semi-finalists for Music Center Spotlight Awards announced

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 26, 2009

CONTACT:
Leticia Rhi Buckley
213-972-3335
lbuckley@musiccenter.org

 

MUSIC CENTER ANNOUNCES SPOTLIGHT AWARDS PERFORMING ARTS SEMI-FINALISTS

91 Talented High School Students From Throughout Southern California Advance to Next Round in Prestigious Arts Program

 
LOS ANGELES – The Music Center of Los Angeles County announced the 91 talented high school students chosen as performing arts semi-finalists for the 21st annual Music Center Spotlight Awards.  These young artists were selected from among 1,326 Southern California students who auditioned in the six categories: ballet, non-classical dance, classical voice, non-classical voice, classical instrumental and jazz instrumental music.

The preliminary round of auditions for the Music Center Spotlight Awards took place from October through December.  High school students from public and private schools from across Southern California performed before panels of expert judges.  Each student receives detailed evaluations on their auditions, intended to help them improve their performing and auditioning technique.  After the auditions concluded in each category, the judges selected the top 15 students to advance to the semi-finals. 

The 91 semi-finalists receive a unique opportunity to attend special master classes with highly regarded professional artists who offer in-depth insight on performance technique, training, and professional life.  Each semi-finalist will audition again before a new panel of judges, who will then select the top two performers to advance to the finals.

The Music Center will announce the 12 performing arts finalists in March.  Each young artist will be paired with a mentor/host from the Music Center’s Fraternity of Friends, a volunteer membership organization comprised of prominent Los Angeles businessmen and entertainment industry professionals who support the Music Center. The mentors provide guidance and support to the students and their families in preparation for the final competition, the Spotlight Awards show held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Saturday, May 2, 2009.

The Music Center Spotlight Awards is one of the nation’s most acclaimed performing and visual arts education programs for teens.  It offers distinctive learning opportunities in the arts for all participants and awards over $100,000 in scholarships annually to finalists, semi-finalists and participants who receive honorable mentions.  The program has launched numerous professional careers—fifteen finalists are Presidential Scholars and many have joined or performed with professional companies including the Metropolitan Opera, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.   Many alumni return to the program and participate as judges and master class instructors.

Frederic M. Roberts is founding chairman of the Music Center Spotlight Awards; Thomas Weinberger is chairman and Walter Grauman is creator/executive producer. The program is a project of the Fraternity of Friends, a volunteer membership organization of men who support the Music Center. 

Bank of America is the principal corporate sponsor of the Music Center Spotlight Awards; additional support is provided by a generous grant from Helen and Peter Bing, Principal Program Benefactors.

For more information about the Music Center Spotlight Awards program, call 213-972-3300 or visit musiccenter.org.

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BALLET

Ellen Akashi   
Fountain Valley
12^th, Fountain Valley High
Orange

Skylar Campbell
Ladera Ranch           
12^th, Tesoro High
Orange

Alana Griffith
Encino 
11^th, Highland Hall    
Los Angeles

Karen Johnson  
Orange         
11^th, Lutheran High of Orange County
Orange

Chris Kaiser   
Diamond Bar            
12^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts      
Los Angeles

Jamie Kopit    
Huntington Beach               
10^th, Edison High      
Orange

Natalie Krakirian      
Burbank        
10^th, California Virtual Academies     
Los Angeles

Elle Macy
Huntington Beach               
10^th, Huntington Beach High    
Orange

Taryn Nowels   
Huntington Beach               
11^th, Huntington Beach High    
Orange

Jacob Robleto
Covina         
12^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts      
Los Angeles

Hannah Schiller
Trabuco Canyon         
10^th, Eagles Peak Charter      
Orange

Sareen Tchekmedyian
Huntington Beach               
10^th, Edison High      
Orange

Nicole Vitale  
Aliso Viejo            
12^th, Aliso Niguel High
Orange

Bryn Watkins   
Orange         
9^th, El Modena High    
Orange

Megan Yamashita
Newport Coast          
10^th, Calvary Chapel High School       
Orange

Mable Yiu      
Laguna Hills           
10^th. Laguna Hills High
Orange

NON-CLASSICAL DANCE

Kevin Le
Hermosa Beach
11^th, Bishop Montgomery High
Los Angeles

Ellen Akashi
Fountain Valley
12^th, Fountain Valley High
Orange

Ryan Anderson-Clugston
Lake Elsinore
12^th, Temescal Canyon High
Riverside

Jordan Casanova
Chino Hills
11th , Ayala High
San Bernardino

Jason Cota
Los Angeles
12^th, Coast High (Alternative)
Los Angeles

Rai Garcia
Tujunga
12^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Renee Kester
Seal Beach
10^th, Orange County High School of the Arts
Orange

Jared Marks
Lancaster
12^th, Idyllwild Arts Academy
Los Angeles

Elizabeth Feliz Martinez
Los Angeles
12^th, East L.A Alternative Education Center
Los Angeles

Scott Myrick
Yorba Linda
11^th, Esperanza High
Orange

Ginny Ngo
Alhambra
11^th, Alhambra High
Los Angeles

Joshua Rodriguez
Highland Park
12^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Evan Schwarz
Calabasas
11^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Gabrielle Segall
West Hills
11^th, New Community Jewish High School
Los Angeles

Sareen Tchekmedyian
Huntington Beach
10^th, Edison High
Orange  CLASSICAL VOICE

Amanda Achen
Corona
12^th, Corona High
Riverside

Brianna Beard
Murrieta
12^th, Murrieta Valley High
Riverside

Samuel Chan
Idyllwild
10^th, Idyllwild Arts Academy
Riverside

Emily Dyer
Cypress
11^th, Valley Christian High
Orange

Sophia Kaminski
Pasadena
9^th, Flintridge Preparatory
Los Angeles

Ziming Li
Carlsbad
11^th, La Costa Canyon High
San Diego

Matthew Lulofs
Irvine,
11^th, Orange County High School of the Arts
Orange

Johnathan Ryan McCullough
Sherman Oaks
11^th, Notre Dame High School
Los Angeles
Hannah McDermott
Manhattan Beach
10^th, Mira Costa High School
Los Angeles

Andrew Neumayer
Orange
12^th, Tustin High
Orange

Elisa Perez-Selsky
Chino Hills
12^th, Chino Hills High School
San Bernardino

Sean Plumb
Los Angeles
11^th, Loyola High School of Los Angeles
Los Angeles

Matthew Rosell
Burbank
12^th, Burbank High
Los Angeles

Melody Stolpp
Santa Ana
11^th, Foothill High
Orange

Melissa Zgouridi
Fullerton
11^th, Orange County High School of the Arts
Orange

NON-CLASSICAL VOICE

Jacqueline Boyadzhyan
Shadow Hills
12^th, Burbank High
Los Angeles

Victoria Dumapias
Fontana
11^th, Etiwanda High
San Bernardino

Alana Grossman
Camarillo
11^th, Newbury Park High
Ventura

Nina Herzog
Loma Linda
12^th, Orange County High School of the Arts
San Bernardino

Derek Klena
West Covina
12^th, South Hills High
Los Angeles

Ziming Li
Carlsbad
11^th, La Costa Canyon High
San Diego

Matthew McFarland
Manhattan Beach
12^th, Mira Costa High School
Los Angeles

Alex Mendoza
San Gabriel
12^th, Monrovia High
Los Angeles

Melissa Myatt
Inglewood
12^th, City Honors High School
Los Angeles

Minhdang Nguyen
Buena Park
12^th, Kennedy (John F.) High
Orange

Erika Peterson
Laguna Niguel
12^th, Dana Hills High
Orange

Daniel Reardon
South Pasadena
12^th, Polytechnic
Los Angeles

Matthew Rosell
Burbank
12^th, Burbank High
Los Angeles

Hannah Schwartz
San Clemente
11^th, Orange County High School of the Arts
Orange

Ryan Steinberg
Los Angeles
11^th, Palisades Charter High School
Los Angeles     CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL

Stephany Bai
Glendale
Violin
11^th, Polytechnic
Los Angeles

James Calix
South Pasadena
Clarinet
12^th, Loyola High School of Los Angeles
Los Angeles

Tim Callobre
Pasadena
Guitar
10^th, Polytechnic
Los Angeles

Austin Chen
Diamond Bar
Piano
9^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Jeannie Chen
Northridge
Piano
12^th, Granada Hills Senior High
Los Angeles

Hannah Cho
Los Angeles
Violin
9^th, Crossroads
Los Angeles

Andrea Choi
Los Angeles
Piano
9^th, Hamilton Senior High
Los Angeles

Richard Dobeck
Santa Monica
Clarinet
12^th, Santa Monica High School
Los Angeles

Marley Eder
Santa Clarita
Flute
12^th, Academy of the Canyons
Los Angeles

Linda Edsinga
San Pedro
Piano
11^th, South Bay Faith Academy
Los Angeles

Dennis Fang
Irvine
Piano
9^th, Arnold O. Beckman High School
Orange

Allan Hon
Tustin
Bass
12^th, Arnold O. Beckman High School
Orange

Carina Jette
Arcadia
Flute
12^th,Flintridge Preparatory
Los Angeles

Michelle Tseng
Huntington Beach
Violin
12^th, Orange County High School of the Arts
Orange

Tianpeng (Timmy) Yu
Idyllwild
Piano
10^th, Idyllwild Arts Academy
Riverside

JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL

Joshua Crumbly
Palmdale
Bass
12^th, Quartz Hill High
Los Angeles

John Egizi
Ventura
Trombone
11^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Ventura

Balam Garcia
Los Angeles
Guitar
11^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Ryan Greenfield
Agoura Hills
Saxophone
11^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Michael Gurrola
La Crescenta
Bass
12^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Levon Henry
South Pasadena
Saxophone
12^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Cameron Johnson
Los Angeles
Drums
10^th, Crossroads
Los Angeles

Justin Klunk
Torrance
Saxophone
12^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Justin Kopczynski
Glendale
Guitar
12^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Samuel Miller
Rolling Hills
Drums
12^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Christopher Mitchell
Northridge
Guitar
12^th, Granada Hills Senior High
Los Angeles

Jihyun Moon
Glendale
Piano
12^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles

Chase Morrin
San Diego
Piano
10^th, Canyon Crest Academy
San Diego

Aaron Provisor
Los Angeles
Piano
12^th, Hamilton Senior High
Los Angeles

Maximillian Zooi
South Pasadena
Saxophone
11^th, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts
Los Angeles