On Friday night, March 4, five DCD alumni musicians returned to school to entertain the guests who had gathered to celebrate Nick Thacher in his journey to retirement and the presentation of the 2016 Alumni Award to Ralph Wales ’70 for his life’s work in multicultural and anti-bias education that truly aligns with DCD’s mission.
Amanda Beaudoin ’09 (a junior at Brown University), Katherine Holmes ’12 (a senior at Milton Academy), Sam Rochelle ’12 (a senior at Milton Academy), Aidan Collins ’12 (a senior at Roxbury Latin), and Teddy Beaudoin ’13 a (junior at Milton Academy), responded to music teacher Duane Claussen’s call for jazz musicians to create an alumni ensemble for the evening’s entertainment. Each had developed their love of jazz under his direction during their time at DCD. With no practice ahead of time, this group of young musicians sat down and played their favorite jazz standards to the delight of the crowd.
This unique collaboration also included three current DCD seventh graders who sat in for several songs, making the ensemble even more special. Owen Nagode, Charlie Sinnott, and Gabby Rayev joined in on solos without missing a beat! Despite the differences in age and ability, the musical camaraderie that each of these former and current DCD students felt was palpable. The common thread uniting them was a love and devotion to DCD, Mr. Claussen, Mr. Thacher, and all that jazz!
