Educational Engagements
Passing the Torch . . . and the Passion
As our mission statement declares, Cactus Pear is committed to significantly contributing to the musical education of South Texas young people, not only during the summer festival but throughout the year. Exposing young people to this inspiring musical art form and the intimacy of listening to chamber music—or in making it themselves—has been a primary objective of the CPMF board and its founder since the beginning.
CPMF accomplishes this mission through our free Young Peoples' Concerts that occur during the festival season (see last summer's 2011 schedule below), through our Young Artist Program (YAP)—a full-scholarship fellowship now going into its ninth year that provides a group of young musicians two-weeks of intensive training with the festival professionals and opportunities for performance—in tandem with our Young Composer Xtreme Competition, and through Master Classes and our fun and educational Kinder Konzert series geared to children ages 3 to 10.
In 2008, Cactus Pear commissioned Colin Sorgi, a former and recent YAP fellow attending Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, to write a new composition for our 2008 ensemble of YAP fellows. What a memorable moment to hear this new work of art by a former YAP fellow performed by our latest group of scholarship fellows. Take a listen to this one-minute excerpt from Colin's composition. This is what we mean by "passing the torch" and helping bring along the next generation of musicians.
YAP 2013 APPLICATION
due by March 29, 2013
Information available now.
See the Xtreme Competition tab for the
2013 YAP ensemble.
This inspired the CPMF board to create CPMF's Young Composer Xtreme Competition. For more information, see below.
Check out our video to watch the 2010 YAP ensemble perform the winning 2010 Young Composer composition Velocity by Colin Sorgi.
And watch this video of the 2012 YAP ensemble, The Cactuccinos, as they rehearse an excerpt from Bach's Second Orchestral Suite. The video was posted by John Clare of KPAC's Classical Spotlight.
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10th Annual YOUNG ARTIST PROGRAM — Full Scholarship Program. YAP WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
The TENTH annual Young Artist Program is underway with April auditions completed and winners announced (see below for the SIX winners).
Every year, between three and eight young instrumentalists are chosen and awarded FULL-TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS for an intensive two-week chamber music and mentoring program. The Young Artists form an ensemble to study and perform masterpieces of the repertoire, and to master a hot-off-the-press new composition from the winner of CPMF's Young Composer Xtreme Competition (see below). The curriculum includes daily instruction and chamber music coachings with Festival artists, lecture classes on aspects of music performance/careers, free admittance to all festival rehearsals & concerts for Fellows and family, and 8 community engagement performance opportunities including the final two San Antonio Festival concerts.
In 2013, SIX young artists came out on top in their auditions to win YAP scholarships. We were very impressed with the high level of skill, preparedness, and seriousness that each of the musicians brought to their audition performances. We congratulate the new YAP Fellows!
THE 2013 WINNERS ARE:
• Alex Strader, clarinet [18, Smithson Valley HS]
• Jackson Mankewitz, violin [17, CT Johnson HS]
• Harlee Smith, violin [18, Churchill HS]
• Carlos Quiroz, viola [18, MacArthur HS]
• Drew Bauml, cello [17, MacArthur HS]
• Ryan Rogers, piano [18, Judson HS]
Congratulations to the Runner-Ups:
• Dora Cheng, violin [15, Churchill HS]
• Terri Landez, cello [16, Churchill HS]
The distinguished San Antonio Symphony First Violinist and
San Antonio Opera's Concertmaster CRAIG SORGI is the
YAP Education Director. Craig is also the Adjunct Professor
of Violin at Trinity University.
Listen to Craig's interview with Texas Public Radio's John Clare discussing the 2012 YAP program.
Who Should Apply Spring 2014: In 2013, we asked serious 14 through 18 year-old violin, viola, cello and clarinet students, and piano students between the ages of 14 and 20, who live in or near San Antonio, Texas, to apply. (Room and board not included, but home stays would be arranged if commuting is an impossibility.) In 2014, individuals as well as pre-formed groups will be considered for acceptance. Pianists MUST prepare the two short chamber music pieces available online (see link in left sidebar.)
Download our application from the sidebar to the left. While the audition process is finalized for 2013, mark your calendar for next spring when you can apply in 2014.
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4th Annual YOUNG COMPOSER XTREME COMPETITION: 2013 Instrumentation is set!
The YOUNG COMPOSER AWARD is a competition that was started to work in conjunction with the YAP fellowship (see above). CPMF has opened the competition to young composers age 25 or younger throughout the state of Texas, either as full-time residents or full-time students in Texas, with a cash prize of $750. Entrants have only SIX weeks to complete their pieces—after the announcement by April 12 this year of the YAP winners and their specific instrumentation, thus making it a very Xtreme deadline. The 3-judge panel made up of professional composers announces their decision this season by June 7, 2013.
The 2011 winner was HARLAN HODGES a 24-year old pianist/composer from West Texas currently studying at Texas Tech University with Dr. Peter Fischer as well as Dr. Mei-fang Lin. This young, up-and-coming composer won the First Prize award with his composition entitled Vision of a Mockingbird.
THE FIRST ANNUAL AWARD WINNER WAS COLIN SORGI, who received the winner's cash award for his unanimously selected composition Velocity.
2013 INSTRUMENTATION: Auditions are over and the ensemble instrumentation is as follows:
1 Clarinet, 2 Violins, 1 Viola, 1 Cello and 1 Piano
Please note, YCX composers may also employ the pianist's skills as both a tenor vocalist and a percussionist. The other instrumentalists are all at an advanced High School level in their playing but have little to no experience with extended techniques commonly associated with avant-garde new music compositions and will only have a month and a half (two weeks of which as a rehearsing ensemble) to prepare the winning submission.
THE JUDGES 2012 DECISION: in 2012, we regretted to announce that the three Judges for the Young Composer X-Treme Competition determined that the 2012 submissions did not meet the standards set in previous years when CPMF awarded a first prize and a festival premiere of the winning composition.
One submission, "Window Scenes" by Darian Thomas, was selected for special mention. Darian was offered the opportunity to have a pair of tutored sessions during the Festival with professional composer James Scott Balentine, and with Festival Artist and composer Evan Premo.
We at Cactus Pear applaud the efforts of our Young Composer applicants and wish them the very best in their continuing musical endeavors. We encourage those still be eligible in 2013 to apply again. And we thank them for their efforts in participating in this educational experience.
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YOUNG PEOPLE'S CONCERTS: Free concerts that are fun and educational
These YPC concerts are free and open to the public every summer! A few of the five festival concert programs are presented in shortened form by the festival artists who make the performances fun and educational for children. During our festival season, RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR GROUPS OF SIX OR MORE! Please call (210) 838-2218 for group reservations.
The 2013 YPC Schedule . . .
Wednesday, July 3 • Love's Geometry
@ First United Methodist Church, Boerne, 2 PM
. . . works by the Schumanns & Johannes Brahms
First United Methodist Church
205 James Street, Boerne
A COOKIE from Bear Moon Bakery is waiting for each child
after the concert to decorate and take home as a reminder of a great time,
compliments of Paula Hayward and Bear Moon Bakery.
Wednesday, July 10 • CELESTIAL STRINGS
@ Saint Mary's Hall, Coates Auditorium, 2 PM
. . . selections from works by Mozart, Glazunov and Brahms
Saint Mary's Hall, Coates Auditorium
9401 Starcrest Drive, San Antonio
Thursday, July 11 • DREAMS & PRAYERS
@ McKenna Event Center, New Braunfels, 2 PM
. . . selections from works by Klein, Golijov, Shulman and Korngold
McKenna Event Center
801 W. San Antonio Street
New Braunfels, TX 78130
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FREE Community Concerts & Events
When July arrives, inspire your students as they experience the joy of chamber music performed by a group of very talented young artists who have trained and studied with the Festival professionals!
THE 2013 YAP SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 7 • 8:30, 9:30 and 11 AM services
Coker United Methodist Church, sanctuary
231 E. North Loop Rd, San Antonio
Tuesday, July 9 • Noon
Rotary Club of San Antonio at The Dominion
Tuesday, July 9 • 4 pm
Army Retirement Residence, San Antonio
Wednesday, July 10 • 9:00-Noon
YAP-in-Residence at YOSA Summer Symphony Camp
Church of Reconciliation campus
8900 Starcrest Drive, San Antonio
Wednesday, July 10 • 3 PM
The Meadows Retirement Community
730 Babcock Road, San Antonio
Friday, July 12 • Noon
Weston Centre's Lobby
112 E. Pecan Street, San Antonio
Saturday, July 13 • Noon
Coker United Methodist Church, sanctuary
231 E. North Loop Rd, San Antonio
FREE MASTERCLASS, Open to the public
Friday, July 12, 10-11 AM
St. Mary's Hall, Coates Auditorium
9401 Starcrest Drive, San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas 78209
Listen and watch as international concert violinist Elena Urioste and cellist Dmitri Atapine teach a masterclass to the YOSA string students.
FREE COMMUNITY CONCERT 2013
Sunday, July 14, 3 PM
McNay Art Museum • Leeper Auditorium
6000 North New Braunfels
San Antonio, Texas 78209
FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED.
No admission before 2:30 pm.
You must mention you are there for the CPMF concert to get in free.
The Young Artist Program fellows
have many various performance opportunities including in community venues, churches, retirement communities and for social service programs. Their
concertizing culminates in performances at the last San Antonio festival concert as well
as their own showcase concert at the McNay Museum on the last
day of the festival.
Tickets |
© 2013, Cactus Pear Music Festival
