Mission Bay High School’s award-winning music program is concluding its 2023-24 year with a concert featuring the jazz duo of Peter Sprague and Leonard Patton at the Meraki Event Space and Lounge.
The Thursday, May 30 event will open at 6 p.m. with Mission Bay’s Young Bucs ensemble led by junior Crystal Rios as vocalist. She is a soloist in the school’s Preservationists Jazz Band and has been responsible for the Young Bucs’ rehearsals leading up to the concert.
Sprague and Patton will take the stage at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20 for general ission if purchased online or at the door. Student tickets are $15 online with a promo code. Reservations-only dining begins at 6 p.m. To reserve a dining experience and purchase tickets, visit merakiconcerts.com.
The Meraki Event Space and Lounge is at 1648 30th Street in South Park.
Patton and Sprague have deep, long-standing connections to the local jazz scene and strong local ties to San Diego.
Patton attended Mesa College and USIU (now Alliant International University). He also studied at Berklee School of Music in Boston where he further developed his musical abilities and fed his ion for jazz.
Sprague grew up in Del Mar. After graduating from San Dieguito High School in Encinitas he attended Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.
Their performance is the final of a four-concert series hosted at the Meraki Concert Venue as part of Mission Bay High School’s Music Business Work-Study Program.
The series opened with the Euphoria Brass Band as headliner on Feb. 22, followed by Gilbert Castellanos on March 21 and Holly Hofmann on April 25. Each concert opened with a performance by a Mission Bay High School ensemble.
Originating in 2019, the Music Business Work-Study Program relaunched this spring after being on hiatus during the pandemic. It is designed to give students experience in the business side of the music industry and is open to all Mission Bay High students.
The Meraki Concert Series provides students a unique work-study experience by offering real-world opportunities in the business end of the music industry. Students manage every detail, from setup to breakdown, venue management, promotions, artists bookings and securing sponsorships.
The students are looking for more sponsors. Details can be found at missionbaymusic.com.
“Through the Meraki Concert Series, we are not just presenting music, we are creating an experience crafted by the incredible hard work of our students,” said MBHS music director Jean-Paul Balmat. “This concert series reflects the dedication of Mission Bay High School’s music program to inspire, entertain and showcase the rich diversity in the jazz genre.
“We are so thankful to Meraki and the talented artists who are giving their time and talents to help make this possible,” he added.
Freshman pianist Makena Stumpo said, “I have always enjoyed performing and I have always wanted to know more about the business side of music … what it took to set up a big event such as our concert series. I just never imagined the level of detail that you need to get into. This work-study experience is the perfect opportunity to develop that understanding.”
Junior and jazz trombonist Thea Smith said she enjoys recruiting sponsors for the concert series.
“Basically we come up with potential sponsors … perhaps people we already know or businesses that we think would be interested in our music program at Mission Bay,” Smith said. “We will call a representative of that company and pitch the various levels of sponsorship with all the different benefits.”
Balmat said the series would not have been successful without the of parent assistant directors Zel Yasuhara and Larna Hartnack.
“Working together, our goal is to give students real world scenarios to see a life in music after high school, whether that is as a performer, arts advocate, producer or events manager,” Balmat said. “Working as a cohesive group this spring our students in the music business program have already grown so much (by) anticipating challenges and finding creative ways to address and find solutions to problems.”
