By Kayla Samimi
News Editor
As many students are spending their summer tanning by the beach, sophomore Emily Angstreich will be traveling over 6000 miles to the beaches of Europe to pursue her dream as a flutist.
Since her audition in June, Angstreich has been a part of the Colburn Youth Orchestra, or CYO, as one of four flute players in the ensemble. The program is offered by the Colburn school in downtown Los Angeles, a prestigious university for students exclusively interested in pursuing music.
“My flute teacher found out about the audition two days before and knew I had been looking for an orchestra to join,” Angstreich said. “I decided to take the opportunity but I didn’t expect to get in after finding out about the audition on such a late notice.”
Angstreich along with her group will travel to Europe at the end of June to play at various concert halls in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Since they have not been given their pieces for the tour, Angstreich hopes that she will get to play a solo.
“I’m excited for this summer because I’ve never gotten the opportunity to play with an ensemble outside of California, let alone the United States,” Angstreich said. “I know that this experience will improve me as a musician and will show me how much I can do with my musical abilities.”
During rehearsals, Angtstreich and the group are working on four pieces: Carmen Suites 1 and 2, Copland’s An Outdoor Overture, Ravel’s Pavane for a Dead Princess and Sibelius’s Finlandia. They are all very challenging and her favorite, Carmen Suite 2, is a piece she has played different versions of in the past.
“Colburn helps me by giving me the experience of playing in a high level orchestra since the musicians intend to continue playing professionally,” Angstreich said. “Everyone is very serious since they hold music as their top priority.”
Angstreich’s first concerts took place on Nov. 22 at the Colburn School and Dec. 6 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The group’s next concert will take place on Feb. 13 at the Colburn School.
“There are four flute players total and two of them had been in CYO the previous year,” Angstreich said. “They are very talented and I enjoy playing with all of them, because we all are able to talk about flute pieces and our favorite flute players.”
Angstreich is also a part of the Mira Costa Symphonic Band. Outside of school and CYO, she takes private lessons once a week from her instructor, Shannon Christianson, who helps her to improve her skills as a musician.
“Colburn is a priceless resource for young people in L.A. looking forward to a career in music. In addition to being mentored by some of the top professionals in the country, students have outstanding performance opportunities while making music with other dedicated talented young musicians,” Christianson said. “The professional and personal connections they make in this program will most definitely have a positive effect on their future careers.”
Angstreich plans to continue band at Costa. After high school, she hopes to major in music and play flute professionally in an ensemble. She has received support from friends and family as well as her instructor.
“I want to apply to many music colleges including University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, Northwestern University’s School of Music, Curtis Institute of Music and several others,” Angstreich said. “Music is just a great way for me to do something I love that I feel confident about.”
She plans to remain as a member of CYO and Colburn’s Chamber Group, a smaller ensemble she has also been a part of this year. In December, she will audition for Colburn’s music conservatory, a music school designed for high school students who hope to get a glimpse into what a music college atmosphere is like.
“I am really enjoying CYO and therefore, I want to participate in more classes offered at Colburn so that I can continue to improve as a musician,” Angstreich said. “Colburn may end up being one of the schools I apply to since I can tell it is an excellent college.”
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