My name is Axel Sanchez, I am 15, I attend the Marin School of the Arts, where I am a sophomore. When I was 6, I began the recorder with the ELM youth music program (Enriching Lives Through Music). I progressed to the clarinet and, starting in middle school, to the oboe, an instrument that is now my life's passion.



Through years of practice and numerous auditions I have achieved the following honors: admittance to the Marin School of the Arts; member of the Marin County Honor Band; membership in a national youth orchestra that performed at the Aspen Music Festival. Recently, I was selected from a group of national oboists to spend 10 days in Los Angeles preparing for a concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall to be conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.



I love the oboe, but it is a complex instrument. The least expensive orchestra-level oboe costs about $5,250. My current oboe is a loaner from the instrument pool at my high school. It is of such low quality that my main teacher urged me to figure out how to get an upgrade.



I am asking for any support you can afford to help me acquire a suitable oboe to play on the "big stage" and off to college. I would love to continue studying and make a career in this field. Thank you for considering my request.