Performing at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the LA Philharmonic is considered to be one of the finest professional orchestras in the world. To be a part of this esteemed ensemble requires lots of hard work and dedication. The group’s majesty is put on display as its members perform works by Mozart, Brahms, Shostakovich, Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and countless other virtuoso composers. On January 17, at 7:00 p.m., at the Little Bridges Hall of Music, the Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra (CYMO) will have the privilege of playing alongside one of the LA Philharmonic leading trumpeters, Thomas Hooten.

Hooten is the principal trumpeter in the LA Philharmonic. He began his career on the trumpet and cornet in 2000, soloing with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the United States Air Force Band, Keystone Winds, and the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. Hooten uses a Yamaha Trumpet and has been a part of numerous LA Philharmonic recordings including their recent recordings of Mahler and Lutoslawski. Hooten was born in Tampa Bay, Florida, and received his Bachelor’s degree of music from the University of South Florida and his Masters degree from Rice University. Hooten is one of the world’s premier trumpeters, having collaborated with great artists such as Jennifer Marotta and Armando Ghitalla.

Since the start of the school year, the CYMO has been preparing “Concerto in F Minor,” for Trumpet and Orchestra to accompany the trumpeter. The piece is unarranged, meaning it has been unaltered from Oscar Bohme’s original version. Oscar Bohme is a virtuoso trumpeter from Potschappel, Germany. CHS sophomore Stephanie You is excited to have the chance to play with Hooten.

“I am so honored to be playing with Tom Hooten, and I can’t wait until I meet this great trumpet player,” You said. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity, and I am very humbled to be playing with the principal chair of the L.A. Philharmonic.”

The CYMO will also be performing Capriccio Espagnol by Rimsky-Korsakow, Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev, and Die Meistersinger by Richard Wagner.

The CYMO has always had an affiliation with the LA Philharmonic and each year it presents a well known soloist at Bridges Hall of Music. The CYMO has toured Europe, performing at the Rudolfinum in Prague, Czech Republic, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, Austria, the Kleine Theater in Oberammergau, Germany, and at the South Bohemia Music Festival in Bechyne, Czech Republic. Some graduates from CYMO have gone on to have wonderful careers in music, attending conservatories such as Juilliard School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, and the Yale School of Music, among others. The CYMO regularly collaborates with respectful performers and well known musicians, like Gustavo Dudamel. The CYMO encourages CHS students and staff to attend this wonderful and free musical soirée.