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Classically Trained: Concert raises money for upcoming tour

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NEWPORT BEACH — Despite Sunday’s afternoon rain, they still came to hear the music.

About 25 family members and friends gathered in the Dover Shores home of the Cernius family to hear three of Orange County’s finest young musicians: Natalie Cernius on piano, Katie Nakamura on violin and Rochelle Lewis on cello.

The teens from Newport Beach, Los Alamitos and Irvine, respectively, are members of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra. The Irvine-based, audition-only ensemble is part of the Pacific Symphony, which formed the group in 1993 as part of its educational outreach efforts.

The girls — and special guests Geneva and Nathan Lewis, Rochelle’s siblings — put on a chamber concert to raise money for their orchestra’s June tour to Bulgaria, the home country of its director, Maxim Eshkenazy.

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Helping making the trip a financial reality for the touring orchestra’s 78 kids is Elizabeth Stahr, chairwoman of Pacific Symphony’s three youth ensembles. The Corona del Mar resident of 38 years has been a longtime supporter of youth endeavors.

Bringing just a family of four on an international vacation is no easy task. On that note, neither is taking 78 kids, their chaperones and orchestra staff.

But Stahr, who was among the attendees Sunday, expressed confidence and enthusiasm that all the orchestra kids will get to go this summer. She said each member, including those whose families can afford the trip, is being asked to fundraise between $500 and $700.

“We wanted to have the kids feel they’ve helped out at least one of their friends get to go,” Stahr said.

Stahr later added in an e-mail: “They will appreciate the trip more if they have worked to be able to go. And I do not want these kids to think money grows on trees.”

For information on how to donate, e-mail Stahr at stahrs@aol.com.

Watching the kids Sunday was impressive. Their program with solo and trio pieces by old-timers such as Bach and Beethoven were well-rehearsed. Furthermore, they played with the stage poise of seasoned professionals.

And like the pros, these young musicians keep a busy schedule. So while most of the attendees munched on hors d’oeuvres after the final bow, two of the girls hustled out after their gig was over — to orchestra rehearsal.

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The coming week is a busy one for the Pacific Symphony. Continuing with the spirit of the Beethoven-filled season is four concerts of the German composer’s work that includes his Symphony No. 7, two overtures and his main five piano concertos.

The Thursday, Friday and Saturday concerts begin at 8 p.m., with a 7 p.m. pre-concert talk with Alan Chapman. Sunday’s 3 p.m. concert, part of the “Classical Connections” series, focuses in-depth on “Piano Concerto No. 5,” popularly known as the “Emperor Concerto.” All of the shows are in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

Brazilian-born Arnaldo Cohen takes the piano soloist helm.

“I remember I was still a child when my father bought me a recording of all Beethoven concertos,” Cohen said in a release. “I remember the long hours I spent, alone in our sitting room, listening to this magic music. Perhaps one day I will able to play this music, I thought ... [these pieces] bring me wonderful memories and make me feel grateful for life.”

Audiences will definitely hear Beethoven’s varied compositional approaches to each concerto, from the early ones influenced by Classical-era Mozart to the later ones where Beethoven, nearly single-handedly, ushered in a new era for European music that historians today refer to as the Romantic period.

Alongside all this Beethoven is Saturday’s 10 and 11:30 a.m. performances of “Peter and the Wolf,” the classic Prokofiev symphony for children. It features the varied sounds of the orchestra — solo flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and the French horn, string and percussion sections — that musically tell a story of a boy, his grandpa, a wily wolf, flighty bird, waddling duck and pesky cat.

For more information about the concerts, visit PacificSymphony.org or call (714) 755-5799.

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The Costa Mesa-based All-American Boys Chorus hosts the Vienna Boys’ Choir on Monday at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach.

This is a special event indeed, considering this Austrian choir of boys ages 10 to 14 has a performance history dating back to 1498. Many years ago, their prominence as the singers in the royal court brought them alongside composers such as Mozart, Schubert and Bruckner.

Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. concert are $30 to $45. The proceeds benefit the All-American Boys Chorus’ leadership and musical education programs.

For more information, visit Taabc.org or call (714) 708-1670.

BRADLEY ZINT is a copy editor for the Daily Pilot and a classically trained musician. E-mail him story ideas at bradley.zint@latimes.com.

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