Bellows Free Academy held its second Fine Arts Night on Dec. 8.  The event featured what the BFA’s Art Department has to offer. This included the Improv Team, chorus and chamber choir, Drama Club, band, orchestra and dance solos. Performances also included the Saint Albans Town Education Center’s Chamber Choir and the Saint Albans City School’s Jazz Combo. The connector and areas near the main stairs leading to the gym displayed artwork. This included photos, collages, molds, and even on-spot drawings. 

Although this is only the second Academy Arts Night BFA has produced, the idea of the event happening isn’t new. 

Eric Bushey is the band director here at BFA. According to Bushy, “The Fine Arts Department has been talking about doing this for a long time. Last year it finally came together, and with such great success we had to do it again.”

According to Bushey, last year several collaboration meetings were held with teachers from each arts division to come up with the format. This year there were similar meetings held before school. The major difference this time around was for there to be more passing time, so students who performed back-to-back in different areas would have more time to get where they needed to be. 

Faith Ayers (‘26) participated in Band I, Jazz Band and a dance solo at the Fine Arts Night. “I thought it was a really good idea. I thought a lot of people were enjoying it and a lot of people came to it.” Ayers said she loved doing her dance solo and working with everyone who helped make it come together. 

Molly MacKenzie (‘25) played for the orchestra and had a violin solo. Although she believes her solo didn’t go as well as she wanted it to, she said her ensemble experience was pretty solid.

“I think it went better this year. It’s pretty good that different arts groups can see what’s going on [in other arts groups]. It’s also really good exposure for the orchestra because I feel like not a lot of people know about us,” MacKenzie said.

Although the next Arts Night is expected to be held early next December, you can catch some other Fine Arts performances before then. The next Band Concert is on Mar. 15. and get ready to watch Drama Club’s one-act “The Chips are Down” on Mar. 30.