Student Life
Arts
Performing Arts
RE inspires artistic voices
The performing arts program at Ransom Everglades inspires students at all levels to discover their own artistic voices while honoring the process to advance their skills. As they work with a faculty of innovative educators with professional artistic backgrounds, middle school students build a solid foundation within the discipline, before transitioning to more advanced learning. Throughout their years at Ransom Everglades, students not only hone their individual talents, but also develop an appreciation for the role that the performing arts play in society at large.
In music, dance and theatre students are encouraged to explore, examine and experience.
In music, dance and theatre students are encouraged to explore, examine and experience.
- Explore: Even if a student has no previous experience, introductory-level courses allow for creative exploration.
- Examine: Advanced courses allow for more detailed study and closer examination of the art form.
- Experience: Concerts, shows and recitals drive knowledge and skill into fulfilling performances.
Ransom Everglades programs place an emphasis on process and an appreciation for tradition while staying current with pedagogy and trends within each specific discipline. Expanding performance opportunities provide outlets to share talent with the school community in formal and informal settings.
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Middle school drama students perform in a hilarious take on Robin Hood by James W. Moore -
Middle school drama students perform in a hilarious take on Robin Hood by James W. Moore -
Middle school drama students perform in a hilarious take on Robin Hood by James W. Moore -
Middle school drama students perform in a hilarious take on Robin Hood by James W. Moore -
Middle school drama students perform in a hilarious take on Robin Hood by James W. Moore -
Middle school drama students perform in a hilarious take on Robin Hood by James W. Moore -
Middle school drama students perform in a hilarious take on Robin Hood by James W. Moore -
Middle school drama students perform in a hilarious take on Robin Hood by James W. Moore -
Ransom Everglades guitar and band students at the first Jazz and Guitar Concert of the year. -
Ransom Everglades guitar and band students at the first Jazz and Guitar Concert of the year. -
Ransom Everglades guitar and band students at the first Jazz and Guitar Concert of the year. -
Ransom Everglades guitar and band students at the first Jazz and Guitar Concert of the year. -
Ransom Everglades guitar and band students at the first Jazz and Guitar Concert of the year.
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Performing Arts News
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Junior earns Superior rating at state music performance assessment
Pianist Sofia Rakhimi ’25 earned a Superior rating – with a rare grade of straight A-plusses – at the Florida Bandmasters Association State Solo and Ensemble Music Performance Assessment in West Palm Beach at the A.W. Dreyfoos School for the Arts on March 20-21. She performed Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, commonly known as "Sonata Pathétique."Read More -
RE upper school drama program sets a high bar with Chicago
RE drama students are so talented and accomplished they needed two separate casts for the upper school spring production of Chicago on April 10-13. From the magnificent leads – Gabrielle Lieberman '24, Jaerla Sajous '25, Emma Holtzman '24, Lucia Soto '24, Henry Berler '25 and Armando Segrera '25 – to the brilliant supporting roles and staging, the production made the Lewis Family Auditorium indistinguishable from a Broadway theater. The four performances drew large crowds and showcased the incredible depth and sophistication of drama at Ransom Everglades.Read More
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Jazz and guitar students shine at an upper school concert
Ransom Everglades honored nine senior members of RE's jazz combos during a spring Jazz and Guitar Concert at Posner Lecture Hall on March 19. The concert included a first-time twist: table seating offering audience members the feel of a cozy lounge and up-close views of the musicians.Read More
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Middle schoolers delight in musical production of Wizard of Oz
Wearing adorable costumes and performing on a magical set at Swenson Hall, middle school drama students showed their musical range and acting prowess in The Wizard of Oz March 13-15. The spring musical under the direction of drama teacher Cecilia Gonzalez featured Sofie Delic '28 as Dorothy and her charming misfit friends: Ben Brandrick-Morris '29 as Scarecrow; Vivi Pasos '28 as Lion; and Aleko Katsoufis '28 as Tin Man. Izzy Greengrass '30 appeared as Toto, and Cecile Etzbach '29 served as Wicked Witch of the West. Photo GalleryRead More -
Middle school strings students show their progress at winter concert
The Middle School Winter Strings Concert at the Posner Lecture Hall on Feb. 28 felt as intimate as a living-room performance. Strings Music Director Scott O'Donnell addressed the crowd between pieces, sharing his goals for RE's strings students and providing insight into the selection of music for the evening's event. Throughout, he sounded much like a proud parent when talking about the students' progress in 2023-24.Read More
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RE rocks for Ukraine relief at spring concert
Ransom Everglades musicians, singers, dancers and production specialists combined their myriad talents for a fundraising concert at the Lewis Family Auditorium on Feb. 29. Hosted in part by the RE student group Rock 4 Relief, the Spring Concert 2024: A Tribute for Ukraine drew a large and enthusiastic crowd, and showed the school community at its best.Read More
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Students offer 'superior' performances at music performance assessment
Read MoreGillian Carvalho '29 and Tariq Maduro '26 led a host of stellar performances by RE students at the Florida Orchestra Association District 16 Solo and Ensemble Music Performance Assessment Festival on Feb. 9-10 at the Robert Morgan Educational Center in Miami. Carvalho played the violin and Maduro the cello to earn Superior with Distinction recognition from the judging panel. More than a dozen of their peers earned Superior marks, and all earned at least "Excellent" grades. The students performed under the direction of Scott O'Donnell, the strings music director at RE. -
Middle school band students practice and perform at winter concert
Middle school band students participated in a novel winter concert that was part-performance and part-high-stakes practice session. Middle school band director Cathi Leibinger used the Spring Pre-Evaluation Concert on Feb. 13 at Swenson Hall to showcase her students' progress while also putting their burgeoning skills to the test in preparation for an upcoming musical performance assessment. Photo GalleryRead More -
Students perform and learn at National Jazz Festival
Read MoreFourteen RE jazz students attended Fifth Annual National Jazz Festival in Philadelphia Feb. 10 to experience a day of performances and educational clinics. Trumpet players Miguel Arango '24, and Martin Piedrahita '24 received judges' choice awards for excellence among the RE attendees. The student participants, members of the RE Combo and Blue Combo, performed under the direction of RE Director of Arts Shawn Costantino, and they are also taught at RE by Director of Instrumental Music Jon Hamm. -
Dozens dance the night away with REmotions
RE's growing dance program has added a new faculty member (Tess Guidry), a new class (the Upper School Art of Dance) and a new concert format featuring experienced middle school dancers (eighth grade) through high school seniors sharing the same stage. Yet the core of the program remains the same: a group of close-knit dancers who perform with passion and emotion, striving to stir the hearts of the audience. That goal was accomplished at the Lewis Family Auditorium on Feb. 2 with the All-School Spring Dance Showcase: REmotions.Read More
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Middle school musicians steal the show at the upper school
Those who attended the Winter Harmony concert on Dec. 6 at the Lewis Family Auditorium enjoyed a musical doubleheader in a full-size concert hall. More than 130 middle school students in Ransom Everglades' middle school strings, band and vocal ensemble programs traveled to the upper school for a hastily assembled – but expertly executed and thoroughly delightful – nearly two-hour musical extravaganza, a dynamic event devised in response to the postponement of a planned strings and vocal concert in late November.Read More
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Winter concert brings out showtunes, a hoedown and classics
Upper school musicians and vocalists had members of the audience tapping their feet to Broadway showtunes, swaying to a lively hoedown and reveling in well-known classics by Handel, Bach and Strauss. The Winter Concert Dec. 1 at the upper school showed off the depth and breadth of the student performers' talents and skills under Director of String Ensembles Scott O'Donnell, Choral Director Laura Montes and Conductor and Musical Director of the Symphony Orchestra Jon Hamm.Read More
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Jazz and guitar musicians show their progress
Read MoreRansom Everglades guitar and band students showed their promise and progress at the first Jazz and Guitar Concert of the year on Nov. 14 at the Lewis Family Auditorium. Culminating in four pieces by the RE Combo, the concert highlighted guitar students from three levels of classes and jazz musicians in the school’s three jazz combos and RE Jazz Band. Director of Arts Shawn Costantino and Band Director Jon Hamm directed the event. Photo Gallery -
Middle school students dazzle with Robin Hood
Middle school drama students performed with dazzling skill and comic timing beyond their years, offering a hilarious take on Robin Hood by James W. Moore during three performances at Swenson Hall Nov. 8-10. The dashing Robin Hood, played by Stefano Kruger '28, and his Merry Band (Vivi Pasos '28, Aleko Katsoufis '28, Diego Andrade '28, Pace Caplow '30, Christian Bell '30) took on a host of bad guys (Cohen McDaniel '28, Sawyer Nelson Montet '28, Sasha Estefan-Coppola '30, William Stockman '28) in the fast-paced, fast-talking comedy adventure directed by Elizabeth Harper '28 and faculty member Gina Montet.Read More
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RE band students earn ratings of superior and excellent
Ransom Everglades students excelled at the Florida Bandmaster Association District 20 Solo and Ensemble Music Performance Assessment on Nov. 3-4, with the 13 upper schoolers and 26 middle schoolers earning 35 superior ratings and seven excellent ratings. Sofia Rakhimi ’25, who performed at the highest (Grade 7) difficulty level, earned a superior rating for her piano solo and qualified for the state performance event. The band students, who are taught by Jon Hamm at the upper school and Cathi Leibinger at the middle school, competed at Westwood Christian School. Piano accompaniments were performed by Rakhimi, Leibinger and RE Performing Arts Faculty member Arn Xu.Read More -
Upper school play brings boy's journey to Lewis Family Auditorium
A small cast of Ransom Everglades students shared the bumpy journey of family upheaval and self-discovery experienced by a 15-year-old autistic boy, Christopher – played by Alejandro Andrade ’25 – after his discovery of the brutal death of a dog in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. His father, Armando Segrera ’25, and mother, Lael Sanders ’26, were pulled along for an emotional ride Oct. 25-27 at the Lewis Family Auditorium as Lilah Murphy ’27 brought a calm and steady voice as narrator.Read More
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Middle school band concert stretches across campus
Middle school band students showed off their musical progress during a fall concert that stretched across campus and highlighted student solos while also allowing parents a peek inside the classroom. The Oct. 19 performance event directed by Middle School Performing Arts Coordinator Cathi Leibinger put parents near the center of the action, whether alongside their beginning band students for the opening presentation in Swenson Hall or in the many classrooms around campus that provided venues for solos. Photo GalleryRead More -
Eleven RE students named to district honor band
Read MoreSix band members from the upper school and five from the middle school were named to the 2023-24 District 20 Honor Band and will perform Oct. 13-14 at Westminster Christian School. The students were recommended by RE Director of Instrumental Music Jon Hamm and Middle School Performing Arts Department Coordinator Cathi Leibinger. The upper school honorees will rehearse and perform under noted music teacher and conductor Joe Luechauer from Broward County. -
Student musician wins Silver Knight Award
Ian Barnett '23 was one of 15 students in Miami-Dade County to win a Silver Knight Award May 25 at the 65th annual event that honors academic excellence and commitment to service. Barnett, the music award recipient, earned recognition in part for a two-week course on the art of composition he created for and taught to young musicians. The Miami Herald/el Nuevo Herald Silver Knight Awards ceremony at the James L. Knight Convention Center drew 750 nominees from more than 100 schools in South Florida.Read More -
A joyful conclusion to a great year for MS band and vocal ensemble
Ransom Everglades middle school band and vocal ensemble students exuded joy down to their colorful socks – they were told they could forego the usual black socks in favor of more spirited versions – at their final concert of the 2022-23 school year, “Let’s Make Some Joyful Noise!” The concert on May 11 at Swenson Hall illustrated not only the students’ progress as musicians and singers, but also the fun they have had participating in the middle school music program.Read More
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Ransom Everglades Distinguished Alumni in the Performing Arts
List of 10 items.
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Tom Snow '64
Multiple GRAMMY-winning songwriter, “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” “He’s So Shy,” “You Should Hear How She Talks About You” and many more -
Michele Faber '68
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Jonathan Ring '79
French horn with the San Francisco Symphony and serves on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music -
Mike Malinin '85
Drummer and partner, Goo Goo Dolls; currently, music director and drummer for Tanya Tucker -
Phil Lord '93
Filmmaker, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse -
Jordi Vilasuso '99
Actor, Daytime Emmy Award-winner, The Guiding Light; currently, a cast member of The Young and the Restless -
Ben West '01
Broadway actor, director, producer -
Whitney Brown '05
Broadway actress; currently executive producer of Awake, a Netflix film -
Jeanine Mason '09
Actress and dancer; winner of Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance; Grey's Anatomy; currently a cast member of the TV drama series Roswell, New Mexico -
Claire Chapelli '10
Actress, comedian and singer
RE Performs
Middle School
2045 South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, FL 33133Phone: 305 250 6850
Upper School
3575 Main Highway, Coconut Grove, FL 33133Phone: 305 460 8800
Founded in 1903, Ransom Everglades School is a coeducational, college preparatory day school for grades 6 - 12 located on two campuses in Coconut Grove, Florida. Ransom Everglades School produces graduates who "believe that they are in the world not so much for what they can get out of it as for what they can put into it." The school provides rigorous college preparation that promotes the student's sense of identity, community, personal integrity and values for a productive and satisfying life, and prepares the student to lead and to contribute to society.