Nov 3, 2009 5:36 pm US/Eastern
Baltimore Students Will Perform At The White House
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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Two School for the Arts students in Baltimore are headed to the White House Wednesday after getting a very special invitation from Michelle Obama.
CBS
Two School for the Arts students in Baltimore are headed to the White House Wednesday after getting a very special invitation from Michelle Obama.
Suzanne Collins explains they will be practicing and playing with some of the best classical musicians in the nation.
Cellist Nana Adjeiwaa-Manu, 14, is previewing a piece she hopes to play at the White House Wednesday in front of Michelle Obama. The Baltimore School for the Arts sophomore will also get a lesson from someone with a national reputation, cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
"I think it's going to help me musically because I'll be able to experience performing with a really accomplished cellist and also meet Michelle Obama," Adjeiwaa-Manu said. "It's just so many blessings.
She is one of two selected for the special classical music series at the White House. The other is School for the Arts senior David Kalwa.
The students just learned in the last week the head of music at the school selected them.
"I was in a practice room one day and Dr. Ford came in and asked me to play a piece for him. So I was kind of wondering what that was about. Next day, he asked me if I wanted to play at the White House," Kalwa said.
Michelle Obama is holding this event at the White House to promote music in secondary schools. A non-profit with the same goal is sponsoring it.
Kalwa will get a master lesson from Sharon Isbin, head of Juilliard's guitar department. He has applied to go there.
"Just the fact that somebody of her stature would be listening to me and just giving me advice would help me a lot and help my techniques," he said.
The students say their parents are immensely proud.
"They were so excited," Adjeiwaa-Manu said. "My mom was incredulous about it. She couldn't believe it."
Both students say their parents aren't musicians. Each credits a grandparent with getting them interested in a music career.
The two Baltimore students will join about 100 other young people who were selected from around the country.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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