Aiming for Stardom

One night a few years ago, Jessica Tivens walked out of the room where her mother was watching “Jake and the Fatman” to watch “Aida” with Placido Domingo on another TV.

After the performance, Jessica, age 7 at the time, told her mother, “This is what I want to do.”

Now a 14-year-old Calabasas High School freshman and opera singer, Tivens is well on her way. She spent Wednesday evening in a Capitol Records recording studio cutting a demo her producer hopes will land her a record deal and a concert at Carnegie Hall.

Tivens is one of 12 finalists in the eighth annual Music Center Spotlight Awards to be held Tuesday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. About 800 high school artists from six Southern California counties compete each year.

Two finalists in each of six categories are competing for first- and second-place scholarship awards of $5,000 and $2,500. The categories are ballet, modern dance, classical voice, pop and musical theater voice, classical instrumental and jazz instrumental.

“It’s pretty crazy around the house getting ready,” Tivens said. “I have to get a dress, practice and invite all my friends.”

Other finalists from Los Angeles County are:

* Jean Sayeg, a ballet dancer from Glendale.

* Sam Sadigursky, an Agoura High School saxophone player.

* Tony Austin, a drummer from North Hollywood who attends the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.

* Radu Pieptea, an 18-year-old senior at Crossroads School for the Arts and Sciences in Santa Monica. A native of Romania, he has played the violin since age 6.

* Allison Benter, 17, a senior at Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena. Benter, who has studied classical voice for three years, has been a California Arts Scholar for the last two years.

* Anastasia Horne, a 17-year-old senior at Claremont High School. Since age 5, she has been in a variety of stage and screen productions.

The Spotlight Awards were created to encourage gifted young artists to pursue careers in the entertainment industry, said creator Walter Grauman, a TV and movie producer.

“I always felt there was a lack of opportunities for really gifted young artists to perform in front of people who can help them develop their talents,” Grauman said.

Tivens, who takes weekly lessons at USC, has been singing since age 7. She has performed in Southern California, Ohio and Arizona. She made her recording debut in 1995 as a guest artist for Discovery Records.

At Tuesday’s competition, Tivens will perform the aria “Una Voce Poco Fa.”

“A lot of kids think it’s cool to sing in a different language,” said Tivens, who on other occasions has endured a bit of teasing for her taste in music.

Sayeg, a 16-year-old junior, has danced since age 3. She received scholarships each of the last three summers to dance with the San Francisco Ballet. As a member of a Pasadena dance company, she has appeared in various productions.

On Tuesday, Sayeg will dance the “Tambourine Variation” from a production called “Esmeralda.”

Sadigursky, a 17-year-old junior, has played the tenor and soprano saxophone for five years. Last year Sadigursky toured Japan as a member of the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Star High School Big Band.

*

“It’s a chance to play with other incredible musicians,” Sadigursky said about the Spotlight Awards competition. “It’s also a chance to perform for incredible judges.”

He will play a song titled “My Romance.”

Seventeen-year-old senior Austin has played the drums since age 10. He is a member of several bands at his high school. Recently, he also toured Japan as a member of the all-star big band. He frequently performs with his off-campus jazz band in Los Angeles-area clubs.

Austin will be in the spotlight Tuesday as he sets the rhythm to the song “Seven Steps to Heaven.”

Every year, Grauman said, the teenage artists are most thrilled with the idea of performing in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion--the 3,000-seat site of the Academy Award ceremonies.

Many of the youngsters who have competed in the Spotlight Awards have begun careers in entertainment, Grauman said. They are scattered throughout the country. Some work for dance or theater companies, others in jazz clubs.

Many of the finalists say they plan to make a career out of their art.

“I definitely want to make a living as a musician,” Sadigursky said.