Registration/Orientation is Saturday, Sept. 19 at 3 pm.
Weekly Rehearsals: Saturdays, 2:00 – 4:00 pm.
Members will learn exciting pieces and develop music skills such as sight reading, rhythmic development, and chamber music. They will also develop social skills within a structured musical environment. Parents can expect rewarding growth and an appreciation of music. Our staff will prepare students for middle school musical performance levels and help them realize their maximum potential as young musicians.
Students take part in 25 rehearsals on Saturdays, and at least two concerts during the season, mid-September to mid-May. Students and their families will also be invited to attend a season opener BBQ pool party.
Registration/Orientation is Saturday, Sept. 19
Registration starts at 3pm at the Santa Monica Conservatory of music and will be followed by orientation for parents and students. Students should bring their instruments.
Tuition
To participate, students should pre-register and pay a $600 tuition fee. This fee is reduced to $450 for students taking private lessons at the conservatory.
Location:
The Santa Monica Conservatory of Music
1501 Colorado Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Call/Text: (310)576-3600
Faculty
Faculty
Eve Banuelos is an alumnus of the prestigious San Francisco High School of the Arts. She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, where she graduated summa cum laude. She studied with renowned flautist Sheridon Stokes.
Eve played Principal Flute and Piccolo for the UCLA Philharmonia, Wind Ensemble, and the contemporary chamber ensemble “Contempo Flux,” where she was assistant to the director, grammy winner Gloria Cheng. Eve has worked in outreach and education since the age of 15, volunteering at local elementary schools as a music coach and later playing for public schools, hospitals, and retirement community as part of UCLA’s Gluck Fellowship program.
Eve currently works as a freelance musician in Los Angeles, where she plays in local opera productions, and has recorded numerous scores for films, commercials, and cartoons. Eve Bañuelos is a passionate teacher who has worked with young children as well as adults. She has been a member of the Santa Monica Conservatory faculty the Fall of 2012.
A native of Long Beach, California, Sumner Arano received her B.A. in Bassoon Performance and Music Education from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was principal bassoonist with the UCLA Symphony and contrabassoonist with the UCLA Philharmonia, did musical outreach in LA schools through the Gluck Foundation, and graduated magna cum laude. She went on to earn her Master of Music degree in Bassoon Performance from Carnegie Mellon University, and performed with the CMU Philharmonic at the Kennedy Center in Washinton, DC, and Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Sumner has performed with artists such as jazz legends Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter and Grammy-winning pianist Gloria Cheng. Her primary bassoon teachers include Nancy Goeres, John Steinmetz, and John Campbell. In her own teaching, she prioritizes producing a confident, beautiful sound, building a solid technical foundation, making educated musical choices, and developing learning strategies to suit each student. Sumner is currently a freelance musician and bassoon teacher in the Los Angeles area, and principal bassoonist for the Pacific Opera Project.
In addition to bassoon, Sumner also teacher Oboe and Clarinet.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Erick Jovel is an active freelance musician with versatility ranging from orchestral to jazz and other commercial music. He has performed with orchestra such as the Malaysian Philharmonic, Long Beach Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Pacific Palisades Symphony, Los Angeles Valley Symphony, Glendale Philharmonic, Riverside Philharmonic, Culver City Chamber Orchestra, Centerstage Opera and several Musical Theatre companies. He also performs with various international latin artist such as Andy Montañez, Tony Vega, Yari Moré, Sonora Dinamita, Sonora Caliente and Orquesta Tabaco y Ron. Erick has participated in the Banff All Star Brass Festival where he performed with world class musicians: Jens Lindemann, Ryan Anthony, Marty Hackleman, Mark Gould, Phil Snedicor, Alain Trudel, Alstair Kay and Pat Sheridan. Erick earned a Bachelor degree in Music Performance from CSUN under the mentorship of David Washburn and a Master of Music Degree from UCLA under the mentorship of Jens Lindemann.
A native of Santa Monica, James Hodges attended the University of Minnesota where he studied with clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein. He attended the Domaine Forget Music Academy in Quebec, Canada in June 2014, where he participated in master classes and chamber music with internationally renowned musicians such as Chen Halevi and Emmanuel Pahud. He attended the Zodiac Music Academy in Valdeblore, France in the summer of 2013.
Hodges is a winner of numerous awards, including First Prize in the 2013 Schubert Club Competition, the 2012 Thelma Hunter Scholarship Recipient for the same competition, and the 2012 First Prize of the Thursday Musical Competition. In high school he was a frequent scholarship recipient in the Palisades Symphony Concerto Competition and in the Santa Monica Kiwanis Competition, earning first prize in 2007 of the former and in 2006 of the latter. He was also a semi-finalist in the Music Center’s Spotlight Awards in 2005.
Hodges previously studied with Yehuda Gilad at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles. He currently resides in Santa Monica where he is continuing to study with Yehuda Gilad as well as Burt Hara of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.