While reading the section entitled “Culture in an Age of Reaction and Revolution” in my AP European History textbook, I came across the artistic and…
Posts published in “Arts”
Movies That Don’t Pass the Bechdel Test
By FRIDA JEFFERIS on March 2026
The Bechdel Test started as a comic strip in 1985, by Alison Bechdel, in which a lesbian character is telling her friend that she only…
Ithaca Is Murals
By SOL JORDAN on March 2026
Giving an enthusiastic wave to my friends, I let the back door of Autumn Leaves fall shut behind me, the small bells affirming my exit. …
IHS Musical to Compete in Inaugural Greater Binghamton High School Musical Theatre Awards
By ZADIE WANG on March 2026
IHS’s drama program, like all drama programs within ICSD, is an exceptional showcase of student talent and diversity. This year, IHS’s program is competing with…
Behind the Stage
By TAKUO KAWATE on March 2026
Imagine you’re walking into a theatre and you see a really cool set of props on stage and wonder: “How did they set this up?”…
Bad Bunny’s Great Night
By LIVIA AVGAR on March 2026
What role does culture play in this polarized moment in US history? On February 8, 2026, the Super Bowl halftime show gave us a glimpse…
A Movie Review: The Phantom of the Opera
By RANI SETHUPATHY on February 2026
Author’s Note: contains spoilers. A red rose; love. A white mask; fear. A beautiful voice; longing. The Phantom of the Opera is a haunting and…
NWOBHM at Forty-Five: Why it Still Matters in Today’s Musical Landscape
By GRIFFIN BRAHLER on February 2026
It was the late 1970s in Britain. The economy was collapsing. There were few jobs due to the de-industrialization of the workforce. Before the 1970s,…
Rediscovery of Music’s Hidden Gems: Bach’s Lost Organ Works Revealed
By ASHLEY PARK on February 2026
Recently, following the discovery of Stravinsky’s “Chant funèbre”, the authentication and premiere of two previously unknown organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach captivated the music…
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra: A Review
By JULIA KLEINBERG on December 2025
There’s nothing quite like the moment when the house lights start to dim in a crowded performance hall. The crowd hushes, the stage lights come…
Rediscovery of Music’s Hidden Gems: Stravinsky’s Chant funèbre
By ASHLEY PARK on December 2025
Following the discovery of a previously unknown Chopin waltz, we now delve into a lost chapter of early twentieth-century music: Igor Stravinsky’s Chant funèbre, also…
News Bites: Local Holiday Events
By CORALLUS MEEKS on December 2025
4-H Winter Craft Series: Tompkins County 4-H welcomes families to the final Winter Craft Series session on December 3. Each evening provides a hands-on seasonal…
Holiday Playlist
By CORALLUS MEEKS on December 2025
“Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” by Dean Martin: A cheerful winter tune celebrating the coziness of being indoors with loved ones…
The Video Store
By GRIFFIN BRAHLER on December 2025
Hello, and welcome to the first iteration of “The Video Store”, a column where I will review movies. Let’s jump in! Movie Number One:…
Rediscovering Music’s Hidden Gems: Unknown Waltz in A Minor by Chopin
By ASHLEY PARK on November 2025
After exploring Mozart’s youthful Serenade in C Major, K. 648, we now turn to a rediscovery that sent ripples through the classical world last year:…
Murder Has Two Faces: A Glimpse Into the Crisis of Missing and Murdered BIPOC Women
By ZADIE WANG on November 2025
Content warning: sexual assault, murder, child murder. On Friday, October 10, New York State Senator Lea Webb hosted a screening of Murder Has Two Faces…
Watchmen and the Modern Day
By GRIFFIN BRAHLER on October 2025
What do you think of when you think of comic books? Probably lots of action, colors, and a good guy triumphing over a bad guy.…
Rediscovering Music’s Hidden Gems: Mozart’s Serenade in C Major, K. 648
By ASHLEY PARK on October 2025
This summer, at the Bowdoin International Music Festival, I couldn’t help but wonder how many great pieces of music by early composers remain untouched. My…
“Lapse”: IHS Film Club Debuts First Short Film
By ZADIE WANG on October 2025
After months of preparation, IHS Film Club’s first short film, “Lapse” premiered on YouTube early last month. The film follows a young girl who “wakes…
Frida’s Feature Films
By FRIDA JEFFERIS on September 2025
Romeo + Juliet by Baz Luhrmann (1996) Watching this movie in my freshman-year English class is, to date, some of the most fun I’ve had dissecting…
String Instruments: A History of Names
By OLIVIA HAO on September 2025
If you’ve ever been to an IHS orchestra concert, you’re probably familiar with the classic European family of string instruments. The four instruments that feature…
An Ominous Playlist
By JONAH GILLIS on September 2025
In this mixtape, I compiled a list featuring over twenty tracks from the last seventy years, spanning the full spectrum of popular genres, with each…
Non-Western Artist Feature: Yayoi Kusuma
By MIA CHO on September 2025
“Our world is only one polka dot among a million stars in the cosmos. Polka dots are a way to infinity,” are words said by…
Summertime Vibes Playlist
By JONAH GILLIS on June 2025
Summer and music often go hand in hand. In this mixtape, I chose twenty songs from a wide range of genres and eras that all…
LGBTQ+ Playwright Feature: Paula Vogel
By CORALLUS MEEKS on June 2025
Paula Vogel is an esteemed Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose plays, including Mother Play, Indecent, and How I Learned to Drive, have been Tony-nominated. Since earning…
Before the curtains in Kulp Auditorium opened for this year’s musical, a few members of the cast stepped forward and spoke a few words beforehand…
Non-Western Short Films to Watch
By ZADIE WANG on May 2025
If you’re interested in exploring cinema beyond the restrictive Hollywood lens, non-Western short films are an excellent option: they offer important perspectives, tell stories intricately,…