Young Musicians

It was homecoming yesterday for 10-year-old Eric Wilson, who gracefully played classic jazz on his trumpet under a small Artscape tent. On his first trip to Baltimore's annual arts festival five years ago, he attended an exhibit where children were shown different musical instruments. Eric discovered the trumpet, and music began to dominate his life. He would practice up to six hours most days. The day before Artscape 1995, "we found a trumpet in a house they were tearing down in Park Heights," recalled Julius Wilson of Woodlawn, Eric's grandfather.

Like most seniors, Kimberly Bergstrom has been busy squeezing as much as she can out of her final high school days before graduating next week. Bergstrom, 18, who attends Southern High School in Anne Arundel County, has played the flute since fourth grade and once dreamed of making it a career. But because reality tells her she has a "million-to-one" shot of landing in a symphony orchestra, she plans to enroll at Towson University this fall and major in music education. Yesterday, however, she lived her dream for a day, playing with a professional orchestra to a sellout crowd at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Two gifted young musicians from the Howard County public school system will take center stage at the Smith Theatre at 2 p.m. Sunday when the Columbia Orchestra presents a program of music by Beethoven, Prokofiev, Ravel and Frank Martin. Flutist Martha Cargo and violinist Xinzi Liu are this year's winners of the annual Young Artist Competition sponsored by the orchestra. The pair of accomplished young musicians was chosen from a field of 23 applicants after submitting to a preliminary audition and performing a solo recital.

TRUE MAPLE SYRUP, fresh from the tree, will be yours at the annual Maple Sugarin' Festival from 10: 30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Hashawha Environmental Appreciation Center. For 15 years, families have attended for the making and tasting demonstrations, the pancake brunch, and full slate of family activities. Hashawha is at 300 John Owings Road, next to Bear Branch Nature Center. It is easily reached from Route 97 north of Westminster or from Bachmann Valley Road. Several sugar maples will be tapped for sap, which is gathered and boiled into syrup.

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.

M.H. Jennifer Yeh remembers well the clammy hands, the hot flashes, the fidgeting and the nausea that always came before a musical performance. She never conquered the feeling totally, not even by the time she was in high school. But she discovered some strategies that helped -- like worrying less about what her teacher or audience may think and performing for her own enjoyment. "You have to look at discouragements as hills to climb over," says Yeh, 19, a Cornell University freshman from New Freedom, Pa., who has studied piano and violin since age 7. "They are a source of motivation.

Jane Kenworthy, the energetic, enterprising executive director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra for the past three seasons, said last night that she is resigning her position effective early January. Kenworthy, 54, said she is leaving to accept a post as executive director of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, an organization that oversees eight young people's instrumental ensembles in the Minneapois-St. Paul metropolitan area. Kenworthy, who began her career in arts administration managing the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, expressed her delight at the prospect of working once again with talented, young musicians.

Stroll by the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall tonight and you might get the impression that Darth Vader and his Death Star compadres have landed in Baltimore.Strains of John Williams' "Star Wars" score will burst forth as young musicians -- part of Baltimore County's annual High School Honor Band, Chorus and Orchestra -- play violins, violas, cellos and double basses.Later, students playing trumpets, tubas and trombones will interpret C.E. Duble's "Bravura," creating visions of a circus high-wire with glamorous, lithe performers.

OUTSTANDING YOUNG musicians from across the country auditioned in the spring for the eighth annual Disney's Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra.One was Elijah Smith of Sykesville.Elijah was one of 85 youngsters ages 8 to 13 selected for the orchestra, which was led by Lucas Richman.Richman is assistant conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony and principal conductor for the Pasadena Pops Orchestra in California.Prospective members were required to submit a written application outlining performance experience and award history.