Music & Healing: Not/Yet/There
ACG Music & Healing brings human connection, beauty, and expressivity to individuals facing isolation and challenge, through collaboration with a skilled and trained ACG Artist. These services are available to a wide variety of clients through partnerships with more than a dozen social service providers including hospitals, shelters, residential rehabilitation facilities, parental education and family health organizations, and veterans service providers. Learn more about ACG Music & Healing.
Our newest video from ACG Music & Healing is called Not/Yet/There. Each time we work with a participant, we try to work with their story, energy, and individual skills. In this case, we discovered the participant was a dancer!
The participant Sharon Marroquin wrote: "I am a firm believer in the healing power of the arts. As a dancer and dancer maker, and a twelve-year cancer survivor, I know first-hand that movement is a medium for processing, expressing, and transforming pain. I recently faced the possibility of recurrence and found myself tumbling once again into an abyss of fear and uncertainty. This experience is embodied in my collaboration with John: Not/Yet/There.
John and I created this piece over the course of four Zoom meetings, and we met for the first time on the day we shot this video. “Not” is incomplete and uncomfortable, a piece of music that is missing something you can’t quite describe. “Yet” is a presence, but it is limited, hesitant, and unsure of its own existence. “There” represents a cautious re-integration, a mix of joy with ever-present unease. As a three-part piece, Not/Yet/There expresses a deep self-awareness that I am....not yet there."
The piece begins with piano only, then it’s dance only in silence, then the two combine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4wjpktxsa8
Read another Music & Healing story here.
Learn more about our Music & Healing services here.
Red Oak Hope: I Am Strong
We dream of a world where music is here for everyone, connecting us, inspiring us, and bringing joy and meaning wherever it goes. We are having our Fall fund drive here at ACG and it’s because of our community and supporters that we are able to share stories like this. Click here to learn more about supporting ACG.
Since 2019, ACG Music and Healing has partnered with Red Oak Hope, an international organization based out of Austin that brings freedom, hope, and restoration to victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. ACG artists meet with the individual women over the course of four to eight weeks to write and record an original song centered around her story. This song "I Am Strong" was written and performed by a young woman at Red Oak Hope this Fall with ACG Artist and Music and Healing Program Manager Claire Puckett.
Listen here:
https://soundcloud.com/austinclassicalguitar/i-am-strong
Spreading Kindness with Jen Bamberg & Consuela Style
We dream of a world where music is here for everyone, connecting us, inspiring us, and bringing joy and meaning wherever it goes. We are having our Fall fund drive here at ACG and it’s because of our community and supporters that we are able to share stories like this. Click here to learn more about supporting ACG.
We are so grateful at ACG to have a team of such incredible, talented, hard working, and beautiful people. We wouldn't be where we are today without the work of our wonderful team.
Last week, ACG Events Director, Jen Bamberg, got nominated by her intern, Reilly, for a Certificate of Awesomeness with Consuela's It's not about the bag!
Here is what Reilly had to say about Jen in her nomination,
"I want to nominate Jen because she is an amazingly strong woman that fights for what she believes in. She cares for all people deeply and takes the time to get to know the guests and volunteers that come to the Austin Classical Guitar concerts and makes sure they have the best experience and get everything they need. I have been Jen's intern since January, and she really has become a work mama to me. She is always there for me whenever I need her, offering help and support in many ways. And she does this for all of her coworkers and friends, as I have seen throughout my time working with her. She is always the first in line to help others, and she works hard to improve her community through engagement with the arts at Austin Classical Guitar. Jen is a real catalyst for positive change, and she always empowers others, which is something I think we need more of these days. I believe Jen is more than deserving of this award for all of these reasons and more. She is an exceptional role model to me, and I want to let her know how much I, along with an immeasurable amount of others, appreciate her hard work, dedication, and love for her job and her community."
We are so grateful for everything Jen does. She is the backbone of our events and a bright light in the office everyday!
Thank you for everything Jen!
Learn more about this award here.
ACG 2022-23 Season: Individual Events On Sale!
We are thrilled to announce that season ticket packages are now available for Austin Classical Guitar’s 2022-23 Season: Home. Our Live at The Rosette series features spectacular artists from Italy, Poland, Spain, France, South Korea, and Peru, all performing in our new Hyde Park concert and creative learning center, The Rosette. Our ACG Originals series includes a silent film with live music, Matt Hinsley & Friends in a show called Gratitude, the culminating project of our Artist in Residence with Austin youth, and a uniquely powerful concert experience called We’ve Always Known built from songs produced by ACG’s Music & Healing program.
Today’s the day! If you want to make sure and get the best available seats for Grisha, or Andrea González Caballero, or SoloDuo, or our first-ever Music & Healing inspired concert We’ve Always Known, tickets for individual events are now available. We’re bringing artists from Italy, Spain, Poland, France, Peru and all over the US for transcendent evenings of musical magic all season long.
We’re so excited for our first full season in our new home, The Rosette. With just eighty-five seats, we’re told every spot in the house is fabulous, but here’s your chance to choose just the perfect one you for you for that special event.
Are you a streaming fan? If so, stay tuned! All major events at the Rosette will be streamed this year. Tickets will be available in September.
It’s also not too late to save money, and secure your seats for the whole season, with our ticket packages! We recommend jumping on your package purchases soon, though, because individual seat purchases will now affect package seating locations.
We can’t wait to share beautiful and inspiring moments with you soon!
Cálido Guitars: A Generous Gift
We dream of a world where music is here for everyone, connecting us, inspiring us, and bringing joy and meaning wherever it goes. We are having our Dream Big spring fund drive here at ACG and it’s because of our community and supporters that we are able to share stories like this. Click here to learn more about supporting ACG.
Today, we at ACG would like to share our utmost gratitude for Daniel Baugh and Cálido Guitars.
“Dan and Cálido have been partners and supporters of ACG Education for over ten years! Dan has frequently supported our programs with instruments and our teacher summits through sponsorship. Last year when the Dallas County Juvenile Justice System program started, Dan donated the first fifteen guitars we needed, and now, a year later as the program is doubling in size, Dan jumped at the chance to donate fifteen more. Dan’s got a huge heart, and I’m so grateful for his friendship and support.” - Matt Hinsley, Executive Director
ACG Juvenile Justice is a music education program creating a safe space for incarcerated youth in juvenile detention centers. Safe spaces are created through group guitar classes that provide an environment to foster a sense of personal success and accomplishment while providing an outlet for personal expression.
Daniel’s support of this program has and continues to create incredible opportunities, change, and joy in the lives of the young people in these communities. Learn more about our Juvenile Justice programs here.
This week we had the opportunity to speak with Daniel about his own interest in guitar and how he got to a place where he’s able to give back to the community!
Daniel took piano lessons for a few years in his early grade school years but picked up the electric guitar in highschool. He dove into the world of 60’s rock and roll and started up a band! However, life steered him away from the instrument for a while once he began his studies in college and didn’t pick it back up until he began taking classical guitar lessons at age 52. Daniel says,
“Marc Garvin was my teacher in Houston for about 10 years. I love the instrument and was teaching a few students when I began to pursue guitars for my students while overseas. When I realized I could get good guitars for students I found myself importing and selling guitars”
Once Daniel began importing high-quality guitars he connected with the guitar professor at UT Austin, Adam Holzman. Daniel shared,
“It truly was a divine appointment because Adam introduced me to Matt Hinsley. One day Matt asked me if I could supply guitars to schools and I said, “Sure!”. Next thing I know I am providing hundreds of guitars to schools all over the USA. Most of the contacts have come through ACG or by word of mouth from the teachers who come to the Guitar Curriculum training events.”
Daniel is inspired by music education and how it has the power to transform lives,
“There were no opportunities to learn guitar at school when I was growing up. I love helping students with guitars because music changes their lives forever. It is something they can do for the rest of their lives. It is a part of their life that they can share with others. This is a very powerful and positive influence in the lives of young people and I want to be a part of that. Bach famously said that the sole purpose of music is the glory of God. I believe that. And I see it happening when music changes a person’s life. I love helping other people fulfill their needs in finding the guitar for them, and helping students to be involved in music. I never dreamed that I would be doing this at this point in my life, but it is truly a joy.”
The magic that has manifested from the donations of Daniel Baugh and Cálido Guitars in the lives of the young people in our community is truly too massive to measure. We could not be more grateful. Thank you!
Read a story on our Juvenile Justice program here.
Learn more about ACG Education here.
Major Feature Release: Hitchcock’s The Lodger with new score by Joe Williams
We dream of a world where music is here for everyone, connecting us, inspiring us, and bringing joy and meaning wherever it goes. We are having our Dream Big spring fund drive here at ACG and it’s because of our community and supporters that we are able to share stories like this. Click here to learn more about supporting ACG.
We are ecstatic to announce the streaming release, in partnership with Alamo Drafthouse and Criterion, of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1927 silent thriller The Lodger with a lush and evocative ACG-commissioned musical score by our Artistic Director Joe Williams.
Watch The Lodger now, through Alamo On-Demand
A gripping tale of a mysterious lodger, a series of murders, and a beautiful show girl. The Lodger is Alfred Hitchcock’s third film. This 1927 silent classic is the first to introduce his distinct artistic vision exploring themes of voyeurism, ambiguity, violence, and sexuality with Hitchcock’s brilliant cinematography and storytelling. The Lodger also includes Hitchcock’s very first trademark cameo. In this release, you’ll experience The Lodger in a whole new way with Joe Williams’ brilliant 2015 musical score for four guitars and cello, commissioned by Austin Classical Guitar in 2017. Superstar cellist Bion Tsang performs with the international award-winning members of Texas Guitar Quartet in this incredibly special new release. Williams’ new score was recorded by Eric Pearson and Todd Waldron, and mastered by Brad Sayles.
Dive deep into The Lodger with Artistic Director and Composer Joe Williams, ACG’s Executive Director Matt Hinsley, and Founder of the Alamo Drafthouse Tim League, in this featurette!
Dream Big: A Beautiful Letter to ACG from Ayame Castel
We dream of a world where music is here for everyone, connecting us, inspiring us, and bringing joy and meaning wherever it goes. We are having our Dream Big spring fund drive here at ACG and it’s because of our community and supporters that we are able to share stories like this. Click here to learn more about supporting ACG.
Below is a beautiful letter from graduating senior and ACG Youth Orchestra member, Ayame Castel.
In addition to being a great young guitarist, Ayame is an extraordinary competitive athlete, and she’ll be attending the highly competitive US Naval Academy this fall. We couldn’t be more excited for her, and thankful for our time together.
Dear Austin Classical Guitar,
I can’t believe that it has been five years since I first joined the ACG Youth Orchestra (ACGYO). I’m grateful to look back on the many thrilling experiences over the years that have truly changed me as a musician and as a person. I can’t thank ACG and ACGYO Director, Joe Williams, enough for the many distinct and fulfilling performances in churches, gardens, concert halls, and even movie theaters.
I think the most incredible experience I’ve had as part of the ACGYO was when we had the privilege to tour San Francisco and play in many different venues with musicians of all ages. Not only did we share our music, we also got to explore the culture and landscape of San Francisco such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Muir Woods! Although the past two years have been a challenge, and that is an understatement for many of us, we were still able to come together and perform virtually until finally in person again.
I wouldn’t have experienced what it’s like composing for a large guitar orchestra if it weren’t for ACG and Clarice Assad coming together and making it possible for us. I am so grateful that we were able to perform our composition with Clarice, Mosaic Variations, in person and then finish the season with performing Austin Pictures by Joe Williams in person as part of a huge guitar orchestra.
I would 100% do it all over again for the experiences, the people, and to flex our guitar skills and music to the world. ACGYO has inspired me to take advantage of new opportunities and to connect and make experiences with many people.
Thank you ACG!
Ayame Castel
We asked ACG Artistic Director, Joe Williams, for his thoughts after reading this wonderful letter form Ayame, and here’s what he had to say.
This letter takes me back to Ayame’s first rehearsal. She was there because her teacher, Stephen Krishnan, encouraged she try out. I am so proud of her and the journey she had with us. Ayame transformed from being unsure about the whole thing to being a rock. She became someone I always knew I could count on to lead or support – whatever the group needed. More than anything, it was fun to see her enjoy making music.
Ayame is starting a new journey now as a young adult and as a student in the U.S. Naval Academy. I believe the music she has made with the ACGYO will serve her for years to come and I’m so grateful she shared her presence with us. – Joe Williams
Dream Big: Celebrating Music Educators, Evan Taucher
We dream of a world where music is here for everyone, connecting us, inspiring us, and bringing joy and meaning wherever it goes. We are having our Dream Big spring fund drive here at ACG and it’s because of our community and supporters that we are able to share stories like this. Click here to learn more about supporting ACG.
We recently had the pleasure of speaking with private instructor and guitar super star, Evan Taucher. Evan has been musically inclined his whole life. He began playing piano at the age of six, started playing the saxophone in middle school and picked up the electric guitar in his freshman year of high school.
“I would play all day, and all night if I could (and I did, much to my school grades' demise).” -Evan Taucher
Evan discovered the classical guitar at age 19 at Florida State University and decided to completely dedicate himself and his life to the instrument. This led to Evan growing a large internet following in the guitar community! Evan shared,
“In 2011 at FSU after playing the guitar only a few months, I felt an affinity to document and share what I was learning, and this took the form of YouTube videos. I was so certain this is what I would be doing the rest of my life, that I thought it would make for an interesting thing to reflect on, and maybe inspire others.”
After studying with Bruce Holzman at FSU for five years, Evan began studying with the cuban virtuoso Rene Izquierdo, where he began having success in competitions and built his online presence. Evan continued at the University of Texas at Austin to study with Adam Holzman, during which he had the opportunity to study in Alicante, Spain for six months as part of the Master Guitar Alicante program.
Evan has now entered the professional stage of his career as a performer and has built a studio of passionate guitarists! Evan shared,
“Almost my entire studio is private students, and the majority of them are online and tuning in from around the world. I'm lucky to teach one very special student through ACG, who is the recipient of their Javier Niño Memorial Scholarship, which provides an exceptional student with private lessons, a worthy instrument, and tons of performance and educational opportunities. I feel fortunate to teach a studio of hard working students that also are interesting and intelligent people. I learn just as much from them! What is better than playing something that sounds cool and showing your friends (and others) how to do it? Witnessing others experiencing the same joy and gratitude you feel towards music is the highest possible sensation for me.”
Evan became connected with ACG in 2020 when the non-profit, Ex-Aequo, that Evan co-founded, reached out to us to collaborate with their Changing the Canon project where they commissioned and recorded 9 new pieces by Black composers for the classical guitar. Evan shared,
“We mostly worked with Travis Marcum during this project, and it's safe to say that we really 'clicked'. His passion and dedication to education really shines, and it's very obvious that this is a vein that runs through everyone at ACG, which is what makes it so special!”
Evan has helped the classical guitar community grow and connect with each other in numerous ways. He shared a little more about how he uses social media as a tool in this regard,
“Social media is just an extension of the stage in terms of being audience-minded. It's a way to have a broader reach with our music, and also a place to share behind the scenes thoughts, ideas, and works in progress. This is something I've always believed in. As a performer, it's helped me see what people find to be interesting, both about the music and about the life of a musician. This helps not just with repertoire selection, but also with how you speak to the audience and the stories you tell as a performer. As a teacher it's helped immensely. Creating online mini-lessons (as well as full-fledged courses for companies like PickupMusic, JamPlay, and Truefire, and Cordoba Guitars) has helped me learn where the common points of confusion are in guitar technique. For example, when you share something and you get upwards of 100 messages asking to clarify a certain aspect of it, you quickly realize the holes in your thought process that a single student or two may not have pointed out. It's been an invaluable experience.”
We asked Evan what his favorite part of being a music educator is and he shared,
“My students! Many of them are incredible human beings who have had successful careers in unique fields. I'm also particularly inspired by students who improve quickly. How they achieve this is never a surprise, but it's always amazing. I've witnessed students who started in their mid 50's go from playing a few easy pieces very sloppily, to playing some of the famous pieces in the guitar repertoire beautifully in less than a year. Simply because they put in honest, focused work every single day. I've seen teenage/young adult students crippled by technical problems surrender their ego, work at it and become much better players. These exceptional students inspire me and remind me to do the same!”
Evan is also planning some cool things for his students in the near future:
“Something I'm happy to be planning for my students are monthly Zoom performance classes. Since many of my students tune in from around the world, virtual is the only way to go about it. Believe it or not, this actually comes with a lot of benefits. For one, it's easier for everyone to make time and show up. Most importantly, they gain performance experience and get to know some other passionate guitarists around the world. Contrary to a traditional "guitar studio" there is less competitiveness and more support overall. The end goal is to create a community similar to what I had during my degrees in guitar studios, minus the bureaucracy and student loans. Fortunately technology is progressing to a point where we can make it just as engaging and educational. We're also planning some exciting opportunities for students around the world at my non-profit Ex-Aequo that will be announced soon!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeiAATQ9EW8
We’re so excited to hear more stories from music educators we have the pleasure of working with!
Read another story about student leader, Besa Carney, here.
Dream Big: Justice Phillips on writing a new piece for Jorge Caballero
We dream of a world where music is here for everyone, connecting us, inspiring us, and bringing joy and meaning wherever it goes. We are having our Dream Big spring fund drive here at ACG and it’s because of our community and supporters that we are able to share stories like this. Click here to learn more about supporting ACG.
With our spring season wrapping up we have so many incredible things happening. Jorge Caballero will be with us May 6 and 7 at The Rosette just before our Season Finale on May 8 with Jorge and the Miro Quartet!
Jorge’s solo shows at The Rosette are sold out, but if you’d like to tune in and watch the live-stream on Saturday, May 7 at 8pm CT, click here. In-person tickets for our Season finale on May 8 at 4:30 with Miro Quartet are still available online here.
One of the many reasons Jorge’s visit with us at The Rosette is super special is because our Director of Customer Experience and Composer, Justice Phillips, connected with Jorge to compose a piece for this event! Justice shared,
“This past winter ACG Artistic Director, Joe Williams, shared with me that he was trying to find an opportunity for me to write a piece for one of our featured artists in the spring. Then, a few weeks later he told me I’d be composing a piece for Jorge, who I secretly wished to write for because of his insane technical abilities as well as deep understanding of music!”
Justice had full compositional freedom for this project and, in turn, created, Coming Out Party. Justice shared more about what this piece means to him,
“It’s kind of funny to me actually. I’m a huge fan of football, and one of my favorite young players just recently had his first big game. That inspired the essence of the piece and title. The concept expanded as I moved through the compositional process and tried to capture the feeling a person has when they have their first big accomplishment in their field. I also tried to capture the feeling of a literal party as well, like a group of friends celebrating the accomplishment!”
Justice began working and connecting with Jorge for this piece in late December of 2021. Justice spoke a bit about what this experience did for him,
“The experience of working with Jorge has helped me grow as a composer and musician! After I sent him the completed score of Coming Out Party, Jorge pointed out how the way I notated some of the rhythms could be confusing for a performer to read. With the piece having heavy emphasis on the rhythm that was extremely important. He taught me a lot about notation, and has helped me recognize that the goal of notation is to portray a composer’s musical ideas as clearly as possible.”
Justice began this composition as an improvisation. He wanted it to be fast, energetic, and rhythmic. He shared,
“This piece is a good representation of my improvisational style, and I think that’s rad. I made sure to keep the energy high for the entire piece and create interesting and unique harmonic moments. I wouldn’t say I chose to compose it that way, rather that I improvised it that way and enjoyed how it sounded.”
Justice shared that throughout this time his favorite moment with Jorge was in a zoom meeting with him and Joe,
“I was a bit timid initially but once I relaxed and opened up there was great communication between Jorge and I. The biggest lesson I learned from Jorge in that meeting was how to analyze a composition from the perspective of the performer, especially a new one. I am a performer as well, but with Jorge being one of the greatest guitarists in the world, the information he was sharing opened my mind to many different ways performers think about music, notation, color, dynamics, and everything in between.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4XKdihokMw&t=1s
EVENT DETAILS
We are so excited to hear the premier of Coming Out Party on May 6 and 7 at 8pm live from The Rosette. In person shows are sold out but the May 7 showing will also be livestreamed. Learn more here.
Our Season Finale with Jorge Caballero and the Miro Quartet is Sunday, May 8 at 4:30 in Bates Recital Hall. This event, and the season it celebrates, is most certainly the stuff of dreams, and we’d love to have you with us!
Our finale includes a fifty-member guitar orchestra, a ten-year reprise of Joe Williams’ magnificent work Austin Pictures, and the world premiere of a new masterpiece by ACG Artist in Residence Clarice Assad.
Our finale celebrates our community, our artistry, our return to in-person concerts, the beauty of humans working together, and a season in which we built our first-ever home at The Rosette. Find tickets here.
Season Finale with Jorge Caballero & Miro Quartet
Join us on May 8th for our Season Finale with Jorge Caballero & the Miro Quartet! This concert has it all – solos, quintets, a giant guitar orchestra, the premiere of a dazzling new work by Clarice Assad, our artist in residence this season, and the 10 year anniversary performance of one of our most ambitious projects, Austin Pictures, by Joe Williams. Find ticket information here. This event is sponsored by atsec information security.
There is so much to celebrate in our Season Finale and we are so excited to share this special moment with you! Information on this exciting concert is online here.
Here is a sneak peek of Jorge Caballero and the Miro Quartet creating magic together, from a show we produced in the ACL Live Moody Theater in 2011 just after it opened. (Incidentally, in this video, they’re playing a piece ACG commissioned in 2009 for Caballero from Argentinian composer Jorge Morel.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmlebf0qK8Q
In our finale on May 8th, the quintet will perform the world premiere of Clarice Assad’s Mosaic Variations, written just for this occasion as the final chapter of Assad’s year-long Artist in Residence position here at ACG. This piece is based on a giant work for guitar orchestra Assad co-created with more than fifty AISD students in the fall and winter. Here is a short video about the composition process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVLznW1h4LI
On top of all this magnificence we will also be able to experience the 10-year anniversary performance of Austin Pictures, a work written for ACG by our very own Artistic Director, Joe Williams in 2011. We’re assembling a huge guitar orchestra, including a bunch of players from the original performance! For an Austin Pictures, deep dive, here is our watch party of Austin Pictures where Joe, Jorge, the Miro Quartet’s Daniel Ching, and Matt Hinsley share memories and insights about that wild project.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1ZAxGurNbs