Mosaic Variations by Clarice Assad, Performed by ACG Youth Orchestra

Oct 20, 2022

Last spring Austin Classical Guitar’s Youth Orchestra recorded triple-Grammy nominee Clarice Assad’s Mosaic Variations, composed for and with members of our community, in KMFA’s Draylen Mason Music Studio. In this exciting new release, Virtual Guitar Orchestra has combined the youth orchestra’s performance with improvisations by Clarice Assad herself. This production was made thanks to the support of The Augustine Foundation.

 

Produced by Uros Baric, Virtual Guitar Orchestra Director: Mak Grgic

Performed by: Clarice Assad, Aaron Baldauf, Jay Campanell, Besa Carney, Ayame Castel, Satvik Chawla, Sadhana Kumar, Allen Liu, Nate Mackintosh, Nima Moin, Sydney Piper, Regan Sims, Michael Vetter

ACGYO Director: Joe Williams, ACGYO Assistant Director: Aaron Baldoff

Audio Recording Engineer: Jeffrey Blair Recorded live at KMFA’s Draylen Mason Music Studio


Do What’s In Your Heart with Clarice Assad

Aug 19, 2022

Do What’s In Your Heart shares the story behind a musical work triple-Grammy nominated composer and instrumentalist Clarice Assad co-created with 50 students from around the city.

The film includes a performance of that work by a student orchestra, as well as a reimagined version by guitarist Jorge Caballero and the Miro String Quartet. It’s a big celebration of some of our favorite things: community, collaboration, musical inspiration, and artistic freedom!

Do What’s In Your Heart is a celebration of community, collaboration, musical inspiration, and artistic freedom, created by our community for our community. Special thanks to ACG’s Artistic Director Joe Williams, Education Director Travis Marcum, Northshore Media’s Kevin Chin, Clarice Assad, all the musicians, parents and students, and everyone else who helped make this year-long project possible.

Clarice Assad’s 21-22 Artist Residency was generously sponsored by atsec information security.


Asturias with David Russell and AISD Guitar Orchestra, 360 video

Nov 21, 2021

Since 2001, ACG has built Education Systems serving thousands of students locally, nationally, and internationally. Our Education Systems include curriculum development, teacher training, district-level strategy, standards development, and adjudication. We also focus additional resources on High Priority Areas and individuals. Our current High Priority Areas include Title I Schools, Juvenile Justice Centers, and Braille learning systems. Services we provide to these areas include in-person and virtual classroom consultation and direct instruction, free individual lessons, performance engagement with guest artists, instrument acquisition, scholarships, and individual advancement opportunities (performances, career assistance, and internships).

David Russell, guitar Jeremy Osborne, conductor

AISD High School Ensemble Directors: Andrew Clark (McCallum HS), Ron Hare (Crockett HS), Thomas Mann (Akins HS), Jody Moseley (Bowie HS), Susan Rosanc (Travis HS)

AISD Guitar Orchestra: Gage Bausman, Jude Barden, Sam Buford, Benjamin Carroll, Aiden Christiansen, Maria Contreras, Michael Diaz, Riley Edwards, Lance Gonzales, Reid Grotevant, Richard Hernandez, Juan Itzep, Ben Johnson, Oscar Martinez, Dominic Miles, Jack Nelson, Alaina Nesby, Aaron Perez, Dustin Prestridge, Yakira Rector, Alexander Reyes, Henry Rodgers, Enrique Ruiz, Will Smeaton, Ethan Smith, Edan Tapia-Lugo, Logan Wong Matthew Lyons Arranger Joe Williams Artistic Director Jess Griggs Project Manager Chris Zeid Video Producer/Videographer Andy McVey Video Editor

Special Thanks to Josh Stern and Reality Based Group


UpClose Online: 30TH SEASON FINALE

May 22, 2021
Performance program here.

Our 30th season finale was an energetic celebration of Spring. An orchestra of young guitarists from all over Texas premiered Broomsticks by Mason Bynes, and the Texas Guitar Quartet, long-time collaborators on some of our most ambitious projects (Alfred Hitchcock’s The LodgerPersona, i/we, dream and together), dazzled us from the AISD Performing Arts Center.

ACG’s 30th season finale was created in collaboration with Ex-Aequo, Virtual Guitar Orchestra, AISD, and The Augustine Foundation.


ACG FEST

May 22, 2021

Friends and colleagues from across the country came together for an hour-long celebration of the beautiful things we created together this year. We heard performances by the ACG Youth and Adult Ensembles, the Cleveland Guitar Society, the Glendale Community College Guitar Ensembles, the Orpheus Honors Trio, the Kitchener-Waterloo Guitar Orchestra, the Northeast High Guitar Ensembles, and others from around the country. This hour of music reflects the spirit and passion of music makers from around the country and world to create beautiful things in spite of the challenges brought about by the pandemic.


Austin Now: FLOWERS OF LIFE

May 13, 2021
Performance program here.

Inspired by the transformation of winter to spring at the Wildflower Center, composer and performer Gabriel Santiago collaborated with master horticulturalist Andrea DeLong-Amaya to celebrate the intersections of nature and music.


UpClose Online: RUPERT & LAURA

May 6, 2021
Performance program here.

This spring our ACG concert-streaming rig traveled up to Brooklyn, New York, to broadcast some of the amazing artistry that’s been attracted from around the globe to one of the world’s greatest cities. Here is a very special concert by husband and wife duo Rupert Boyd and Laura Metcalf sharing the divine sounds of cello and guitar. These two had a gorgeous and varied program ranging from Satie to Beyoncé! 


ACG Originals: GIVE

April 29, 2021
Performance program here.

Guided by the belief that music can be a powerful catalyst for acceptance, hope, and joy, GIVE was a community concert featuring commissions from local artists, creative projects from students and community members as well as powerful songs from ACG’s Music & Healing program.

Featuring artists from ACG’s Music & Healing: Arnold Ysaguirre, Claudia Chapa, John Churchill and Claire Puckett as well as Michelle Schumann (piano), the Miró string quartet, Oliver Rajamani (oud), ARCOS (dance), Sunil Gadgil (saxophone), Stephen Krishnan (guitar), The Magnolia Kids, and members of the ACG youth and community ensembles.


Austin Now: CALL & RESPONSE

April 18, 2021
Performance program here.

CALL AND RESPONSE is an exploration into memory, meaning, and the not-so-obvious threads that connect us all over Austin.

Performed in KMFA’s Draylen Mason Music Studio, the genre-blurring string quartet Invoke alongside wildly creative Thomas Echols fashioned a lush musical journey with guitar, strings, and electronics.

Inspired by our community, CALL AND RESPONSE was developed in collaboration with students from Austin Soundwaves, older adults at the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center, and co-artistic directors Carla McElhaney and Joe Williams. This unique project is presented in partnership with KMFA Classical 89.5 as part of their intergenerational Star Notes Project, with support from the St. David’s Foundation.


ACG Originals: PLAY

Mar 27, 2021
Performance program here.

ACG Education turned 20 this year. What started in one school in Austin, Texas, grew into a movement impacting tens of thousands across the nation and beyond. PLAY was our celebration of the students and teachers that have created inspiring works of joy and friendship during a year like no other.

Featuring music of young artists from Austin (Elijah Melodic Flores, Sydney Piper, Northeast Highschool Ensemble, Bedichek Middle School, ACG Youth Orchestra and Gardner Betts Juvenile Center), Ohio (McKinley High School and Cleveland Classical Guitar Society), Arizona (Glendale Community College Guitar),  Mexico (Orquesta de Guitarras del Ciclo de Iniciación Musical), and Paraguay (Municipal “Agustín Pio Barrios” de San Juan Bautista de las Misiones) as well as 36 middle and high schools from U.S. and Canada.

With special guests Berta Rojas, Devin Gutierrez, Daniel Fears, Montsho Thoth, Claire Puckett, Claudia Chapa and Arnold Yzaguirre.


ACG Originals: HOPE

Feb 6, 2021
Performance program here.

Friends from all across the world have shared music and messages of hope for this heartfelt ACG Original. Let’s step forward together and dream a better tomorrow.

Featuring Jorge Caballero (Perú), Raphaël Feuillâtre (France), Ioana Gandrabur (România), Dieter Hennings (Mexico), Ekachai Jearakul (Thailand), Celil Refik Kaya (Turkey), Irina Kulikova (Russia/Netherlands), João Luiz (Brazil), Bahar Ossareh (Iran/Canada), David Russell (Scotland), An Tran (Vietnam), Xuefei Yang (China), and including four young artists from the United States: Aytahn Benavi, Emilia Diaz Delgado, Damian Goggans, and Eric Wang.


UpClose Online: Nella Fantasia with Matt Hinsley and the ACG Team

Dec 12, 2020
Performance program here.

Join Matt Hinsley and the ACG team for holiday gratitude and joy in music and story.


Austin Now: Echo

Dec 6, 2020
Performance program here.

Presented in partnership with AISD Visual & Performing Arts

Three of our favorite young artists asked “Are we hearing each other, or just echoes?” in an interactive performance of movement and sound exploring how to interpret the world in isolation and in community.


Austin Now: Looking Up

Nov 19, 2020
Performance program here.

Presented in partnership with The Contemporary

We often ask ourselves, “What good can music and art do in the world today?” Our “today” can seem filled with fear and anxiety as humanity wrestles with some of its greatest challenges. But still, if we can look up, look up from our individual paths, look up from our screens, look up from our fears, there is beauty. Learn more about this event here.


Austin Now: The Space In Between

Nov 7, 2020
Performance program here.

Presented in partnership with One World Theatre

The Space In Between brings together three of our most-beloved partners: Multi-instrumentalist-global-citizen-artist Oliver Rajamani, KUT/KUTX voice of Austin for more than fifty years John Aielli, and Hartt Stearns with the breathtaking One World Theatre. Dive into a conversation with Oliver Rajamani here


ACG Originals: Ofrendas

Oct 29, 2020
Performance program here. 

Presented in partnership with Mexic-Arte Museum

In celebration of Día de Muertos, Ofrendas centered around the creative spark of our incredible community and the celebration of loved ones who have passed. Learn more about the project here.


ACG Originals: I/WE 2020

Oct 15, 2020
Performance program here.

Presented in partnership with ARCOS

Inspired by interviews with Syrian & Iraqi refugees during their first 90 days in Austin, the original i/we was a multimedia concert we made in 2017. For I/WE 2020, ARCOS, with choreographer Erica Gionfriddo, dancers Bonnie Cox, Ginnifer Joe, Kaitlyn Jones & Oddalys Salcido, along with filmmaker Eliot Gray Fisher, recontextualized the original stories and music through movement filmed in natural spaces around the State of Texas. Learn more about the project here.


Austin Now: Cycles

Oct 10, 2020
Performance program here.

Presented in partnership with Big Medium

Two beloved Austin artists, Joseph Palmer (guitar) and Ryan Runcie (art), have teamed up to create a vivid streaming experience like none other. ACG’s Artistic Director, Joe Williams, asked them ‘What is your experience as an Austin artist today?’ and, twelve weeks later, Cycles is their answer: a collaborative artwork expressing their philosophies of nature, life, and their understanding of each other as artists. Learn more about this project here. 


Everything Changes at Once

June 25, 2020

Everything Changes at Once was written during the first weeks of mass quarantine as an opportunity for young people to share their experience, their voice, and their music during this time. Learn more about it here.


Together

May 30, 2020
Together tour

Our 29th Season came to a end with an epic, all-hands on deck, event celebrating a season guided by the word “together” at precisely the time our civilization is facing the greatest challenge to togetherness of our lifetimes. Through this music shines! We’ll present several premieres of new pieces created despite the pandemic and featuring hundreds of musicians of every generation from across our nation. Never before seen footage with the Texas Guitar Quartet, Tony & Camille, the Austin Guitar Quartet, the ACG Youth Orchestra and Youth Camerata, and super secret surprise guests.


Juvenile Justice

May 19, 2020

Jeremy Osborne, ACG’s Assistant Director of Education and Director of our Juvenile Justice Programming, has been working with incarcerated youth nearly every school day since 2010. The depth of this work, the impact, and the stories are profound, complex, and beautiful. Along with several guests, Jeremy shares insights into this unique work, along with moving video and audio features. Learn more about Juvenile Justice Programming here.


Austin Pictures

April 28, 2020

Matt Hinsley, Joe Williams, Maestro Peter Bay from the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and violinist Daniel Ching from the Miro String Quartet, talk about one very special day in October, 2011, when more than 125 musicians and artists came together to celebrate our community and togetherness. Throughout our conversation we share stunning concert footage from that memorable show, captured by KLRU. In Part 2, Matt Hinsley introduces us to the one and only Jorge Caballero, one of our favorite artists at ACG. We’ve had many adventures with Caballero. Perhaps none of our adventures have been more spectacular than Austin Pictures when Jorge performed the nearly-impossible Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky on solo guitar. Watch part 2 here. 


Sing Me A Lullaby

April 15, 2020
Music and Healing watch party.

ACG Education Director, and Director of Music & Healing, Travis Marcum, is joined by Executive Director Matt Hinsley, and ACG lullaby artists Arnold Yzaguirre and Claudia Chapa to introduce the 2015 KLRU Arts in Context called Sing Me A Lullaby. Director Mario Troncoso beautifully documents ACG’s Lullaby Project and Education Program, following the team to various schools and facilities. The crew even took a trip with us to visit our partner program in St. Louis, Missouri. Learn more about our music and healing program here.


Flamencoindia

April 7, 2020

Award-winning musicians Oliver Rajamani and Jerónimo Maya take center stage in front of a live audience and present a unique collaborative experience that can only be described as Flamenco India. Blending music from India, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and even Texas, Oliver and Jerónimo have come together to create an enthralling concert experience like none other. Interspersed with interviews, Arts in Context: Flamenco India captures the magic that can only come from the meeting and union of two maestro musicians at their finest.


dream

Jan 15, 2020
dream trailer

dream explores the hopes and fears of young people, and the courage that fuels their vision of the future. An extraordinary cast of international artists will create a soundscape experience for a range of ideas and emotions.  Director Alonso Lujan worked with the creative team at ACG to turn the original performance of dream into a 55-minute short feature. Learn more about the creative process in our watch party here.