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Sage Hill Sophomore Plays Concert Trio at Carnegie Hall
Most young musicians would be elated to perform with just one instrument at Carnegie Hall. Larry Li ‘27 recently pulled off a hat trick – playing trumpet, piano and violin at the historic landmark.
Larry traveled to New York City with the Young Artists Orchestra of Los Angeles (YAOLA) for the Viennese Masters Orchestra Invitational on June 23. The exclusive festival on Carnegie Hall’s main stage hosted top youth orchestras from Napa Valley, Los Angeles, San Diego and Montreal, Quebec.
“I've been playing all three of my instruments for almost 10 years and this is actually the third time I was invited to play at Carnegie Hall, but my first time performing all three of my instruments there,” Larry said.
A feeling of success and accomplishment washed over Larry as he played the main stage with his orchestra. As the YAOLA trumpet chair, Larry performed very well while belting out a solo in his orchestra’s performance of “Libertango” by classical composer Astor Piazzolla, YOLA Orchestra Director Yao Wang said.
“My impression of him is he’s managed his schedule very well,” Wang said. “When our group has rehearsal he’s always there. He is acting like a professional musician and we’re very glad he’s able to do that. Not every student can manage that.”
Larry added that he learned the most from his orchestra experience because he got work with the conductor of the New York Philharmonic and met musicians from other orchestras.
Besides the orchestra showcase, Larry also performed solos on violin and piano. He credits Sage Hill’s instrumental music program for helping train him as a well-rounded student.
“I'm very thankful for being in Wind Ensemble in my ninth-grade year as I was able to gain a lot of experience,” Larry said. “I was exposed to a lot wider range of music. We did film music, Japanese and some classical stuff too."
Dr. Brent Dodson, Instrumental Music Program Director at Sage Hill, celebrated the rising sophomore's achievement.
"I’m happy to see that Larry is sharing his talent for music and trumpet outside the Sage Hill community," Dr. Dodson said. "He is a fine young musician, and I’m excited to have him as part of our Wind Ensemble."
Dr. Brent Dodson, Instrumental Music Program Director at Sage Hill, celebrated the rising sophomore's achievement.
"I’m happy to see that Larry is sharing his talent for music and trumpet outside the Sage Hill community," Dr. Dodson said. "He is a fine young musician, and I’m excited to have him as part of our Wind Ensemble."
Larry was also thrilled to recently learn about his admittance into the Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble on trumpet for the 2024-25 school year. Previously, he was a member of the Pacific Symphony’s Youth Concert Band in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
“For [Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble,] we also get to go to play in Costa Rica, so I think I'll be able to broaden my horizons a lot,” he said.
Sage Hill School
Sage Hill School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, and athletic and other School administered programs.