The Music Center invites Southern California high school students in the performing and visual arts to apply to The Music Center's Spotlight program. Now in its 26th year, Spotlight is an arts education and scholarship programs for teens, providing arts training by professional artists and awarding over $100,000 in scholarships.
The Music Center's Spotlight program is free and open to all students who attend high school in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Students of all talent levels are encouraged to apply, and there are no fees to participate. Every student who applies to Spotlight will have the opportunity to learn through professional feedback and gain valuable knowledge to improve their art and audition skills. Applications are now available online amusiccenter.org/spotlight. Performing Arts applications must be received by Oct. 16, 2013, and the Visual Arts application deadline is Dec. 1, 2013.
The Music Center’s Spotlight program has launched numerous professional careers, including pop musical sensation Adam Lambert, American Ballet Theatre's Misty Copeland, Broadway's ErinMackey; and classical musician Liang Wang, principal oboist with the New York Philharmonic. Many alumni return to the program to participate as judges and class instructors.
Spotlight was developed to offer distinctive learning opportunities to Southern California students at every stage of artistic development. According to Jeri Gaile, Director of The Music Center's Spotlight Program, "Spotlight is a safe haven for participants to learn how to audition and gain confidence and self‐esteem, knowing they are better prepared for the next step in their artistic pursuits. We provide a nurturing environment where young artists can come and make mistakes, learn about themselves and have fun while doing it." Much more than a competition, Spotlight is about personal and artistic growth, while exploring new possibilities in the arts.
All students enrolled in the program work with professionals to develop audition skills and knowledge in their performance and visual arts disciplines. Performing Arts categories are ballet, non‐ classical dance, classical voice, non‐classical voice, classical instrumental, and jazz instrumental. Visual Arts categories are photography and two‐dimensional art. Students, who are selected by professional judges to advance as semifinalists participate in master classes, compete to perform at the Music Center or exhibit their artwork in a professional art gallery, and receive cash scholarships. First Grand Prize Finalists in each category receive $5,000 scholarships and runners‐up, $4,000. Honorable Mentions receive $250 scholarships and semifinalists receive $100 scholarships.
For more information about The Music Center Spotlight program, visit http://musiccenter.org/spotlight or join the conversation on http://facebook.com/spotlightawards. Fredric M. Roberts is the founding Chairman of Spotlight and Walter Grauman is its Creator/Executive Producer.
