What a sad and joyful time it is for the friends of the late composer Matt Dibble. This English lad was only 40 when he died in 2021 from complications from a covid vaccine. He left behind 48 tracks of Preludes and Fugues that he kept secret until hours before his death.
His good friend Jon Hargreaves helped crowdfund the necessary funds to record the album with the pianist Matt Dibble loved the most. Freddie Kempf. There’s also a documentary about Matt Dibble.
So, your child is leaving home for a summer of music, travel, learning and fun?
In the case of Noah Semsar, it’s to play with Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America.
Semsar, who plays the trumpet, is a graduate of Atkins High School, and is the only Austin resident among 12 Texans chosen to be in the orchestra. He’ll join about 100 others from all over the country. He says this has cemented his choice, for now, to be a professional musician especially since he’s headed to music school in the fall.
There’s no place like home. A familiar line from a familiar movie and so very true. The Miro Quartet, The University of Texas String Quartet In Residence with an international reputation and a GRAMMY nomination, honed in on the theme with their latest album Home. They illustrated the essence of Home with a video of their performance of Over The Rainbow.
Daniel Ching, one of the founding members of the group says Home is a love letter to and appreciation of all the things they call home.
Imagine what it must be like to have someone give you a free trip to the arts camp you’ve always wanted to attend.
That happened to 15 high school students all over Texas via the Young Masters Program of the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Texas Cultural Trust.
Lerchen Zhong of Westwood High School in Round Rock is the only local student chosen for the program. He already knows where he wants to spend his summer.
Dr. Gary Gibbs, the executive director of the Texas Commission On The Arts says the grants are for all disciplines in the arts.
Something bright and refreshing graced the stage at the Long Center a few weeks ago. It was the Heller Awards for Young Artists. It honors the best high school musical productions from this school year. Two students are headed to the national competition, the Jimmys in New York next month.
Ginger Morris, who runs the Hellers, is hoping more schools take part next year.
Austin Opera is ending their 2023-24 season with the red-hot opera Bizet’s Carmen. The cast is full of young singers, many of whom are making their debut with the Austin Opera.
CEO Annie Burridge is hoping this super popular work from Bizet will entice audiences back to the Long Center after the hibernation forced upon us by Covid.
As the end of most performing arts seasons come to an end, the Grammy winning choir, Conspirare is going out with a blast of three programs featuring a 30th anniversary event and the post pandemic return of Conspirare’s Symphonic Choir. Founder and Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson is celebrating the end of their 30th season with a musical bash.
There may come a time when classical music and other types of music will be “prescribed” along with your medication. A Canadian Pharmaceutical expert and researcher, Dr. Tony Kiang, is taking up a study to determine if listening to music while taking your medication would improve its effectiveness.
The upcoming Solar Eclipse will darken the sky for a few minutes on April 8th. Texas orchestras are providing the soundtrack with concerts celebrating the celestial event. The Waco Symphony is having it’s ‘Sci-Fi Spectacular’ Sun, Moon and Superstars concert. The East Texas Symphony has collaborated with Tyler Junior College for a musical and visual feast. Here are other eclipse related music events.
The Austin Opera is about to do something they’ve never done before.
They are presenting the world’s first Mariachi Opera, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna. It will also be the first time they are staging an opera sung in Spanish with help from the new Butler Fund for Spanish Programming. Some of the cast is from Ópera de Bellas Artes, the national opera company of Mexico.
Austin Opera General Director and CEO, Annie Burridge says this production is the first of many.