People sit in Zach Theatre waiting for a show

Texas Cultural Trust to Present 2016 Class of Texas Young Masters, Zach Theatre, April 25

by Texas Cultural Trust

The 2016 Class of Texas Young Masters will be awarded at an award ceremony and star-studded concert, with an Opening Reception at 6:00 pm, and Awards Ceremony at 7:00 pm. The Opening Reception will feature a Young Masters Lounge, complete with photo booth, signature “mock-tail,” and special performance by 2004 Young Master and violin virtuoso, Charles Yang. Described by the Boston Globe as one who “plays classical violin with the charisma of a rock star,” Yang started studying violin while a young child in Austin, and has gone on to international acclaim. He will also be performing during the show, in collaboration with 2014 Young Master and Carnatic percussionist Jay Appaji.

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 will open with Blackshear Elementary Fine Arts Academy chorus. As the first elementary fine arts academy in Austin IDS, Blackshear used the arts to help increase enrollment by 20% and was recently named a National Blue Ribbon School. Austin’s Tosca String Quartet will also perform during the ceremony. Internationally known for their “Tango Nuevo” performances, the quartet has enjoyed crossover success by performing and/or recording with such artists as Arcade Fire, Spoon, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Schneider, and on the soundtrack to the arthouse classic Waking Life by Richard Linklater. The evening will come to a close with a rousing performance by local favorites, The Peterson Brothers Band. Thanks to inspiration from the legends of the past and present, The Brothers are helping keep the Blues alive, even with one still in high school and the other just starting college. In addition to their ever growing list of touring dates, including a Monday night residency at Austin’s renowned Continental Club, Glenn and Alex Peterson have been honored by the Austin Chronicle Music Awards, and were twice voted the Best Band in Bastrop County, in addition to having received accolades from The Dallas Examiner and The San Antonio Express-News.

The evening will also feature performances by previous Young Masters, including: Jared Brown, 2014 Young Master in Dance; Morgan Starr, 2010 Young Master in Dance; Jay Appaji, 2014 Young Master in Music; and violinist, Charles Yang. Honorary Chair, First Lady Cecilia Abbott will present the medals to the 2016 Class of 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.

The Young Masters program is made possible through the generous support of the following 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.

Special thanks also to our 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.