DACAMERA Announces 2019/2020 Young Artist Program Class

DACAMERA announces the lineup of emerging professional instrumentalists, vocalists and composers selected to join its Young Artists Program for the 2019/2020 season. The fellowship program is designed to provide career-expanding experiences and training to the next generations of artists, encouraging them to create music for the community throughout their careers. Through the Young Artists' involvement, DACAMERA is able to offer young students and neglected audiences exposure to great music and talented performers, using music as a vehicle for scholastic exploration and inspiration.

DACAMERA Young Artists participate in a variety of free performances, school visits and workshops. They perform in venues throughout Houston including the Wortham Theater Center, the Menil Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and area hospitals. These talented musicians are also the principal teaching artists for DACAMERA's innovative Music Encounters program, which brings classical music and jazz to children in the classroom.

"We welcome this year's DACAMERA Young Artists, the 11th cohort since DACAMERA began the program in the 2009/2010 season," said Brandon Bell, director of education. "During this time, the program has grown to become a unique and integral part of the Houston cultural landscape. Young Artists are at the heart of DACAMERA's robust education and community programming, taking part in over 500 events each season in Houston-area schools, libraries, museums and other community venues. The Young Artists epitomize what it means to be a "citizen artist"-they are reimaging the traditional notions of art-making in order to make impactful contributions to their society."

The new cohort of DACAMERA Young Artists are Bree Ahern, cello; Tinca Belinschi, violin; Danny Cruz, oboe; Malgorzata Goroszewska, piano; Mary Grace Johnson, violin; Ran Kampel, clarinet; Masha Popova, flute; Matt Richards, percussion; Pablo Muñoz Salido, viola; Jacob Sandridge, composer; Nicky Sohn, composer; Chelsea de Souza, piano; and Sebastian Stefanovic, viola.

Second-year fellows are Theo Chandler, composer; Hope Cowan, harp; Camille Jasensky, soprano; Austin Lewellen, double bass; Ellie Parker, saxophone; and Christoph Wagner, cello.

Bios and photography for each of the Young Artists are available at bit.ly/2WzAc0K. Please visit www.dacamera.com for more information on the program.