Rob Ostermaier/The Gazette Jazz saxophonist Dante Hawthorne, 19, of Hyattsville and former Parkdale High School student will attend Boston's Berklee College of Music this fall.

At 19, Hawthorne has moved from being a musical legend in his high school community to a serious music student, working hard to make it in one of the most prestigious jazz programs in the country.

In his sophomore year at Parkdale, Hawthorne started an after-school jazz club and out of that came his band, "Inferno." It had pretty haphazard beginnings, said Hawthorne. "We started off doing auditions," he said. "But because we weren't finding musicians, we made it an after-school club [that accepted everybody]."

Inferno held a spring concert and started playing at school functions. They became a hit in the community. "We really got rave reviews," said Hawthorne. "Nothing like that had been done at Parkdale."

Now Dante's mother Deborah Hawthorn manages Inferno. She booked four performances for the band last year. The band-members -- many of them at college -- came home to play at Camden Yards, Jack Kent Cook Stadium and for the National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters. This summer they have continued local performances at Beltsville Community Day, a summer concert at the Laurel Montpelier Mansion and one at the Hyattsville Police Community Day.

Dante has been dedicated to jazz since childhood. He started playing the saxophone at 9 years old. He took a detour to the keyboard in sixth grade, but hated it and went back to the saxophone.

"He would go to sleep listening to Kenny G in fifth- and sixth-grades," Deborah said. "He would just mimic what he heard on the radio."

Dante said he got his stage presence from the Hyattsville-based Colours Performing Arts Program and that was not an easy aspect of performance for him. Jason Cook, the program's director, said Dante wasn't always dynamic on stage.

In the Colours program Dante was pushed to sing, dance and act, as well as play the saxophone. "We worked really hard to show him that the audience is part of your show," said Cook. They coached him on how to speak to people and present himself, Cook said.

While Dante hasn't always been good at marketing himself, his dedication to his music and his instrument have come through in other ways. In high school, he worked for three years at the Ramada Inn to pay for both a soprano and an alto saxophone. "While other kids were buying cars, Dante was buying saxophones," Cook said.

Chuck Zimmerman, in his fifth year as a music instructor at Parkdale, said Dante is the most talented jazz musician he's seen at the high school. He worked with Dante for three years, and said his talent and popularity pushed him to stay motivated. Dante had a high profile, and instead of making him too cocky, the attention made him willing to learn, he said. "He spent the time to work," said Zimmerman. "And [he] asked a lot of questions."

On top of his practice ethic, Dante has always shared his talent freely, Cook said. He said Inferno gave encouragement to young musicians in the community by being inclusive. "They reached out to some kids who weren't as proficient as [Hawthorne] on their instruments," he said. He has also been a supportive brother to his younger sister, said Cook. "For somebody so talented at such a young age, his parents kept him pretty grounded," Cook said.

But Dante has been making the effort to continue his musical career and said he still wants to be a professional saxophone player. He is studying music education and management so he can learn more about all aspects of the industry and guarantee himself a place in the music world.