Young Musicians

Very few performances are as lighted with enthusiasm and passion as those given by orchestras comprised of young musicians.Saturday night in Meyerhoff Hall, the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic nailed the opening of Berlioz's "Corsair Overture." There was a sense of ensemble as sharp as a just-opened razor; there was intonation that featured pinpoint accuracy; and the rest of the piece had a trajectory like that of a Roman candle. And the performance glowed inwardly with as much heart-felt lyricism as it shone with brilliance and grandeur.

I read Gina Eichman's letter praising parents' and teachers' commitment to their children's musical pursuits and in particular praising the efforts and ingenuity of the Howard County Gifted and Talented (GT) High School Orchestra. I second her praise and am an avid music supporter, as are my children. Unfortunately, the opportunity she references is not available to all young musicians in the county: Those students who attend private schools are prohibited from joining the county GT group.

THE GLENELG High School Choir and Orchestra traveled to Orlando, Fla., to perform in the All-Star Music Festival during spring break. Nearly 200 students, chaperons and parents made the 17-hour bus ride. Choral director Nancy Buckel called it their "big trip of the year." "The bus trip was really, really long, but it was still fun," sophomore Jaimie Fleming said. This was Jaimie's second spring trip with the choral group. Previous destinations have been the Bahamas, Virginia Beach, Va., and Myrtle Beach, S.C. The group left Howard County on a Thursday and was able to catch some sleep during the ride.

When violinist Benjamin Beilman performs for the Candlelight Concert Society on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. at Howard Community College's Smith Theatre, he'll surely be one of the younger people in the house. That's because this 22-year-old Curtis Institute graduate is off to a precocious start with his professional career. Helping give him a boost are the performance prizes he has received from the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Friends of Music Concerts in New York and Howard County's own Candlelight Concert Society.

Melanie Hoffner made her debut last night on the home field of Oriole shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. and power hitter Rafael Palmeiro.No -- Melanie did not try out for the team. The Ellicott City seventh-grader was among the 42 members of the Patapsco Middle School wind ensemble that played the Canadian and American national anthems before last night's game between the Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore."It was awesome," Melanie, 12, shouted as she rushed off the field with her oboe, moments after playing before the sellout crowd of 47,194.

When musicians gather in Ocean City in March for the convention of the Maryland Music Educators Association, 75 young musicians will be representing Anne Arundel County as members of the seven All-State performing groups.More than 4,100 music students in grades seven through 12 auditioned for the groups last November at Westminster, whilethe vocalists gathered at four other sites in Maryland. Those chosento participate in the seven groups were notified in late December orearly January.The students reported to various sites in Ocean City Feb. 28 and todayto begin an extensive rehearsal schedule with a variety of guestconductors.

Some of Carroll County's most talented young people will take to the stage tonight for the annual Concert of Young Musicians, a program that will show the musical skills of local teen-agers.Twelve students, age 12 to 17, will perform on piano, French horn, violin, flute and trumpet, starting at 7:30 p.m. at Ascension Episcopal Church, 23 N. Court St., Westminster. This is the 30th year for the concert."This is a wonderful way for parents to see students in performance, as well as the music teachers, because you're also seeing the work of the private educator," said Hilary Hatfield, executive director of Carroll County Arts Council, which sponsors the event.

THE BALTIMORE Symphony Orchestra holds its first soloist competition next weekend among 55 young musicians competing for cash prizes and for a chance to play with the BSO if David Zinman, the music director, feels the winner is good enough.The public is invited to the free finals at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 28, but tickets are needed (two to a person). Call 783-8000.To be eligible, the competitors, age 16 to 25, all have some Maryland tie, such as Maryland residence or being a student or teacher in a Maryland school.

High culture has seldom been so charmingly and winningly presented on television as it is during "Disney's Young Musicians PTC Symphony Orchestra," at 8 p.m. tonight on cable's Disney Channel.Music and children have been an unbeatable combination for centuries, from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart down to Michael Jackson when he fronted the Jackson Five. But sometimes you have to spend some money to put them together, as Disney obviously did when it recruited 65 musical prodigies, with an average age of 11, to play this 50-minute concert.

MICHAEL WATTS, a 14- year-old freshman at Centennial High School, recently spent a weekend in Boston recording a segment that will be heard on National Public Radio. Michael, a cello player who lives in Ellicott City, will be featured on From the Top, a weekly showcase of young classical musicians that is heard on nearly 300 radio stations throughout the nation. Locally, the hourlong show is heard on WETA (90.9 FM) at 7 p.m. Sundays. Michael and the other members of his string quartet played the first movement of Dvorak's "American" Quartet for the show.

Baltimore resident Amy Klosterman was a piano teacher at the Baltimore School for the Arts for 15 years, but her involvement with a youth band in Uganda started with a journey unrelated to music. In the summer of 2007, she traveled to Uganda to do volunteer work. One day, while participating in a community event, rain forced her and others to cram into a tent. "I got to talking to these strangers," said Klosterman, 45. "I told them I was a musician, and they told me about the brass band.

Loraine P. Bernstein, a musical trust's administrator who assisted young musicians in gaining an audience, died of a heart attack Tuesday at Good Samaritan Hospital. The Mount Washington resident was 82. Born Loraine Panek in Warehouse Point, Conn., she was the youngest of three children of Polish immigrant farmers who raised vegetables and cigar tobacco in the Connecticut River Valley. "She was a child of the Depression and had lots of stories about the farm she used to her advantage during my childhood," said her son, Richard M. Bernstein of Freeland.

When legendary silent-film comedian Buster Keaton portrayed a clumsy university athlete trying to impress a girl, saving the day by becoming a human rudder for his rowing team, his flair for the sight gag was undeniable. Perhaps not as evident to most modern-day viewers of the 1927 movie "College" or any of Keaton's classic motion pictures, is the major role the musical score plays. But that's not the case with Andrew Greene. Since the 2009 graduate of Broadneck High School discovered ragtime music during private piano lessons several years ago, he has immersed himself in it and never looked back.

"I believe the music world is about to burst into a new age of glory," says Benjamin Zander. If so, it may be because the British-born conductor has been responsible for so much combustive fuel over the past several decades. His intensely committed level of music-making from the podium has earned him cult status. Zander's primary musical outlet during the regular concert season is in Massachusetts, where he's the founding conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, a dynamic orchestra of professionals, students and amateurs.

Corey Hamilton's tuba is 4 inches wider than he is. The instrument measures in at 33-by-18 inches, and 10-year-old Hamilton is about 56 inches tall and 14 inches hip-to-hip. The tuba looks as if it's older than its musician, and the sound it makes is easily twice as loud as Corey's speaking voice. But none of that stopped Corey, a rising fifth-grader at Worthington Elementary School, from learning to play it this summer - so he could fill a much-needed chair in the school band. "When I started, these notes looked so hard, and I didn't know what buttons to press," the Ellicott City resident said.

Learning music by reading about it is like making love by mail," said eminent violinist Isaac Stern. For two decades, young musicians seeking practical experience have found plenty of it at the National Orchestral Institute. This venture, presented by the University of Maryland's School of Music in College Park, brings together about 100 players each year for intensive performances and career-preparing seminars, working with a faculty that includes members of leading orchestras (including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra)

The O'Malley Senior Center, 1275 Odenton Road, invites all senior citizens, their families and friends to attend an open house and holiday concert at 6:30 p.m. Friday.The concert will feature an encore by two gifted young musicians, Hsui-Hui Wang and his sister, Sheng-Tsung, who graced the center with a performance in the fall. By popular request, they will entertain guests with the sound of holiday music reflecting the beauty, serenity and joy of the season.Ms. Wang has won numerous competitions and awards, including the Emerson String Quartet Competition, the Renee B. Fisher Award for outstanding Achievement in Music and the Hartford Symphony Auxiliary's Young Artist Competition.

Sara Red had nightmares the day before the competition. Laura Bolton danced around nervously before her performance. And Andrew Yang's hands were sweating until he took the stage. All normal before a competition -- especially one as intense as yesterday's Columbia Orchestra Young Artist Competition. "I was shaking backstage," said Laura, 12, who has been playing the flute for four years. "It was a little better when I got on stage." Laura was one of a dozen young musicians who competed yesterday at Howard Community College's Smith Theater for a chance to play a solo with the Columbia Orchestra on March 5. More than 40 family, friends and supporters, including a few fathers toting video cameras, filled the performance hall.

The conductor has heard enough. His hand shoots into the air, and the 20-year-old clarinetist in the bright orange shirt abruptly stops playing a Mozart concerto. Kyle Beard's eight minutes are up. It's the first day of his junior year in college, and Beard has already taken his most important test. The one that will determine whether he has finally landed a chair in the coveted symphony orchestra at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. "If you are an orchestral musician, you will spend your first week here, or possibly your first day, nervous as hell," said Beard, while waiting for the formal results of his audition.