Jay Dubin, Age 18, Clarinet

Clarinetist Jay Dubin describes himself as an extremely disorganized person, yet he maintains this actually helps him to be a better musician. "I know it sounds weird," he says, "but I'm so scatterbrained that when I'm performing I can't manage to pay attention to anything but the music. That's why I never have stage fright. I'm too distracted by the music to notice how many people are watching!' Jay plans to pursue a music career, and his ultimate dream job would be to play with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. "There's something magical about the idea of sitting in that pit," says Jay. He had never even seen an opera until his freshman year of high school when his music program took a field trip to the Met to see La Boheme. Jay recalls being mesmerized. "The whole experience took my breath away," he says. "I didn't just like it — I fell in love. Some people say opera is overdramatic, but for me it's about the tying together of music to all these different art forms. To be a part of that whole would be just magical." In addition to his classical music pursuits, Jay is also an accomplished Klezmer musician. For several years he has been attending KlezCanada, an internationally recognized summer festival, which features the world's biggest names in Klezmer. "Interacting with the faculty there is just amazing," says Jay. "I have a blast there." Jay has become such a skilled player that he is regularly invited to plays gigs with professional Klezmer musicians.