Cerritos High Wind Symphony to Play at 2012 Summer Olympics in London; Mayor Chen Donates $1,000 to Trip

As the world's best athletes continue to train and gear up for the 2012 Summer Olympics, a group of students are also fine tuning their skills for a special performance at the summer games. 

The Dons' Wind Symphony is the only California high school band and just one of a few from around the country to have been selected to play at next year's Olympic Games in London.

And now, with a personal contribution from Cerritos Mayor Carol Chen, this talented group of student musicians is one step closer to meeting their goal to raise enough funds for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

On Nov. 15, Mayor Chen, a proud parent of former Cerritos High band members, handed her check for $1,000 to band director, Tim Trost, inside the school's band room, alongside principal Janice Peterson. 

“I'm just thrilled that they are able to be invited to such a special occasion,” Chen said. “I urge everybody to come out and support them." 

Band to Hold Fundraising Concert

Chen said the city of Cerritos will be helping to contribute to the cause by contributing the space for the band to hold a concert for fundraising. (A concert date has yet to be determined). The band's goal is to raise enough money to cover the costs of the trip, which Trost's says equates to roughly $4,200 per student.

“This is a big event,” Trost said, adding that he's hoping that the community will rally and generously donate to these students as they prepare to take the global stage.

“We're representing our city. We're going overseas on behalf of the city name, our school, our district, the state of California, the United States,” he said.

The school will send 55 students to perform in London, but as an audition-only group, this will include only the best musicians at the school.

“We're playing on Dec. 1 at the California School Board Association Conference down in San Diego, so we're getting ready to prepare for that,” Trost said. “We have other performances that we're going to be doing and pretty much just gearing up for the Olympics.”

C.J. Marin, a 16-year-old tuba player, said he and his bandmates have received a lot more respect on campus after their recent performance in Carnegie Hall and upon the announcement of the Olympic Games invitation. 

“We're not just band geeks,” Marin said. “It's more like, 'Oh, you're going to the Olympics? OK, you're cool now!'.”

How Can You Help?

To donate to the group, checks can be made payable to “Cerritos High School Band" and mailed to:

Tim Trost, CHS Band Director
London 2012 Olympic Trip Cerritos High School Wind Symphony 
12500 E. 183rd St. 
Cerritos, CA 90703

For more information, contact Tim Trost at (562) 926-5566, Ext. 21966.