16-year-old Mathias Hechavarria is described by Lane Carlson, Executive Director of Redding School of the Arts where he is a student, as “an exceptional artist.” Mathias is also a musician, practicing guitar in his spare time.

12-year-old Marsh Junior High student and artist Ella McLaughlin offers sage advice about the artistic process. “You can’t make it be something,” she says. “You can’t have a bad day and try to make it be something colorful. It will reflect your emotions, no matter what.” She credits her teacher Janet Lombardi Blixt at Chico Art School for helping her to grow as an artist, getting her out of her comfort zone and encouraging her to experiment with different art mediums.

Willow Gonzalez, an eighth grader at Notre Dame, is a dancer in Chico Community Ballet. “I love dance because you are able to express how you feel through your movements,” says Willow. “And it brings me a lot of joy being able to dance with others who share the same passion.”

Chico High junior Anne Gonzales is a dancer in Chico Community Ballet. “I love dance because I am someone who connects really well with music, and music is a big part of dance,” says Annie. “I also like how it is something you can do both independently and as a group.”

Sierra View student Alexis Bursen, age 11, has been practicing gymnastics for over two and a half years and aerial arts for the past year. She loves these two disciplines because the help keep her in shape. “I love to perform and compete” says Alexis, whose mother, Mandie Burden, owns Kinetics Academy of Dance in Chico.

14-year-old Inspire School of Arts and Sciences student Nicolette loves playing bass guitar. “I like the sense of depth the bass guitar provides to songs,” she says. She enjoys reading, singing and acting, (she portrayed two different parts in her school’s November production of “Pride & Prejudice”). She also loves dancing. This year was her second year performing in “The Very Chico Nutcracker” at the Laxson.

13-year-old Emmett Barber, Redding School of the Arts student, plays the string base. “I love being part of the school orchestra because it’s lots of fun and I have great friends in the class with me,” he says. “Music is a really fun way to express myself.”

Performing at the 2023 Inspire Fall Music Concert.