Prelude in the Park Entertains Music Lovers

Nearly 200 musicians and performers displayed their talents Sunday at the fifth annual Prelude in the Park community concert in .

Ensembles played and performed to a variety of tunes, from jazz by Kris Berg to country by Taylor Swift to compositions by Richard Saucedo.

Park visitors enjoyed food, games, face painting and arts and crafts as the music played.

The event aimed to raise money for the school’s music and pageantry programs.

Along with the jazz band, color guard, percussion ensemble, symphonic band and wind ensemble, a new ensemble joined the performance this year—the symphony orchestra.

The 70-odd students that make up the brand-new ensemble played easily recognizable selections from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

The high school performers were eager to showcase their musical talents.

Public concerts mean that "the community can see what we’ve been working on,” said Tiffany Hamilton, 17, a senior at .

Hamilton teaches piano to children and said she plans to continue giving lessons after graduation.

Concert-goer Erin Albee, 23, said she has watched the Prelude in the Park performances for the past few years.

“You get the raw sound of instruments that you don’t get through CDs,” she said. “There’s nothing better than a live performance.”

In her spare time, she likes to attend jazz concerts, she said.

Albee also attended the concert to support of her brother, Douglas Albee, a member of the school's jazz band.

“[El Toro High School's] jazz band is phenomenal,” she said.

Douglas Albee, his sister said, has been accepted into the Academy Drum & Bugle Corps, an elite group that tours nationwide. In the fall, he will join Riverside Community College’s nationally-ranked music program, she added.