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It's only November, but Jason Yoder's junior year at Pittsburgh CAPA has already been a whirlwind.
In September, the percussionist entertained first lady Michelle Obama and other G-20 delegates' spouses at CAPA, Downtown, with Camille Saint-Saens' "The Swan," which he played with world-famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Today he'll serenade the first lady on the marimba again at the White House Music Series' Classical Music Student Workshop Concert.
Jason, 16, of Squirrel Hill, has been a percussionist for 61/2 years and is one of two students playing with a roster of renowned musicians at the concert Mrs. Obama is hosting in the White House's East Room. He will again perform "The Swan," accompanied this time by famed American cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
"I was really, really happy," he said about the invitation. "It felt good that I was getting this big opportunity."
Jason received the news roughly two weeks ago from CAPA principal Melissa Pearlman, who was notified by the first lady's staff about Jason's invitation.
"It is just truly an honor for Jason and for the school and for our district. We tell our students all the time that the arts will take them anywhere, and this is especially true for Jason," she said.
With limited time to practice, Jason has been brushing up on the piece at school and with his private percussion instructor, Paul Evans, artist lecturer in percussion at Carnegie Mellon University. Because Jason doesn't know what the acoustics of the East Room will be like, his instructors have been helping him prepare to achieve the best sound in a variety of performance settings.
Traveling with him to the concert is his mother, Esther. Jason hopes their time in the nation's capital will be another stepping stone on his path to becoming a professional musician.
"It will be another great thing to put on my resume."
Critics Andrew Druckenbrod and Scott Mervis talk about music on "The Beat," available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
