ACG Blog

We dream of a world where music is here for everyone, connecting us, inspiring us, and bringing joy and meaning wherever it goes. We are having our Fall fund drive here at ACG and it’s because of our community and supporters that we are able to share stories like this. Click here to learn more about supporting ACG.

At ACG, we believe in the power of music to heal, connect, and transform lives. This mission has guided our work for over a decade, especially through our Music & Healing program, led by ACG’s Director of Education and Music & Healing, Travis Marcum. As part of our Fall Fund Drive, we are thrilled to share Travis’ inspiring story and his reflections on how music can be a powerful source of healing.

In 2010, Travis began leading the guitar program at Gardner Betts Juvenile Justice Center. Working with young people who had faced trauma and hardship early in life was a deeply moving experience for him. Travis shared, 

“For four years, I worked with young men and women who had experienced tremendous trauma and hardship early in their childhood. Many of the students were diagnosed with mental health issues or learning disabilities alongside addiction in some cases. Through connecting with them and listening to their experiences, I learned about the many ways they came to the guitar each day as a means to cope with their circumstance, to calm the mind, and access the expression needed to heal.”

It was in those early years at Gardner Betts that Travis saw the power of music to heal, not just as an art form but as a tool for processing deep emotions. 

“It was a powerful experience for me, and I began thinking about all of the possibilities to connect with people in the Austin community around the idea of validating experiences through collaborative music making.”

The seed was planted, and soon the vision for ACG’s Music & Healing program began to take shape. In 2014, ACG partnered with Carnegie Hall for the Lullaby Project, a collaborative songwriting initiative that pairs professional musicians with new or expectant parents to create original lullabies for their babies.

“Lullaby Project is a program that pairs professional musicians with new or expectant parents to write an original lullaby for their baby,” Travis explained. “Artist and mother collaborate in generating lyrics and music to express her hopes and dreams for her child. The model of the Lullaby Project offered us a path forward to explore collaborative songwriting with many other partner organizations and participants such as Dell Children’s Hospital, Texas Oncology, Red Oak Hope, Foundation Communities, and many more.”

Since then, ACG Music & Healing has expanded to reach individuals across Austin who are experiencing some of life’s most significant challenges—illness, trauma, and grief—offering them a safe, expressive space to transform their feelings into music. Travis shares, 

“ACG Music & Healing is so special because it offers us a musical space to validate and acknowledge some of the biggest joys and hardships of the human experience and share these feelings in a safe and beautiful way. As a society, we often pack away and hide our illness, grief, and trauma. We aren’t taught to express our feelings, and as time goes by, we can feel isolated. The music gives us a safe place to put the feelings, and our skilled Music & Healing Artists help transform them into a song. It’s a simple concept: make music, together, and heal. The friendships that we have made over the last ten years are so special to me. The fact that people invite us into their hearts, that they trust us to treat their ideas with care and to make something beautiful together… that blows my mind.”

Through the dedication of Travis Marcum and our incredible Music & Healing Artists, we have witnessed countless moments of transformation as individuals facing isolation or hardship find a path toward healing through music.

This fall, we invite you to support Travis’ Music & Healing program and help us continue to provide this essential service to those who need it most. Your generosity makes it possible for us to offer this healing space to more individuals and families across Austin.

Support Travis’ program here.

We dream of a world where music is here for everyone, connecting us, inspiring us, and bringing joy and meaning wherever it goes. We are having our Fall fund drive here at ACG and it’s because of our community and supporters that we are able to share stories like this. Click here to learn more about supporting ACG.

At ACG, we believe in the transformative power of music and community. Few people embody this belief more than our Community Education Director, Tony Mariano, who leads our vibrant ACG Community Ensembles. As we celebrate 25 years of ACG Community Ensembles, we sat down with Tony to reflect on the heart of this program and the journey that has brought us here.

The ACG Community Ensembles are a place where everyone, no matter their skill level or experience, can come together and express themselves as artists. For Tony, this is the foundation of what makes these ensembles so special. He shared, 

“Everyone has something deep within them that needs to be expressed, but sadly, there aren’t always many safe or encouraging outlets for that. Often, people with so much to give as artists don’t get the opportunity to express themselves in the truest sense. Through the ACG Community Ensembles, we offer that chance to people of all ages.”

It’s this sense of creative freedom that makes participating in the ensembles such a fulfilling experience. For Tony, helping others tap into that deep part of themselves is the most rewarding aspect of the work. 

“We foster a strong community built on close relationships, creating a safe space where members can fully engage as artists and share the most powerful parts of their inner experience. Being able to express yourself in a space like that makes people feel good—about themselves, the people around them, and the world. And ultimately, we’re in the business of making people feel good.”

Tony’s journey with the Community Ensembles began in 2016 with the desire to help people discover their potential through music. Tony shares, 

“I wanted to work with this program because I wanted to challenge people to achieve great things through music, while also helping them find community and connection in the process. There’s nothing better than seeing people smile after they’ve worked hard for weeks and finally achieve something meaningful to them. The feeling of creating something beautiful—something you once thought was impossible—is a moment I love witnessing.”

In 2016, Tony began his journey directing the ACG Choir, a group that had a profound impact on him both personally and professionally. He expressed, 

“I’m so grateful to that first group for giving me the space to develop as a leader and teacher. They’ll always have a special place in my heart. Since then, I’ve taken over the ACG Chamber Ensemble and the ACG Youth Camerata. Today, we have six adult and youth community ensembles, all directed by some of the most talented artists and educators in the world. I’m incredibly grateful to share this work with such amazing people.”

This season marks a significant milestone for ACG’s Community Ensembles; 25 years of fostering creativity, community, and connection through music. Over the past two and a half decades, ACG has been blessed with incredible art and music from talented composers who have shaped the program in profound ways.

“Through commissions, composition competitions, artist residency collaborations, and our GuitarCurriculum library, we’ve received mind-blowing compositions from truly remarkable people. These gifts have shaped ACG and our ensembles in a deep way, and we’re so excited to celebrate them this year.”

As part of the celebration, each ensemble will prepare a program featuring music from ACG’s past, honoring these incredible works. The anniversary will culminate in a Spring Festival on April 26th, where the ensembles will share these musical gifts with the community once again.

“Don’t miss it!” Tony added with excitement.

As we look back on 25 years of ACG Community Ensembles, we’re reminded of the countless moments of joy, connection, and artistic expression that have made this program so special. We invite you to be part of this celebration. Whether by attending the Spring Festival, joining one of our ensembles, or supporting Tony and the Community Ensemble program for our fall fund drive. 

Thank you for being part of this journey with us! 

Support Tony’s program here.

We dream of a world where music is here for everyone, connecting us, inspiring us, and bringing joy and meaning wherever it goes. We are having our Fall fund drive here at ACG and it’s because of our community and supporters that we are able to share stories like this. Click here to learn more about supporting ACG.

Guitar Foundation Nepal is made possible thanks to a generous sustaining gift from Rick Reeder at Layer 3 Real Estate, who shares our belief that music can do good in the world. We’re so grateful for our many opportunities to work with teachers near and far who bring their passion into the classroom every day. If you’d like to join Rick and many others as an ACG sustaining donor, click here! Thanks to all our friends who make our programs possible.

For this year’s Fall Fund Drive, we would like to take a moment to introduce you to some of the amazing individuals who are at the heart of ACG’s community programs. 

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing a series of stories that spotlight our dedicated employees and community members, highlighting the transformative programs they lead and the incredible impact they have on our community.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating these extraordinary programs and the people who make them possible.

This week, we’re excited to highlight Ravindra Paudyal, an EMS professional from Kathmandu, who had long dreamed of creating guitar classes in his community. A few years ago, that dream led him to connect with ACG, and since then, he has turned it into a reality.

We had the opportunity to speak with Ravindra about his program and how it functions, here’s what he had to say:

“Guitar Foundation Nepal is a remarkable initiative that offers much more than music lessons. It is a comprehensive academy that fosters a wide range of skills, including teamwork, self-esteem, and self-actualization, all through the beauty of classical music. The program emphasizes the importance of music as a performing art, where students learn to express abstract concepts like scripts, scores, and language through their performances.

In my work with these students, I focus on creating a friendly and supportive environment. I accept their weaknesses with patience, teaching them as a friend, not just a mentor. To ensure their well-being, we provide lunch during music classes, as they attend after school. We also cover their lunch, travel, and recital allowances during performances, making sure they feel supported every step of the way. Additionally, we supply all necessary curriculum materials, allowing the students ample time to understand, feel, and perform the music they learn. Their progress is visible in their monthly performances, and I’m proud of how uniformly they are improving.

Looking ahead, I plan to cover the yearly tuition fees for our most outstanding, dedicated, and deserving students. None of this would be possible without the generous contributions from kind-hearted individuals in America, and I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Austin Classical Guitar for making this program a reality.

Finally, I want to personally thank Dr. Matthew Hinsley for his unwavering dedication as a music educator and social worker. Through melody, harmony, and orchestration, he has shown a path of hope to many who have felt lost. Melody represents the direction we take in life, harmony symbolizes the support we receive to make it better, and orchestration is the teamwork built on discipline, hard work, and growth.”

We feel incredibly fortunate to witness the power of music to inspire and uplift communities around the world. Thank you, as always, for your generous support, which allows us to continue nurturing programs like these.

This magnificent story was researched and written by ACG intern Micaela Creo. Who said: “As a rising junior at Wake Forest University I attended an inspiring talk called Art, Money, and Community Service by ACG Executive Director Dr. Matthew Hinsley. Ecstatic about each story I heard, I became an ACG intern in hopes of playing a part in building community with music.” 

Micaela interviewed three of fifteen students who traveled to Spain in June as part of ACG Youth Orchestra’s 10-year anniversary tour. ACGYO is directed by ACG Artistic Director Joe WIlliams. We would like to say a special thank you to Alhambra Guitars, who generously gave the group 15 guitars to play for their week in Spain, as well as more than thirty donors who helped make it possible for all to participate. For a compilation of some trip highlights, see the ACG blog, Special Moments: ACGYO Goes to Spain!.

A Life-Changing Trip to Spain

In June, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Austin Classical Guitar’s Youth Orchestra (ACGYO), a group of 15 young artists brought their wide smiles and remarkable talents across the Atlantic, to Spain! As an ACG summer intern, I was invited to interview several members about the trip. I expected a simple recap of architectural sites and trips to beautiful beaches. But I got so much more.

My interviews uncovered the unintended yet unforgettable impact this trip had on the relationships these musicians have with each other, with music, and with themselves. 

As a Wake Forest University student I’ll be studying abroad amidst the rich and historic culture of Madrid this upcoming semester! I got some wonderful tips about beautiful sites to see, but the bigger lessons I received surrounded togetherness, presence, and belonging.

Here’s what I learned from ACGYO members Jianna Zamora, Teddy McCoy, and Kian Mitchell.

Togetherness

All three musicians have spent 2 years playing and growing with the YO. In these years, Teddy claims the group has played an integral role in both his personal and musical growth. Last year, the group’s trip played a pivotal role in his membership.

“I have found my fellow members to be adept players and good people, having gotten to know them in more detail on the trip we took to New Mexico my first year in the group. That experience helped assure my adhesion as a member of a thing larger than myself, and that was a lot of fun to do.”

This year’s trip to Spain took that growth to new levels.

Newness and uncertainty led the students to embrace the people they created these memorable moments with. When asked how he was personally changed by the experience, Teddy shared this beautiful sentiment,

“Often, in periods of change, we develop a stronger relationship with the elements (or people) that remain constant in the transfer. That is really how I have changed in my time in Madrid. In seeing wonderful, foreign things, with the natural instinct to stand next to the people a little less foreign to you. To see it all together. And what an experience that is. It turns an ensemble into a real group, strangers into friends, and music made simultaneously into music made together.”

Wow. 

Even when they weren’t gawking at beautiful landscapes and architecture, the young artists found a surplus of joy in the simple moments that drew them closer together. Kian reminisced,

“We’d have our own little practice sessions just for fun, we would play cards and it just felt like that bond had really started to grow, that we never got that opportunity during our weekly practices back in Austin.” 

My heart warmed as Jianna referenced these same moments when asked about her trip highlights. She experienced the group’s personality shine through in their nightly UNO matches, their laughter complimented by the bustling sounds of the Spanish nightlife from the street below.

“We were all so competitive that that was probably the highlight of the fun things that we did. It was just fun getting to hang out with each other,” said Jianna.

Another simple but impactful memory she shared with me was the group’s bus rides through the mountains in between cities. As they talked to each other with the windows open, she recalled the prettiest sunrises and sunsets she’d ever seen, and gorgeous scenery they wouldn’t see within the cities.

“We’d just randomly see some castle ruins just driving by in the mountains and it was so awesome.” 

Their growth as a group reflected in their performances, too. Jianna highlighted,

“Spending so much time together in a social setting without our guitars, we were able to connect so much more when we were performing. I think that really made a difference.”

Reflecting on this, I’ve become more aware that music weaved its way to my most relevant childhood friendships and memories. In elementary school, my best friends and I would have an absolute blast rehearsing for our annual three-woman performance in the talent show, where we all sang accompanied by my guitar. Playing violin together, we giggled together through practices, and eagerly awaited the orchestra’s annual trip to compete at Dorney Park to ride whichever roller coasters we were tall enough for, growing closer to our peers outside the auditorium or classroom. 

Moving into college in North Carolina, far away from my life in New York, I longed for friendship and certainty, clinging to my randomly-paired roommate and my new friends on the cheerleading team with me. At our first meeting with the girls on our floor, a shared love for music sparked one of my longest running college friendships, when our resident advisor asked each resident to introduce themselves with an album that started with our initial, and my friend Ella correctly said evermore. The next day, at a freshman orientation event, I frantically searched the crowded field of over a thousand freshmen for any of the few people I knew, when Ella rescued me by calling me over. That whole first year, we grew ever closer to each other, assisted by our shared passion. We shared the most special moments singing together, her lending me her guitar from down the hall, or sharing with me her newest song she wrote. These moments were pivotal in deepening our love and understanding of each other.

Presence

Back in Austin, the freshly finished 2023-24 season focused on the theme of presence, a concept Kian believed aligned perfectly with their experience abroad. To him, presence meant,

“having fun but also focusing on practicing and refining and enjoying the music. It was really about … doing what we love to do with each other.”

After performing some of the season’s pieces centered around presence, the young musicians would walk around the city, soaking in the beauty around them, as well as the role of presence in Spanish culture. In Southern Spain, it’s common to live slowly, being deliberate and intentional in the pace of daily activities. I think the immersion into that culture brought the belief into action.

“Presence was incredibly important in those experiences we had in Spain. It allowed us to enjoy those moments we had together, being present in those moments, active, and engaged with each other,” Kian elaborated. “I think we should all remind ourselves we should be present in our life and we should enjoy the ability to engage with one another in those relationships. We should definitely always be reminded of the importance of families and groups like the ACGYO.” 

In my own family, music is a bonding agent. In my earliest memory, my father is serenading my twin brother and I with his guitar, which was bigger than the two of us combined. When my dad was seven, he attended classical school for concert guitar in his home country, Argentina, and the instrument remained fundamental in his life ever since. Once my delicate arms could reach around my small, cheap guitar–also around age seven, but in Long Island, New York– he became my instructor, nurturing my early obsession with music and with Taylor Swift, who dominated my listening. 

My love for guitar grew with us, singing my favorite songs on my guitar with him while we bonded over our love for playing and listening to music. I doubt my music taste would’ve ended up quite as great without him training my ear in classic and Argentinian rock. When I’m far away at school, picking up my guitar feels like a hug from my dad, and he loves receiving surprise videos of my dorm room performances. My connection with the instrument also keeps me present in the quiet, simple moments in my empty room. After all, what’s a dorm without a guitar?

Belonging

To know a nation’s music is to engulf in the cultural capital they have to offer. As a daughter of Argentinian immigrants, I can personally tell you a lot about the role of music in cultures. Whether it be tango, rock, or canciones de cancha (passionate soccer chants), Argentinian music draws me closer to my culture and my family abroad. When months or years have passed without me visiting, I know I can keep in touch with my cousins Lucia and Valentina about Taylor Swift’s latest easter egg, or receive great rock music recs from my cousin German. When Argentina won the World Cup, my dad, brother and I celebrated with hundreds of Argentinian strangers in the streets of Miami, from around noon, when the game ended, to past midnight, the crowd had a life of its own. Chants and percussion filled the air, and fans cycled through the multitude of chants for the team. Vamos, Vamos… Argentina! The music was both a product and a producer of intense joy. Music’s magnetic force is a cornerstone of modern and classic cultures, its history running hundreds to thousands of years deep. 

In Spain, the classical guitar has an extensive and esteemed history that the young musicians got to learn from and feel a part of as they explored, from watching flamenco performers to performing in the Museo de la Guitarra in Almeria on the southern coast. They even toured Casa-Museo Antonio Torres, where the famous 19th century guitar maker lived and designed guitars that heavily influenced today’s modern guitar. Jianna told me,

“In that guitar museum, seeing the progression of how far stringed instruments have come, it was so cool to see the history… It was so inspiring to just see hundreds of years of people that have been inspired by music to where we are now, it’s the music that brought us to Spain.”

In the midst of these foreign experiences, the music created by the group bridged the familiar and unfamiliar cultures. A Spanish speaker, Kian avoided the language barrier, but discovered the cultural barriers of being in a new country. The overlap?

“Being able to connect with people who live in an entirely different culture, those barriers we overcame through music. Being able to travel through the lens of a musician was really unique for me and I felt like I was able to connect with that important part of Spanish culture.”

To those who didn’t speak the language, the shared music was the language that connected them with the locals who stopped to listen.

To describe the time spent with one another, ACG Executive Director Matt Hinsley called the trip a “masterclass of relationships.” At the beginning of the trip, there was no way of knowing what would happen next, and yet the uncertainty yielded its most beautiful moments. In my conversations with the young musicians, there was no doubt that one extremely special performance stood out from the rest. An unplanned, yet unforgettable, concert on the steps of the Catedral de Granada in the Plaza Pasiegas stuck with the group, and surely with the people who stopped to listen. Jianna was in awe of the passerbyers who tuned in to the impromptu performance, drawn to the beauty created by this young orchestra.

“It’s just so cool to see people stop and take time out of their day to listen to us play without having planned for it. That’s the beauty of music in general, that it can just catch people’s attention and bring people together.” 

According to Kian,

“There were even people in their homes up in their patios that were looking down and listening. That was really eye opening to me and inspired me to want to further continue my path of becoming a better musician so I can share and create the same exact environment.”

He gushed about the Granada cathedral as his favorite place, praising the surreal moment the group created together.

“The privilege to play the classical guitar in Granada, even playing a piece called Granada in front of that cathedral, was really amazing. It really helped me personally to connect with everyone that I traveled with, ACGYO members, their parents, and also Matt, Joe, and Alex. I felt a lot closer to them after that experience.” 

Teddy also chose to highlight the particular energy on the steps of the cathedral. To emphasize its unique environment, he noted,

“The lack of formality of the performance juxtaposed with the grand location made it one of our most memorable performances. And an informative one, or really I think the word I am looking for is enlightening. Enlightenment in the sense that music is not created in a vacuum, but in the world, and in a place, and foremost, by people.” 

Looking Back and Looking Forward

Overwhelmed with excitement and discovery, it’s clear the artists are forever changed by this exceptional trip. As their faces lit up describing their travels, they looked to the future, and examined the changes they felt both musically and personally. While experiencing a rich culture with such old history, it is fresh and new in the eyes of the young beholders, bearing a large influence on them. 

Jianna remarked,

“Just getting to see people’s reactions to us playing, and experiencing the music we’re creating together, it’s definitely inspiring, it makes you hungry for more, to be better–be better for the group and be better for yourself, too.”

Kian shared,

“The experience reminded me that playing my guitar is not just about my growth as a musician, but it’s also about what I can share with other people and the sounds and the emotions that I can create for other people to experience. And that trip, being able to watch flamenco players and being able to play the guitar for other people and seeing everyone’s reactions, it reminded me that it’s about everyone in the room, not just about the people performing.”

Kian’s selfless perspective is right, that music is an exchange and a shared experience rather than that of a sole performer. Even in a country where no one knew him or shared prior experiences, that music could bring together strangers. 

After these interactions with such bright young minds, I’m left inspired by all they shared with me. I am excited for the future of the ACGYO, and hopeful for the future of each talented musician impacted by the extraordinary trip. It’s crucial we nurture our future artists and create environments that guide them to flourish independently, continuing to make beautiful art to share with the world.

My final takeaway? A Spain bucket list! When I asked Teddy, Kian, and Jianna for a place they thought I absolutely needed to see, I got one answer: Granada, Granada, Granada. Teddy specified,

“It would have to be that Alhambra–forgive me for being so plain. I just can’t help it. It was beautiful and I have never seen anything close to it: the walls covered in writing, and the geometry.”

As of right now, I have no idea what exactly will come of my own travels to Spain, or how my takeaways will compare to those of Teddy, Kian, and Jianna. What I do know is that such uncertainty leaves room for the most thrilling possibilities and new discoveries.

The ACGYO, founded in 2013 under the direction of Joe Williams, is an ensemble of advanced young guitarists from across our community. The youth involved have spent years refining their musical skills, and along the way they’ve made amazing videos, premiered many new works, performed on Austin’s biggest stages, and toured as far as San Francisco. We couldn’t be more proud of their accomplishments.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of ACGYO, they’re going on tour in Spain this June! 

Learn more about our Youth and Community Ensembles. 

Our ACG Youth Orchestra is preparing to go on their most exciting tour yet next month; all the way to Spain! 

On June 3, the ACGYO will set foot in Madrid, the vibrant capital of Spain, marking the beginning of their European adventure. From there, they will travel to the picturesque town of Muro De Alcoy- a place where magic truly happens. 

YO members will have the opportunity to visit the esteemed Alhambra Guitars factory, where amidst the rich craftsmanship, they will pick up fifteen of Alhambra’s exquisite 4 P Conservatory model guitars. Over the course of a week in Spain, the ACGYO will enchant audiences across Southern Spain with Alhambra’s donated instruments. 

From intimate performances in quaint villages to large concerts in bustling cities to master classes with world renowned musicians, these young musicians will not only blow their audiences away, they will be forging connections, fostering cultural exchange, and celebrating the universal language of music. 

We can’t wait to share their adventures with you! 

We at ACG extend a heartfelt thank you to Alhambra Guitars and Fundación Alhambra Guitarras for helping us make this dream a reality. 

We also share our deepest gratitude to every member of our community who supports ACG, we are only capable of creating moments like these because of you. We are profoundly thankful to all of you.

June 3

The ACGYO landed in Madrid today! They took part in a walking tour of the city and had the chance to visit places like the Prado Museum, where they have some gorgeous works by significant Spanish artists such as Francisco de Goya, and tried traditional Spanish dishes like Paella!

June 4

Today, our ACGYO members visited the esteemed Alhambra Guitar factory in Muro de Alcoy, where they picked up fourteen gorgeous guitars, generously donated by Alhambra Guitars and Fundación Alhambra Guitarras, that they will use to enchant audiences across the country all week long!

June 5

The ACGYO had a beach day in Alicante, Spain! They had the chance to relax on the gorgeous beach and some explored a nearby castle!

They ended their evening exploring the city of Murcia before their rehearsals and concert happening tomorrow!

June 6

Had a gorgeous concert in Murcia, Spain and got to explore the city later that evening! 

June 7

Today the ACGYO traveled to Almeria, where they played at Museo de la Guitarra. They then went to Casa-Museo Antonio Torres- a house that Torres lived in and made guitars at. They ended their day driving to Granada and doing a pop up concert in a plaza outside of a Cathedral!

June 8

Our ensembles members visited the Alhambra for a few hours, returned guitars to a shop, had lunch and yummy churros, did some shopping and got to hang out in the prettiest place ever, Granada!

At ACG, we dream of a world where music is here for everyone, connecting us, inspiring us, and bringing joy and meaning wherever it goes. We share with deep gratitude that it is through the generosity of our community that we have been able to obtain this dream in many ways. Learn more about supporting ACG here. 

Owning your first guitar is an incredibly special moment for an aspiring musician. 

Over the years we have had the opportunity to share this moment with many young musicians in our programs through the generosity of our community. 

This year, we received a very special donation from luthier and guitarist, Michael Fontenot. 

Michael donated one of his very own creations in support of ACG Education and we’re giving it away this Friday at our Student Spotlight concert in The Rosette!

We had the pleasure of connecting with Michael recently about his history and journey into becoming a luthier. 

In the world of music, the journey of an artist is often marked by pivotal moments of inspiration and dedication. For Michael Fontenot, his love affair with music began at a young age, sparked by the timeless melodies of the Beatles and nurtured through years of exploration and dedication to the guitar. Michael shares, 

“I believe I was 10 or 11 years old when I first heard the Beatles song I want to hold your hand. I remember being drawn, not only to the song, but I was also compelled to learn how to play it, and even to write music like that. It was a very consuming experience for me and launched my love for music. Some of the most formative influences for me in my middle school in high school years were James Taylor and Paul Simon. It is from listening to their music and emulating their style of playing that I developed a good portion of my early technique. 

This period of my life was also a crash course in “ear training” and that I didn’t work from sheet music, but rather figured pieces out by listening to them over and over again. I played in a band with my older brother and would figure out chord patterns and parts for the other members of the band.”

It wasn’t until late into his undergraduate studies that he discovered his interest in classical guitar! During Michael’s senior year at the University of Texas, a friend introduced him to the classical style.

“I was amazed and intrigued with the control over different lines of music. I sold my steel string guitar and bought a Ramirez student model guitar, went into the Peace Corps with the Carcassi method, book, and the studies by Fernando Sor, and began practicing several hours a day in West Africa,” Micheal shares. 

After returning to the U.S a year later, Michael began studying classical guitar at the University of North Texas with Tom Johnson. Though he was pursuing a Masters degree ultimately, he needed undergraduate hours in Music in order to do so. During his two years at UNT, he studied in Aspen with Oscar Ghiglia, Eliot Fisk, and Bob Guthrie over the summers. Michael then went on to study with Eliot at Yale University for his Masters.

At the age of 28, Michael went on to Medical school!

“Always interested in composition, I wrote humorous songs about the materials we were studying in medical school (50 ways to lose your liver, the Bipolar Blues.) Over the following 40 years, I continually played music in one form or another, composing songs and recording them,” says Michael. 

Towards the end of 2020, as retirement loomed on the horizon, Michael found himself seeking a new project to fuel his creative spirit. 

“In all honesty, making guitars was not something that anyone would’ve predicted for me five years ago. So to some extent, the whole project was fabricated out of whole cloth. I have obviously always loved the sound of the guitar and truthfully have marveled at its construction and beauty since I can remember. But I had no woodworking skills, and no woodworking tools. I don’t remember the moment that the idea popped in my head but as soon as I thought of building guitars, I was completely drawn in.”

Michael embarked on a journey of self-discovery, turning to online resources and mentors like luthier Pablo Requeña for guidance. 

“I started watching videos on YouTube and ran across a Luthier in Malaga, Spain named Pablo Requeña who is a phenomenal teacher and builds traditional Spanish style guitars. I purchased a course and followed his instructions, and after a year built my first guitar. It took me one year to build that first guitar, largely because I was still working, and I had to build all of the jigs necessary to make a guitar. I built 12 guitars over the next two years and I’m currently working on my 15th. This year I am exploring more modern styles of guitar making including lattice, bracing, and double top construction,” Michael shares. 

As he delves deeper into the intricacies of guitar construction, Michael finds himself captivated by the process of transforming raw materials into instruments that sing with life. 

“For me, what inspires me about building is the process of starting off with several flat pieces of wood and ending up with something that makes such a beautiful sound, and is transformed into a piece of art by talented players. Especially this year, as I dive more deeply into the mechanisms of sound production of the instrument, I am amazed at how small changes in the design of the guitar can result in different sonic pallets.”

We are so grateful for Michael’s generous donation of one of his beautifully crafted instruments. He goes on to share more about this specific guitar, 

“The guitar I donated to Austin Classical Guitar is my second guitar. It is built with Engelmann Spruce on the top, East Indian Rosewood, on the back and sides, and Spanish cedar for the neck. The Rosette is a classical Spanish style Rosette, which I purchased, and inlaid. I must give credit to Pablo Requena for these early guitars. They are all made with traditional fan bracing in the Hauser style. Pablo had made some modifications to the braces, and I followed his recipe. The guitars are extraordinarily light, especially compared to some modern guitars.” 

Michael goes on to share more about this donation, 

“I was motivated to donate the guitar because of the work that ACG is doing in the community. As I have gone to guitar concerts over the past couple of years and heard the level of performance of students coming out of ACG Education programs, I have been very inspired to somehow be a part of that. 

There is no reason for guitars of this quality to be sitting around not being played. And while it is always wonderful to sell guitars, my personal mission is not to sell guitars, but to make guitars. I suspect that over the next year I will continue to have surplus and hope to continue to give young players in Austin a guitar that is worthy of their dedication.”

We are incredibly grateful to Michael for his generosity and are so excited to aid in the rehoming of this gorgeous instrument this Friday. 

Learn more about Michael Fontenot and Fontenot guitars here.

Last month, we presented a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, community based collaborative concert called Presence.

The culmination of a yearlong collaboration, Presence featured music by ACG’s 23-24 Artist-in-Residence and Grammy-nominated composer Reena Esmail, and performances by the extraordinary Mexican guitarist Dieter Hennings Yeomans, Austin’s super-creative and genre-bending vocal ensemble VAMP, and critically acclaimed bassoonist and UT Butler School faculty member Kristin Wolfe Jensen. These internationally celebrated artists were joined by a massive guitar orchestra, conducted by ACG Artistic Director Joe Williams on stage at the gorgeous AISD Performing Arts Center. 

Alexina Derkaz was a member of that massive guitar orchestra and we had the pleasure of speaking with her about her experience with Presence.

Growing up with two professional classical guitarists as parents, Alexina Derkaz is no stranger to the instrument. 

“I participated in classical guitar festivals, competitions, and master classes in middle and high school and pursued guitar as my major at Florida State University.” 

However, Alexina ultimately pursued another passion of hers, the study of Latin, in graduate school and as her career. 

“Without a meaningful outlet or community, guitar fell to the wayside for years. Then, I moved to Austin and found ACG. The Chamber Ensemble is perfect for me. I get to play beautiful, interesting music and perform for audiences again!” 

Our 2023-24 season theme and the theme of this past concert is presence. Alexina shared a little bit about what presence means to her, 

“To me, being present means bringing my focus to the moment and environment that I’m in.  When I’m teaching, it means that my awareness of each student is heightened: we’re making eye contact and I’m not watching the clock.  When I’m playing music it means I’m absorbed in the phrases and not thinking about that tricky part coming up. When I’m parenting, it means that I slow down to my baby’s pace, just observing him as he explores a leaf; I have no agenda. Presence means expanding my awareness inward, to the state of my body and spirit, and also outward to the birdsong and feeling of the breeze.”

Presence, the project, was very much a collaborative effort from all parties involved. Every member of the orchestra, including Alexina, got to interact with the composition process and heard their ideas in the final product. Alexina shares, 

“Presence was the opportunity to feel like I was a part of something great.  So many people worked so hard to make the performance magical. 

The intentional collaboration between composer and musicians is what made Presence such a unique experience.  At our first rehearsal for the music, we received a worksheet of sorts from Reena.  There were fragments of melodies and rhythms.  As a warm-up, the ensemble was asked to use the notes to play something that reflected how we were feeling at that very moment. If I had been brave enough to volunteer, I would have played some tense exchange of notes that sounded like the Jaws soundtrack: improvisation and composition are way out of my comfort zone! Before I knew it, I was sent with a group of peers to do that: compose a mini piece to perform using the rhythms and melodies from the worksheet.  Everything we did was recorded in case someone came up with something great.  Reena was going to listen! 

I made it through the collaboration unscathed as the ACG leadership is so kind and reassuring.  That was just the beginning.  Next, we were writing diaristic entries that became lyrics to the pieces, like a patchwork quilt of the ensemble members’ experiences of “presence”.  Then at a mother moment, Joe, Reena, and the ensemble were figuring out the best way for us to make a percussive sound on our guitars in real time during the first rehearsal: Joe was saying “try it like this” to us, Reena  was shaking her head, Joe was saying “how about like this?” We try something new, Reena nods enthusiastically – that’s the sound!”

What’s so unique about this method of collaboration in a large group setting is that all that was provided to the ensemble to begin with were a handful of notes. They had a tiny amount to work with so they could have full range in their creative spaces. However, that required a ton of flexibility with everyone involved. Alexina shared more about what this was like,

“If I were to let someone in on a little behind the scenes experience, it would have been the fact that we didn’t just receive our scores to learn all at once (like one usually does in an ensemble).  We were literally getting pages at a time.  One page this week, then as the composers finished a few more measures, the next page would come.  It was hot-off-the-press!  The composers were working so, so hard to write this music in a shorter time span than they were used to. One time, a whole page of the piece we were working on was scrapped and replaced with something new; a chord was being changed in the actual rehearsal the day before the concert… it was evolving up to the performance.  We performers had to be flexible and ready to put in the work to learn the music quickly.”

We asked Alexina to share some of her favorite moments throughout the project with us and this is what she expressed, 

“It was a huge treat to get to hear the singers of VAMP.  I remember the first rehearsal we had with them. As they entered the room there was a palpable excitement.  I was internally squealing “wow wow, real singers, this is so cool!”.  Then I saw my excitement mirrored in their faces and they beheld the 70 or so guitarists facing them.  The first time they sang, I literally had tears well in my eyes. I stopped playing and had to find my place again.  It wasn’t only their ethereal sound, but the song itself – it was just so beautiful.  One piece that a solo member of VAMP sang with one of the youth groups gave me goosebumps every time I heard it. 

While the singers of VAMP inspired tears and goosebumps, our incredible bassoonist and guitarist, Kristen and Dieter, pumped us up with their technically challenging extended solos.  I just had to laugh and shake my head at their brilliance…”is this for real…I get to play with them??”  

Another favorite moment is the feeling of pride I had upon hearing the work the youth ensembles had put into the music.  They really held their own and sounded fantastic. 

Finally, I always look forward to being conducted by Joe.  Conducting is essentially a very difficult form of communication and Joe is a master communicator.  He delivers his directives so clearly, calmly, powerfully, and encouragingly all at the same time!  He always tells us what we did well first and then tells us what to do better.  He wastes no words and will sometimes pause before he says something – because everything he says matters.   Before the big group rehearsals I did have the thought, “Are we going to be able to pull this off??”  But we did because of Joe.”

When show day came around, we needed a space that would fit our massive community orchestra! So, we held the concert at the gorgeous Austin ISD Performing Arts Center. Which is a much bigger stage than what a lot of our performers may have been used to. Alexina shares a bit about what this was like, 

“Playing on the PAC feels grand and important and dramatic and powerful! The musicians really spend the day there, arriving quite early for our sound checks and final dress rehearsal.  We bond backstage, share a few meals and pre-performance tricks (like one member bringing a large box of hand-warmers for us to hold before our turn to play). We excitedly anticipate the size of the audience and recount the performance with one another after it’s over.  While on stage we are trying so hard to be laser focused and communicate everything we worked on. My whole family came and brought me a bouquet of flowers afterward; they knew it was a big moment.”

We are so grateful to Alexina and to every member of Presence for being so flexible and accomplishing something so magnificent. We are grateful to our community for supporting us in projects like these. 

Thank you for your unwavering support of our pursuit of what good can music do in the world today?

Gorgeous photos below by Arlen Nydam.

The culmination of a yearlong collaboration, Presence featured music by ACG’s 23-24 Artist-in-Residence and Grammy-nominated composer Reena Esmail, and performances by the extraordinary Mexican guitarist Dieter Hennings Yeomans, Austin’s super-creative and genre-bending vocal ensemble VAMP, and critically acclaimed bassoonist and UT Butler School faculty member Kristin Wolfe Jensen. These internationally celebrated artists were joined by a massive guitar orchestra, conducted by ACG Artistic Director Joe Williams on stage at the gorgeous AISD Performing Arts Center. 

In the world of music, the journey to becoming a composer is often a winding path, marked by discovery and evolution. 

Reena Esmail, a prominent musician and composer and ACG’s 2023-24 Artist-in-Residence, recently shared her unique story with us, seamlessly weaving between her early encounters with the guitar to her present exploration of composition! 

Reena’s musical odyssey began unexpectedly at the age of five or six when she stumbled upon a guitar hidden in her mother’s linen closet. Intrigued by the enchanting sounds it produced, her curiosity led to guitar lessons and the realization that music would play a significant role in her life. 

Reena shares, “I was just so fascinated. I thought ‘wow this is making such a beautiful sound.’ I initially would play the guitar with its back on the floor and just press it and poke at it to play it. And eventually, my parents got me guitar lessons. I really remember the very first time I went for a guitar lesson thinking, ‘Oh this is the beginning of something big in my life,’ and even as a kid I knew this was going to go places and it did!”

However, her path took a turn when her guitar teacher moved away. Undeterred, Reena delved into other instruments, eventually becoming a pianist. It was during her exploration of composition at a fine arts high school that she found a way to express herself without the need to perform on stage herself. 

She states, “I realized that I didn’t enjoy performing on stage and I realized that there is a way to be a musician without ever needing to be on the stage by composing. By the time I went to undergrad I had already found that path for myself. But it’s funny, just because you get on that path doesn’t mean that it’s straight, sometimes it can be really circuitous and it was very circuitous for me. One of the circles I kind of took was that I realized that at that point, I was one of very few people in my culture as a South Asian who was doing western classical music and when you’re younger I think that can be really cool like you’re just different but as I grew older it started to feel a bit lonely. So I looked around a lot for students who were South Asian and there were tons of them who weren’t western classical musicians so a lot of my life has been about balancing those two worlds.”

As part of her collaborative composition for Presence, our centerpiece concert of the season, Reena endeavors to bridge the gap between Indian and Western classical music. Exploring the possibilities of incorporating Indian ragas into guitar music.

Reena shares, “It’s really interesting because my knowledge of string instruments now are more orchestral instruments. So right now I’m trying to find ways for guitars to play in raga, and it’s been fascinating because ACG sent me this amazing three quarter sized guitar to practice on and it’s been so fun trying to figure out how I can get those Indian styles on the guitar. This is my first time writing for the guitar on this big of a scale and it’s been interesting to figure out how those two things translate.”

Returning to her original instrument feels like stepping into a musical time machine for Reena. It allows her to recapture the pure love and inspiration she felt as a child. 

Reena explains, “To me, it feels like I get to go back to that time in my life where music was brand new, everything was ahead of me and there was so much inspiration. The process of getting good at music and eventually having a career at it can be a lot, and not that I don’t love every moment of it but there’s also moments that are very tough. It’s almost like I get to step inside a time machine and go back to a time where you remember it was 100% love and to get to bring that back and being able to work with people who are the age that I was when I was doing that makes me feel like I can bypass anything that felt difficult and just have a lot of fun.”

Presence, presents a new challenge for Reena and she revels in the opportunity to compose for such a diverse group, 

“This is the most unusual ensemble I’ve composed for because it’s a huge guitar choir and then there are five singers and a bassoon player along with a professional guitarist. So knowing how to write for it, how to balance, how people of ages and abilities from consummate professional musicians all the way to people who have just started playing, how can they relate to each other in a way that is beneficial to everyone. And that to me is really fun because I think a lot of times people think of my music as being between these two cultures but I think more broadly it’s between groups of people you would never find on the stage together. I’m really excited about it.

It was magical rehearsing for the first time all together because for the first half I was sitting in the back of the ensemble just kind of noodling away at my own piece and it’s fascinating when you can see the piece in that different perspective. Usually as a composer you think of all the parts at the same time but to play in an actual rehearsal where you’re only playing one part of the piece is like if someone was to make an oil painting and then they told you to just focus on the parts that are blue. That would be such a different way of looking at the painting, and so I got to figure that out and actually feel what the piece feels like and get to be surrounded by everyone and get to feel what that feels like which is abnormal. 

During the second half I was up front and I got to hear things kind of in a more objective way. I also felt like the vibe of the rehearsal changed when I was in the front versus when I was in the back. In a way, when I was in the back I thought, I got to see what it was like if I wasn’t there and you never really get that and I noticed how it changed once people felt that I was there.”

Presence has been a year long collaborative project without a preconceived plan, the project unfolds step by step. 

Reena dives into this, “The whole process was very organic, we did not plan more than one step ahead. Even now, I can’t say what this piece is going to be, I’m just getting ideas. 

We started thinking ‘Someone has to start with something.’ So basically, I sent the members of the ensemble these little seeds that were worksheet ideas-types of things and told them to make something out of the materials given to them. And people did all sorts of things like making them into little one minute pieces to just kind of noodling around and changing a few things. I think what I was looking for was a sense of what was the part of those little seeds that felt inspiring? What were the little things that people were grabbing onto and taking with them? 

By listening to these ideas I’d take whatever I thought was a cool thing to include; and this was true for the musical seeds as well as the written word seeds from poems they shared and there were certain lines that just stood out to me. I just thought I’d take whatever strikes me in the moment. It’s very much go-with-the-flow, which is rare for me in terms of the process of writing a piece but this feels like we’re going on a journey together and just seeing what comes of it.”

In this collaborative journey, Reena embraces uncertainty and allows the process to be organic. She shares more about what this means, 

“During this whole process I’ve really focused on just allowing myself to just experience things. I think that as a composer, a lot of times people think you know the answers and what you to tell them what the right thing is to do and I think normally I try to take that role seriously because people are asking for it, but in this case I’ve tried to ask more questions than I have answers and in a way that can be uncomfortable but also in a way it can be really amazing to not have to know and allow things to be organic. 

I was really looking forward to the first rehearsal to be able to interact with everyone for the first time and to also see how the guitar functions in this environment. I’ve always said guitar is both the easiest and the hardest instrument to play because anyone can just pick it up, play three chords and feel like they have enough musical materials to be able to accompany themselves singing songs so it’s a universal instrument in that way but then it’s also instrument where so few people can be classical guitarists because technically it’s so difficult and demanding and how can that be one instrument? It blows my mind. So it’s interesting to see everyone here have a different relationship with guitar.”

In essence, Reena Esmail’s musical expedition intertwined with the strings of diverse cultures, creating a harmonious blend that transcends boundaries. Through her compositions, she not only connects musical styles but also brings together individuals who, under normal circumstances, might never share a stage. 

Presence has been a journey of rediscovery, collaboration, and the perpetual exploration of the beautiful gifts that music can bring upon us.