bass ensemble (no drivers or chaperones needed, please arrange your own car pools)

The shows will be at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church located at 7500 Greenwood Ave N Seattle WA 98103. Times for performance are 2 pm and 6 pm. 

Call time for the Ballard students is 1 pm, they will run their songs in the space at 1:30 to 1:40 pm and then be seated in the audience during the show. 

Food will be provided between shows (sandwiches, chips, water) and the organizers would prefer that students stay "on-campus." There is a space in the church to put stuff, but the organizers recommend not leaving anything of value (laptops, purses, wallets) unattended.

Tickets are available through the Seachordsmen: www.seachordsmen.org or can be purchased at the door.

Chichester Psalms Rehearsals/Performances

Concert Choir and Advanced Chorale are combining with Chamber Orchestra and select Wind Ensemble members and percussionists to present Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms for the Winter Choir and Orchestra concerts! This means that Concert Choir and Advanced Chorale singers will perform on BOTH the Dec 12 Orchestra Concert and the Dec 14 Choir Concert. In addition, there are two after school rehearsals with full orchestra on Thursday, December 7th and Monday, December 11th from 4-6 pm.

Orchestra

Upcoming Dates

Dec 12 - Winter concert. Chamber Orchestra students will also need to attend after school rehearsals on 12/7 and 12/11, and the Choir concert on 12/14.

Save the date! Vancouver Trip

Symphonic and Chamber Orchestras will be going to an orchestra festival in Vancouver B.C. May 24-May 26. More details coming soon!

Theatre

Congrats! Musical Auditions Recap and Cast List

Congratulations to everyone who auditioned for the musical this year! It takes real guts to put yourself out there, so please be proud of yourselves. It was great fun to see everyone bring their best. Performers worked hard and decisions were tough. 

Now that the show has been cast, we look forward to rehearsing, designing, and building for our spring production of The Addams Family. Please see important dates below and speak with Ms. Miller if you have questions. Applause all around and hooray for our cast!

Click here to see the cast list!

Important Dates:

Mon, Dec 4: Costume measurements after school in the Black Box. 

Fri, Dec 8: Table read after school in the Black Box. 

Tues, Jan 2: First rehearsal, full cast. 4 pm in the Black Box. 

If you are unable to make any of these dates, email Ms. Miller at mashor@seattleschools.org as soon as possible.

The district only pays for teachers’ salaries; everything else we have to raise or donate.

Everybody Loves Chocolate! | This Student Fundraiser Ends Soon!

Want your BPA student to help raise money for their spring trip?

We've estimated that each trip will cost at least $400 per student for transportation and lodging. Encourage your student to pick up a box of chocolates and sell them to family, friends, and neighbors.

How does it work?

Students fill out this form, check out a box of candy, sell the candy for $1 bar, and then turn in $60. For each box sold, the student receives $24 credited to that student's account and those funds can then be used for the spring trip, camp payments, or program fees in the fall, and they can even be transferred to a younger sibling when a student graduates.

Jill will be available for checkout in the morning before school starts (8:15 to 8:40). Checkout will be at the uniform room door. A completed form is required to get a box.

Students are responsible for turning in the full cost of the box of candy, $60, whether they sell it all or not. They cannot turn in coins; all money should be bills or checks (payable to BPA).

All money is due Friday December 15th, the last day of school before winter break.

Become a Sponsor for 2023-2024 School Year!

If you own a business (or know of a business) that would benefit from advertising on our programs, website, and newsletters, click here to learn about all the perks of becoming a corporate sponsor.

Bake Sale Help at Winter Concerts

Sign up using the links below to help volunteer or to donate baked (or store bought) items for the winter concerts. Thank you!



Dec 12 | Orchestra Concert Bake Sale

Dec 13 | Band Concert Bake Sale

Dec 14 | Choir Concert Bake Sale

Uniform Team Forming Now!

Our groups look sharp in their concert and marching uniforms, but sadly there aren’t any magic elves who oversee the organization and maintenance. We are seeking two volunteers from each program (band, choir, and orchestra) to form a team that will help ensure our students continue to look good! Please sign up here if you're interested in learning more.

Newsletter and Communications Volunteers Needed!

We want to keep our community informed about upcoming events but we are currently running on a skeleton crew. Please sign up here if you're interested in learning more about our weekly e-newsletter and other digital communication platforms. Our newsletter team has graduating seniors and will not be back next year, so it is imperative that we start training replacements sooner than later. Thanks for considering!

Mattress Fundraiser Coordinator Needed!

We will co-host a Mattress Fundraiser on Sun. May 5 with Whitman MS. This is the easiest fundraiser ever because our contacts at Custom Fundraising Solutions supply us with all the promotional materials, take care of set up, sales, and take down. We are just looking for one volunteer to serve as our BPA point of contact to field communications about the event, set up an informational parent meeting 3 weeks prior to the event, distribute flyers and posters, and greet people on the day of and thank them for coming. Please sign up here if you're interested in learning more.

CPA for 501C3?

Our longtime CPA has retired and we are looking for a new CPA to help us file our taxes starting next fall and moving forward. We would love to find someone from our own Ballard community. Please contact bpabpresident@gmail.com with any recommendations. Thanks!

Check out past performances any time on our YouTube and Vimeo channels.

Discount for White Christmas Tickets!

One of our amazing BPA parents works at the Fifth Avenue Theatre and is generously extending a friends and family discount to our performing arts community. They are producing White Christmas this holiday season. The show opens December 1, previews start last week of November. Use the promo code SNOWFLAKE to get discounted tickets!