“When he was in fourth grade, Carlos Aguilar” dreamed about making music, writes Pam Kragen in Wednesday’s (6/11) San Diego Union-Tribune. “But as the eldest child in a large and very poor Escondido family, it was a dream denied. But thanks to scholarships, contest prizes and the years-long mentorship of his teacher, Elena Yarritu, a music career may finally be within Aguilar’s reach. In July, the 18-year-old flutist will fly to New York as the only San Diego County musician selected for Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra-USA.… Yarritu, who is principal flutist with the La Jolla Symphony, has often given free lessons to needy students.… Since February, Aguilar has been living in Del Sur with Yarritu and her husband, Ehud Kedar, who have committed to spending the next year training and preparing the teen for college.” Among those who have helped Aguilar is middle-school music instructor Deborah Pellkofer, who in 2009 “recruited donors to cover his audition fee and tuition for the San Diego Youth Symphony, where he played for three years. … Last year, Aguilar landed a position in L.A.’s prestigious Colburn Youth Orchestra and Honors Woodwind Quintet.”
Posted June 12, 2014
