Cactus Pear Music Festival, Kerrville

Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio has classical music in her blood and passion for chamber music in her veins. The former concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony comes from a long line of professional classical musicians. One summer evening in 1996, Stephanie was feeling at a musical loss during the symphony's seasonal summer hiatus when inspiration struck: why not start a new summer music festival that would fill the gap when the symphony was off for the summer? Going strong more than 20 years later, the Cactus Pear Music Festival sprawls out with five concert programs scheduled in four cities over the course of two weeks.