My first year with the Austin Classical Guitar Youth Orchestra (ACGYO), we traveled to Albuquerque for our annual trip and performed our program twice.
I was part of the Heart of Texas Quartet. We had the honor of opening for Moontower Duo (Matthew Lyons and Stephen Krishnan) and James Tabata at Captain Quackenbush, a music venue in South Austin. The following day, we opened for them again at the Rosette.
The Heart of Texas Quartet closed the show for Jiji, which was an incredible experience. We had the opportunity to spend time with her outside the performance setting. Her passion and artistry were truly inspiring.
“I love what Austin Classical Guitar does for thousands of kids in schools across the country, building new music education programs, providing instruments and free lessons, as well as bringing the joy of music to Title 1 Schools and Juvenile Justice Centers. I’ve also noticed over the years while playing guitar on the movie sets of my own family films that my child actors would also be inspired to learn to play guitar. So I thought I’d put those two things together by donating a robust medley arrangement of my Spy Kids music themes to ACG’s GuitarCurriculum to share with schools. I filmed a music video of high schoolers playing the entire piece, in hopes it will inspire more kids to play music in school, and inspire other musicians and composers to contribute their music to schools as well." - Robert Rodriguez
Working with Robert Rodriguez on a music video featuring his Spy Kids medley was an incredible experience. His creativity and clear vision for the project made the collaboration inspiring, and the music itself was fantastic. The video showcased high school guitarists and aimed to inspire more students to play music in schools. We were also featured in the Austin American-Statesman for this project. Read the article here.
I had the honor of opening for the acclaimed classical guitarist Stephanie Jones and also took part in a masterclass with her. It was an amazing opportunity that helped me grow as a musician.