Texas Performing Arts: Special Offer for ACGS Fans!
I'm super excited that our friends at Texas Performing Arts are offering us a special discount on ALL their non-Broadway shows this year! Follow the link below and enter our ACGS discount code.
Their season begins on September 8th with Michael Feinstein.
If you call, please make sure you say “season performances” as they’re not able to offer the discount on Broadway events or concerts.
Follow this link and enter code: GUITAR2012
Texas Performing Arts: Special Offer for ACGS Fans!
I'm super excited that our friends at Texas Performing Arts are offering us a special discount on ALL their non-Broadway shows this year! Follow the link below and enter our ACGS discount code.
Their season begins on September 8th with Michael Feinstein.
If you call, please make sure you say “season performances” as they’re not able to offer the discount on Broadway events or concerts.
Follow this link and enter code: GUITAR2012
Pictures Spotlight: Pisco Portón, Opening Night Dinner
We are busy planning the opening night dinner that will directly precede Austin Pictures on October 1st. Doors open for Austin Pictures at ACL Live (just north of City Hall, in the W Hotel) at 6:30PM, AV/previews begin at 7:30 and the show starts at 8. But across the street in Silicon Lab’s east building, beginning at 5:30, we’re having our opening night dinner!
Jorge Caballero, the genius guitarist who is our centerpiece guest performer for Austin Pictures, is from Peru. We learned this summer that chef Julio, head chef of our new favorite cuisine partner, La Sombra Bar and Grill, is also Peruvian! So it seemed like the perfect fit to ask La Sombra to create a Peruvian feast for opening night!
Our friends at La Sombra introduced us to Pisco Portón. These distillers of premium Peruvian Pisco are not only brilliant at what they do, but they are also very generous and community-minded. They have joined in as a sponsor of our opening night dinner. Thank you Pisco Portón!
“What is Pisco?” You ask? I thought you might! I had a conversation with the good people at Pisco Portón to learn a bit more (ooh, and there’s even a recipe below!).
Matt Hinsley: We are so grateful for your support of our opening night dinner and of our Austin Pictures project. I’m sure that I’m not alone in wanting to know more about Pisco and, specifically, Pisco Portón. Can you help?
PP: Pisco Portón is a new, ultra premium white spirit that is versatile in cocktails and offers complexity with a delicate finish when savored on its own. Born from grapes that grow in the shadows of the Andes Mountains, Pisco Portón is artisanally crafted at Hacienda La Caravedo distillery in Ica, Peru. Building on the heritage and traditions of this distillery, which was founded in 1684 and is the oldest in the Americas, Pisco Portón combines centuries-old methods with state-of-the-art and eco-friendly technology to create a “mosto verde pisco” of unmatched quality.
MH: I understand we’ll be mixing up some special Pisco Portón drinks at our opening night dinner, but could you share one of your favorite recipes with us now?
PP: Sure! This is the recipe for “The Portonero”:
2 oz. Pisco Portón
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. simple syrup
1 slice of fresh ginger
1 dash of Angostura™ bitters
Top off with ginger ale
Fresh lime wedge
Pour Pisco Portón, lime juice, simple syrup, ginger and bitters into a tall glass with ice. Top off with ginger ale. Stir ingredients and garnish with a lime wedge.
MH: We’re very grateful for your support of Austin Pictures and our opening night dinner. Why do you feel it’s important to give back to the community?
PP: Pisco Portón has a commitment to being a good neighbor and to practicing business sustainably. Pisco Portón’s new state-of-the-art distillery was built with the environment in mind, incorporating design features and technology to reduce water and energy waste, as well as carbon dioxide emissions. In the United States, Pisco Portón is proud to support a number of worthy causes including Austin Pictures.
MH: I’m sure there are many great causes seeking your support. Is there something about Austin Pictures that made you want to support the project?
PP: Austin Pictures shares the best of music, film and art with its community and Pisco Portón was elated to hear you selected legendary Peruvian guitarist Jorge Caballero as the centerpiece. As a product based in Peruvian heritage and tradition, Pisco Portón is honored to be a part of Austin Pictures, creating the perfect Peruvian evening where music, cuisine and cocktails are paired together just as they would be in Peru.
MH: Are there other artistic causes you’ve supported recently, that you’re excited about?
PP: We recently sponsored Dan’s Paper Art Exhibition, an event that supports New York area artists. Although a new brand that launched this year, Pisco Portón is excited about supporting more arts organizations that do great work for their communities such as Austin Pictures.
MH: Is Pisco Portón available all over the US now?
PP: Pisco Portón is currently available in Texas, California, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Louisiana, Ohio, Minnesota and South Carolina and will become available in more states very soon.
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They also sent a great shot of Master Distiller Johnny Schuler at their distillery in Hacienda La Caravedo, in Ica, Peru. Cheers!
Win Tix to see Joshua Bell with ASO!
Win Tix to see Joshua Bell with ASO!
The Austin Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Peter Bay are our partners for Austin Pictures on October 1st! Next Thursday (8/25) at noon we’ll be giving away a pair of tickets to see their 2011-2012 opening performance at the Long Center featuring superstar guest violinist Joshua Bell (on Saturday, September 10th)!
How to win: Follow our Facebook icon from our Austin Pictures website and post a picture on our wall. Then tell your friends to “like” your image. The most popular image on our wall by next Thursday at noon wins!
ASO, Peter Bay, and ACGS: How are we working together this year? It’s going to be amazing… Austin Pictures will begin on October 1st at 8PM at the ACL Live Theater with Maestro Peter Bay conducting over 100 guitarists from more than 1,000 miles away, accompanying the Miró String Quartet, in the world premiere performance of a new 5-movement work we’ve commissioned by Joseph Williams II. We sat down with Joseph on Wednesday this week and he told us the names of the 5 movements which we’ll publish here for the first time (below). And that’s just the first 15 minutes of Austin Pictures…
- Hill Country
- Floating on Lady Bird Lake
- Dance of the Grackles
- Violet Crown with Cicadas
- Capital City Construction
The Austin Symphony Orchestra: Check out their blockbuster new season here. The fact that they’re opening with a super star like Joshua Bell should really tell you something!
KMFA this weekend: Kids Recording Kids!
Tune in to KMFA this weekend. This summer KMFA began its Kids Recording Kids Project. Guitar students from McCallum High School, and students from the Austin Chamber Music Center, were recorded by other young people learning their way around classical music radio production! They produced a one-hour show that will be broadcast this Saturday at 10am, and again on Sunday at 3pm on KMFA, Classical 89.5. Tune in!
A Great Week at ACGS
Things are heating up these days.
Our newest employee, Eric Pearson, joined us from New York on Tuesday. He arrived in Texas Tuesday morning and we had him on site teaching within hours! Eric will be an invaluable asset to our education team and he will also direct our community guitarists programs.
A highlight Wednesday was a film shoot I did with Joseph WIlliams II. Joe is composing the piece that will be premiered at Austin Pictures with Peter Bay conducting over 100 players with the Miro Quartet. The 5-movement piece he's writing sound unbelievable and was totally inspired hearing him talk about it. I can't wait to share the video interview we did with you.
Today we gave away our second prize for our Austin Pictures Picture challenge! Another will come soon. It's been really fun seeing all of the images come in on our Facebook page! We'll be rolling those together with lot's of other slides and images and videos for the AV displays at Austin Pictures.
This Saturday at 10am, and again on Sunday at 3pm, KMFA will broadcast their Kids Recording Kids project on which we were a partner. The show will feature guitar students from McCallum - so tune in! And speaking of KMFA - they recorded our sold-out Classical Cactus show last Thursday night and it is set to air at 7PM on Tuesday, September 6th! So if you didn't get to see Thales Smith and Jonathan Dotson play last Thursday live, you can catch the broadcast!
Between school starting, the new season launching, and the crazy run up to Austin Pictures, things at ACGS are running at top speed. We're excited for the new projects and the new responsibilities, though, and look forward to doing the very best work we can.
Santana Tix Giveaway this Thursday!
Our second Austin Pictures Picture Challenge is on! Follow our Facebook link on the Austin Pictures website for directions on how you can participate in our Picture Challenge. We’ll give away a pair of tickets this Thursday at noon to see Santana at ACL Live on September 12th!
Congratulations to last Thursday’s winner, Meghalee, who took the $100 La Sombra Gift Card prize – and thanks to all who have participated with their amazing pictures of people, places, and works of art.
We're now getting serious about putting together the various AV components for October 1st. The images uploaded to Facebook from our community members will be rolled into the slides projected throughout the evening and on screens throughout the amazing ACL Live venue!
Santana Tix Giveaway this Thursday!
It's been so great to see the amazing images and artworks and observations posted on ACGS' Facebook wall since we began our Austin Pictures Project.
Our second Austin Pictures Picture Challenge is on! Follow our Facebook link on the Austin Pictures website for directions on how you can participate in our Picture Challenge. We’ll give away a pair of tickets this Thursday at noon to see Santana at ACL Live on September 12th!
Congratulations to last Thursday’s winner, Meghalee, who took the $100 La Sombra Gift Card prize – and thanks to all who have participated with their amazing pictures of people, places, and works of art.
We're now getting serious about putting together the various AV components for October 1st. The images uploaded to Facebook from our community members will be rolled into the slides projected throughout the evening and on screens throughout the amazing ACL Live venue!
KUT/KMFA to record Thursday night's Cactus!
We just learned that our friends at KUT will record tomorrow night's Cactus so that our friends at KMFA can broadcast it in the near future!
How cool is that?
$100 La Sombra Giveaway this Thursday!
On Thursday at noon we will give away a $100 gift card to La Sombra Bar and Grill to whoever has the most popular uploaded image on our Facebook wall! Join in the fun! Visit AustinPictures.org and follow the Facebook icon to the upload instructions. Then tell your friends to vote for your image!
Why Pictures? Our opening night at the 2,200-seat ACL Live Theater on October 1st is called Austin Pictures. The centerpiece is Jorge Caballero doing the near-impossible: playing the 40-minute orchestral masterwork Pictures at an Exhibition on solo guitar. By now you’ve read about Peter Bay and the Miro Quartet and the 100+ guitarists from over 1,000 miles away. Today we’d like to talk a bit about the 11 distinguished young visual artists who are also participating.
The music of Pictures at an Exhibition has 11 evocative themes based on images. We have commissioned 11 distinguished young visual artists from area high schools to each paint one of the 11 themes on 20”x24” canvases. Meet the artists now, by visiting Austin Pictures online! These young artists have been asked to study and listen to the music by Mussorgsky that relates to their theme, and paint a work of art in response to it. In that way, we’ve brought the art-work full circle, since Pictures at an Exhibition was originally composed in response to drawings – we’re doing the reverse!
We want your pictures involved too! The images posted to Facebook in the next 8 weeks will not only be eligible for awesome prizes, but they will also be woven into the fabric of the fabulous AV we’re planning in conjunction with our friends at the Alamo Drafthouse. We look forward to your participation.
La Sombra Bar and Grill. More than a thousand of you experienced the fabulous food of La Sombra Bar and Grill this summer during our Pasión Latin Series. Our fun with La Sombra continues! Not only are they generously donating the $100 gift card we’ll give away this Thursday, but they are also preparing the Opening Night Dinner hosted by Silicon Labs, before Austin Pictures on the evening of October 1st! Since Chef Julio is originally from Peru, and so is Jorge Caballero, we decided to ask the Chef to make an amazing multi-course Peruvian feast! Info about the dinner is online here.