Thursday’s (6/11) Houston Chronicle (Texas) includes Colin Eatock’s interview with James Dick, founder of the five-week Round Top Festival, founded 45 years ago “in the small town of Round Top, about 100 miles northwest of Houston.” The festival trains young musicians in an intensive music education program and presents performances. Says Dick, “We do music that’s not heard often, as well as works that are very well known…. We have live auditions, in 12 to 14 cities across the country.… Those who can’t attend the auditions can apply online…. We try to provide the young artists … an idea of what they’ll find when they join a professional orchestra. They’ll have different conductors and repertoire each week…. This year we had about 600 applicants for 95 positions in our orchestra, and we give full scholarships to every musician who is accepted…. The job descriptions for our staff are multiple; we all pitch in and do everything…. Budget for the festival is around $750,000. And we estimate about 50,000 people will come to Round Top in a year.… We have a theater festival, a poetry festival, an herb festival, a museum forum.” Round Top is underway from June 6 to July 11.
Posted June 12, 2015
