Ashley Callari, a music performance major studying with Dr. Jesús Alfonzo, attended the Texas Music Festival Orchestral Institute. Founded in 1990 with the support of Emmanuel and Helen Olshan, the Texas Music Festival Orchestral Institute provides superior training for gifted young musicians entering the professional world. All fellows receive extensive instruction in orchestral masterworks under the mentorship of prestigious conductors and receive lessons from faculty at the University of Houston Moores School of Music, Rice University Shepherd School of Music, the Houston Symphony, and many other leading orchestras and music schools.

While attending, Ashley studied with Dr. Amber Archibald and Dr. Susan Dubois. Repertoire highlights included Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, Respighi’s Fountains of Rome, Prokofiev’s Cinderella, and Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1.