Music Performance

Sep 17

About Music Performance

A powerful performance can make familiar music feel entirely new. The Music Performance discipline celebrates young singers and instrumentalists who bring their own creativity, expression, and interpretation to music written by others - whether performing solo or as part of an ensemble. Whatever your genre, instrument, or style, we want to hear how you make the music your own.

Meet some review panelists!

Creative Youth Award submissions are reviewed by accomplished musicians, vocalists, conductors, composers, educators, and music industry professionals who bring a broad range of musical styles and performance experience to the process. Meet a few of the Music Performance panelists who help recognize and celebrate young performers across the Bay Area:

Jessica is the Founder and Music Director of the San Francisco Philharmonic, Curator and Scholar in Residence with the San Francisco Opera, Cover Conductor with San Francisco Symphony and serves as board member of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO). She has been featured on NBC's The Today Show, PBS News Hour Weekend, and KQED. More recently, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) named Jessica 1 of 100 Honorees for 2023 for her contribution to the arts in the Bay Area. She is publishing her first bilingual children's book with Lil' Libros (book company) in Winter 2024.

Ruby Ibarra is a rapper, songwriter, and spoken word artist from the Bay Area, CA. Her latest single, "Switch," featured on the new NBA2K24 video game and soundtrack. She was a songwriter on Seasons 1 and 2 of the Fox Network's hit show, The Cleaning Lady. In 2018, Ruby co-founded the Pinays Rising Scholarship program aimed to uplift Filipina American youth in the arts, education and activism, and in October 2023, she launched a new record label, Bolo Music Group, where she serves as co-founder and CEO.

Dr. Thomas Kurtz is an educator, researcher, cultural arts administrator, and performing artist dedicated to equity-driven initiatives in the arts. His research explores music's role in social justice, with a focus on LGBTQ+ communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a saxophonist, he has performed throughout the Bay Area and as a soloist at Carnegie Hall. He teaches at the University of San Francisco and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.