At Hertz Hall by chance last Thursday, I caught just the student (marathon) recital's second half, having missed the YMF Orchestra's Mozart Piano Concerto No. 17 and Beethoven Egmont Overture , four ensembles (three of them jazz), and 11 piano-accompanied solos. On they came, singers, pianists, a violinist, a flutist, and three more jazz numbers. (The YMF point of view is that their students have a classical base under their jazz.)

Soprano Erin Choi, a recent immigrant from Korea, sang the Offenbach "Barcarolle" with mezzo-soprano Sara Couden and a duet from Phantom with Gustavo Hernandez, a tenor with a light, sweet voice. Erin's voice was clear and true, if still utterly straight tone. Later she showed up at one of two pianos, obviously her original instrument, playing three movements of Ravel's Mother Goose Suite.

The house went dark for a moment and when the lights came up, Christopher Turner was discovered, on his knees to sing Porgy's part in the duet "I Loves You Porgy" with Deja Townsend-Bryson. Turner has a promising voice, not deeply baritone but suited to "Deh, vieni alla finestra" (Don Giovanni) and the Gershwin duet, possibly heading towards tenor. He's very musical, and his singing is appealing, if still short-breathed. The singers are getting good guidance, for none were pushing or trying at this early age to enlarge the sound.

David Tigner, the bass baritone and faculty member, was a welcome sight on the piano bench accompanying the singers, and very well. One of the fine artists in this area, he suffered a serious stroke last year and now he's back.

The YMFers come in all kinds, sizes, talents, and stages of musical development. From 8th-grader Cedric Long, playing Chopin's G-sharp Minor Mazurka and a Satie Gnossienne, to Turner, about to leave for college, the range itself was a lifter. As audience, they were interested in every performance — 20 selections in the second half. And oh, yes, though the "students come from diverse backgrounds and often face difficult and potentially stifling socioeconomic circumstances," as the brochure reads, every one of the graduates in the 13 years has gone on to higher education.

Drop in and check for yourself at the composition concert, Wednesday, August 1, at 3:00 p.m., at the final student recital, Friday, August 3, at 7:30 p.m., or at the final concert, Sunday, August 5, at 3:00 p.m., all at UC's Hertz Hall. It will grab you.

With this issue, SFCV initiates a column on Youth Music/Music Education, which we hope will become a weekly feature, covering the area's dozen youth orchestras, the many symphony- and community-supported music-in-school projects, special independent music schools, and outstanding teachers and programs. The growing youth orchestra and music-in-school/student outreach programs now constitute a major factor in — and in many communities as the surrogate for — music instruction and performance in the public schools. That deserves all the support it can get.

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