Young musicians to play

The Conejo Concerto Orchestra will present two concerts featuring local young artists as guest soloists. “Opus 12” will highlight several ensemble pieces by Schumann, Mozart and SaintSaens, as well as solo works by Rachmaninoff, Mozart and Schumann.

The “Opus” concert series is the continuing program of the nonprofit educational organization Concertos with Orchestra, Thousand Oaks, Inc., founded by local pianist/educator Edward Francis. The professional orchestra, conducted by Thomas Osborn, will accompany the young artists.

The two concerts, whose programs are identical, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Sat., July 30 in the theatre at the Oceanview Pavilion, 575 E. Surfside Drive, Port Hueneme, and at 2:30 p.m. Sun., July 31 in the Scherr Forum Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd.

The program will feature 11 area young artists. The Schumann Concert Piece for Four French Horns will highlight Ryan Ebanks, David Feldman, John Lusher and Samantha Luxenberg. Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola will feature siblings Ralph and Rachel Li. Duo pianists Justin Ramos and Maize Wang will perform the Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals, and solo pianists Landon Baumgard, Jonathan Chew and Lydia Lo will play concertos by Rachmaninoff (No. 2), Mozart (K. 453) and Schumann.

“Opus 12” will feature a number of recent high school graduates. Ryan Ebanks and Lydia Lo, from Westlake High School, will attend Princeton and Harvard respectively this fall. From Moorpark High School, Landon Baumgard will attend CSUN as a scholarship music major. Jonathan Chew, a graduate of Chaminade, will attend UCLA, and from Thousand Oaks High School, David Feldman will be studying music at the Juilliard School.

Tickets are available in advance or at the door prior to the performances and range from $10 to $20. For the Port Hueneme venue, please call (805) 986-4818 to purchase tickets. Tickets for the Thousand Oaks performance will be sold in the lobby of the theatre, one hour prior to the performance, or in advance by calling (805) 376-2485. More information is available at the organization’s website at www.cwoto.org.