Semi-finalists named in Music Center Spotlight awards

The Music Center of Los Angeles County has chosen 90 high school students as performing arts semi-finalists for the 20th annual Music Center Spotlight Awards.

The youths were selected from among more than 1,260 Southern California students who auditioned in six categories: ballet, non-classical dance, classical voice, nonclassical voice, classical instrumental and jazz instrumental music.

The preliminary round of auditions took place in fall 2007 and the judges selected 15 students to advance to the semi-finals.

The semi-finalists will attend special master classes with professional artists. Each semifinalist will audition again before a new panel of judges, who will select the top two performers to advance to the final competition, the Spotlight Awards show at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Sat., April 26.

Following are the local semifinalists listed by county, name, hometown, category, grade, and school name.

•Erika Binsley, Thousand Oaks, classical instrumental (French horn), grade 12, Westlake High School.

•Joshua Hong, Thousand Oaks, classical instrumental (violin), grade 12, Crossroads.

•Beth Alison, Calabasas, nonclassical voice, grade 12, HPA Learning For Life.

•Gary Chan, Westlake Village, classical instrumental (piano), grade 12, Agoura High School.

•Ryan Greenfield, Agoura Hills, jazz instrumental (sax), grade 10, Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.

•Eric Lamm, Agoura Hills, jazz instrumental (bass).

•Maddie Schwarz, Agoura Hills, non-classical dance, grade 12, Viewpoint.

More than $100,000 in scholarships are awarded annually.

For more information about the program, call (213) 972-3300 or visit www.musiccenter.org.