Students in the Upper School of Ad Fontes Academy in Centreville got to display their creative expertise during the school’s recent art and talent show. Called the Feriae Artium, it featured student sketches, paintings, sculptures and photographs, plus a talent show with musical and dramatic performances, including original compositions.

“The Feriae Artium is an opportunity for our creative students to show off their gifts in crafting beautiful art, prose and poetry, mixed media, music, comedy, and so much more,” said teacher Zach Rallo. “For our students to exercise their artistic capacities so well, in such a challenging year, was a joy to witness.”

Two of the many outstanding performers were Ellie Greaves and Elizabeth Hipp. During the show, Greaves, a freshman, performed her original music and lyrics to the song, “Fallen Soldier.” Her inspiration stemmed from worries about her brother.

“I’m close with my older brother, and he wants to be in the Navy,” she explained. “This song came from that place of fear that I may one day get a call saying my brother was killed in action. Every mom, dad, brother, sister or friend worries when someone they love goes overseas.”

A unique aspect of Greaves’s song is that each verse tells the same story, but from a different perspective. And taken together, they deliver the heart-wrenching and real feelings about losing a loved one in a war.

To see a video clip of her performance, go to:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x0NlzGugLNuFK0QSnDe7WLmEpuuinK7X/view?usp=sharing.

Hipp, a junior, composed a song for piano after realizing that life’s trials don’t last forever. “I named the song ‘Field of Flowers’ because those flowers are not luscious forever, nor are they gone forever,” she said. “There are seasons of joy and happiness, and of sadness and despair. Both these seasons make us better human beings.”

Hipp likes composing pieces with legato, meaning that the notes and chords are quite drawn out and emphasized. She said composing has also been a good stress-reliever for her during the pandemic.

“Finding things in life that stay consistent, no matter what, is very important – especially during these times,” she said. “With piano, I always find new ways to play different chords and styles with music, and that’s one of the key things that draws me to composing piano pieces.”

A video of her performance may be viewed at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tFrQgWkEhrQSb3BxbTm9vBhUJkBjeBRt/view?usp=sharing.

— Patti Boerger contributed to this story