'Side-by-Side' with the pros
By Liz Hedrick 08/20/2008
To prepare the students for such ambitious pieces as Ravel’s Bolero, each will receive two private lessons from POPS musicians before performing Sept. 5, 6 and 7 at the orchestra’s final concert of the summer season at Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge.
“Being part of Side-By-Side gives me a sense of what it’s like to play in a real orchestra,” said 15-year-old Pasadena cellist Morgan Little, who attends LA County High School for the Arts and has already toured Austria with the Pasadena Youth Orchestra. “It’s an amazing feeling to play before an audience, knowing that all my hard work has paid off.
Other locals chosen for the Side-by-Side Symphony include trumpeter Todd Hedrick (no relation to the reporter) of John Muir High School, flutist Laura Lussier of South Pasadena Middle School and Altadena violist Geena Gauthier of Pasadena and Benjamin Penzner, both from Renaissance Arts Academy.
Glendale is represented by violinists Sevana Abramyan of Wilson Middle School and Ani Bukujian of Glendale High School.
Tickets to the POPS shows start at $20 and can be purchased by calling (626) 793-7172 or visiting pasadenapops.org.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT