LACHSA December 19th, 2010 Dear LACHSA community, As this year comes to an end, I want to wish everyone in the LACSHA community a safe and happy holiday season.  I look forward to seeing you all in 2011! The end of the year is such an exciting time for LACHSA.  Our students have the opportunity to showcase their fierce talents to proud parents and other members of our community.  As we all know, it is both an incredibly frenzied and wonderful time of the year.  It is also a time when many LACHSA graduates return to enjoy, support, and reconnect.  To be a LACHSA alum is to be a member of a very exclusive community, one that spans twenty-five years and spans the far reaches of the globe.  It is not uncommon to hear stories,  from members of our community, that recount an unintentional encounter with a LACHSA alumnus.  Whether in New York or New Zealand our alumni our making their mark on the world.  It is always a pleasure for me to meet LACHSA alumni from any time, to hear about their experiences, and how LACHSA shaped them. Beginning this year, LACHSA is building the capacity to connect and cultivate its relationship with alumni.  In partnership with the all-volunteer Arts High Alumni Association, we will feature a renewed effort to connect and reconnect with alumni.  Several weeks ago we launched our Distinguished Alumni Series.  Making his return to LACHSA for the first time since 1993, Los Angeles Philharmonic assistant horn Ethan Bearman inspired some of our youngest students in his recent visit.  He recounted his relentless pursuit of his dream to win an audition with a major world-class orchestra and offered no illusions about the commitment, sacrifice, and perseverance required.  In our efforts to stay connected with alumni on the East Coast, we are planning an alumni reception to co-oincide with our students' performance in Boston at the Berklee High School Jazz Festival in early March.  This reception will feature veteran faculty member Jerry Freedman and Jason Goldman and as many LACHSA alums who are available.  Stay tuned for details!  We also hope to build upon last year's efforts to highlight and celebrate our alumni at our graduation at Walt Disney Concert Hall.  It is essential for LACHSA, as a living arts institution, to build and sustain an active and thriving alumni infrastructure. For all the LACHSA alumi out there I invite you to share your successes, come visit, and consider joining our alumni association.  To LACHSA students, families, faculty and staff, and alumni, I wish you a peaceful and restful holiday season. Sincerely, George Simpson LACHSA Principal Pictured Above: Distinguished Alumus Ethan Bearman (second from left) with Jerry Freedman, Dan Castro, and George Simpson.