TALENTED SHOW

Mike Sciacca

Bridgette McNulty and Rieho Yu both walk the campus of Huntington

Beach High School on a daily basis, yet they had not met until they

were introduced Monday in front of the Performing Arts Center

building.

On the night of May 4, they’ll know much more about each other

when they share center stage at the 2005 “Tomorrow’s Stars at the

Center” extravaganza at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

The two students -- McNulty is a junior, and Yu is a freshman --

are among 12 finalists who will perform Wednesday at Founders Hall in

a sold-out event hosted by Broadway star Jason Graae.

A private reception and award ceremony will follow the

performance.

A total of 133 students auditioned for “Tomorrow’s Stars at the

Center,” and McNulty and Yu both survived a couple of auditions to

land among the finalists, who were chosen by a panel of expert

judges.

McNulty, 17, is a finalist in the category of Classical Dance. Her

audition piece was “Coppelia Variation,” choreographed by Arthur

Saint Leon, and “Corsaire Variation,” choreographed by Maruis Petipa.

Yu, who turned 15 on April 21, is a finalist in the category of

Classical Instrumental. Her audition piece was Concerto No. 1 in G

Minor, Movement III by Max Bruch.

Yu is the youngest finalist in “Tomorrow’s Stars at the Center.”

Out of the 133 applicants who auditioned, the field was narrowed

down to 63 semifinalists. From that group, the 12 “Tomorrow’s Stars”

were chosen.

“This is the second year for ‘Tomorrow’s Stars at The Center,’ and

we are thrilled with the outstanding talent that makes up this year’s

12 ‘Stars,’” said Jason Holland, manager of education programs at the

Center. “This program is about giving these students opportunities to

learn from the world-class artists that pass through the doors of the

Center, as well as showcasing the remarkable artistic talent

cultivated right here in Orange County.

“‘Tomorrow’s Stars’ will have the opportunity to perform in

Founders Hall, work with master class teachers during the year, have

a behind-the-scenes glimpse of companies and artists performing at

the Center, and will receive a pair of season tickets in their

discipline.”

One important distinction with “Stars” from other similar

programs, Holland said, is that there is no one winner selected in

each category.

This year, two classical dancers, two musical theater vocalists,

two classical vocalists and six instrumentalists were named as

finalists.

“It’s pretty exciting to be a finalist,” said Yu, who plays the

violin. “It’s an honor to be playing at the Center, and I’m really

excited about the performance.”

Yu has been playing the violin, she said, since she turned three.

She was the winner of the Rio Hondo Symphony Assn.’s 2004 Young

Artists Competition, the 2005 Rocky Ridge Music Center Concerto

Competition held in Colorado and a 2003 county competition staged by

the American Teachers Assn.

She also participates in Musical Encounter, a program designed to

introduce children in inner-city schools to music through

performances by other children, and periodically performs for

elementary school students in the L.A. Unified School District.

Yu practices daily, between four and five hours, and attends

private lessons every week. A member of the Huntington Beach Union

High School district’s Academy of Performing Arts program, Yu says

it’s a quality investment of her time.

“I absolutely love playing the violin,” said Yu, who says that

soloist Hilary Hahn is her musical inspiration.

For a freshman in school, she’s well ahead of the game in knowing

what she wants for the future.

“Becoming a soloist is my ultimate goal and if not, then I’d like

to be a chamber musician,” she said. “I would love to be playing

violin as a career.”

The 17-year-old McNulty has studied various forms of dance --

ballet has been her mainstay -- for the past 12 years.

Like Yu, she works out daily, up to 2 1/2 hours per session, and

takes private lessons.

In February, McNulty was a Top-12 performer at the Youth American

Grand Prix in both the Senior Classical and Senior Contemporary

divisions, and was a semifinalist at the Spotlight Awards held at the

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

She has been selected as one of five ballerinas to travel to

Russia in June and perform in the Bolshoi Theater.

And, again like Yu, McNulty thoroughly enjoys her discipline.

“I just love dance and my dream is to become a professional ballet

dancer,” she said. “Next year, I am going to work even harder in

making that dream come true.

“I’m just going to have fun and give it my best at next week’s

performance. It’s going to be a great experience to perform at the

Center. I can’t wait.”

* MIKE SCIACCA covers sports and features. He can be reached at

(714) 966-4611 or by e-mail at [email protected].