Events Calendar

October 28, 2018 marked the day of a concert in St. Philip Presbyterian Church in Houston. Featured artists were Clara McLain and the duo of Lina Morita and Jay Kacherski. Clara began classical guitar lessons when she was seven years old. She studied with the acclaimed guitarist and composer David Brandon at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Clara attended Brookhaven College, where she performed the Vivaldi Guitar Concerto No. 1 with the Brookhaven College String Ensemble, and received the Alice Jones Berding Award in Music. In the fall of 2015, Clara transferred to Southern Methodist University receiving the Honor Transfer, Veritas, and Artistic scholarships. Clara received her Bachelor of Music degree from Southern Methodist University in December 2017.

Clara received first place in the high school division at the 2011 West Texas Guitar Festival and Competition; placed second in the high school division at the 2013 University of Texas Dallas Guitar Festival and Competition; she was a finalist in the high school division of the 2013 "Classical Minds" Guitar Festival and Competition in Houston; and she was also a finalist in the high school division of the 2013 Indiana University International Guitar Festival and Competition in Bloomington, Indiana. She was also a finalist in the professional division of the 2018 Mountainview Guitar Festival and Competition. She currently performs and teaches in the Dallas and Houston area.

Lina Morita and Jay Kacherski met at the Eastman School of Music where she was working on her D.M.A. in piano performance and literature and he on his M.M.A. in guitar performance and literature. Lina earned her M.M.A. at Rice University Shepard School of Music and her Bachelor degree from Indiana University. Jay went on to earn his D.M.A. under Adam Holzman at the UT-Austin Butler School of Music. Jay was on the guitar faculty at the Music Conservatory of Mexico and returned to Mexico as a Fulbright Scholar researching, performing, and promoting contemporary classical guitar music of Mexico. Jay has given solo and ensemble performances throughout the United States and Mexico and at many festivals that include New Orleans International Guitar Festival, the International Guitar Festival at the National Conservatory of Mexico and the Ollin Yoliztli Center for the Arts in Mexico City. With the Texas Guitar Quartet he has toured in the United States and China. He is on the Guitar Faculty at Loyola University, the University of New Orleans, the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and McNeese State University where Lina is Assistant Professor of Piano. Lina has performed in solo and collaborative concerts in the United States, Brazil, Mexico, France and the Czech Republic.