Taking Notes : Philharmonic’s Salonen Leads High School Symphony

The standing ovation continued for nearly a minute, and grew steadily louder. Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen smiled broadly and gestured toward a teen-age musician, summoning him to the podium.

In a commanding interpretation of Ravel’s “Bolero” by the Santa Monica High School Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Jacobs had played the snare drum, the instrument that gives the work its foundation and intensity.

“I guess it was a big deal,” the 15-year-old said after being singled out. During the concert, he said, “I was more worried about messing up.”

The occasion was a special performance Monday by the high school’s 96-member orchestra under Salonen’s direction. The young performers played with remarkable poise and confidence. Later, a smaller chamber ensemble showed a deft touch with a sweet, fluid rendering of a Tchaikovsky string serenade.

This public high school orchestra has outperformed some of the best student symphonies in the world at international competitions and has a standing invitation to play Carnegie Hall. It was this reputation for excellence that caught Salonen’s eye. He first invited the orchestra to perform under his direction three years ago, as part of a fund-raiser for the Philharmonic.

“I heard people talking about this orchestra and this amazing program,” said Salonen, a Santa Monica resident.

The musicians who so impressed Salonen credit their mentor, Jeff Edmons, the school’s musical director, for their success. When Edmons, 30, came to Santa Monica High School five years ago, there were 80 students in the music program’s two orchestras. Now 240 students perform in five orchestras.

“Mr. Edmons is the hardest-working, most determined person on the face of the earth,” said Zachary Lodmer, who plays clarinet. “He constantly brings the best out of us.”

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Salonen said he was encouraged to see such a flourishing program at a public school.

“The arts are in trouble, . . . endangered, “ said Salonen. “Without great means, this orchestra developed, thanks to the enthusiasm and strong will of individuals like Jeff.”

The symphony became the first public high school to take first place in the International Youth and Music Festival in Vienna when it won the annual competition there three years ago. The Santa Monica group, in fact, was the only U.S. high school symphony ever invited.

Edmons--boyish, energetic and intense--works with each of the five orchestras daily during class and after school. The 17-piece chamber orchestra meets after school on Fridays and Saturdays.

Playing the works of classical composers has become a status symbol at Santa Monica High, outranking athletics for some students.

“Playing with a group of talented musicians is exhilarating,” said Lodmer, a 15-year-old who also plays baseball and basketball. “We all have a common thread. And it’s intense to see people from all walks of life coming together to make music.”

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The symphony’s reputation drew Kirsten Bersch from Germany to Santa Monica High. “I went to their concert in Vienna,” said Bersch, 17, who plays French horn and violin. A year later, she came to Santa Monica High on a student exchange program.

Youthful spirit and the camaraderie of the group carries over into the music they make, she said.

“The pros play perfect, and it’s a job to them. Because we don’t have the experience, we work harder and we’re more personally involved,” she said. “We put more emotion into the music.”

Performing at such an accomplished level, however, requires discipline.

“This environment is demanding, but you learn survival skills that carry over into other areas of your life,” said trumpet player Daniel Punt.

Meaningful relationships blossom in such an environment, said Punt, who will attend Harvard University in the fall. “We’re a tightknit community, so there is a lot of mentoring taking place.”

Audiences, said Edmons, sense the orchestra’s unity.

“We have students here from 23 countries,” said Edmons, who also is director of orchestras at Loyola Marymount University. “They’re close; they share their lives with each other. . . . It comes from the heart.”

Some students go on to major music conservatories, such as Julliard, Edmons said. Others play just because they like it.

The successful music program at Santa Monica High owes a great deal to the parents, said Edmons. When the orchestra traveled to Vienna in 1992 and to Valencia, Spain, last year for another competition, parent groups organized weekly fund-raisers.

“All this is a testimony to faith,” said parent Cleve Ford, whose 16-year-old daughter, Christina, plays second violin. “In the beginning, you would never believe that the noise would ever become music. The orchestra is a manifestation of the potential inherent in the magnificent lives of our children.”