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Five impressive young women graduate from our youth program and are honored in concert Friday June 6, 7:15 pm at the Communtiy Music Center.

Alejandra Padin-Dujon started her musical adventures at CMC with Shera Sinell at a preschool age.  Her violin studies began in 2001 with Lauren McDonald, then Andrew Ehrlich, and now Ale is studying with Lucia Atkinson. In 2010 her violin studies resulted in being chosen for CMC’s Dorothea Lensch Award.  Her other classes at the Center included choir, orchestra, and chamber music.   Alejandra graduates from Lincoln High School as National Achievement Scholar, National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar and IB diploma candidate.  She has earned two National Security Language Initiative for Youth Scholarships, studying Arabic in Morocco & and Persian in Tajikistan. She also has studied Spanish and French and participated in Speech and Debate. Alejandra will be attending Yale College this fall as a Global Affairs major.

Patricia Lin graduates from Westview High School, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the art and literary magazine, member of the Model United Nations Club, and the cat Crew (freshman orientation volunteer program).  She goes on to Oregon State University, majoring in either biochemistry or journalism.  Patricia studied piano at CMC with Zita Jefferson since 2011.  Her interests include drawing comics, reading literature blogs, and traveling - she’s been to 5 countries!

Inga Van Buren (photo) has studied violin at CMC for about 8 years, staring in 2005 with Anthony Dyer, then Andrew Ehlirch, and most recently with Elizabeth Peyton.  Inga won CMC’s Dorothea Lensch Award in 2009, and has also nabbed the top spots in Oregon Music Teacher Association festivals.  She plays Guzheng (Chinese harp), and piano, completing the OMTA syllabus level 10 in the latter.  A student of ballet and fan of reading and drawing, she graduates from Grant High School this spring, then goes on to Neuroscience at Pomona College in the fall.

Lupita Zamora Resendiz has taken three years of piano lessons (with Zita Jefferson) and five years of violin (with Mary Rowell) at CMC.  At Rex Putman High School she has been an alto section leader in the A-Choir, and served as concertmaster of the orchestra, and played in All-State in 2010.  She’s also active with teaching guitar classes, tennis, church, a women’s barbershop quartet, and National Honor Society.  Lupita is going to be a Music Education Major at the University of Portland.

Megan McCormick (photo) wraps up nine years of violin lessons with CMC’s Cynthia Scott, who she writes is “a loving, gentle mentor whose support has been a blessing in my life”. Megan has also sang for 5 years in the Center Singers and Ensemble with Tracey Edson, who she says “opened up the world of vocal music with humor, joy, and musical excellence”.  Megan won CMC’s Mildred Berthelsdorf Musicianship Award in 2009.  She’s been in the Portland Symphonic Girl Choir for 4 years, and the Metropolitan Youth Symphony for 2 years.  Megan taught vocal music at a low income school in her free time.  Other interests include visual arts, sewing, reading, and the outdoors.  She goes to Oregon State University this fall to study computer & electrical engineering.  “To Grandma, who lead me to music: Thanks, with love!”