Valley Students Place in Finals of Arts Contest

Twelve aspiring artists were given the chance of a lifetime this week when they performed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion--filling the hall with music and dazzling the audience with talent--as they competed for the coveted Spotlight Award.

Sponsored by the Music Center and the Telesis Foundation, the Spotlight Award is a rigorous competition for high school students in such categories as ballet, modern dance, opera, pop/musical theater vocal, classical instrumental and jazz instrumental.

Two finalists in each category competed Wednesday night before more than 2,000 high school students. The young artists were judged by a panel of celebrity judges that included jazz artists Buddy Collette and Horace Silver and pop singer Jody Watley.

Finalists included three San Fernando Valley students: Zane Musa, who lives in Arleta and is in the performing arts magnet program at Van Nuys High; Cameron Penn, a Tarzana resident and a student at Harvard-Westlake in North Hollywood; and Marti Williams, who lives in Burbank and attends the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.

Zane and Cameron faced off in the jazz instrumental category and ended up tying for first. The two boys became friends during the many auditions that led up to the Spotlight finals. They even jammed together--Cameron at the piano and Zane on sax--at 5th Street Dick’s, a jazz club in the Crenshaw District.

Cameron said Zane was the only competitor at the preliminary levels who was friendly.”That’s because he was confident,” Cameron said.

Marti was a runner-up in the category of pop/musical theater vocal. She said she was looking forward to going to a summer workshop in musical theater at the University of Redlands, one of the rewards of being a finalist.

She sang a George Shearing tune, “Lullaby of Birdland.” “Jazz is my favorite,” she said. “But I also really enjoy the spiritual aspect of gospel.”

Silver said he was excited to see youngsters enthusiastic about jazz. “I tell you, I was impressed that so many of these young people spoke of jazz, not just the (competitors) in jazz instrumental.”

Collette, who has met with Zane a number of times, said he enjoys being a mentor to young people. “It’s all about sharing and helping them be a star in some way,” he said.