Cross-Culture Club

When Halim Marrujo decided to devote himself to the piano three years ago, he knew that his dream of becoming a concert pianist would require years of intense effort.

As one of 24 student volunteers who on Tuesday performed French composer Erik Satie’s enduring “Vexations”--a 24-hour-long piece in which the same melody is played 840 times in succession--Halim, 16, exercised a level of dedication few his age display.

“I was just fascinated whenever someone played the piano,” said Halim, a senior at Southwest High School in El Centro, recalling his initial love affair with the 88 keys.

Halim and more than 500 other high school students, mostly from California, are focusing on their muse while completing the last few days in the California State Summer School for the Arts held at CalArts in Valencia.

In the intensive, four-week program, qualified young artists live on campus and are immersed in the finer points of visual arts, film and video, animation, creative writing, music, dance and theater.

“It is a unique experience because not many kids get to be in this program,” said Halim, whose daily course work includes about seven hours of training and instruction.

The school was created by the state Legislature in 1987 to provide a supportive environment and training ground for budding artists who might pursue a career in the arts and entertainment industries in California. The highly competitive program usually accepts less than 25% of its applicants.

The fee for tuition, room, and board is $1,310 for California residents and $3,100 for those from out of state. Several need-based partial scholarships are available for state residents only.

Robert Jaffe, who has served as director since 1991, said the summer session allows students to develop an appreciation for all aspects of the arts, since some classes and performances are conducted in spaces where the art of other disciplines is being exhibited.

“There’s a constant cross-disciplinary fertilization that’s very much part of the program,” he said.

For instance, the morning tai chi class is taught in an indoor quad where the walls are lined with student paintings. Halim’s piano concert was held in a room decorated by student photographs.

Gabe Davis, 16, of Ventura, said the exposure to different media and other young artists in the same institution has helped him become a more adept animator.

“We’re not sitting there all day drawing,” he said. With field trips to the zoo and to stage performances, “We see how things move, and that helps our drawing.”

For others, like Gibran Consuelo, of Stockton, the supremely talented students in the program forced him to challenge himself.

“I didn’t even know how to paint. I never picked up a paintbrush before coming here,” said Gibran, 16, who has extended his interest in drawing to acrylic paints. “I was intimidated at first because everyone is so talented, but it helped me. It’s a good competitiveness.”

But many students said the program was a safe haven where like-minded young people could live together and develop deep, long-lasting friendships with others who share similar artistic sensibilities, while having the freedom to express their creative urges without fear of derision.

“You can have an intellectual conversation with anyone you want to here [because] people are open,” said Peabody Southwell, a 15-year-old from Sierra Madre whose summer emphasis is vocal and music training. “If I break into song, no one will look at me like I’m crazy.”