Teen Opera Singer Wins $5,000 Award

Joshua Lee of Santa Monica has always loved music. The 17-year-old senior at Crossroads High School in Santa Monica was recently awarded a 1992 Spotlight Award given by the Fraternity of Friends of the Music Center for his vocal performance of “Where’er You Walk” from the opera “Semele.”

Lee received a $5,000 scholarship and will use it to study the performing arts. Next fall, he plans to continue his academic studies while also working toward a professional career as an opera or classical singer.

The annual competition drew more than 400 applicants from Southern California high schools. The Music Center’s performing arts program included competitions in opera, ballet, classical instrument, jazz dance, pop vocalist and jazz instrumental.

In the opera competition, the field began with 50 applicants before being narrowed to 11 semifinalists and then two finalists.

“At the first audition, I felt very strong in my performance and I surprised myself,” he said. “When I made it to the semifinals I was ecstatic, and that gave me more incentive to try even more during the final audition.”

For three months, Lee polished his performance with the help of two private instructors. “Where’er You Walk” is a baroque aria, a difficult form for singers, Lee said, because its simplicity requires more emotion and subtext from the performer.

Lee grew up listening to classical music but never really had an interest in performing it. But a few years ago during a summer session at UCLA, a friend played a tape and introduced Lee to music of opera singer Kathleen Battle.

“I fell in love with the classical voice,” he said. “Then I started listening to more opera and started studying it.”

Lee noted that some of his friends have also started to develop an interest in opera and classical music.

“My friends have started to listen to classical music because they know someone who is into it,” he said. “By looking at me, they’ve decided they should give it a chance.”

Pianist Seth Stuart of Brentwood and trumpeter Raphael Leib of Hancock Park have been named to the All-Southern California Junior High Jazz All-Stars sponsored by the Southern California School Band and Orchestra Assn.

Both musicians are ninth-graders at Walter Reed Junior High School in North Hollywood. They have also been participants in the All-Southern California Honor Band.

Helen Young, founder of Associated Women for Pepperdine, was selected 1992 California Mother of the Year by the American Mothers Inc. in February.

Young, the mother of four grown children, will compete for the national Mother of the Year title in late April.

She also serves on a number of civic and educational boards, including those of United Way Region Four, the Otis Art Institute and Women’s Division of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. She lives in Malibu.

The Santa Monica Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution gave its Good Citizen Award to Shawna Bader.

Shawna, 17, a senior at Santa Monica High School, received a certificate and $50. At the group’s February monthly meeting, Bader was recognized for academic excellence, leadership qualities and athletic involvement in Santa Monica.

An endowed chair in family medicine has been established at the UCLA School of Medicine with a gift of $500,000 from George F. Kneller, professor emeritus of education in the UCLA Graduate School of Education.

The chair was created to promote research in family medicine. Kneller served on the UCLA faculty from 1953 until his retirement in 1976.

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