Now Open: Ticket Registration for Focus on the Arts Community Events

Back for the first time since April 2019!

Highland Park High School

April 17, April 19 & 20, 2023

 Ticket registration is now open for community events at www.hphsfocus.org

Highland Park High School students, staff and community members are gearing up for the 28th celebration of Focus on the Arts, the school’s renowned festival of the arts. 

Focus events for the entire community:

Focus 2023’s festivities kick off with Opening Night, Monday April 17 at 7 PM with an evening of music. Performances for Opening Night begins with music from esteemed Broadway and recording artist Shayna Steele, a special performance by Violins of Hope, an organization which has restored instruments used during the Holocaust follows, and the evening culminates with a set of eclectic jazz performed by the newly formed super-band Windy City Jazz Electric, featuring prominent jazz musicians Robert Irving III, Paul Wertico, Corey Wilkes, Jose Rendon, and Steve Eisen, under the direction of Frank Russell. Opening Night is a reserved seating event. Tickets are free of charge and open to the public. Please visit www.hphsfocus.org for the link to register. Ticket registration is now open.

Art Night, Thursday, April 19 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM, is a favorite Focus event for families. Showcasing an eclectic selection of professional artists, Art Night offers students and community members the opportunity to interact with artists, observe demonstrations and participate in hands-on activities geared toward all ages. Talented HPHS visual arts students will also present their work in the HPHS Cafeteria and walkways. Art Night is also free and open to the public. No tickets are required.

The final public event is Dance Night, Thursday April 20 at 7 PM. Focus 2023 Dance Night includes performances by Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Giordano Dance Chicago, and Deeply Rooted, along with HPHS’s own Collage. Dance Night is a reserved seating event. Tickets are free of charge and open to the public. Please visit www.hphsfocus.org for the link to register.  Registration is now open. 

Focus events for District 113 students only:

Focus 2023 will present over 300 workshops, performances, and masterclasses with professional artists for the students of Highland Park High School during the school day on April 19 and 20, 2023. Students will have the opportunity to attend and participate in drama, music and dance performances, interactive activities in the visual arts, creative writing and architecture, and discussions with media personalities and social justice activists.  Please note that these events are not open to the public but for students only.

About Focus on the Arts:

Focus on the Arts is dedicated to sparking innovation, and creating new ways of thinking and viewing the world, for the students at Highland Park High School and our broader community. This multi-day, biennial festival allows direct interaction and hands-on experiences, working beside and learning from acclaimed professional artists across multiple disciplines.

Focus on the Arts is proud to have inspired thousands of students since its inception in 1967 and has helped create the next generation of both artists and creative thinkers who can help shape the future.

For more information on Focus on the Arts visit our website at www.hphsfocus.org, or our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/hphsfocus/or contact the Focus office at hphsfocus@dist113.org or 224-765-2178.