Opening the DoorTo Live Music.
The La Mirada Symphony opens the concert hall to students and young musicians, free of charge, and gives them real time on our stage.
Music education begins with access, and access begins with an open door.
For many students, a live orchestra is not something they encounter every day. When a student watches a peer close to their own age perform as a soloist with a full professional orchestra, music stops being something studied in a classroom and becomes something felt live.
It becomes something immediate and real.
A live orchestra can turn curiosity into lifelong connection.La Mirada Symphony
Youth & School Engagement
In 2019, the first-ever Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District High School Honor Orchestra performed on our stage, with Symphony musicians leading sectional rehearsals alongside guest conductors. We’re actively rebuilding that kind of partnership, and we’re widening the invitation beyond any single district. If you teach music nearby, we want to hear from you.
Community Access
Because our concerts are free, families and students can experience live music without cost becoming a barrier.
Young Artist Development
Young artists including pianist David Cerna, violinists Winston Tian and David Wang, and composer Ethan Chaparro have performed or premiered original music alongside our full orchestra, gaining meaningful concert experience on a professional stage.
A place on the stage.
One of the La Mirada Symphony’s most important traditions is creating opportunities for young musicians to move beyond the classroom and experience what it means to perform with a full orchestra.
Student soloists, composers, and emerging artists have shared our stage alongside experienced musicians, gaining the kind of real-world concert experience that can shape a young artist’s confidence, musicianship, and sense of possibility.
In May 2026, violinist Winston Tian became one of those young artists when he performed with the Symphony at Echoes of Russia. Pianist David Cerna also appeared as a featured young soloist with the Symphony, continuing a tradition that has brought student musicians onto the La Mirada Theatre stage for years.
Those appearances join a growing list of young artists who have been invited to perform, premiere original music, and become part of a full orchestral concert experience. For us, these are more than featured moments in a single program. They are part of an ongoing commitment to give the next generation of musicians a meaningful place on the stage.
Read Winston Tian’s story →
Read about David Cerna’s featured performance →
More From the Spotlight
Nicole Lam
A pianist and LACHSA student, Nicole performed as our featured student artist and has since gone on to play Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, with top prizes across MTAC, the Golden Note Youth Music Festival, and the Southern California Junior Bach Festival.
Read Nicole’s story →Jennifer & Dora Yu
Sisters Jennifer (violin and piano) and Dora (viola and piano) shared the stage for Reaching for the Stars in March 2025, bringing honors from the American String Teachers’ Association and the Southern California Junior Bach Festival with them.
Read their story →Ethan Chaparro
A composer and trombonist and an LA Philharmonic Composer Fellowship alum, Ethan premiered his original piece, A Troupe’s Cadence, with the full orchestra at The Music of America in October 2025.
Read Ethan’s story →David Wang
A young violinist featured with the La Mirada Symphony, David Wang represents the next generation of musicians gaining meaningful experience performing with a full orchestra.
Read David’s story →We’ve done this before. We want to do it again.
In March 2019, the first-ever Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District High School Honor Orchestra performed on the La Mirada Theatre stage, led by guest conductors Alan Mautner, Jack Taylor, Jill Geist, and Gregory Whitmore. Three La Mirada Symphony musicians ran sectional rehearsals to help prepare the students beforehand.
“We were very excited to be a small part of the Norwalk-La Mirada School District’s music program,” said Symphony President David Derks at the time, “and we hope to remain a positive force with the local schools.”
We’re actively rebuilding that partnership, and we’re not waiting on any single district to do it. If you teach music at a school, homeschool group, or community program near La Mirada and want your students on this stage, we want to hear from you.
Why this work matters.
Music education strengthens the connection between schools and the wider community.
Free concerts and education programs help remove barriers so more students and families can experience live music.
A live orchestra can spark curiosity and a lifelong appreciation for the arts.
Young artists including pianist David Cerna, violinist Winston Tian, and composer Ethan Chaparro have performed or premiered original music with the La Mirada Symphony, gaining real experience on the concert stage.
A full district honor orchestra has already performed here once. We want that to be the rule, not the exception.
Help us continue this work.
La Mirada Symphony has a real history of welcoming students onto this stage, from a full district honor orchestra to individual soloists we’ve featured almost every season. Youth-focused performances and student-centered programs help introduce young audiences to orchestral music in a setting that is engaging and easy to walk into.
Programs like these depend on community support. Sponsorships and partnerships help us keep concerts free and keep giving students real stage time.
In 2019, we brought an entire school district’s honor orchestra onto our stage. We know what’s possible when the right partner steps in, and we’re ready to do it again, at a bigger scale, with the right support.
Support music education.
Your support puts more students on this stage and keeps every concert free.