Texas Young Masters
The Trust announces a new class of Young Masters every biennium at an awards show celebrating the drive and talent of fifteen 8th through 11th grade students. Each student receives $10,000 in scholarship, over two years, to further their studies in their chosen field. Texas Young Masters helps our state’s rising stars realize their potential as the next generation of leading visionaries in the arts.
The Texas Young Masters Program is a joint initiative between the Texas Cultural Trust and the Texas Commission on the Arts, recognizing creative excellence in 8th through 11th graders in dance, theatre, literary arts, media arts, film, music, and visual arts. The program awards grants of $5,000 per year, for two years, nurturing our rising stars to become the Texas legends of tomorrow.
The program is available to students engaged in the arts, offering financial assistance to develop their unique talents. Students may be enrolled in a program through their school or receive private lessons from a qualified professional instructor.
Sign Up for Program NotificationsThis content is credited to the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Application Criteria
Artistic Quality (50 points)
Does the student currently evidence a high level of aptitude and skill in their chosen field for their current age?
Capability (25 points)
Is the course of study appropriate for the student? Has the applicant provided substantial evidence that there is a strong commitment on the part of the student, instructor, and parents?
Impact (25 points)
Is the course of study likely to achieve the intended goals? Will support for the application provide an opportunity not otherwise available to the student (because of economic need, geographic isolation, or lack of appropriate expertise/opportunity within the community to pursue specific artistic development/genre)?
Special Thanks to Our Generous 2020 Young Masters Sponsors!
Sarah & Ernest C. Butler Endowed Scholarship in Music
Wayne Fisher Young Master Scholarship in Music
Neiman Marcus
Sermoonjoy Fund
Judy & Kirk Robison
Texas Women for the Arts
Jeanne & Mickey Klein
Alturas Foundation
Covert Auto Group
Locke Lord LLP
Kathleen & Ben Keating
Karen & Charles Matthews
The RWM Foundation
Levels of Sponsorship
$25
Arts Patron
$50
Arts Hero
$100
Arts Master
$250
Arts Champion
Christopher Vo
Vo used his scholarship grant to do a summer of study at Juilliard, which led to his eventual acceptance into the Juilliard program — one of only ten freshmen who received a full scholarship. He has toured extensively in Twyla Tharp’s Come Fly Away national tour. He was also a featured dancer in the NBC show Smash and is recognized as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Vo is a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School of the Performing and Visual Arts.
Ida Saki
Saki is a first generation Iranian-American from Dallas, whose love of dance stems in part from her mother not being able to study the art form as a young girl in Iran. Since Young Masters, she has wowed the judges on So You Think You Can Dance, and received numerous national honors, including Distinguished Performer of the Year and Outstanding Dancer of the Year. She was also the first female dancer to be named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. Saki also co-created/performed in a show that premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Charles Yang
Described by The Boston Globe as, “One who plays classical violin with the charisma of a rock star”, Yang has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in recitals in the United States, Europe, Brazil, Russia, China, and Taiwan. He is also the recipient of numerous awards and honors. Yang attended The Juilliard School after graduating from Westlake High School in Austin.
Ann Cho
Cho is a two-time National Young Arts Foundation Winner in Classical Music. She has won top prizes at the MTNA National Solo Competition, Austin Civic Orchestra’s Pearl Amster Competition, Austin Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Awards, and the Longy School of Music’s Concerto Competition. At the age of five, she was the youngest violinist of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra.