Life After Carnegie
By Jordan Ikeda
Rafu Staff Writer
Friday, April 18, 2008

The North Torrance Youth Symphony Orchestra took home a silver award for their performance at Carnegie Hall.


Photos courtesy of NTYME
The North Torrance Youth Symphony Orchestra (NTSO), made up of 81 students from third grade to seniors in high school from all over the Torrance area, performed “kaeru” at Carnegie Hall at the end of May.


From left clockwise: director, Glen Kamida; producer,
Pancho Burgos; trip coordinator, Steven Thorsen;
and nTyme President Hiroko Eddow.

NTSO also performed in Central
Park as part of their trip.

They’ve all been back for a couple of weeks now. Parents to work, the kids to class. In fact, they’ve even gotten back to performing. But the lasting impres­sion, the memories, the feeling of being there, playing on that hallowed stage, performing at Carnegie Hall will remain a constant for the rest of their lives.

The North Torrance Youth Sym­phony Orchestra (NTSO) returned from their journey to New York at the end of March, an accomplished group of youngsters having performed at the pinnacle of musical success.

“Carnegie Hall,” said Darin Dohi who has worked countless hours behind the scenes and whose daughter Lisa and son Justin both performed, “You can feel the grace and the history and the rever­ence of the hall. You look at the stage and it’s overwhelming.”

For North High School senior and percussionist Jun Endo, he was able to summarize his experience in one word. “Amazing.”

Others, like tenth grade cellist Natsha Siri echoed that sentiment. “Carnegie Hall was the most absolutely amazing experience. It was like a fantasy, except it came true. It was just wonderful, fantastic. The acoustics, the sounds, everything, it made everything seem so real. It was great.”

For others, the younger kids, the experience could hardly be captured, the excitement too great to contain. “Carnegie Hall was very, yes, you know, it was just, Wow!” said Stefani Yamasaki, a fifth grader who plays the clarinet. “It’s hard to explain because it’s so big and just, crazy! I almost fell down it was so cool.”

Ninth grade cellist Mikey Bybee had a more reflective view of his experience. “It was good. It was very fulfilling. For seven years, I’ve been with this group. And that one moment was an accumula­tion of everything.”

For the parents it was both a culmi­nation…

“They have never played as well as they played that day,” said Dohi. “Re­gardless of what award they received or whatever, they were at the very top of their musical ability that day. It was fantastic. And we all, all the parents, really appreciated it because we have been through it, every week we come down here to listen to them perform. And slowly but surely it has gotten bet­ter. And when they played there, it was everything I think we wanted it to be.”

…as well as a beginning.

“Wherever he wants to go,” said Rick Lacey of his sixth grade son Liam’s mu­sical aspirations. “If he likes it so much he wants to make it a career, great. If he likes it as a hobby, great. That’s our job here to make sure that they live whatever they want to live—their dreams.”

And, without a doubt, it was a mo­ment of sheer gratification.

“It was really emotional,” said Ira Murobayashi, father of Kevin who plays the taiko in the orchestra. “I was very proud of course. Very emotional. Most emotional twenty minutes of my life.”

The orchestra, made up of kids from third grade to seniors in high school, took home a silver award following their performance. What makes their accomplishment even more incredible is that they were judged as a high school orchestra despite more than half of them being junior high or elementary level.

Regardless of the age dis­crepancy, each musician took the performance in stride, even the youngest member, Charles Tsao, a third grade violinist. “I was pretty ner­vous, and I was shaking after the performance, but I thought I did pretty good.”

NTSO’s trip to New York lasted six days and included a performance in Central Park as well as visits to several tourist attractions.

“Cooperstown was the best,” said fifth grader Michael Johnston.

Jessica Satterlee, an eleventh grade violinist noticed the non-L.A. aspects of York. “My family was really excited about riding the subway.”

All in all, the trip was one that touched everyone involved from the 81-mem­bers of the orchestra, to the 100 plus family members that accompanied them. Ev­eryone, of course, includes the orchestra’s director, Glen Kamida.

“It was probably the most unique, educational experience that I’ve ever been involved with,” said Kamida. “After the performance, it was the first time in my career that I was overcome. I couldn’t even tell the kids congratulations. I wasn’t sure how they would respond to being in that situ­ation, but they really stepped up and played their best per­formance to date.”

For more information on upcoming performances and events, visit www.ntyme.org or continue to check the calendar section of the Rafu.