Blog
Where Are They Now: Natalie Lin Douglas
Violinist Natalie Lin Douglas is Young Texas Artists’ 2009 Gold Medalist in Strings and Audience Choice Award winner. She recently shared an update on her career with us. It’s been more than 12 years since you won Young Texas Artists’ Gold Medal for Strings and the Audience Choice Award. How would you say your experience…
Read MoreWhere Are They Now: Michael Mayes
Baritone Michael Mayes is YTA’s 2002 Gold Medalist in Voice. He recently shared an update on his career with us. How would you say your experience with YTA has impacted you and your music career? At that point in my career, I was in grad school, which ain’t cheap. I had a lot of scholarships…
Read MoreSt. John Flynn: Demystifying Classical Music
In the early 1990s, when St. John Flynn first began working as a classical music announcer for WUGA-FM, part of the Georgia Public Broadcasting radio network, the conventional wisdom was that each piece of music should be given a suitable introduction that might include the history of the composer and the music, and an explanation…
Read MoreA Trying Journey, Rich Rewards
When YTA Artistic Director Emelyne Bingham began pursuing her doctor of musical arts degree several years ago, she couldn’t have imagined that lightning would strike, both figuratively and literally, before she was through. Bingham, who officially became Dr. Bingham in late 2020, unlocked a promising teaching method while researching her doctoral dissertation. She found…
Read MoreYoung Texas Artists Announces Schedule Changes, Expanded Programming for 2021-2022
Young Texas Artists (YTA) will re-focus 2021 activities on providing free cultural programs; securing important performance opportunities, increased cash awards and career development for winners of the Young Texas Artists Music Competition; enhancing awareness of YTA across the state; and planning a major YTA arts weekend for March 2022. Performance Series in 2021 Keynoting the…
Read MoreThe Art of Collaboration
If collaborative pianist Neal Kurz could offer one piece of advice to classical musicians interested in his specialty, it would be… not to specialize. Being an effective accompanist, he says, calls for being ready to play just about anything. “The thing I would emphasize for anybody who’s interested in this kind of work is…
Read MoreSetting the Stage for Success
Ask YTA Stage Manager Sadie Langenkamp about her job, and she could go into the technicalities of lighting and stage preparations. But she tends to look at her role more in terms of its impact. “I like to think of myself as a resource for the competitors, someone who makes sure they have everything they…
Read MoreHosting Contestants a Win-Win
You could say YTA volunteer David Hwa is a master puzzle solver. Every winter, Hwa gathers the schedules, needs and preferences of the out-of-town musicians who will need a place to stay when they come to Conroe for the YTA competition in March. Then he looks at the capabilities, homes and preferences of the…
Read MoreBoard Chair Proud of YTA’s impact
For Dr. Richard Griffin, board chairman of Young Texas Artists Music Competition, one of the best things about watching the annual Finalists’ Concert is taking in the performers’ expressions. After years of playing saxophone, Griffin understands their journey. “They go to a place that is just for them,” he said. “They experience a connectivity and…
Read MoreYTA Group Welcomes New Chairman
For the last four or five years, Sarah Baxter has had an opportunity to get to know some of the world’s most talented young artists in a way few audience members do: by welcoming them into her home. As a volunteer hostess for Young Texas Artists (YTA), Baxter provides participants in the organization’s music…
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