Area Teen Musicians Perform in New York

Thomas Peters, a 17-year-old from Reseda, thought he wanted to pursue a medical career. But after he performed with 45 of his classmates at New York City’s Lincoln Center, it looks like trumpet playing may be his true calling.

“I’m thinking of continuing in music after all,” he said. “All I know is I want to keep playing.”

Members of the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies’ Symphonic Band have found a renewed interest in music after competing against 15 of the top musically talented schools nationwide, said the band’s conductor, Sam Baltimore, who is also the school’s chairman of the visual and performing arts department.

Getting to New York for the students and their 20-plus chaperons was no easy feat. Fund-raising began in October, and through private donations, dinners and concerts, the band was able to raise the needed $70,000 to pay for the trip last month.

Although the performance at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall was a first for the students, it marked the 25th anniversary of Baltimore’s performance. He played bass there in 1972.

Going back as a conductor was just as exciting, he said.

“It was so easy to be a conductor there because of the acoustics, you could hear everything,” Baltimore said. “The band almost plays itself.”

The Symphonic Band took home a bronze medal for its performance.

The students also performed an outdoor concert at New York’s South Street Seaport.

But New York City is not the first big-time venue for one of the school bands. Last year, the jazz band played with a number of world-renowned musicians--including vocalist Les McCann, saxophonist Lenny Morgan and trumpet player Bobby Shew--at the Monterey at Sea festival.

Baltimore said it’s important to have children play music with the professionals to show them what is possible if they continue to practice. “It’s hard to get a kid to a level of performance if they don’t get to hear what a great performance sounds like.”