Group of boys and girls pose for pictures as the Texas Young Master Class of 2016

15 Students Named Texas Young Masters

by Texas Cultural Trust

THE 2016 CLASS OF TEXAS YOUNG MASTERS
Todd Baker, 11th Grade, Carrollton, Dance
Samantha Choo, 11th Grade, Plano, Music/Violin
Emma Colwell, 11th Grade, Grand Prairie, Musical Theatre
Margaret Errickson, 9th Grade, Houston, Visual Arts/Mixed Media
Quinlan Facey, 11th Grade, Plano, Music/Piano
Niell Gorman, 11th Grade, Houston, Visual Arts
Shadden Hashem, 11th Grade, Colleyville, Dance
Mia Heckler, 11th Grade, Bellaire, Theatre
Bhargavi Sarangapani, 9th Grade, Coppell, Dance/Indian Classical
Fiona Shea, 11th Grade, Lubbock, Music/Violin
Emma Sutherland, 9th Grade, Dallas, Dance
Zane Unger, 11th Grade, Dallas, Dance
Olivia Vanderslice, 11th Grade, Garland, Dance
Johnathan Wu, 11th Grade, Plano, Violin
Anton Zhou, 11th Grade, Sugarland, Visual Arts

“The Trust wants to congratulate the 2016 Class of Texas Young Masters,” said Jennifer Ransom Rice, Executive Director of TCT. “Those chosen represent not just amazing talent, but a deep commitment to their chosen artistic field as well. We are honored to be able to support these exceptional rising stars as they develop into the Texas legends of tomorrow.”

“The Texas Commission on the Arts is pleased to have consistently contributed to the advancement of young Texas artists at such a pivotal point in their artistic development,” said Gary Gibbs, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Texas Commission on the Arts. “The Texas Young Masters program identifies and nurtures students who have a wealth of talent and possibility, and we take great pride in that.”

Multi-GRAMMY award winner and Trust board member Ray Benson will emcee the Young Masters ceremony, along with Majic 95.5 afternoon drive personality Juliet Brandon. The show includes performances by the Blackshear Elementary Fine Arts Academy chorus, as well as local favorites Tosca String Quartet and The Peterson Brothers Band. The evening will also feature performances by previous Young Masters, including: Jared Brown, 2014 Young Master in Dance; Morgan Starr, 2010 Young Master in Musical Theatre; Jay Appaji, 2014 Young Master in Music; and violinist, Charles Yang, Class of 2004. Honorary Chair, First Lady Cecilia Abbott will present the medals to the 2016 Class of Texas Young Masters. Holland Taylor, EMMY winning actress, will also be a part of the show. Taylor is currently starring in Ann, a one-woman portrait of the legendary governor of Texas, for which she has been nominated for a Tony Award. Ann is currently running at ZACH Theatre.

Sponsorships are still available. For more information, please call 512.478.5289.

The Young Masters program is made possible through the generous support of the contributors listed below:

Program Founders: AT&T Foundation, Anheuser Busch Foundation, Applied Materials, BNSF Railway, The Honorable David Dewhurst, Emerson Electric, Mrs. Gene Jones, Mr. George Mitchell, Mrs. W.D. Noel, Plum Foundation, Ray C. Fish Foundation, Raytheon

Scholarship Underwriters: Dr. and Mrs. Ernest Butler, Texas Women for the Arts, ExxonMobil, Neiman Marcus, The Scurlock Foundation, Lee Bailey, Friends of Jesùs Moroles, Dian Graves Owen Foundation, Guillermo Nicolas, and Judy Robison.

For more information on the Texas Young Masters program, visit www.txculturaltrust.org/programs/young-masters.