Mater Lakes Academy senior Jose Espejo, a member of the school’s Jazz Ensemble, was chosen to play in the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado this past June.
Espejo, also a member of the Miami Music Project, was among six students who were picked to participate in the national youth orchestra by the National Take a Stand Festival.
“Jose is a pleasure to have in class,” said Sterling Jones, Mater Lakes Academy band director. “He’s a hard-working, self-motivated, student musician. He has adjusted quite well into a course that his instrument isn’t known for, which is Jazz. The violin is typically known as a classical music instrument, so his challenge was to study some jazz violinist musicians and enjoy learning a new genre which is jazz.”
Espejo has been a student at Mater Lakes Academy since he arrived from Venezuela during the 2014-2015 school year school year as a sophomore.
“He is an outstanding violinist,” Jones said.