2016 El Paso Pro-Musica Chamber Music Festival, El Paso

It's hard to imagine going bigger than Handel's Messiah, but for El Paso Pro-Musica, it was only the beginning. Since its first, Hallelujah-filled concert in 1977, the organization has brought renowned artists from around the world to the El Paso and Las Cruces communities—and, thanks to NPR's live broadcasts of the their annual chamber music festival, to listeners across the country. Current Artistic Director Zuill Bailey calls on his globe-trotting career as a concert cellist and his impressive musical education to lead both the company's artistic arm and its ambitious outreach efforts, which include musical "informances," pre-concert talks, master classes, and a willingness to patiently explain the difference between violins and violas hundreds of times over.