January 30, 2015 | SharkAdmin Texas Public Radio's 24-hour classical station, KPAC 88.3 FM, is bringing a talent contest to Northwest Vista College. On Sunday, Feb. 8 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., middle and high school students will perform at the Palmetto Center for the Arts auditorium to compete in the final round competition of “Sounds Like KPAC!” The event is sponsored by Texas Lutheran University and Codeup and is free and open to the public. “The Fine and Performing Arts and Kinesiology department at NVC is excited to enter a partnership with Texas Public Radio to host the Young Talent Competition,” said Tim Jones, chair of Fine and Performing Arts and Kinesiology. “This event creates an opportunity for more of the public to discover our beautiful facilities and exceptional academic programs at the Palmetto Center for the Arts, and for us to discover some of the outstanding, young musicians and visual artists who will hopefully attend NVC in the future.” Over 60 entries were submitted for Texas Public Radio’s first-ever talent competition. These submissions were narrowed down to 17 finalists, which will be judged at the event and awarded prize money courtesy of the Flohr Foundation and Dr. Linsay Irvin of Alamo Heights Pediatrics. Two NVC faculty members will be on the panel including, Tim Jones and Aaron Prado, music faculty and jazz musician. Other judges for the final round include: Mindy Ratner, KPAC on-air host Alanna Sarabia, KABB/WOAI-TV Matt Evans, Executive Director of Hill Country Youth Orchestra Alex Rubio, Blue Star Artist-in-Residence Texas Public Radio’s director of Cultural and Community Engagement, Nathan Cone says, “The goal for this project was to encourage and celebrate the talented young artists and musicians in our listening area. After reviewing all the entries, I am ‘gobsmacked’ at the musicianship and artistry of these students. Their talent gives me great hope for the future.”
