Major Milestone: Young Texas Artists Presents 40th Finalists’ Concert & Awards March 8

Woman plays piano at music competition

Daeun Han performs “Totentanz, S. 126” by Franz Liszt during the 2024 Young Texas Artists (YTA) Music Competition Finalists’ Concert & Awards. Han won YTA’s Grand Prize and Gold Medal in the Piano division. Photo by Dave Clements.

This year marks YTA’s 40th classical music competition — 40 years of championing rising stars in classical music and inspiring audiences. And the public is invited to see it all unfold. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at Crighton Theatre, 234 N. Main Street, in the Downtown Conroe Cultural District.

Apply Now for 2025 YTA Music Competition

Woman wearing prize medal holding yellow roses and Texas flag poses with two men and a woman at classical music competition.

From left, Brandon Kiser, deputy district director for the Texas Senate, presents 2024 YTA Grand Prize Winner and Gold Medalist in Piano Daeun Han with the Texas flag that had flown over the state Capitol building on Texas Independence Day. Also shown are YTA founder Jim Pokorski and YTA President/CEO Susie Moore Pokorski. Photo by David Hopper.

The application period for the 2025 Young Texas Artists Music Competition continues through Dec. 31, 2024.

The Keynote: YTA Alums Shine in World Premiere

Man in suit performs in opera production

Baritone Michael Mayes performs in "The Righteous."

When reviewers commended the world premiere of “The Righteous” for its stellar vocal performances last summer, their write-ups included praise for two Young Texas Artists (YTA) Gold Medalists in Voice. They are Baritone Michael Mayes (2002), currently a nominee for a DER FAUST (Germany’s most prestigious theater award), and soprano Elena Villalón (2020), who made … Read more