By Hector Gonzalez
Special to The Lookout

December 22, 2015 -- Three young Santa Monica High School musicians were among 673 hand-picked students from high school music programs throughout the country who recently got to rehearse and perform in a one-of-a-kind national honor program, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District announced.
Students Amy Amatya, Jack Antich and Glennon Davalos-Stanton.
Photo credit: Santa Monica High School

Amy Amatya, Jack Antich and Glennon Davalos-Stanton performed at the National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) National Honor Ensembles in October, which also featured four award-winning conductors, district spokeswoman Gail Pinsker said last week.

Students traveled to Nashville, where they performed in a gala concert at the famed Grand Ole Oprey on October 28.

To earn spots on their respective ensembles, all three Samohi students first won in their divisions at the local and state levels, competing against top students for a spot in these national honor ensembles.

Only the nation's most elite high school musicians are selected for one of the four national ensembles of concert band, mixed choir, symphony orchestra and jazz ensemble, according to the nonprofit music and arts advocacy organization founded in 1907.

The concert band and symphony orchestra each had approximately 150 instrumentalists, the jazz ensemble was made up of 20 instrumentalists, and the mixed chorus had approximately 350 vocalists, said NafME.

Amatya, who plays violin, was selected for the symphony orchestra, along with Antich, who plays the double-bass. Trombone player Davalos-Stanton peformed with the jazz ensemble, said Pinsker.

Samohi music department orchestra director Joni Swenson was “extremely proud” of all three students, she said.

“High school musicians from throughout the country sent in audition recordings for consideration, and it is an honor that three Samohi students were selected to be part of these prestigious ensembles,” said Swenson.

In a rare opportunity for any high school student, the young musicians got to rehearse and perform with award-winning conductors Jung-Ho Pak, Eugene Corporon and Ann Howard-Jones.

Conductor for the Cape Symphony and also its artistic director, Ho-Pak led the symphony orchestra. He also was the director of orchestras and music director of the World Youth Symphony Orchestra, from 2003 to 2013.

Corporon, who conducted the concert band, is a regents professor of music at the University of North Texas.

Howard-Jones led the mixed choir. She conducts the Symphonic and Chamber Choruses and also conducts the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artists' Vocal Program Chorus.

The jazz ensemble was led by Sherman Irby and Todd Stoll of the Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Masalis.

“What a tremendous honor for these talented students,” said SMMUSD Superintendent Sandra Lyons. “And what great news for our community.”