Positive Projections

Olivia Sebesky ’04 pulls the curtain back on her rise as a digital artist and how Far Hills influenced her trajectory.

As you sit in your seat, the anticipation builds. A white cloud has begun to coat the stage floor, with a kaleidoscope of colors shining down from the rigging high above. Drumbeats are pulsating through the venue, followed by guitar chords that keep you guessing. You think it’s the song, “Hannah Jane,” a known opener for their sets. A digital image that resembles the Cracked Rear View album cover appears. The music builds, louder and louder, until the moment the lights come up, and you hear the opening line, “You’ve got your big girl…” and you stand up and start singing along. You’ve waited months to attend this Hootie and the Blowfish concert. There’s a woman at a table at the soundboard with her laptop open, ensuring the digital production of this concert goes off seamlessly. Olivia Sebesky ’04 smiles as she realizes her artistic vision has successfully come to fruition.

A native of Mendham now living in New York City, Far Hills Country Day School’s own Olivia Sebesky is finding success in the field of live entertainment as a video designer and art director. At just 30, she has worked with many high profile artists and Broadway productions. This past year, Olivia worked on

both Hootie and the Blowfish’s Reunion Tour and Aerosmith’s Las Vegas Residency. She considers her tenure with these groups as her most significant professional accomplishments. Olivia was quick to note that it wasn’t based on their big names. “I was given full reign. I designed the entire sets and had full control,” said Olivia. She further stated that the relationships she built within the industry and with the bands themselves were vital to her success in an industry where word of mouth goes far. Looking back, Olivia credits much of her professional success to her time Far Hills.

Olivia joined FH in fourth-grade. By her own account, she was “not thriving” in public school and yearned for a school that felt like home. At FH, she quickly learned to express herself freely. The early groundwork in the exposure to all disciplines, including art, science, and English, is a testament to her well-rounded education. Academic success was not Olivia’s only accomplishment during her years at FH. She learned music theory in Lower School, “which, in hindsight, is so ambitious,” says Sebesky. This practice coincided with her years of learning to play flute with our music teacher, Olivia Sebesky ’04

When asked how FH prepared her for what she is doing today, Olivia didn’t hesitate—

“Empowered”

Amy Burns, whom Olivia considers a mentor. She believes our musical theater program is where she “found her voice.” “Mrs. (Maedean) Kramer also had such an important influence in my middle school years as I became interested in singing and performing.” Her confidence on-stage was enhanced by the intensive public speaking practice that is essential for all actors. To this day, FH students are encouraged and required to present from the early Preschool years through graduation. Olivia entered our halls with her confidence faltering. Looking back, she thinks that the encouragement to speak and perform publicly is the most important aspect of a middle schooler’s career because it bolsters personal strength for the present and future.

Her journey to her current success can not be defined by one, earth-moving moment. For Olivia, it has been a gradual process. From small bursts of support from her teachers at FH, singing “Christmas is a Feeling” at our holiday concerts, Crossing the Bridge at closing exercises, to Bruce Springsteen congratulating her at a forensics competition (she had to ask her mom, Janina, who he was), these snapshots of life at Far Hills helped define the woman Olivia is today. Since her time at FH and Northeastern University, Olivia brings her background in fine arts and music to digital medial work in the entertainment industry. She is a strong female in a male-dominated field, which she openly admits is a challenge. Thankfully, she has been lucky to work beside colleagues she defines as “feminist male mentors.” Being in the entertainment industry, Olivia knows when walking into a room that she may be faced with challenges, and she accepts them wholeheartedly. She states, “Winning people over is a game of chess.”Olivia’s momentum isn’t slowing down! As she moves PAGES | SPRING 2020 | 31