[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 77 (Tuesday, June 4, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING SAMUEL MATZNER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 4, 2013

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of a talented young 
musician in the 8th Congressional District, Samuel Matzner of Arlington 
County, Virginia. Samuel was selected on March 4th to participate in 
the first ever National Youth Orchestra of the United States of 
America.
  Sam plays the Viola at Wakefield High School, as well as for the 
Washington Metropolitan Youth Orchestra. Due to his extraordinary 
abilities, he will join a group of 120 of the finest young musicians in 
the country aged 16-19, representing a selection process that included 
all 50 states, who will act as musical ambassadors during their 
worldwide tour in July. Organized by the famed Carnegie Hall in New 
York City, the group will travel to New York for two weeks of 
rehearsals at Purchase College, State University of New York, and then 
embark on an international tour that includes Moscow, St. Petersburg, 
and London.
  The National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America is a 
unique and un-paralleled opportunity for young, high school-aged 
musicians in the United States to be recognized as the pinnacle of our 
musical training system. The success of Venezuela's El Sistema has 
generated increased international interest in the value of youth 
orchestras, and I am thrilled that Carnegie Hall has spearheaded this 
initiative to showcase our nation's talent and reinvigorate interest in 
youth musicianship at home and abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, we are proud of these cultural ambassadors, and their 
commitment to musical excellence. I look forward to hearing the 
orchestra play, and wish them the best of luck on their tour.

                          ____________________