Tag Archive for: Austin

It’s Time To Apply For Summer Music Programs

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This might be a good time for your high school or college musician to apply for some summer music programs.  There are so many available and applying for each one can be expensive and time consuming.  Equity Arc to the rescue with their Common Application for Summer Study for students in underrepresented communities.

Magee Capsouto the Associate Director of Equity Arc says applicants using the Common Application won’t have to pay the application fees. Another perk: You’ll only need to fill out the application once, no matter how many programs for which you’re applying.

Are Books On Your List?

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Sometimes there’s nothing like putting on some comfy clothes and reading a really good book. 

Or perhaps you know someone who loves books with stories about classical musicians. 

For your holiday gift giving, here are a few suggestions.

Music and Silence by Rose Tremain.  It’s historical fiction about a 17th century English musician in Denmark.

With Bel Canto by Ann Patchett you can read the book about an American opera singer held hostage in a South American country. There’s also the audio book and the movie.

There’s a mental health angle with the book: Gone: A Girl, a Violin, a Life Unstrung by Min Kym.  A young violinist loses her instrument to theft and maybe her mind. Here’s a link to the audio book.  

Words And Music For The Children In Your Life

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Share the joy of the season with your children or grandchildren with books, and/or audiobooks.  These are written and orchestrated just for the super young set to introduce them to classical music. 

Here are a few featured in this Staccato: 

The Boy Who Said Wow  – Audio and Book

An Introduction To Classical Music

The Nutcracker – An Audio Play with Music

The Cliburn Agency

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The Cliburns have expanded. 

The prestigious piano competition has formed its own boutique firm called The Cliburn Agency.

Jacques Maquis, president and CEO of The Cliburn says the full-service firm offers comprehensive general management.  It means the four instrumentalists they’ve already chosen will receive  concert bookings, and publicity and branding services.

This comes right in the middle of preparations for the Cliburn International Piano Competition.  It’s scheduled for May in Fort Worth.

A Holiday Concert Full Of Fun And Frolic

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With the holiday season upon us, there are a number of musical performances on Austin’s entertainment calendar. 

One of them is the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus concert Twas The Night Before – Tales of the Winter Season.

Karl Logue is one of the founders of the AGMC.  He says expect this concert to be fun and quirky. 

The Fall Season Ahead:

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ATX Chamber Music and Jazz

After the rush of Labor Day and the hectic days of a new school year, it might be time to socialize with some chamber music or perhaps some jazz.  In our annual series of seasons ahead, ATX Chamber Music and Jazz is offering a social experience.

Co-founders and Artistic Directors Geoffrey Herd and Anna Petrova say they give patrons the time to socialize with drinks and hors d’oeuvres before listening to a selective program of chamber music or jazz.  

The Season Ahead:  The Central Texas Philharmonic

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In just a few weeks performing arts groups will unveil the first shows of the 2024 Fall season.  There are many more in Central Texas than there used to be, so you have more than a few choices.

We’re starting with the Fall 2024 season for The Central Texas Philharmonic led by Music Director Stefan Sanders.  

Gustav Mahler Need Not Apply: The Symphonina

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It was the age of the audience at a classical music concert that lit a fire under David Fogel. 

He seems to have invented another genre of classical and orchestral music.  The Symphonina.  A short symphony just right for the younger set and older ears too. 

Sophie Mathieu – The Draylen Mason Composer in Residence

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Imagine what it’s like to actually be doing the job you love so much. 

It’s a feeling that Sophie Mathieu knows well.  She’s KMFA’s Draylen Mason Composer In Residence for 2024. 

Mathieu, a cellist, with a Masters from the Butler School of Music, is also the first local composer who’s been chosen for the program. Since the announcement in January, she’s been taking part in educational events, public and private workshops of her work with Austin Unconducted and various other activities.  This is in addition to working on her new piece.  Sophie is pretty sure she’’ll call it “Night Poem” when it premieres on September 22nd. 

Mount Rainier’s Composer in Residence   

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Stephen Lias always has music on his mind. He’s the Dean’s Circle Endowed Professor Of Composition at Stephen F Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas.  Lias is also an outdoor kind of guy.  Over the years, he’s composed music for a variety of national parks either on commission or just because.  Now he’s been named Washington State’s Mount Rainier National Park’s first-ever composer in residence. His composition will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the park but won’t premiere until 2026.