American Festival for the Arts, 2008 Summer Music Conservatory and Concert Series

 
AFA 2008

Announcements & News

July 28, 2008 • AFA 2008 Conservatory was a success!

Thank you to all of our students, parents, families, faculty and patrons for another wonderful, exciting, successful Conservatory. Have a great school year, and be sure to visit the web site in January of 2009 for news about the 2009 Conservatory!

June 18, 2008 • AFA is under way!

The 2008 Conservatory has been well under way over the last couple of weeks with our new Middle School Choral & Vocal Studies department, the Middle School Strings, Piano, Composition, Orchestra/Chamber Music, and the Intensive Jazz Workshop all gracing the hallways of Pershing Middle School.

The AFA Summer Concert Series is also getting under way this weekend with four performances over Friday and Saturday. The Middle School Strings & Jazz departments will both be closing out their programs with two concerts apiece-check the Concert Series page for times and locations. We'll see you there!

May 27, 2008 • Check out the AFA Concert Series on ArtsHound!

Listings for all nineteen concerts of the AFA Concert Series are now up on ArtsHound.com, complete with venue information! ArtsHound is a tremendous resource for performing arts here in Houston, featuring listings in all areas of the arts and helpful information such as venue and parking information, listings of restaurants and hotels around venues, and much more. The link to AFA's Organization page is here; once on the AFA page, click on any of the concerts listed for more information.


May 13, 2008 • More Departments closed to applications

The following departments are now closed (updated from April 21)
-All Woodwinds
-All Brass EXCEPT French horn and Bass trombone
-Percussion
-Harp
-Piano
-Composition
-ALL JAZZ departments are closed

The programs/departments remaining open are High School Choral & Vocal Studies, Middle School Choral & Vocal Studies, Middle School String Orchestra, Southeast Texas Strings & Piano, French horn and Bass trombone.

April 21, 2008 • Departments closed to applications
The following departments are now closed to new applications-please contact AFA if you are interested in applying to any of the following:

-Composition
-Drumset (Intensive Jazz Workshop)
-Clarinet (Orchestra/Chamber Music)
-Oboe (Orchestra/Chamber Music)
-Trombone (Orchestra/Chamber Music)
-Trumpet (Orchestra/Chamber Music)
-Tuba (Orchestra/Chamber Music)

If you have already submitted an application to one of these departments, your application is still under consideration.

March 18, 2008
The AFA Concert Series page has been updated with concert venues for some of this season's performances. We are very excited to be presenting concerts at some great new venues this year, including the outdoor stage at Discovery Green (the new urban park in Downtown Houston). There will also be performances in Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Downtown, the Moores Opera House at University of Houston, the Rothko Chapel in the Museum District and at Ovations in Rice Village. Check out the list!
February 18, 2008
AFA 2008 Brochures are now available for download or by mail, so be sure to pick one up! If you would like a brochure mailed to you, please email your name, address, and the Department you are interested in.
February 6, 2008
The first day to audition for AFA is coming up in one month, on March 8th at Lamar High School in Houston! Audition spots are filling up quickly for all of the dates throughout March, April, and May, so be sure to fill out an application and schedule your audition soon. There are audition locations all over the city, and AFA Executive Director Michael Remson will be making visits to many schools over the next couple months. If you would like him to come to your school, ask your director or teacher to let us know, and if you are a teacher or director that would like Dr. Remson to come speak to your classes, please contact us to arrange a visit!

January 15, 2008
 AFA would like to welcome some new faculty members for the 2008 Conservatory!

* Jeff Butler, cellist in the Houston Symphony, will be joining the Orchestra & Chamber Music faculty.
* Deidre Douglas, choir director at Cypress Falls High School, will be the Guest Choral Conductor for our new Middle School Choral & Vocal Studies department.
* Kate Matthews will be teaching cello in our Middle School String Orchestra department.
* Jeffrey Grogan, conductor for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra & Greater Newark Youth Orchestra, will be leading the AFA Conservatory Orchestra in its' last performance on July 19.
* Orianna Webb, on the composition faculty at Yale University, is the newest member of the AFA Composition faculty.
* Carolyn True of Trinity University will join the AFA Southeast Texas Piano department for its' second summer.
* David Neil Childs, Vanderbilt University, is this year's Guest Choral Conductor for the Choral & Vocal Studies department.
* Also joining the Choral & Vocal Studies department is Amy Lewis, director at Spring High School.
January 3, 2008
AFA is announcing a brand new department for 2008! Read more.....
January 1, 2008
Welcome to the 2008 AFA web site! We hope you will take a look around at all of the things you can do here at the site, including learning about all of the departments of AFA, applying for the 2008 Conservatory, and reading about our amazing faculty members. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions! Don't forget that you may also apply for scholarship assistance when filling out the General Application.