Every year Art Spark Texas chooses five or more artists who are disabled as winners of their annual awards. Celia Hughes, Executive Director, says the categories range from Artist of the Year Award, the Gloria Bond Creative Aging Award, the Creative Veteran Service Award and several others. In this Staccato, we focus on the 2025 SPARK Award […]
It’s that time of year again. Each summer, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute chooses the brightest young players from across the country to form the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. This year 15 of the 96 student musicians chosen are from Texas. Two are from Austin. Dorian Herri is a double […]
Another Austin, Texas arts organization has lost its NEA grant. However, the Tapestry Dance Company is taking it, in as much stride as possible. Instead of their annual 3 day tap extravaganza, the Soul 2 Sole Festival, they are holding a one-day event. Acia Gray, the Executive Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the […]
This is a very exciting time for the Texas State International Piano Festival. They are holding this year’s event in Seoul, South Korea. It is the first time they will be “off campus” for the 15 year old competition. It’s usually held at Texas State University in San Marcos, but it’s always been a dream […]
An increasing number of orchestras are taking it upon themselves to ensure the health of their musicians. They’re setting up a program called physio toolkit. The latest is the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic in the UK. Dr. John Chong, one of the founders of the Performing Arts Medicine Association or PAMA, in Canada says musicians face […]
The firings and resignations continue in all parts of the American universe. National Endowment for the Arts grants have been slashed, leaving arts and music organizations scrambling for funds. With memories of Memorial Day still with us, two new albums have been released honoring the fallen. A Symphony For Vietnam Veterans tells the musical […]
There will be many honors this Memorial Day week for the military men and women who lost their lives while serving their country. Music will be a large part of that. One of them is the world premiere recording of the opera An American Soldier. It’s the true story of the young Chinese-American Army Pvt. […]
In Part Two of Summer Music Camps for Adults we focus on musicians. There are more than a few camps all over the country. Some with a focus on your instrument. There’s the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan but if you want to stay local, the Austin Chamber Music Center has several Workshops. […]
How about spending part of your summer elevating your skills at a music camp for adults? There are plenty of choices, here in Austin, in Texas and all over the US. There is, of course, the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. Gary Gatzke Associate Director of Continuing and Community Education says there’s a […]
There’s a young woman in the Dallas area who is introducing at risk and low-income kids to classical music through a program called Miles for Music. Emma Fossum, a 17-year-old high school student says the idea for the free program started with her youngest sister, who is autistic. Fossum, a pianist and a beauty queen […]