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# High school orchestra off to Carnegie Hall
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/high-school-orchestra-off-to-carnegie-hall/
- Published: 2002-03-18T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:09:06.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By CHRIS YOUNG Special to the Daily Press*

While playing in front of hundreds of people at Carnegie Hall in New York City may only be a dream for many young musicians, it is about to become reality for one group of Santa Monica high school students.

The chamber orchestra at Santa Monica High School is scheduled to perform Leonard Bernstein’s Candide Overture and Tchaikovsky’s 5th symphony at the legendary venue March 31.

“It’s an honor to play there,” said Micah Schub, a 10th grade double-bass player. “My parents wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

The 87-piece orchestra will share the concert program with two regional east coast youth orchestras. Each group will be allotted 40 minutes to perform their material.

Samohi was invited to perform after a former graduate of the high school, who is now an executive at the company which books the Carnegie concerts, saw one of the chamber orchestra’s concerts last year and recommended his alma mater, said Chris Schwabe, the orchestra’s conductor.

“To be at a level capable of (getting the opportunity to play Carnegie), you have to be one of the top groups,” Schwabe said.

The entire trip will cost $140,000\. To pay for it — which breaks down to $1,225 per student, not including meals or personal spending — orchestra members raised money by having car washes, selling raffle tickets and candy, as well as soliciting donations.

The Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce donated $2,000 and the Santa Monica City Council gave $15,000, said trip coordinator Steve Burliegh. Kiwanis and Rotary also donated. The chamber orchestra performed at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel last month, which raised $2,500.

So far, fundraising efforts have brought in $150,000\. The additional money will be used for the general orchestra fund. However, the orchestra needs to buy four new instruments, which will cost $30,000\. One bassoon, which is “held together by bubble gum” needs to be replaced at an estimated cost of $7,000.

At least 35 people from Santa Monica are going to the performance, including 14 chaperones, Burliegh said. A send-off concert, where the orchestra will play the Carnegie program, was held Sunday at the Lincoln Middle School auditorium.

Tickets for the Carnegie event are $75\. Between 1,000 and 2,000 people are expected to attend, Schwabe said.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/031802-06_01.jpg)

(Photo: Nina Stewart Furukawa/Special)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 18, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/031802.pdf?ref=smdp.com)