Elizabeth Askren joined the Round Top Festival Institute for the first time this summer, appearing as guest conductor of the Texas Festival Orchestra on Sunday, July 5.  

The concert was part of the festival's celebration of America's 250th anniversary, with this summer's programming spotlighting great American composers across generations - from established cornerstones of the repertoire to more recent masterworks. In that spirit, Elizabeth led a program of Jennifer Higdon's 'blue cathedral', Samuel Barber's Symphony No. 1, and Aaron Copland's 'Appalachian Spring', tracing an arc from contemporary voices back through the mid-century American sound.

Founded in 1971 by pianist James Dick, the Round Top Festival Institute is a performing arts center in Round Top, Texas, built around a six-week summer orchestral training program that runs each June and July, drawing young professional musicians from across the country for intensive study alongside a roster of guest artists and faculty.

The performance of the Barber Symphony No. 1 in One Movement has since been featured on Performance Today®, American Public Media's nationally syndicated classical music program, broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country. The recording is available on the Performance Today website for 30 days.

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