Music Program for Youth Receives Grant

Oxnard composer Miguel del Aguila has received a $9,900 grant for his Voices program, which teaches young people in Ventura County how to compose and perform music.

The California Arts Council grant ensures the program’s continuation for the next two years.

“Serious music study is usually available for those that can afford to pay,” Del Aguila said. “I was fortunate to have received an excellent and free music education in Uruguay. I want to give kids of all income levels the same opportunity I had.”

Last year, 65 local children ranging in age from 8 to college level participated in the weekly program’s inaugural year. The grant will enable the 40-year-old composer to expand the yearlong program when it begins again this month, he said.

Del Aguila is also director of the Ojai Camerata and has become a fixture on the classical music scene since moving to Oxnard from Vienna in 1992. His compositions are often performed by such ensembles as the New West Symphony.

For more information about the Voices program, call 984-7162.