Three Fresno-area students perform at Carnegie Hall

Three students from Fresno-area schools performed June 27 at Carnegie Hall, selected for the 2015 Middle School Honors Performance Series as some of the highest-rated middle school performers in North America.

Jack Inouye from Granite Ridge Intermediate, Anjeli Macaranas from Fresno Christian School and Shayne Baldwin from Clark Intermediate were selected for the series, performing at the Isaac Stern Auditorium/Ronald O. Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall with the Honors Junior Orchestra.

Inouye, Macaranas and Baldwin all auditioned in the winter of 2014 for the Honors Performance Series and were accepted after a review by the Honors Selection Board.

The three Fresno-area students joined other performers from 49 states, several provinces in Canada, and several foreign countries for a special performance at Carnegie Hall. They received the opportunity to learn from conductor Charles Peltz, the director of wind ensembles at the New England Conservatory of Music and the music director of the Glens Falls Symphony Orchestra.

All three participate in their school orchestra/band, the Youth Orchestra of Fresno, the Fresno-Madera Counties Music Educators Association Honor Orchestra, and other music programs.

Inouye noted the great honor it was and dedication it took to play at the world-famous Carnegie Hall.

“To perform on the same stage as music legends like Tchaikovsky, Duke Ellington, and the Beatles was an incredible experience and a huge honor,” Inouye said.

Inouye and Baldwin have studied the cello for four years while Macaranas has played the violin for nine.

This story was originally published June 30, 2015 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Three Fresno-area students perform at Carnegie Hall."