Quinn McHale ’26
Each spring, the Upper School Arts Department holds the Dora Khayatt awards to honor student artists and musicians in the EA community. The competition consists of two parts: the “Dora Khayatt Prize in Music” and the “Dora Khayatt Prize in Art.” The event is an opportunity for student artists to create, compete, and showcase their talents.
Musicians perform a musical piece either original or a cover, spanning across a wide range of genres. Visual artists submit original pieces for consideration in categories of art including visual arts, woodworking, photography, 3D, and 2D. David Sigel, Visual Arts Department Chair, comments on the importance of the competition: “The Dora Khayatt competition is an opportunity for our student artists to receive recognition. As teachers, we are always encouraging, challenging, and supporting what our students do each and every day in the studios. We encourage not only our enrolled students but the whole Upper School to share what they have created beyond the formalized structure of our classes.”
The Dora Khayatt Awards were established in 1990 and were created to honor and prolong the legacy of Dora Khayatt, an artist featured in the Redfern Gallery in London, by providing annual support and recognition for students that exhibit excellence in the fine arts and music. Jim Erwin, Music Teacher, comments, “The Dora Khayatt Prize in Music encourages EA’s dedicated and gifted musicians to shine as individual performers.” The competition and performance opportunity is open to every interested Upper School student-musician, each of whom is assigned an eight-minute time slot to present their work in front of three professional judges from the Philadelphia area.
The long-established and cherished tradition of the Dora Khayatt Music Competition has seen many talented winners over the years. Students who have been at EA for many years may remember Episcopal Alumnus, Alex Oliva ’19. Oliva won freshman, sophomore, and junior years each time with original music, piano covers, and accompanied singing. Alex’s mother recalls Dora Khayatt, describing, “As a parent, I felt it was an important turning point in Alex’s decision to not only pursue music but confirmation and support of his original songwriting abilities.” Now, Alex is pursuing a career as a songwriter and performer. He has since graduated from the University of Southern California as a pop performance major and is currently in the process of earning his master’s. Alex’s outstanding performances in the Dora Khayatt Contests help recognize the inspirational effect that the competition has had on his career is truly moving.
This year’s competition celebrated a handful of talented musicians with diverse talents. A unique freshman and senior duo, Danity Pike ’27 and Jack Cellucci ’24 won with two original pieces: “Mr Sky” and “A Part of Mine.” The two composed and created lyrics for both pieces. The song “A Part of Mine” particularly resonated with the student body due to its unique inspiration. Pike comments, “I was inspired to write this song from being in nature at Outward Bound. I wrote it during my “solo” on the trip, when I was alone surrounded by plants and trees and flowers.”
The collective winners of the competition this year included plenty of young blood: along with Pike, freshman Fraser Wein ‘27 dazzled the EA community with her winning renditions of “Love in the Dark” by Adele and Samuel Dixon and “Maybe This Time” by John Kander and Fred Epp. Describing her motives for playing music, Wein explains, “…my love for singing and writing music has grown and overflows into every aspect of my life. When I’m dealing with stress or sadness, I’ll turn to music, writing about how I’m feeling or even just listening to songs I really connect to.” Wein appreciates Dora Khayatt for allowing her to share music with the EA community, stating, “Being able to perform in the Dora Khayatt Competition was an unbelievable opportunity, as I had grown up seeing others win…and knew immediately that I wanted to be up there performing.”
This year’s four winners are Danity Pike ‘27, Jack Cellucci ‘24, Fraser Wein ‘27, and the “Jazz Quintet” which included Ethan Zhou ‘25, Theo Engelman ‘25, Mihir Kohli ‘25, Ben Cook ‘25, and Connor Myers ‘27.
As music continues to inspire and unite us, the Dora Khayatt Music Competition stands as a testament to the power and beauty of musical expression, fostering talent and creativity for generations to come.