About the Conservatory

This week, we sat down with Denise Leitner for a behind-the-scenes peek at the Spring Dance Concert and an interview as she finishes her final Mayfield production. Read more to learn what you can expect from the show, and hear about how she came to Mayfield, what she has learned from her students, and what she plans to do with her retirement.

​​I'm gonna be honest with you—it's the title of a Grateful Dead song! (Denise laughs) When I knew that this was my last show, I thought I'm gonna pay homage to some music that has inspired me as a dancer, because when you go to those shows and you see those people dance there, it's so free. I could say that this is the name of a song, but also the name inspires me. Even when I leave the school, the music never stops, dance will go on, art will go on. The journey will continue.

The Digital Media room—one of the spaces on campus that didn’t exist before the recent Strub Capital Campaign—is humming this March afternoon. Journalism students sit around a large square table, laptops open. They have a deadline coming up: an 8-minute podcast submission for the NPR High School Podcast Challenge. Everyone is working on their own projects, at their own speed, some in pairs, some working solo. Many have their headphones on, deep inside their editing software. Others are focused inside of their text documents, rewriting script elements and cutting out old content. But whenever instructor Kimberly Gomez cues up something on the central screen, everyone looks up to review the artwork or audio content for whatever feedback is required.

It’s no secret that COVID-19 changed a lot about the ways we gather, the ways we celebrate and the ways we collaborate. Our annual musical at Mayfield is a combination of all three elements. It is a gathering, a joyful celebration of talent, and a result of a deep collaboration between several conservatories: theatre, tech theatre, dance, vocal music and instrumental music. Although all of those conservatories have returned to performing and/or operating again this year individually, this production of “The Wizard of Oz” will be the first time everyone is joining forces together for a truly meaningful performance, with the talents of so many groups on display. 

It’s been 19 months since Mayfield’s Pike Auditorium theatre went dark, and although the recent All Arts Night briefly brought audiences back in person, yesterday was the first time Mayfield theatre returned in earnest, with the whodunit murder-comedy “Clue.” We sat down with Theatre Director Maryanne Householder to hear about the lead-up to this long-awaited opening night... 

The September opening of the senior visual art show gave the Mayfield community a glimpse of the talent that the Class of 2020 has to offer. “The show is a beginning point, with a combination of work they have done at Mayfield that could be in their portfolio,” said AP Studio Art teacher Amy Green. “Starting things at the top of the year, they can see their history and are able to see—hopefully—at least one piece that has a spark for their investigations.”

Two Mayfield poets wrote from the heart, personal messages they hold dear. A student photographer captured a poignant moment with her grandmother, a shot she treasures. A painter took a risk with a multimedia project and decided to put her work and vulnerability on display.