A.E. Wright Spring Concert presents ‘Director’s Awards’ to aspiring musicians

By Lori Porter Acorn Staff Writer

Arthur E. Wright Middle School presented its 13th annual Awards Night Concert last week which featured the wind ensemble, the A.M. Jazz Band and vocal choir, "The Wave."

Music director Harry Leff was introduced by students as, "The really nice guy who put this all together." Leff, who’s well loved by most music students, always conducts a fabulous concert, but the Awards Night Concert was exceptional—especially considering that students had less than two weeks to prepare because of a late spring break and an illness that kept Leff at home an entire week.

The wind ensemble opened with a powerful rendition of "The Lord of the Ring-the Fellowship of the Ring," composed by Howard Shore and arranged by Ralph Ford. The young musicians seemed ready for college.

After being blown away by the wind ensemble, 14-year-old Melissa Womack, an eighth-grader and member of "The Wave" sang "How Do I Live," composed by Diane Warren. Womack, who received the Director’s Award, performed as professionally as any finalist on "American Idol." Her voice is mature and strong—especially for a girl her age.

If Womack’s performance wasn’t enough, it was time for Barbara Streisand to move out of the way when another incredible Wave member, Liza Dubrow, filled the auditorium with her booming voice, singing "Don’t Rain on My Parade," composed by Jules Stein. Dubrow earned powerful applause and was picked as runnerup for the Director’s Award.

When asked what he likes best about directing the music program at A.E. Wright, Leff answered, "Watching the kids grow, not just musically but also in their relationships with one another." His students help each other, he said, and voluntarily offer encouragement.

Leff has been directing music in Las Virgenes Unified School District for 32 years, beginning right out of college at Lindero Canyon Middle School before transferring to A.E. Wright.

"The Wave" and the wind ensemble have been invited to perform at Disneyland for a seventh consecutive year. They’ll be there on this Sat., May 31.

An additional Director’s Award went to Tiffany Widjaja from the wind ensemble who played "Polonaise," a piece by J.S. Bach on her flute. Widjaja performed at a New West Symphony level; she’s a little girl with big talent.

The runner-up for the Director’s Award from the wind ensemble went to Laura Lascoe, whose brilliant performance on her clarinet of an extremely difficult piece, "Sonatina," that was composed by Von Weber. Lascoe also received great applause.

Leff’s morning jazz band performed, playing hits like "Satin Doll" and "In the Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett.

Jazz band isn’t a class but a group of kids who meet an hour before school, three days per week for practice.