A joint program between the Texas Cultural Trust and the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA), Texas Young Masters awards scholarship grants to deserving young artists in music, theatre, dance, visual arts, literary arts, and other artistic disciplines. The Trust announces a new class of Young Masters every biennium at an awards show celebrating the drive and talent of fifteen 8th through 11th grade students. Each student receives a $10,000 scholarship grant, over two years, to further their studies in their chosen field. Texas Young Masters helps our state’s rising stars realize their potential as the next generation of leading visionaries in the arts.
Welcome to the 2024 Texas Young Masters Awards Celebration!
We hope you will enjoy learning more about these incredibly talented students. They have dedicated countless hours of training to reach this level of achievement; their perseverance is something to be admired. These young men and women make Texas proud and will be the Texas legends of tomorrow!
Thank you to our sponsors, the Host Committee, the planning and production team, performers, volunteers, and all who have contributed to the Texas Young Masters scholarship grants. A special thank you to our event chairs Sarah and Dr. Ernest Butler for their longtime support of this program. Your generosity and time are a gift.
Congratulations to the 2024 class of Texas Young Masters! Enjoy the show!
Thank you for supporting the arts in Texas!
Heidi Marquez Smith CEO, Texas Cultural Trust
Gary Gibbs, Ph. D. Executive Director, Texas Commission on the Arts
Celebration
CHAIRS
Sarah & Dr. Ernest Butler
Trevor Scott Host, CBS Austin
Ray Benson
Asleep at the Wheel, 2011 Texas Medal of Arts Honoree, Texas Cultural Trust Board Member
Vijay Meunier
Music (Classical Guitar), Texas Young Master Class of 2010
Amber Pickens
Dance, Texas Young Master Class of 2008
Shannon Lee
Music (Violin), Texas Young Master Class of 2006
Christian Burse
Dance, Texas Young Master Class of 2020
Heidi Marquez Smith CEO, Texas Cultural Trust
Gary Gibbs
Executive Director, Texas Commission on the Arts
Mariachi Paredes de Tejastitlán and Mariachi Laboratory Ensemble
Butler School of Music, University of Texas at Austin
The Lake Travis Fiddlers
Kris Andrews Producer
Congratulations!
Music (Composition, Instrumental)
Visual Arts / Literary Arts / Theatre
Saj Baldwin, Visual Arts, Houston, 9th Grade
Aureus Morel, Music (Composition), Cedar Hill, 11th Grade
Matthew Scott, Music (Piano), Lewisville, 11th Grade
Saj Baldwin (Visual Arts) is a 9th grade student at the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. Saj had his first solo exhibition at Lanecia Rouse Tinsley Gallery in 2023. His work was also featured in “Where Do We Go from Here?”, the 2023 Teen Council Exhibition at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. His work explores themes of identity, nostalgia, and embracing the present.
Cedar Hill’s Aureus Morel (Music/Composition) is an 11th grade student at the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. He began playing piano during 6th grade and grew rapidly from there. As he entered high school, he began performing at many school recitals and contests at the local and state level while taking a greater interest in composition. He has developed his composition career by accepting commissions to arrange and write original work for peers and teachers at his school. He plans to use the funds provided by the Young Masters grant to attend the High School Composition Intensive program at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Matthew Scott
Matthew Scott (Music/Piano) is a homeschooled junior from Lewisville who studies with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra pianist Gabriel Sanchez. He made his orchestral debut with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at age 13 and has won several notable awards, including winning the Music Teachers National Association Texas Senior Piano Performance competition in 2023. With a dedication to collaboration, Matthew is a member of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra (GDYO), GDYO Wind Symphony, Chamber Music International Youth Ambassadors, and is a founding member of Youth Jazz International. As a student of the Worship Academy at his church, he develops music sets with the worship team. He hopes to someday use his talents professionally to help memory care patients restore musical memories. Matthew will use his Young Masters award to study at the Oberlin Conservatory Summer Piano Festival. He will also pursue advanced composition instruction with plans to attend the Boston University Tanglewood Institute Composition Workshop in 2025.
Zhong
LerchenZhong (Music/Piano) is a sophomore at Westwood High School in Austin. He has been playing the piano for nine years and is currently studying under the guidance of Professor Kiyoshi Tamagawa from Southwestern University. In 2023, Lerchen won the Grand Prize in the Asian American Community Partnership Challenge Cup. Additionally, he plays the violin and served as the Assistant Concertmaster of the 2024 Texas Music Educators Association’s All-State Symphony Orchestra. Lerchen plans to use his Young Masters award to study at the Young Artists Piano Program at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute in the summer of 2024.
Adrianna Rodriguez (Theatre) is an 11th grader at the Harlingen Performing Arts Conservatory. She is part of the speech and debate team, where she is nationally recognized for her champion titles in Dramatic Interpretation and Duo Interpretation. Adrianna also competes in UIL One-Act Play and UIL Poetry, where she won the State Contest for 5A in both categories in 2023. She plans on using her Young Masters award to attend the Circle in the Square Theatre School summer intensive in New York City.
Rami
Eva Rami (Literary Arts) is a current sophomore at the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, where she studies creative writing. She has been recognized by the Scholastic Arts & Writing Awards and New York Times Student Contests and attended the Ellipsis Summer Writing Workshops this past summer. Eva hopes to use her Young Masters award to attend Barnard College’s NextGen Leadership Institute and participate in their Writing & Literature track.
Adrianna Rodriguez
Madelynn Mircelle Gonzalez (Musical Theatre) is an 11th grade student at Saint Joseph Academy in Brownsville. She has been receiving musical theatre instruction from her director, Chris Ikner, for the past eight years. Her most recent accolades include: Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) One Act Play District Competition - Best Actress, District Champions, and All Star Cast; Broadway World 2021 Regional Award - Best Supporting Performer in a Play; Palm Awards - Best Supporting Actress in a Play; and TAPPS Team Dance Competition - State Champions. In 2022, Madelynn was awarded the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative Training Scholarship, which she used to attend the Southeastern Summer Theatre Institute. In 2023, she trained at the Summer University Theatre Experience, attended a dance intensive at Steps on Broadway with Mike Baerga, and completed a master class in New York City with Jacob Ryan Smith. Madelynn plans to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theatre and aims to work as a professional stage performer on Broadway.
Spring’s Caroline Jacobson (Music/Vocal) is ajunior at Klein High School and has been studying voice with Judy Boyter for five years. She has won top honors at numerous state and local contests, including winning her division at the Greater Houston National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition, qualifying for nationals at the Schmidt Vocal Competition, and winning the 2023 Houston Masterworks Chorus Young Singer Competition. Caroline’s most recent achievements include being chosen as a soloist in the Texas AllState Mixed Choir and starring as Donna in the Klein High School production of Mamma Mia! She will use her Young Masters award to participate in the Schmidt Vocal Institute in Oxford, Ohio.
Madelynn Mircelle Gonzalez
Caroline Jacobson
Valeria Velasco
Valeria Velasco (Musical Theatre) is a bilingual 8th grader in the pre-professional musical theater program at the Dance Center of San Antonio. An academic student at Acellus Academy, she has been studying tap, ballet, and jazz since she was five years old. She discovered her love for musical theatre when she was six years old. Since then, Valeria has studied dance, acting, and singing extensively in San Antonio, Los Angeles, New York, and Mexico City. Valeria was part of the 2022-2023 national tour of Annie in the role of Tessie and as the understudy for the role of Molly. Valeria’s future goals include a career in musical theatre, film, and television. This summer, she will use the Young Masters award to attend The Institute For American Musical Theatre in New York, which will support her training for a professional career on Broadway.
San Antonio 8th Grade Nevaeha
Music (Voice) Keene 9th Grade
Nevaeha Wilson (Music/Vocal) is a 9th grader from Keene, TX.She has performed at local, national, and televised events as a soloist and musical theatre performer. She is passionate about all things music, singing a wide range of musical styles, playing numerous instruments, and is currently studying vocal performance under Tabitha Ibarra. Nevaeha has been privileged to share the stage as a soloist amongst gospel, opera, and Broadway professionals. Most recently, she was a featured soloist at SWAU’s music festival at the Morton Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. She’s had the honor to sing our nation’s anthem at numerous events and venues, including the American Airline Center. Nevaeha plans to attend iTheatrics Summer Academy in New York as well as the TUTS All State Musical program in Houston. She is incredibly humbled and grateful to be a 2024-2025 Texas Young Master.
Adeline Dunlap
Allen’s Adeline Dunlap (Dance/Ballet) is a 9th grade student at iUniversity Preparatory School and a pre-professional ballet student at Elite Classical Coaching under Catherine Lewellen, Jason Ambrose, and Maxim Tchernychev. Adeline has participated in numerous ballet competitions and has been awarded the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Hope Award and the American Dance Competition/International Ballet Competition’s Grand Prix award. She has also placed in the Top 12 in both the Women’s Classical and Pas De Deux categories at the YAGP International Finals. Adeline has performed with the Youth America Grand Prix organization at galas in Italy and Mexico. She has also had numerous intensive training opportunities with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, Houston Ballet Academy, Paris Opera Ballet School, the Royal Ballet School, and English National Ballet School. Adeline plans to use her Young Masters award towards her summer ballet training with the European School of Ballet, the John Cranko School, and the Dutch National Ballet Academy.
Beth Anne McGowan (Dance) is a junior at Highland Park High School in Dallas. She currently studies at Next Step Dance Performing Arts. Beth Anne was recently named a 2024 YoungArts Award Winner by the National Foundation for the Advancement of Artists and received the Outstanding Dancer Award from the New York City Dance Alliance. She is a member of the Youth America Grand Prix International Contemporary Ensemble and has attended summer programs with Ballet BC in Vancouver, Canada, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Company in Chicago. Beth Anne plans to use her Young Masters award to study at the Juilliard Summer Dance Intensive in New York City.
Frisco’s Hudson Pletcher (Dance) is an 11th grader at the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. Hudson has been a student at Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts since he was nine years old, training primarily in ballet, modern, contemporary, and jazz dance. He has won many awards at regional and national dance competitions, has been in several performances, and has created new works. He was chosen for the 2023 Juilliard Summer Dance Intensive. Hudson plans to use the Young Masters award to continue his studies by attending another Juilliard Summer Dance Intensive in New York City.
Savannah’s Gracelyn Weber (Dance) is in her 10th grade year with iUniversity Preparatory School. She trains weekly with the Dallas Conservatory (TDC) and is a Regeneration Contemporary company member. In July 2023, Gracelyn was named among the New York City Dance Alliance’s top 12 Teen Outstanding Dancers after a rigorous eight-day audition process. Recently, Gracelyn had the honor of dancing in the Snow Queen role and Chinese Lead in the Conservatory’s Nutcracker. Her most recent awards recognize her work as a contemporary soloist, placing 3rd at New York City Dance Alliance and in the Top 12 at Youth America Grand Prix. Gracelyn leads the TDC Frisco Campus Acting Company’s tech team and is co-directing and choreographing for the upcoming show, The Little Mermaid. Gracelyn is a gifted pianist and seamstress with future goals of having her own dancewear company. She plans on using her Young Masters Award to study at the Perry-Mansfield Pre-Professional Summer Dance Intensive in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Gisele
Elise Wilson Dance (Ballet) Dallas 8th Grade
Gisele Elise Wilson (Dance/Ballet) is in 8th grade at Spring Creek Academy. Gisele began dancing at age three and has devoted herself to ballet for the past nine years. Gisele is trained by Cody Toscano at Hathaway Academy of Ballet, and she is also a member of Collin County Ballet Theater. Gisele was “Clara” in CCBT’s 2023 Nutcracker. Gisele competed at YGP Paris in November 2023, where she was awarded “Top 12” in Classical and received a short term scholarship to the Royal Ballet School in London. In January 2024, she won 1st place at Youth America Grand Prix in Las Vegas for her classical solo and was recognized as “Top 12” in Contemporary. Gisele will compete at the upcoming 2024 YAGP Finals in New York. Gisele has studied at the Paris Opera Ballet School, John Cranko Schule (Germany), Academia La Scala (Italy), Princesse Grace Academie (Monaco), and the Royal Ballet School in London. Gisele plans to use her Young Masters award to study with the European School of Ballet (Amsterdam) and the Royal Ballet School (London).
THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS*
TEXAS YOUNG MASTERS AWARD UNDERWRITERS
Sarah & Ernest Butler Endowed Young Masters Award in Music
PRESENTING SPONSOR
TWO-YEAR SCHOLARSHIP SPONSORS
Kelli & Eddy Blanton
Jeanne & Mickey Klein
Guillermo Nicolas & Jim Foster Art Fund
Judy & Kirk Robison
Sermoonjoy Fund
ONE-YEAR SCHOLARSHIP SPONSORS
Barbara Baldridge Foundation
Laura & John Beckworth
Laurie & Marvin Blum
Mindy Ellmer and The Honorable Charlie Geren
Dan W. Jackson III & Dr. Jeremy Guiberteau
Tisa & Billy Hibbs / Hibbs-Hallmark Insurance
Karen & Charles Matthews
Whitney Hyder & Doug More
Nancy & Jud Murray
Cabrina & Steven Owsley
Corinna Holt Richter and JB Richter, Jr.
Karen & Karl Rove
Pam & George Willeford
Trisha Wilson & Jeb Terry
Isha Rogers & Steve Santamaria in Honor of Dede Rogers
* at time of publication
HOST COMMITTEE
Leslie & Jack Blanton, Jr.
Kat Cotroneo
Dr. Kelley & Pat Frost
Alexis & Todd Hunter
Davis Kaufman PLLC
Laura & Noah Lit
NuStar Energy
Sara Carter & Ralph Manak
Lisa Hannusch & Lisa Richardson
Alex Scull
JKS by Design
CHAMPION SPONSORS
Gay & Lee Gaddis
Jameen & Jon Jacoby
Glenda Kane
Lesa & Bill Rossick
YOUNG MASTERS SUPPORTERS
PRINCIPAL SPONSORS
SARAH AND ERNEST BUTLER
KELLI AND EDDY BLANTON
JUDY AND KIRK ROBISON
RAY BENSON
KAREN AND CHARLES W. MATTHEWS
HEARTFELT APPRECIATION
We are beyond grateful to Sarah and Dr. Ernest Butler, for their remarkable endowment of the Texas Young Masters. Their generous gift of $2.5 million establishes the first endowment for the program. Their visionary support ensures the growth of young artistic talent across the state. Together, we cultivate the next generation of creative brilliance and pave the way for the Texas legends of tomorrow. Thank you for nurturing dreams and inspiring greatness.
“Where words fail, music speaks.”
-Hans Christian Andersen
Congratulations Texas Young Masters 2024
Dr. Ernest C. Butler and Mrs. Sarah Butler
SARAH AND ERNEST BUTLER
ENDOWED YOUNG MASTERS SCHOLARSHIP IN MUSIC
Board of Directors:
Marcela Ronquillo Hinojosa President
Jennifer Spence Sampayo Secretary
Maria Wichis Diez Treasurer
Dr. Jeffery Ward
Lizzy De La Garza Putegnat
Executive Director: Diane Milliken Garza, PhD
PRESENTING SPONSOR
The Rio Grande Valley Philanthropic Foundation proudly sponsors the 2024 Young Master’s Program.
We are dedicated to investing in education, the Arts, and economic development and we celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the bi-national, bi-cultural, and bi-lingual Rio Grande Valley on the Southern Border of Texas.
Texas culture, rooted in the border region, embodies a legacy of vaqueros, haciendas, rodeos, and culinary delights.
We are proud to highlight the positive and meaningful impact of arts and culture in shaping the region’s identity, with a goal of promoting cultural tourism, which sustains communities financially.
As we honor Young Masters from the Rio Grande Valley tonight, we ask that you remember the beauty and the time-honored traditions of the intertwining of two countries with one border and their long history defined by family, love, honor, art, and culture.
On July 4, 1988, teenagers Shane Stewart and Sally McNelly disappeared from a lakeside park near San Angelo — never to be seen alive again. 35 years later, Texas Monthly’ s “Shane & Sally” podcast is diving into their unsolved murders.
Follow @TexasMonthly on Instagram for more updates. Listen free on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Scan here to listen!
So happy to support young Texas artists through the Texas Cultural Trust Young Master’s Program. Congratulations to all honorees on your huge accomplishment. We expect big things out of you in your future!
Congratulations to the Texas Young Masters Class of 2024!
Dan W. Jackson III & Dr. Jeremy Guiberteau
We are proud to support the Texas Young Masters Program. Congratulations!
Whitney Hyder & Doug More
CONGRATULATIONS
KAREN AND KARL ROVE
Congratulations! is Proud to support the 2024 Texas Young Masters Performance Series
Texas Cultural Trust
Texas Women for the Arts (TWA) is a statewide giving circle and membership program of the Texas Cultural Trust whose mission is to awaken and nurture the artist in every Texas child. Established in 2005, this philanthropic force of influential women from across the state has awarded 362 grants totaling more than $4 million impacting over 3.6 million Texas children.
The Texas Women for the Arts funds two of the Texas Young Masters grants for the Class of 2024.
Texas Women for the Arts gather at the 2023 Annual Meeting in Corpus Christi & Rockport.
When
OUR MISSION
To be the leading voice for the arts in education, advocacy, and economic impact in Texas, spotlighting the artistic excellence of our state.
For more information about the Texas Cultural Trust, please visit www.txct.org
BOARD of DIRECTORS
Guillermo Nicolas, Chairman, San Antonio
Nancy Seliger, Vice Chair, Amarillo
Leslie Ward, Immediate Past Chair, Austin
Marvin Blum, Treasurer, Fort Worth
Mindy Ellmer, Secretary, Austin
Pat Frost, Development, San Antonio
Michael L. Klein, Nominations, Austin
Dan W. Jackson, III, Programs, Austin
Kelli Blanton, At-Large, Houston
Linda LaMantia, At-Large, Laredo
Lauren Anderson, Houston
Brendon Anthony, Austin
John Beckworth, Austin
Ray Benson, Austin
Leslie Blanton, Houston
J. Bruce Bugg, Jr., San Antonio
Dr. Ernest Butler, Austin
Ito Deutsch, McAllen
Gay Gaddis, Austin
Winell Herron, Houston
Tisa Hibbs, Tyler
Alexis Hunter, Corpus Christi
Renard Johnson, El Paso
Gene Jones, Dallas
Kathleen Keating, Victoria
Kathleen R. Kennedy, San Antonio
Charles Matthews, Dallas
Whitney Hyder More, Fort Worth
Nancy Murray, Longview
Cabrina Owsley, Houston
Jay Propes, Austin
Marielle Lamy Quaid, Austin
Corinna Holt Richter, San Antonio
Judy Robison, El Paso
Karen Johnson Rove, Austin
Tania Schwartz, El Paso
The Honorable Joe Straus III, San Antonio
Mark Watson, San Antonio
Pam Willeford, Austin
Trisha Wilson, Dallas
Darrell Windham, Austin
Jocelyn Straus, San Antonio, Chair Emeritus, Texas Medal of Arts Awards
STAFF
Heidi Marquez Smith, Chief Executive Officer
Jenny Parry, Director of Programs
Madeline Hausmann, Programs Assistant
Shelby Sanders, Executive Assistance
Amanda Sullins, Chief of Staff
Kate Temple, Communications Manager
Lesley Walker, Development Manager
Carrie Williams, Outreach and Logistics Manager
Jesse Dominguez, CPA, Chief Financial Officer
OUR MISSION
The mission of the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is to advance our state economically and culturally by investing in a creative Texas. TCA supports a diverse and innovative arts community in Texas, throughout the nation and internationally by providing resources to enhance economic development, arts education, cultural tourism, and artist sustainability initiatives.
For more information about Texas Commission on the Arts, please visit
www.arts.texas.gov
STAFF
Gary Gibbs, Ph. D., Executive Director
Dana Douglass Swann, Executive Assistant
Amber West Rhodes, Director of Finance
Anina Moore, Director of Artist Services & Communications
Laura Wiegand, Director of Programs & Technology
Kenneth Williams, Associate Director of Programs
Michael Darough, Program Administrator
Rron Karahoda, Program Administrator
Matrex Kilgore, Program Administrator
Cristina Saltos, Program Administrator
Grace Gelpi, Program Assistant
Michael Sherrod, Program Assistant
Jose Trevino, Program Assistant
Katy Jennings, Finance Assistant
Freddy Martinez, Systems Administrator
Tonight’s Performers
Trevor Scott, Host, “We are Austin” CBS Austin
Trevor Scott is an Austin television personality and host of the CBS Austin morning program “We Are Austin.” You can catch him on your TV every weekday morning highlighting the people, stories, and organizations that make central Texas such a special place to call home. Trevor is actively involved in many of Austin’s nonprofit efforts and has a particular passion for the arts. He will always be a theatre kid at heart and jumps at the opportunity to engage with the community in positive, productive ways.
Ray Benson, Asleep at the Wheel, 2011 Texas Medal of Arts Honoree, Texas Cultural Trust Board Member
For over fifty years, Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson has been traversing the globe as an ambassador of Western swing music and introducing its irresistible sound to generation after generation. More than 100 musicians have passed through the Wheel, but Benson remains the front man and the keeper of the vision, and in the process the band has racked up more than 30 albums, ten Grammy awards, and literally millions of miles on the road. Asleep at the Wheel represents an important cornerstone of American roots music.
Vijay Meunier, Texas Young Master Class of 2010, Music (Classical Guitar)
Vijay Meunier is Master of Music and Human Learning at the Orpheus Academy of Music. A native of Austin, he has played in both orchestras and rock bands. His TXYM award allowed him to study in New York City, Quebec, and Germany. Vijay earned his B.M. from Florida State University and his M.M. in music performance at the University of Texas at Austin. Some of his projects include the Florida State Summer Opera Series, the Tallahassee Choro Society, Oliver Rajamani’s Flamenco India project, and the AllRhythms Latin jazz ensemble.
Amber Pickens, Texas Young Master Class of 2008, Dance
Amber Pickens is a Chita Rivera award-winning actor, choreographer, and organizer. A native of Dallas, Pickens is a versatile and multi-hyphenate artist, receiving acclaim for her work in film, television, theatre, advocacy, and beyond. Pickens received recognition for her choreography in the film Passing, introducing her as a rising feature film creative with the ability to teach the actors dance from the Harlem Renaissance era. Pickens’s television and Broadway credits include Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Harlem Godfather, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, The Wrong Man, Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour, among others.
Shannon Lee, Texas Young Master Class of 2006, Music (Violin)
Violinist Shannon Lee has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the Shanghai Symphony, Belgian National Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, and New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. Currently based in Amsterdam, Shannon grew up in Plano, Texas, where she studied violin for many years with Jan Mark Sloman. She recently released a CD album in Japan with pianist Jessica Osborne. In addition to teaching privately, Shannon directs a summer workshop program for young string players in the DFW area centered around chamber music and composition.
Tonight’s Performers
Christian Burse, Texas Young Master Class of 2020, Dance
Christian Burse, a native of Austin, is a member of the COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet. She began her dance journey at the age of two at RISE Dance Company, where she received a diverse dance education. She continued her training at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas and Dance Industry Performing Arts Center. Her TXYM award allowed her to attend multiple summer intensives with COMPLEXIONS and The Juilliard School.
Mariachi Paredes de Tejastitlán, University of Texas at Austin, Butler School of Music
The Mariachi Paredes de Tejastitlán, founded in 1977, was named in honor of Dr. Américo Paredes, a seminal figure in the history of border studies, Mexican American studies, and the post-modern movement in anthropology. The mariachi was created by a group of graduate students in Dr. Américo Paredes’ History of Folklore class. The group eventually came under the auspices of the University of Texas Music Department, and the current director is Dr. José Torres-Ramos.
The Lake Travis Fiddlers, Lake Travis High School
The Lake Travis Fiddlers, founded in 2000 by Lake Travis ISD Orchestra Director Anna Macias, is a group of talented Lake Travis High School students who play Western swing music. As the primary fundraising performance group for the LTHS Orchestras, they play around the Texas Hill Country at public events, such as the Austin Rodeo and the HEB Feast of Sharing, as well as private events.
Kris Andrews, Producer
Kris G. Andrews directed the Texas Young Masters celebration in 2022 and the Texas Medal of Arts Awards in 2023. Kris is the Executive Director of the Center for Educator Development in Fine Arts (CEDFA). A graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, he has taught theatre at Austin’s James Bowie High School and Leysin American School in Switzerland. His favorite directing credits include Honk, Not About Nightingales, Colchis Woman, The Sound of Music, Holes, Edith Stein, and Pippin. Kris supervises student teachers for UT-Austin.
