My book is on Amazon.com.  Yay!  At long last.  Here’s the link!

Tango! was fabulous.  Bandini-Chiachiaretta was amazing – folks loved, loved, loved it!  Here’s great review in the Statesman.

And speaking of the Statesman – a lovely article came out last Sunday focusing on the growth, service, capacity and education program of ACGS.  Wow!

This week officially we’re gearing up for our final concert in our Latin Summer Series - Viva Mexico! It’s going to be a great show.  Our major efforts, of course, are now going toward other things, though, since the work for that series is mostly over now.  Today was an amazing day – at one point we had about 10 people crammed into our little 3-4 room offices, all working feverishly on various projects.  Wow does that feel good!  The main work?  Launching our new series and, especially, Austin Pictures.  Stay tuned!

We have a wonderful intern, Jared Huff, in from Arizona.  An extremely talented intern in from Boston as well, Colin Thurmond.  The educators were in working today, along with a volunteer – Lloyd Pond, April Long (Operations Manager) and Chuck Lutke (Development Director).  Then we had guests: we had interviewees for a new educator space we’re filling, as well as teachers from AISD coming through for free lessons and training we’re giving all summer so that the new AISD programs go as smoothly as possible – did mention our programs in Austin are more than doubling this year?  So the wheels are really turning right now to prep in the best ways possible.

What has been fun lately…. let’s see, working backwards: Sunday Glenda and I went to Dripping Springs for an amazing country dinner at our friends Hester and Webb’s home – Webb built the place over the last 20 years or so, and it’s unbelievable.  Saturday night we had margarita’s with our friend, and Austin celebrity cookbook author, Lucinda Hutson at Fonda San Miguel, before scampering off to an ACGS party for our adult ensemble members.  Friday night we had a wonderful dinner with my friend (and ACGS board member) Ken Ferguson and his wife Elaine before heading over to Zach Scott Theater to see Hairspray – Ken and Elaine’s son is the male lead, Link, and he was awesome!  Friday I met KMFA’s new program director Keith Neisler, who is going to be a dynamic new force in Austin’s cultural landscape, before heading over to lunch at UT club with John Henry McDonald (owner/founder of Austin Asset Management Company) and our new friend Larry Walker.  Last Wednesday and Thursday I got the guitar out and gave back-to-back lecture/performances at the Austin Newcomers Club (for about 100) and the Austin Woman’s Club (for about 50).  I spoke mostly about service through ACGS – and sprinkled in some performance pieces throughout.  A Tuesday highlight was lunch at Hyde Park bar and Grill with the Austin Chronicle’s Art Editor Robert Faires, who told me all about his recent trip to Oregon and their visit to the Ashland Shakespeare Fest.  Monday began with a visit to Silicon Labs to sort out logistics for the dinner they are hosting for us on October 1st for Austin Pictures!  Tango! was two nights ealier – and was sold out – but I’d be remiss not to mention that on Sunday the 17th we went and saw the final installment of Harry Potter – and loved it!

Here I am with Cesare Chiachiaretta (left) and Giampaulo Bandini having crepes after being on TV, but before going over to KUT, the morning before their concert here!

Here's what a sold out tango show looks like at the Mexican American Cultural Center. They were amazing!

Here's a casual shot from the side of me playing at Austin Newcomers Club. They meet at Green Pastures - I had a simply wonderful time and felt that my talk there and the one at Austin Woman's Club the next day, was really well received.

I snapped this in the office today. That's Travis Marcum, ACGS' director of education on the left, Asst. Director jeremy Osborne through the door, and our new intern (and amazing doctoral-level New England Conservatory guitarist) Colin Thurmond standing and working at the file cabinet since we had just reached critical mass at the office!

This Saturday we present Tango! at ACGS.  Two shows – and both are already sold out.  I’ve heard such incredible things about the Bandini-Chiachiaretta Tango Duo and I am so looking forward to meeting them, hearing them play – this will be their US debut!  We’ll be on Fox 7 at 9:50AM Friday, and live on KUT 90.5FM Friday at 2PM on Horizontes.

And speaking of radio!  I just finished listening to my interview with Dianne Donovan on KMFA a few minutes ago.  I was talking about this weekend’s show, of course, but also giving her a preview of our giant Austin Pictures Project for October 1st.  Then she played a few excerpts of Jorge Caballero playing (Jorge will be our guest artist, along with 150 student guitarists, the Miro Quartet, Peter Bay and more!) and all of a sudden the clouds parted and the sun started shining again.  My goodness, Caballero is a genius.

Our logo for Austin Pictures! I don't think I shared this yet... I totally love it. Our designer (Claudia) is awesome!

I can’t believe it’s July!  Since last post I went to GFA in Georgia.  It was a nice, warm event with lot’s of friends.  Very nice not to be running it this time around!  Some other recent highlights:

We secured major sponsorships, a combined $42,500 in all, plus in-kind and rental values, for Austin Pictures from Austin Asset Management Company, Michael Fields with Ameriprise Financial, The Kodosky Foundation, HEB, and Silicon Labs.  We also have received substantial media sponsorships from KMFA, KUT, YNN, KLRU, and The Austin Chronicle.  I feel like we can move forward with agility and freedom now as we try to create the greatest event we can on 10/1.

Lot’s of media meetings, both local and national… crossing fingers!

Yesterday I had an exhilarating meeting with Austin Chamber Music Center Director Michelle Schumann, and Conspirare Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson and Exec Dir Ann Hume Wilson.  Wow!  It was fun, we’re talking about playing together – possibly in a very major way.  We’ll see where it leads…

Tomorrow we have our ACGS board meeting – Joey Ikner is flying in to present his thoughts on our education program.  Joey is a guitar in ed wizard from Loudoun County Virginia who we hope to have increasingly involved with us here at ACGS as GuitarCurriculum.com continues to grow.

I went to the Davis Cup last Friday with my tennis partner Mike!  US lost, but it was awesome tennis.  Oh, and speaking of tennis… Jorge Caballero plays, and he’s agreed to let me auction a doubles match against he and I (followed by lunch) for the morning after Austin Pictures!

Oh, did I report yet that we’ll more than double service to 22 schools in AISD this fall?  That has the ed team working double time, and we’re trying to sort out how to support it!

Things are really moving in wonderful ways.  It feels like I’m at the very edge of my capacity, and sometimes that can be uncomfortable, especially when folks are waiting on me… but I am constantly aware of how fortunate I am to have the opportunities that I have to make things happen in our community through art.  This is a big week with the board, Joey, the Tangueros, a new intern who started yesterday (who’s fabulous!), and countless projects.. but hopefully with major events behind us for two weeks, Monday will bring some perspective!

…My newest guest-blog at Guitar Salon International!…

Cuba! was a huge hit last week.  Here’s a review… but it’s in Spanish… in Ahora Si!

We had two near sold-out shows on Saturday.  La Sombra provided an amazing reception, and Rene and Edel treated us to a simply magnificent set of concerts.  Cookbook author Lucinda Hutson was there, along with former Austin Mayor Gus Garcia, Mexican Consul Rosalba Ojeda, Univision Station manager Javier Ramis, Time Warner YNN’s Barry DeCrane, and many, many more!

Our highlight Sunday was dinner with Tim and Karrie League – owners of the Alamo Drafthouse – at The Backspace… hello delicious pizza!  Tim and Karrie were fresh from a roller-coaster national media blitz of attention following the Alamo’s screening of an unbelievably funny call from a patron who got booted from one of their theaters for texting during the movie.  Wow, if you haven’t seen it – check it out – I’ll link to the cleaned-up version here – though I recommend the uncut version!  Something like 3 million hits in 3 days for that video!

Our ACGS Membership drive launched Monday.  We need to kick our membership and donations into high gear to sustain the amazing work the team is doing right now in education – so here’s to hoping.  We got 15 or so new ones in the first few days with several $500 donors – for which I’m extremely grateful – so I hope the trend will continue!

Monday also held a wonderful lunch with Ut Butler School of Music Development Director Lauren Zachary-Reynolds.  She asked me to lunch to get advice on a giant event prospect they have coming up (hush hush).  But while we were there I bumped into MexNet’s Monica Peraza and well as Teresa Long (as in the “Long” Center for the Performing Arts)!  Then, as Lauren and I were finishing up, up walked my board member Penny Jamrack with our Cuban artist Edel, who she had been hosting!  So we had a wonderful visit.  In fact, during lunch I learned they’d be heading to dinner with my board president Michael Fields on Monday night at Fonda San Miguel.  Have you been?  Fonda San Miguel is quite simply one of the most remarkable culinary experiences I have ever had.  …and it’s only about 4 blocks from my house!  So after I finished teaching at 9 on Monday night, I went back over to join Mike and his wife Carol, Penny and her husband Bill, along with Edel, for drinks and dessert!

Tuesday began early, in the car, en route to Dallas.  I was to give a talk at 12:45PM at Booker T Washington School for the Performing Arts in Dallas for the Texas Music Educators Conference.  It was marvelous.  I was speaking about the work we do at ACGS building guitar programs in school – with an extra dose of detail about the curriculum we’ve developed.  It was well-attended and well-received.  I also had the special treat of seeing my friend and colleague, John Truitt from Albuquerque New Mexico.  John is one of the most wonderful people in the world – and he’s a pioneer of classical guitar in schools.  It was John who invited me to conduct in Albuquerque in January, when I worked with 72 amazing youngsters from around the State.  John had brought 10 of those kids to Dallas to perform in a select ensemble.  It was a remarkably emotional reunion for me, to see those kids on stage after they played.  John and I then had a marvelous two days together – along with my friend and former boss from UT San Antonio, Gene Dowdy – with whom I was rooming in the Fairmont Hotel.  John and I were also on a round table together on Wednesday morning, and I stuck around long enough to hear his talk on developing the New Mexico All State initiative, before heading home.  But John gave me an amazing gift before we parted.  He gave me a CD recording of the performance I conducted in Popejoy Hall at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque in January!  I listened to it over and over again on the way back to Austin – with tears streaming down my face! What an amazing honor it was to work with those marvelous young people for those three intense days back in January.

I teach guitar on Wednesday evenings to the Chancellor of the UT System, Dr. Francisco Cigarroa.  Francisco is a terrific guitar player and I saw him Wednesday night!  It’s notable because this week he had requested an “Eyes of Texas” arrangement.  Inspiration struck on the drive back from Dallas and I managed to commit it to paper before he got here Wednesday night!

Thursday was crazy catch up mode from around 6-9am.  Then Chuck Lutke (my development director) and I met with the leadership of Austin Shakespeare to talk about a possible education collaboration.  From there I headed over to my colleague Klondike Steadman’s school where he asked if I’d teach a few master classes to kids in guitar summer camps he’s offering.  Amazing program and school he and his wife, Wendy, have developed – I’m always so impressed!

Friday and Saturday have been quieter.  This is good, because I managed to start feeling lousy in Dallas, so some down time has been welcome!  We had a wonderful dinner with our friends Daniel and Meleah at Clay Pit last night – but today we stayed in and made gazpacho – my dad’s recipe!

The next few weeks are big, big, big from a development standpoint.  I need to raise some money for our education initiative, develop all of the major components for promotion of our huge October 1st Austin Pictures project, and make major strides in our online training program work.  No more major events, thankfully, until July 16th.  In the middle, I’ll head to Georgia for four days for GFA.

What a week!

Today is Saturday, June 11th.  At 4PM and 7:30 Pm we have two concerts to open our summer series: Pasión.  But let’s back up a bit!

Monday began at 5am with a trip to the Mexican American Cultural Center to play on the TV for YNN!  I dragged the Lyriko guys: Tom Echols and Steve Kostelnik to play with me!  Here’s two video clips from the TV story.  I had a wonderful lunch with Joe Williams, who is not only composing our piece for our giant Austin Pictures project in October – but will also be joining our staff at ACGS in the fall – hooray.  More on that soon.  Monday night was the sold-out kick-off dinner and concert for our Summer Series at La Sombra Bar and Grill.

Tuesday we had a wonderful meeting at Silicon Labs.  They will sponsor Austin Pictures!  More on that soon as well.  Wednesday began with a run down to KMFA where four McCallum Students were playing for a “kids producing kids” project that KMFA is running – they had asked us to provide some young artists for the show!  That was followed by one of my favorite parts of the whole week: a planning meeting with Tom Echols, Travis Marcum and Jeremy Osborne – and Chris Lee via skype – for our summer curriculum development plans.  It was incredible talking with those guys about our big summer plans.

Yesterday was fun, and included a trip to KUT where Rene Izquierdo played live on the radio.  Hear the show online here!  And last night we ended up with Rene, Edel, and some friends at North By Northwest in the Arboretum just visiting and having fun – today, as I mentioned above, is there concert(s) at 4 and 7:30.

I’ll try to get some pics from the week up soon.