Apparently a very small town in Texas has caught the attention of Toronto Star, Music Critic, William Littler and that is because it is home to the International Festival Institute. James Dick, a prize winning pianist at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow wanted to establish a place far from the crowd where young musicians could spend several weeks passing through the challenging pre-professional period between school and career.
Continent-wide auditions bring fewer than 100 of the aspiring professionals to Round Top each summer. They are all on full scholarships and are coached by leading figures. They play chamber music and participate in weekly concerts as the Texas Festival Orchestra.
Architecture critics call the place a musical Disneyland. Dick prefers to think of it as an antidote to the current generation's lack of historical imagination, a place where the present is connected to the past, where young people are made aware of yesterday as they prepare for tomorrow.
This summer marks the 40th anniversary of the Internation Festival Institute at Round Top. It began in 1971 with a few concerts in the town square and students billeted with local families.
It has grown after a long and arduous basis. The founder and others built as funds permitted.
This is a reminder that things can change.
I hope to get to Round Top on a future visit.
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