Locals Star at Disney Concert Hall

The Loma Linda Academy (LLA) Wind Symphony, under the direction of Giovanni Santos, had the rare opportunity to perform at the world-renowned Walt Disney Concert Hall on June 18, 2014. The concert took place within the state-of-the-art hall that was specifically designed for musical performance, and is home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Sixty-six students from grades 7-12 were invited to perform as part of the World Projects, Los Angeles International Music Festival. Groups from Shanghai, Oregon, and Northern California also participated in the music festival. “Having the opportunity to play at the Walt Disney Concert Hall is truly a once-in-a-life-time experience that I will never forget,” said LLA sophomore percussionist, Tyler Corrales. “The amazing acoustics, and the sheer beauty of the building make it an impressive place.” The LLA Wind Symphony performed an arrangement of Allegro Barbaro by Bela Bartok, and Angels in the Architecture by Frank Ticheli. Students were delighted by the privilege of working directly with Ticheli during dress rehearsal, as he gave his personal notes about the performance of his piece. This opportunity to perform at the Walt Disney Concert Hall began to take shape earlier this year when a World Projects consultant heard a recording of the LLA Wind Symphony on YouTube. The consultant contacted Santos and invited the group to perform at a music festival in Washington, DC while the group was on performance tour in the area. Unfortunately, Santos had to decline the invitation due to the group’s full tour schedule. Two weeks later, Santos received a second invitation to perform, this time at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.” “Having performed there previously, I had a great talk with my students about this honor” said Santos “We all knew this performance would really be one of the great musical thrills of our lives. The kids have worked really hard, and love to explore new and challenging music.” The group had the great opportunity of including the magnificent concert hall organ during their performance of Angels in the Architecture, masterfully played by Dr. Kimo Smith.