Recognized as one of the most outstanding ensembles of its kind, the Austin Classical Guitar Youth Orchestra (ACGYO) is an auditioned ensemble of exceptional young guitarists from Austin, Texas. Under the direction of Dr. Joe Williams, the ACGYO has performed for thousands in Austin’s most prestigious venues and in guest appearances at The San Francisco Conservatory, Outpost Performance Space (Albuquerque, New Mexico) Las Torres de Cotillas Flamenco Festival (Murcia, Spain) and the Antonio de Torres Museo de la Guitarra (Almeria, Spain).
Our members are Kritanko Chakraborty, Satvik Chawla, Eleanora Mason, Teddy McCoy, Noah Melendrez, Kian Mitchell, Nima Moin, Miles Notzon, Greg Sonnier Archith Venkatagiri, & Jianna Zamora with Director Joe Williams & Assistant ACGYO Director Alex Lew.
The ACGYO had an amazing adventure this March! As many of you know, our 2024-25 season theme GIVE is built around the idea that every person has unique gifts that they can offer their community, and that the act of giving is a cause for celebration. Inspired by this theme, the ACGYO gave performances in Fredericksburg, Alpine, Marfa, and San Antonio to raise money for local organizations who are doing good things in their community.
Before departing for West Texas, the ACGYO started their give tour with a benefit concert to raise money for ACG’s Music & Healing program. Thanks to a generous matching gift from Dr. Michael Froehls, they raised over $10,000 for the cause!
Here’s what they did on their tour!
On Friday, March 14, the ACGYO hit the road! They made their first stop at the Fredericksburg Theatre where the Fredericksburg Mayor, Jeryl Hoover, presented the ensemble. All donations made were gifted to the local children’s theatre.
Their next stop was at the McDonald Observatory where the ensemble members participated in a star party and had the chance to look through every telescope they had!
On Saturday, March 15, the AGCYO arrived in Marfa, TX!
They got a spectacular tour of the Chinati Foundation, founded by Donald Judd. They saw many modern art exhibits that challenged and broadened their perspectives.
Later that evening the ensemble performed at the Museum of the Big Bend with the Sul Ross University Quartet. This incredible collaboration was hosted by ACG’s long time friend, Nick Hurt.
Sunday, March 16, was the ACGYO’s last day in the beautiful West Texas desert.
They spent the day at Big Bend National Park where they recorded a music video on the Mexico border down at the Rio Grande! Their superstar filming was followed by a beautiful hike and swim in the Boquillas Canyon. With generous support from our long-time friends at Monkee-Boy Web Design, the music video is currently in production and will be released at the end of May. So stay tuned!
On Monday, March 17, the ACGYO made the long and windy trek from Marfa to San Antonio, TX where they performed for the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute.
Executive Vice President at UT Health San Antonio, Dr. Francisco Cigarroa introduced the performance, and afterward ACGYO members Jianna Zamora and Kian Mitchell joined two UTSA medical students in a panel dedicated to the transformative power of music moderated by ACG’s Matthew Hinsley and UTSA’s Dr. Matthew Dacso.
This was an unforgettable experience and we want to share a big giant thank you to Mayor Jeryl Hoover and his team at the Fredericksburg Theater Company, Katie Kizzar and Rachel Fuechsl at the McDonald Observatory, Haley Levin and Sensorea at the Chinati Foundation, Dr. Andrew Alegria at Sul Ross University, Audio Engineer Dan Childers, Nick Hurt and his video production team and Leon Paczkowski, as well as Dr Francisco Cigarroa, Dr. Matthew Dasco, Eve Crawford White, Jeremy Powley and the entire team at UT Health San Antonio.
Memories like this can be life-changing for the young people in our community. We feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to go on tour and create beautiful memories like these with the wonderful, dedicated, and hard working students that make up the ACG Youth Orchestra.
To our community: Thank you for your support and belief in our mission to create experiences of deep personal significance through music.