Festival Hill Spotlight: Yui Garcia

Festival Hill at Round Top, began its six-week orchestra intensive program on June 14. Yui Garcia, a participant in the Festival Hill Orchestra, is the orchestra French hornist. He’s been playing the French horn since sixth grade, and he’s continued through college where he’s studying French horn performance along with data analysis at Northwestern University. He will be a senior this year.

“I plan on playing in an orchestra when I get out of college, and Festival Hill is kind of like a way to see what that lifestyle is like, both in regards to what’s expected of us in performance, and also with the intense schedule we have,” Yui stated.

Everyday students have a three hour orchestra rehearsal in the afternoon, and then a sectional for your specific instrument.

“Music as a discipline, and what makes it different from any other kind of discipline, is the level of expression that you are able to portray,” he remarked.

“I chose Festival Hill because I was interested in doing an intensive orchestra training program, and Round Top is one of the more well known summer training programs. I was also really interested in studying with the faculty here,” said Yui. “I also just really enjoy playing for other people and collaborating, so being in an environment like Round Top, with so many talented musicians, and getting to know their musical background while in turn improving your craft, is something I really enjoy getting to do here.”

“The students here are really open, not only open to learning but also to friendships,” said Yui, when asked about his experience at Festival Hill. “I feel like everyone has been really welcoming, as well as just being excited to collaborate artistically, outside of rehearsals, and I’ve felt that warmth since the second I got here.”

He continues, “I love Festival Hill because of the people. They keep you curious, they keep you motivated, and they let you have fun.”

“Another reason I chose Roud Top to audition for is because I grew up in Austin, and during high school, I had a friend who attended Festival Hill while he was in college.”

During the summer of his sophomore year, Yui attended one of the orchestra’s performances.

“I was really impressed by the orchestra, and by the repertoire that they were playing, and I remember thinking about how cool it would be to get to do that one day,” he said. “Being in college and finally getting to play on this stage is something I definitely don’t take for granted.”

If you would like to see Yui and the rest of the Festival Hill orchestra perform, you can purchase tickets for their concerts on their website at FestivalHill. org.