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Visual Arts

At Bishop Lynch, our student talent shines on stage, under the lights and on our gallery walls. Learn more about our stars – and star-makers – on campus.  

 

Performing Arts 

Acting 

The Blackfriars Guild is Bishop Lynch’s performing arts troupe that has been earning standing ovations since 1963. The Blackfriars put on a spring play and a spring musical each year, in addition to competing in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools’ One-Act Play competition.  

Besides honing students’ acting, singing and dancing chops, Bishop Lynch has a robust tech theatre program where students construct sets, design props and run the light and sound boards.  

It all culminates in an award-winning theatre program where students gain real-world experience on stage. Bravo! 

 

Band 

The Bishop Lynch Band – the Spirit of Bishop Lynch – provides the soundtrack for Friar Nation. From halftime shows under the lights of Roffino Stadium to concerts, parades, pep rallies, and competitions, the Bishop Lynch Band marches to the beat of its award-winning performances.  

The Bishop Lynch band program includes marching band, concert band, jazz band, percussion ensemble, the drumline, and Color Guard opportunities.  

Choir 

Bishop Lynch High School’s lauded choir program has quite the international resumé. With performances, competitions and pilgrimages as far away as Barcelona, Paris and Rome (to name a few), the Friar Choir’s award-winning music ministry delivers pitch perfect notes and service to the community.  

The Friar Choir also regularly rehearses with the Dallas Street Choir. With this community collaboration, BL student singers bring hope to people experiencing homelessness through their shared harmony.  

BL choristers also provide music for all-school Masses and hold twice yearly concerts on campus.  

Dance 

Bishop Lynch offers one semester dance courses for a variety of abilities – from Intro to Dance all the way to Choreography. A recital is performed at the end of each semester that features the hard work and talent of the dancers.  

The BL Brigade is Bishop Lynch’s award-winning drill team. Since the very first line started performing in 1967, the BL Brigade has high kicked, leaped and pirouetted into the very heart of Friar Nation. Known as the Pride of Bishop Lynch, the BL Brigade is a fan favorite at pep rallies and halftime performances.  

Visual Arts 

Drawing and Painting 

From Intro to Art, Advanced Intro to Art, Drawing and Painting I and II and Portfolio Presentation 2D and 3D, visual arts classes at Bishop Lynch cover the elements and principles of design, color theory, media literacy, and a survey of art history from ancient times to the present.  

Students learn how to take an idea from their imagination and give it physical form using pencil, charcoal and pastels, various painting techniques, color mixing, mixed media collage and assemblage. Students are also taught basic wood working techniques using both traditional hand tools and power tools.  

Photography 

In Bishop Lynch photography classes, artistry, technique and technology combine to create stunning images. Students have access to Nikon DSLR cameras and tripods, and they learn photography skills with Nikon DSLR cameras in full manual mode. On the editing side, students use Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom and Bridge in a fully equipped photo lab. Each semester, students can display their photography in the atrium gallery.  

 

Sculpture 

Sculpture classes at Bishop Lynch provide a working studio environment where contemporary innovations and formats coexist with traditional approaches in creating sculptural works of art. Lectures, class discussions and gallery visits are framed around a central concept, enduring thoughts or Big Ideas.  

Students use a variety of materials including wood, sheet metal and plaster and learn to work with tools like welders, chisels, rasps, and files.  

Through Sculpture I and II, students build confidence in producing meaningful works of art and embrace challenges that promote a growth mindset of curiosity and invention.  

 

 

Alumni in the Arts 

Bishop Lynch High School graduates have successful careers in the performing and visual arts, and their talent was nurtured on the BL campus. These Forever Friars are leaving their mark in the art world and inspiring audiences – and the next generation.  

Read about six alumni careers in the performing arts here.  

 

Our Facilities 

Bishop Lynch High School has state-of-the-art facilities for the visual and performing arts.  

  • The Catholic Foundation Performing Arts Center is home to Bishop Lynch High School’s dedicated spaces for theatre, choir and film.  
  • The McGonigle Theatre is a 380-seat state-of-the-art auditorium with traditional and LED theatre lighting systems and five stories to accommodate theatre fly space. There are backstage dressing rooms and a full workshop for set design. The school’s atrium space with a floor-to-ceiling glass wall serves as a bridge between the school and the theatre.   
  • The Black Box Theatre is an adaptable space for smaller audiences to experience live theatre up close. Fall and spring plays are often performed here.  
  • The choir room has a dedicated space with risers to give our choristers a performance-ready look and feel for rehearsals. 
  • The Film Room has movie theatre seating for movie aficionados and students of film to gather in their shared love of cinema. 
  • The Leyden Arts & Athletics Complex is home to sculpture, drawing/painting and photography studios. These studios are filled with natural light, and some have garage door access to a covered courtyard with work benches and tables designed to accommodate welding and other large-scale projects. The art studio has a large, tilted drawing board with a camera mounted above so the teacher’s step-by-step drawing lessons are projected onto a large smartboard screen. The art studio can easily be reconfigured to accommodate a wide range of activities.  
  • Bishop Lynch High School has a dedicated gallery space for displaying student and alumni artwork. The exhibits rotate frequently to showcase Friar visual art masterpieces – drawings, paintings, photography, and sculpture. 
  • The Band Hall is a state-of-the-art rehearsal facility with 30-foot ceilings, acoustic treatment and equipment storage for all instruments. 
  • The Reese Termulo Dance Studio provides more than 1600 square feet of space filled with natural light featuring 7-foot mirrored walls with permanent and portable ballet barres, sprung floors, in-room water fountains with filters, and a Bluetooth Sound System. 

 

Upcoming Events (link to event calendar)

Catch a performance throughout the school year! Tickets are available online at www.bishoplynch.org/tickets.  

 

 

Fine Arts Courses 

(PULL FROM COURSE DESCRIPTION GUIDE) 

 

Featured Students/Staffulty 

Frank Brown 

Frank Brown began teaching art at Bishop Lynch in 2000 after many years as a professional artist and illustrator. Mr. Brown’s paintings are in private, corporate and public collections, including the El Paso Museum of Art, The Midland Art Museum, Amarillo Museum of Art, and the San Angelo Museum of Art.  

With his caring and soft-spoken demeanor, Mr. Brown has helped thousands of Friars develop their artistic talent, art appreciation and knowledge of art history. Besides his classroom tutelage, Mr. Brown is the moderator for the Amazing Afterschool Art Club and the Architecture Club.  

 

Simone Clarke 

Simone Clarke loves photography, and she loves animals. While Simone has loaded up on science courses to prepare for a career in veterinary medicine, she has also explored animals through her camera lens. Simone’s eye for animals in nature has resulted in stunning photography, and members of Bishop Lynch’s fine arts department encouraged Simone to participate in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) Fall Photo Contest. 

Simone’s “Harris Sparrow” photo earned an Honorable Mention in the TAPPS 5A-6A Division, Animals Category. She credits BL faculty for showing interest in her photography skills and plans to continue photography as a hobby.  

Lorenzo Curran 

Lorenzo Curran is a leading man on campus. This triple threat can act, sing and dance – and he has showcased his on-stage skills in multiple Blackfriars Guild productions. From performing the lead as Robbie in “The Wedding Singer” and Lt. Frank Cioffi in “Curtains,” Lorenzo has also been cast in Bishop Lynch musicals and plays like “Grease,” “The Drowsy Chaperone,” “Antigone,” and “The Robe.” Lorenzo lends his beautiful tenor to the Friar Choir too. In fact, Lorenzo received an All-State Choir selection – an impressive accolade for an impressive young man!