Shining a Spotlight on Artists

Thirteen of the area’s best young singers, dancers and musicians are stretching their artistic muscles in the Music Center of Los Angeles County’s Spotlight Awards program, at which they attend master classes taught by noted artists.

The program--founded by Walter Grauman in 1988 to showcase and develop young artists--attracted 700 hopefuls from around Southern California this year, 59 of whom recently made it to the master-class level. These students, who are competing in jazz instrumental music, musical theater voice and ballet, among other categories, are vying for scholarships worth up to $5,000.

The awards will be presented at a gala showcase in April, at which two finalists from each category will perform onstage at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

The local semifinalists are: Evan Peters, 17, of Topanga; Krista Sherre Selico, 17, of Burbank; Marco Puente, 17, of Sherman Oaks; Kathryn Campbell, 17, of Valley Village; B’Randy F. Brooks, 16, of North Hollywood; Hallie A. Silverston, 15, of Granada Hills; Jennifer Bennett, 16, and Lauren Criddle, 15, of Calabasas; Jessica Rawles, 17, of Winnetka; Megan Ampe, 16, of Simi Valley; Rebecca M. SanMarco, 17, of Saugus; Tiffany Hsieh, 14, of Tarzana; and Sonja Thoms, 17, of Glendale.

“This program is about opportunity and experience,” said Spotlight Awards producer Barbara Haig. “They get to be with other performers at their level, and they work with professionals. It’s an invaluable experience.”

EVENTS

Reading Out Loud: You don’t have to be a beginning reader to enjoy the “Celebrity Readers” program at Mitchell Elementary School in Canyon Country on Thursday. Guest readers--including County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, KNBC-TV anchor Rick Chambers and Santa Clarita Mayor Jo Anne Darcy--will read aloud to the students from selected books, following a PTA-sponsored breakfast that begins at 7:45 a.m.

Bee There: El Oro Way Elementary School will host Literacy Day on Saturday at the Granada Hills campus, where parents, teachers and the community will compete in an adult spelling bee. Sponsors will make a monetary donation for every correctly spelled word; the funds will be used to buy new library books. A poetry reading and book swap also are on tap.

Local Bards: Drama students from St. Mel Elementary, Hale Middle and El Camino Real High schools in Woodland Hills are set to perform in the Los Angeles Shakespeare for Children production of “Twelfth Night.” The students, ages 10 to 16, learned Shakespearean dialogue for the play, which will run Thursday through Monday and Feb. 4-7 at Hale. Admission is free.

KUDOS

Science Whizzes: Three San Fernando Valley students have been named semifinalists in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search. Dan Roy, 18, of Viewpoint School, Irene Lee, 17, of Harvard-Westlake School and Joanne Chang, 17, of Van Nuys High School are among only 20 California students to reach that level in the international competition, formerly sponsored by Westinghouse.

Top Scholars: Six Valley College students have been awarded USC Presidential Scholarships, worth $10,500 each per year, for up to two years. The awards--which go to eligible transfer students who have earned a 3.75 grade-point average--were given to: Tobias Beiner, 29; Duncan Frearson, 25; Offer Nir, 32; Gayk Topadzhikyan, 20; Dajim Woldemariam, 27, and Rong Zhang, 24.

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