Remembering Joe R. Long (1930-2026)

I met Joe Long in April 2011 at the Austin Club.

It was part of my interview to become the first employee of the Hispanic Alliance for the Performing Arts, the organization his wife, Dr. Teresa Lozano Long, was starting and that would eventually become Austin Soundwaves.

It was a group interview, and each person took turns asking a question about what an El Sistema-inspired music education program could look like in Austin and how we would get it started.

“Who will the teachers be? How will we recruit students? When will they be ready to perform at the Long Center?”

The way I remember it, Mr. Long was mostly silent. But he did ask one question at the very end. A question so simple and clear that you could easily be tricked into overthinking.

“Do you know how nonprofits get their money?” Mr. Long asked.

Here I was, with all of my experience playing and teaching and my big ideas about using music to solve all the world’s problems. But this question caught me off guard.

I stumbled through an answer, saying something like, “Well, yes sir, it’s a combination of grants and individual donations. And, well, nonprofits are tax-exempt and they raise money.”

I was ready to get schooled. I figured my answer wasn't detailed enough. Oh well, it was nice visiting Austin for the weekend.

But he didn't say much of anything in response. He nodded and said, “Okay.” And that was the interview. We walked over to the buffet, filled our plates, and chatted about our favorite music and whether a kid living in Boston at the time would be able to withstand the Texas heat.

I learned some foundational lessons over 15 years of answering questions from Mr. Long:

Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Be ready to answer why, without subtext or spin.

If you mess up and miss a target, own it.

And most importantly, always know your numbers.

I've also been privileged to know a softer side of Mr. Long.

A favorite memory of mine was at the Woodlawn Blvd home that Mr. and Mrs. Long shared for many years. A few of our students had been invited to play solos during a weekday house concert. Our students dressed up and performed their pieces, each followed by polite applause.

After the final performance, and without giving it much thought, a saxophone student named Myra asked Mr. Long about a piece of art hanging on the wall.

The second she asked, Mr. Long lit up. He told the students how the piece came from Peru and shared its history. Then, before we knew it, he was giving them an epic tour of his art collection, sharing stories about each piece. We ended up leaving much later than expected on a school night. Parents were annoyed, but the kids had a blast, and I saw how much Mr. Long loved sharing his interests and passions with others. 

Some of my most cherished moments with Mr. Long came over the past few years during visits to his home. We'd make small talk, I'd share updates about how our students were doing in college and their careers, and we'd watch a few performance videos together. We also regularly hosted performances at his retirement community, open to all the residents. I smile when I think of Mr. Long singing along loudly to a holiday program, enjoying some sweets, or conducting along to a Beethoven string quartet. The very same Mr. Long who taught me to answer questions directly and know my numbers was also reminding me to have fun, explore my passions, and cherish art.

On October 7, 2026, our Austin Soundwaves String Quintet performed at Mr. Long’s retirement community. It was a Joe Long program to a T: Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, and “none of that modern stuff” (hey, to each their own, right?). There were plenty of sweets, amazing professional musicians, students, and an excited audience. Though Mr. Long wasn’t able to attend the concert, I choose to believe that the sounds brought comfort, peace, and joy through the walls four floors up.

When I think back to my first few years of knowing Joe and Terry Long, “the head and the heart” would have been an accurate description of how I understood their relationship with me and Austin Soundwaves (I'll let you decide who was which). But time has a beautiful way of complicating first impressions.

Mrs. Long was as sharp and tough as anyone I've ever known. And Mr. Joe R. Long, with his direct questions, high expectations, and insistence on knowing the numbers, had a heart as big as Texas.

- Patrick Slevin