The concert series is sponsored by CLASSIC 99 radio. The concerts feature talented African- American youngsters who perform in front of a live audience at the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

The concerts also are broadcast live on KFUO 99.1FM. The latest broadcast was on Saturday, April 15.

Tricia Oates is the Educational Initiatives Manager at Classic 99. She auditions the youngsters who perform at the Young Heroes concerts.

Oates said, "Lauren was very solid and very musical for a 10-year-old. At the audition, she was very composed. And, rhythmically and musically, she was very strong."

But, Lauren admits she likes to do a lot of things besides play the violin.

"I played the piano too but I stopped that because it interfered with basketball practice," she said. Lauren considers herself to be a power forward in basketball.

She said, "I'm good at swiping the ball from the other players." But, she admits, "When I get a breakaway, I usually miss the shot."

She's also a Girl Scout and is an A-student at Claymont Elementary School, in the Parkway School District. She's in fourth grade.

Last September, Lauren's parents purchased a "serious" violin for her. Although it's smaller than full size, it is a 200-year-old Italian instrument.

Deb Bryant, Lauren's mother, said her husband, Russell, wasn't too pleased with the price for an "old" violin. But, Mrs. Bryant said, "Lauren told her dad, 'You have to listen for the sound.'"

They are pleased with the instrument now. It also helped when the store owner said they could get a full refund if they wanted a full-sized violin or if Lauren decided she didn't want to continue playing. The instrument was purchased at Bearden Violin Shop in Overland.

Lauren learned about the auditions for the Young Heroes concert from her former piano teacher.

She said that being picked to play three musical pieces at the concert helped her to concentrate on practice. "I used to not practice too much. But, now I practice 45 minutes to one hour a day," she said.

Her parents started her on the violin at age 5. They also had classical music on the radio before she went to bed. Lauren has been taking violin lessons for five years with Nora Teipen.

Another musician, Sonja Talburt, offered to accompany Lauren free of charge on the piano at the Young Heroes concert.

Lauren has two brothers, Chris, 14, and Robert, 7. Her parents both are graduate engineers but Deb has been a stay-at-home mom for the last eight years. Both parents graduated in engineering from the University of Michigan and then worked for General Electric's medical systems company. Deb also was an equipment salesperson for IBM.