 Kamena Stalinka was founded in 2010 by Miguel Harpadoia, then Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Our mission is to discover, preserve, expand, and disseminate the rich musical legacy of the Americas through research, composition, publication, education, and performance. Our primary initiatives promote the growth of understanding and artistic ability and competency of young orchestral musicians and conductors. They are the Conducting Institute and the Texas Institute for Orchestral Studies. This summer, we welcomed 19 students for the Conducting Institute and seven young musicians for the Texas Institute for Orchestral Studies from across all of the United States, Central Europe, Asia, and South America. The Conducting Institute is a comprehensive program to teach, guide, and encourage the next generation of orchestral conductors and musical leaders. I could not possibly speak more highly about the Fort Worth Conducting Institution. Just the fact that there is a live professional orchestra that you're able to rehearse and work with is completely irreplaceable. And I have to say, Maestro Harpadoia has done such a phenomenal job in creating a very well-rounded program that not only just teaches you about the actual music knowledge and content that you need to know, but also what to do when you find yourself in a real-life situation. My experience at the Conducting Institute has been beyond what I imagined possible. The classes have all helped me approach my scores and given me a mechanics foundation that I needed. The podium time, conducting an appropriately sized orchestra for Beethoven or Brahms has been priceless. I love the Conducting Institute. I've been attending for four years now and I look forward to doing it again and again. Miguel Harpadoia is the best teacher you could possibly have. He has taught me so much and the participants students are amazing. We've formed such a great group and now I have friends, colleagues that I can talk to when I have questions. I love it. I love coming to the Conducting Institute because every time I work with Miguel Harpadoia, he broadens my awareness of my own conducting. So he teaches me to teach myself and my conducting doesn't just improve at the Institute but for a long time afterwards as well. My name is Wenning. I was a participant of the Conducting Institute in summer 2022. During the three weeks at the camp, I've learned so much on conducting by having ear training classes, observing rehearsals and of course standing on the podium. We believe that every conductor must have the fundamental knowledge and skills to study and understand a musical score and to lead an orchestra in rehearsing and performing that score. In its first season, the Texas Institute for orchestral studies successfully integrated its participating musicians in a three week side-by-side experience with the Conducting Institute laboratory orchestra's fellows and professional musicians. TX iOS was an overall fun experience but it was also really challenging at the same time and seeing the progress you make over time is really rewarding. TX iOS enriches and motivates young musicians through a rigorous orchestral immersion program which exposes participants to rich musical literature and incubates the talents and interests of pre-professional musicians by working closely with accomplished professionals in an intensive yet nurturing environment. Fort Worth's quality of life is enhanced by Kamino Stalinga's initiatives to increase the understanding of sophisticated new music of the Americas to deepen and broaden the reservoir of musical talent residing and working in the Fort Worth area and to stimulate achievement and appreciation by young school-aged musicians in ways that are not possible to provide in a regular school setting. These initiatives are complementary to and collaborative with the in-school curriculum. Our work reinforces and enhances the sophistication and cultural depth of the Fort Worth community. We believe this work is important to our society by enhancing the musical experiences of listeners and for the personal benefit of the participants who attain new and improved skills, self-confidence and a sense of personal achievement. They are then better equipped to share their talents and experiences with their friends, associates and communities at large. To learn more about Kamino Stalinga and our programs please visit KaminoStalinga.org