Renowned Classical Music Fest Underway in Houston Now

ONE OF THE world’s most compelling — and somewhat unsung — gatherings for aspiring musicians is underway right now in Houston. A unique competition event takes place this afternoon.

Having opened last week, UH’s Texas Music Festival (TMF) is “one of the nation’s premier summer training programs for young orchestral musicians,” said a rep for the fest.

By day, the three-week event, under the auspices of the prestigious Moores School of Music, is filled with intensive educational opportunities for young performers. “By night,” adds the rep, “Houstonians can enjoy more than a dozen concerts showcasing TMF’s young musicians playing alongside a host of today’s most talented performers coming off engagements in New York, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, London, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Tokyo, Sydney, and more.”

A recital by internationally acclaimed pianist Amy Yang, who grew up in Houston, is billed as a top draw for the festival.

To make TMF extra appealing for Houston music lovers, the evening concerts range in price from free to a quite manageable $30.

“Presenting classical music’s rising stars along with internationally renowned conductors, guests, and artist teachers is what makes TMF special, both for its audiences and the young professional-level performers whose lives are changed,” said TMF general and artistic director Alan Austin in a statement.

The fest, which has been attracting talented music students from around the world since 1990, has a few new features this year, including the brand-new Sharon Ley Lietzow Piano Series, featuring the return of Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko and the TMF debuts of Houston’s own Amy Yang and African American pianist Awadagin Pratt. Also, the newly merged Cynthia Woods Mitchell-Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition, said to be a “powerhouse” event by its organizers, will also be presented — today.

World renowned conductors Gerard Schwarz, Andrew Grams and TMF music director Franz Anton Krager are among those slated to lead the Festival Orchestra concerts. Additional details of the concert series may be found here.

Andrew Grams is among the celebrated conductors at Texas Music Festival.

Awadagin Pratt is among the featured performers (photo by Rob Davidson).

Ukranian pianist Vadim Kholodenko returned to the festival, performing Beethoven last week (photo by Jean-Baptiste Millot).