Glendale student takes honorable mention for classical music performance
A local student recently won an honorable-mention honor through the Music Center Spotlight program, in which 1,600 students from across Southern California competed in either acting, dance or musical performance in hopes of receiving a scholarship.
Sixteen-year-old Nicholas Mendez earned the accolade after performing two classical-music pieces on the piano, playing the fourth movement of Samuel Barber’s “Piano Sonata” and the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Sonata in C Major.”
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Out of those who competed, 14 were named grand-prize finalists, with each winning a $5,000 scholarship.
Seven others, including Nicholas, earned honorable mentions, which came with a $1,000 scholarship.
“I didn’t win the grand prize, but I’m still extremely honored and happy to have won the honorable mention,” Nicholas said.
A Pasadena resident, Nicholas attends Glendale Unified’s independent-study program at Verdugo Academy, which has allowed him to dedicate much of his day to playing the piano at the Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles.
His parents, neither of whom are musicians, signed up Nicholas for piano lessons when he was 3 years old after sensing he had a good ear.
“I really love playing the piano, so I kept at it,” he said.
Because he is home-schooled, he plays the piano for four to five hours a day in addition to the time he spends studying music theory and chamber music.
He plans on playing music professionally, and enjoys classical music as well as contemporary.
For now, though, classical music is a top focus.
“To grow as a classical musician, you really need to study all that. I enjoy the depth the music offers and the amount of study you can put into it,” he said. “Classical music is my favorite kind of music.”
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Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com
Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
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