Enroll and Register for the Soundwaves Symphony today!
Questions? Reach out to our Enrollment Specialist, Christina Cuellar at enrollment@austinsoundwaves.org
When and where does Soundwaves Symphony meet?
Rehearsals: Mondays, 6:30–8:00 PM | Optional additional rehearsal TBD
Location: McCallum Fine Arts Academy, 5600 Sunshine Dr, Austin, TX 78756
When is the first performance?
Debut Concert: Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 4:00 PM
Instrumentation: Woodwinds, brass, orchestral strings, and percussion
How do auditions work?
Open Enrollment: The Soundwaves Symphony is open to committed young musicians ages 11-22, as well as alumni of Austin Soundwaves and students enrolled in college or university. Students younger than 11 will be considered based on experience and playing ability. We encourage musicians from all backgrounds and schools to enroll, including Austin ISD schools, Round ISD schools, Austin Community College, St. Edward’s University, Huston-Tillotson, UT-Austin, and others.
Seating: We will hold chair auditions for the Symphony during the first day of rehearsal on Monday, September 15th. Selections for all instruments will be chosen from Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia.
Principal Players: If you would like to be considered for a principal chair (concertmaster, principal second, first flute, etc.), you will need to audition with additional excerpts on September 15th. This is only required for students interested in first chair or front stand placement - it is not required for everyone.
Ready to take a look at the music? Click on the Audition Materials button below.
Send any questions you have to enrollment@austinsoundwaves.org
What is the cost to participate?
Tuition: $150
Scholarships: Thanks to support from H-E-B and the City of Austin, scholarships are available for all participants to further reduce or eliminate tuition. Cost will never be a barrier to joining Soundwaves Symphony.
Special thanks to the teachers and staff at McCallum Fine Arts Academy for the use of their facilities for rehearsals, especially Assistant Orchestra Director, Ms. Erika Elder.
We are grateful for the support of H-E-B in order to make this program possible.
This project is supported in part by the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
About the Soundwaves Symphony
The Soundwaves Symphony brings together exceptional young musicians from middle school through college and beyond to explore the full power of orchestral performance. With opportunities for concerto features, guest artist residencies, regional tours, and the commissioning of new works, the Symphony offers an experience as ambitious as its players.
Our long-term vision for the Soundwaves Symphony is to provide a space for every young musician with the opportunity to play orchestral music at the highest possible level. Whether you’re just getting started or you’re on your way to music school or a career as a professional musician, the Soundwaves Symphony will have an orchestra just for you.
In the coming weeks and months, we will establish multiple levels of ensembles that cater to skill levels and experiences, so that players can progress, perform, and find joy in orchestral playing, culminating in an inspiring Symphony that can perform music by Gustav Mahler, Jessie Montgomery, Florence Price, Arturo Marquez, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, and more!
About our Director and Principal Conductor
Leading the Soundwaves Symphony
Salzburg Festival
Nucleo performance in Peru
With Gustavo Dudamel after a performance
Venezuelan-Peruvian conductor, bassist, and music educator Erika Perera is the Orchestra Director at Austin Soundwaves and Principal Conductor of the Soundwaves Symphony. From an early age, she was immersed in the internationally renowned Venezuelan music program El Sistema, beginning her double bass studies with Mylene Zambrano at the “Núcleo San Agustín” in Caracas before continuing under her principal mentor, Maestro Félix Petit, at the Latin American Double Bass Academy.
As an orchestral musician, Perera has been a member of the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho Symphony Orchestra, the Youth Orchestra of Caracas, and the Caracas Symphony Orchestra. With the Youth Orchestra of Caracas, she toured extensively across Europe, North America, and Asia under the batons of Dietrich Paredes and Maestro José Antonio Abreu. She has also performed with leading conductors including Gustavo Dudamel, Krzysztof Penderecki, Javier Kuerti, Christian Vásquez, Diego Matheuz, Rafael Payare, Sung Kwak, Leon Botstein, Pablo Castellanos, Carmen Moral, and Joshua Dos Santos.
Perera’s engagements further include performances with the Venezuelan Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru, the Central Texas Philharmonic, the Classical Music Institute, and the Orchestra San Antonio. In addition to her work as a bassist, Perera studied conducting with Alejandro Posada at EAFIT University–IBERACADEMY in Medellín, Colombia. From 2017 to 2021, she served as double bass professor and conductor for “Núcleo Enel” and led the Children’s Symphony Orchestra with Sinfonía por el Perú, a program founded by opera singer Juan Diego Flórez.
Erika Perera earned her bachelor’s degree from the Venezuelan National University of the Arts (UNEARTE) and an Artist Diploma from The University of Texas at Austin.
Questions, comments, or suggestions?
Please feel free to email us at enrollment@austinsoundwaves.org
or call/text us at (512) 927-6070