About CPMF
Cactus Pear Music Festival was founded in 1996 by Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio, former concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony for 13 years. Stephanie's musical lineage is one of performers and pedagogues: her grandmother Isabelle Schiebler Sant'Ambrogio was a concert pianist and teacher; her grandfather Anthony Sant'Ambrogio was a violinist and violist, once a member of the St. Louis Symphony; John Sant'Ambrogio, her father, retired as Principal Cello with the St. Louis Symphony; and, her sister Sara is the cellist in the award-winning Eroica Trio. Music is definitely in the family genes!
Looking to fill the summer void of classical music in South Texas as the San Antonio Symphony went on its 3-month hiatus and symphony musicians left for music festivals far and wide, Stephanie's brainstorm came one sultry evening on the café banks of the River Walk as she sipped a signature Zuni Grill cactus pear margarita.
¡Caramba!, she exclaimed, and a music festival was born … a festival with all the refreshing COOL and vibrancy of the color of its namesake drink.
We've already booked 27 seasons of extraordinary performances and are ready and excited for our 28th. It's added up to a
festivalography
that includes some of the most sublime music the world has ever heard.
Summer 2022 was a momentous festival season as Stephanie completed 26 seasons as Artistic Director and she, Reneé and the Board handed over the reins recently to our new visionary Artistic Director Jeffrey Sykes who opened his CPMF account with a season called "Same Carriage. Fresh Horses: A Season of Continuity and Dynamic Change."
We are looking forward to the 28th season entitled "Spur of the Moment."
Artistic Director
Jeffrey Sykes • Acclaimed by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as "a commanding solo player, the most supportive of accompanists, and a leader in chamber music," pianist Jeffrey Sykes has performed across four continents and collaborates regularly with leading instrumentalists and singers. Recent performances include a recital on Chicago’s prestigious Dame Myra Hess concert series; a tour of France that culminated in performances at the Musée des Impressionismes in Giverny, home of Claude Monet; and song recitals at the African American Art Song Alliance in Irvine, California.
CPMF Executive Director
Reneé Davis • Reneé has been Executive Director of CPMF since 2006. She is a true Texas girl right down to her cowgirl boots and Charlie Horse hats. When she isn’t working on the festival, she enjoys her beautiful grandchildren, her dog Sam Elliott, rodeo and dancing. Her husband Gene and she have been known to cut a rug or two in some of Texas's most famous dance halls. Community and family are important to Reneé and she surrounds herself with opportunities to serve others by donating countless hours of fundraising assistance to many local nonprofits. She believes that each of us has a part to play in making our world a better place.
CPMF Board President
Lisa Tatum •
CPMF board president since 2018, Lisa was named a 2014 Super Lawyer and a 2007 Texas Rising Star by SuperLawyers. She was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1995.
Featured in Texas Monthly’s The Horse’s Mouth in July 2012, Lisa Tatum is the proud owner of LM Tatum, PLLC, informally known as The Tatum Law Practice, established in 2011. Her firm focuses on corporate, labor and employment and public finance law. The firm also serves in the capacity of Underwriter’s Counsel and Co-Bond Counsel providing legal services related to financial transactions and is listed in The Bond Buyer’s Municipal Marketplace (The Red Book) as Co-Bond Counsel and Underwriter’s Counsel.
Artistic Director Emerita
Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio • Praised as an “expressive and passionate chamber musician” by the San Antonio Express-News, and described as a “violinist who most often takes your breath away” by Gramophone magazine, Stephanie enjoys a varied performing and recording career as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader. Professor of Violin and Viola at the University of Nevada, Reno and member of the Argenta Trio, she is also the founding Artistic Director of Cactus Pear Music Festival, which she started in 1997 while serving as Concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony, and served as Artistic Director from 1997 through the 2022 festival season.
Our Board & Past Presidents
— Volunteers Extraordinaire
Without the efforts and energy of our board members throughout the years, Cactus Pear Music Festival would not have achieved the successes, renown and audiences it has garnered for over two decades. We thank all who have served and those who currently guide this musical ship. They are:
Lisa Tatum, JD
President
Anna Armstrong, MD
Vice President
Jacqueline Claunch
Treasurer
Maurice Kerins
Secretary
Jan Mari Holmes,
President elect
Terri Landez
Catherine Milbourn, MD
Alberto Serrano, MD
Board members "in action" (lt to rt): Alberto Serrano, Anna Armstrong, Jacqueline Claunch mingling with the concert crowd.
Ex Officio
Reneé Davis
Executive Director
Jeffrey Sykes
Artistic Director
Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio
Artistic Director Emerita
Gary S. Albright
Marketing & Design
YAP Education Director
Craig Sorgi
Education Assistant
Karen Stiles
Past Presidents
Richard Gong, MD; 1997-2000
Brigitte Saidi, 2001-2004
Sheila Swartzman, MD; 2005-2011 & 2018
Jeff Glass, MD; 2012-2017
MAILING ADDRESS
PO Box 880
Converse, TX 78109-0880
210 / 838.2218
Thanks to our festival presenting sponsor.
