13 Competing for Arts Scholarships

Thirteen Ventura County students are among 370 high school students in Southern California performing in a prestigious scholarship competition sponsored by the Music Center of Los Angeles County.

The students are auditioning before Music Center judges this month and in December in the Spotlight Awards competition. Categories include opera, classical instrumental music, jazz instrumental music, ballet and modern dance, and pop and musical comedy, spokeswoman Alison Moore said.

Ten semifinalists from each category, selected in January, will participate in master classes with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Music Center Opera and other groups. After the master classes, two winners will be chosen from each category in March. The 10 winners will share scholarship money of $45,000.

The Ventura County competitors are Leah Florence of Camarillo; Helen Faith, Tanisha Miller, Giovanna Moraga and Shalon Turner, all from Oxnard; Shani Harriott of Port Hueneme; Georgina Cebrero, Shannon Hermanson, Marnie Mercado and Nicole Murphy from Thousand Oaks; and Christine Lunde, Joshua Ray and Brandy Spiegle of Ventura.