A soloist in the Grammy Winner album Duruflé: The Complete Choral Works, Cecilia Duarte has been praised by The New York Times as "A creamy voiced mezzo-soprano."

Cecilia premiered the role of Renata in the first Mariachi Opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna with the famous Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, commissioned by Houston Grand Opera in 2010. Houston Grand Opera (2013, 2018); Châtelet Theatre in Paris, France; Chicago Lyric Opera, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, The Fort Worth Opera, Teatro Nacional Sucre, in Quito, Ecuador, New York City Opera, El Paso Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera San Antonio, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Amarillo Opera.

Other roles originated are Renata in El milagro del Recuerdo (HGO 2019, 2022) (AZO, 2021) Dido in The Queen of Carthage, (Early Music Vancouver and re: Naissance Opera); Jessie Lydell in A Coffin in Egypt, (HGO and the Wallis Annenberg Center in L.A.); Gracie in A Way Home (HGO andOpera Southwest); Harriet/First Responder in After the Storm(HGO); Alicia in Some Light Emerges (HGO); and Alma in  "Boundless," the first episode of Houston Grand Opera’s web opera series Star-cross’d.

Operatic roles: Linda Morales in Laura Kaminsky's Hometown to the World, Melissa in F. Caccini's Alcina, Sarelda in The Inspector, Maria in Maria de Buenos Aires, Loma Williams in Cold Sassy Tree, among others. Early Music experience include performances with Ars Lyrica Houston, Mercury Houston, The Bach Society Houston, Boston Early Music Festival, Bach Collegium San Diego, re: Naissance Opera, Early Music Vancouver, Pacific Music Works, Blue Heron, Tafelmusik, The Newberry Consort, Baroque Festival Corona del Mar, AGAVE, and the Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble, with whom she performs early and contemporary music.

“Soulful and virtually flawless,” hails the Portland Oregonian and the Boston Globe writes, “In warm, round tones, the notes of Bach cascaded from the guitar, every note correct and played without hesitation.” Classical guitarist, pedagogue and educator Dr. Isaac Bustos, enjoys an extensive performing career that has taken him to Canada, Central America, Europe, China, and all over the US. Bustos has made several Radio and Television appearances and is in demand as clinician and master class teacher invited to perform in some of the most prestigious festivals around the globe including the Guitar Foundation of America Annual Convention, Panama Guitar Festival, Festival Internacional de Guitarra Monterrey and Festival del Noreste in Mexico. Isaac has appeared as soloist with the Orchestra of New Spain, The Baytown Symphony Orchestra, The Nicaraguan National Symphony Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro JoAnn Falletta.

Dr. Bustos has acquired an impressive number of top prizes in over 12 major international competitions, 7 of which are first prizes. Additionally, Isaac has premiered new guitar works by composers Nico Muhly, Blas Atehortúa, Samuel Zyman, Frank Wallace, Mark Cruz and Joe Williams II. In the Spring of 2019, he premiered a new concerto for guitar and orchestra, commissioned and dedicated to him, by American composer Peter Lieuwen under the baton of maestro Franz Anton Krager and the University of Houston Symphony Orchestra. In 2016, Isaac also released the world-premiere of Peter Lieuwen’s Sonata for Guitar on MSR Classics, and a collection of Latin American works titled Canciones a mi Madre for Vgo Recordings.

Chamber music collaborations have included performances with the Grammy award-winning ensembles Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and Conspirare Choir, the Turtle Creek Chorale and legendary Mexican cellist Carlos Prieto. Bustos is also a founding member of the award-winning Texas Guitar Quartet and has released two critically acclaimed discs with the group. Highlights of the 2019-20 season include performances with the East Texas Symphony, Corpus Christi Symphony, and Rapide Symphony Orchestra.

Isaac holds a Bachelor of Music degree in guitar performance from the University of New Hampshire, where he was the only guitarist to ever hold a full scholarship, a Master of Music degree and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked under the guidance of renowned American guitarist Adam Holzman.

As an educator, his commitment to teaching is reflected in the success of his students whose prize-winning performances have included victories in the Eastfield Guitar Festival and competition, Brownsville Guitar Ensemble Competition, “Classical Minds” Guitar Competition, Houston Young Artist, East Carolina University Competition, Rosario Competition, Appalachian State Competition, Boston Guitar Fest International Competition and Guitar Foundation of America International Youth Competition. Dr. Bustos has been on faculty at Texas A&M University and was artistic director of the prestigious Texas A&M Guitar Symposium and competition. Isaac now currently serves on the faculty at the University of Texas – San Antonio Department of Music where he is head of guitar studies.

*Dr. Bustos is an Augustine Strings Sponsored Artist and plays on a 2013 Martin Blackwell Double-top spruce guitar*

Praised for her “beauty of tone and musical line” (South Florida Classical Review), cellist Clare Bradford enjoys a career as an orchestral player and chamber musician. In previous years she has played with the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, Lakes Area Music Festival and has had a long-standing collaboration with the Classical Music Institute (CMI) of San Antonio where she is a teacher and guest artist. She is also a recent alumna of the New World Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. 

Ms. Bradford has always had a particular love for works by living composers which has led her to collaborate closely in chamber music settings with some of the most recognized composers of our time such as Marcos Balter, Missy Mazzoli, Caroline Shaw and Joan Tower. She was also a guest at the 2021 Ojai Music Festival which was led by John Adams. Clare has performed 21st century cello concertos, such as Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon concerto with the New World Symphony and Dobrinka Tabakova’s Cello Concerto with the CMI Chamber Orchestra. 

Clare completed her conservatory training with a Bachelor degree at New England Conservatory and a Masters degree at the Juilliard School. She is currently a member of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and an active substitute player with The Philadelphia Orchestra.