Play It Again, Joc

This is one of those stories that makes your heart sing – figuratively and literally. It’s about a mother and her teenage daughter so the story breaks with exquisite timing just before Mother’s Day.

If you’ve ever raised a teenager (or been one for that matter), you can imagine what it probably took on the part of both mother and daughter to reach this point. And if you love the magic of dreams coming true, read on to get a heaping dose of inspiration…

I got to know and admire Jeri Chambers as a Chamber member. I met her 14-year-old daughter Jocelyn when I happened to run into them at the annual Christmas Affair. As we chatted, I learned Jocelyn’s dream was to become a music composer – more precisely, to write musical scores for movies and one day to walk the red carpet at the Oscars for her work.

It’s not every day you meet a 14-year-old music composer or one who dreams so big and with such specificity. I left our conversation believing she was doing more than just dreaming – she was making all the right moves to make it happen.

But I didn’t expect that she would make her first big move so soon. On April 26 Jocelyn will see the world premiere of her orchestral score “My Heart” performed by the Austin Symphony Orchestra at the Long Center for the Performing Arts. She is one of seven teenagers – and the only female among them – featured in the Texas Young Composers Concert.

I am proud to pass along Jocelyn’s great news to all who love good music and want to celebrate the first female in the state of Texas to be premiered at the concert. Maestro Peter Bay will conduct as the Symphony plays Jocelyn’s composition at 7:30pm. Tickets are $8.

Read more about this gifted, homeschooled teenager who only started composing music at 13 — the daughter of business owner Jeri Chambers, who like so many extraordinary women in our great organization juggle and excel in their multiple roles…

Young Composers Press Release
Jocelyn’s First-Ever Press Release