Festival Hill, Round Top

Festival Hill is the brainchild of pianist James Dick. This center serves as a training ground every summer for serious music students from around the world, selected to live and study here under the direction of a world class faculty. Their work has brought universal recognition including a 13-hour series recorded and distributed through National Public Radio.

The focal point of Festival Hill is the concert hall, a 1,000-seat limestone structure whose interior, when not hosting a concert, is still a construction zone. In its grandiose scale and its dedication to craftsmanship, the concert hall rises from its rural surroundings like a grand cathedral looming above a European town. Work continues on the concert hall and the rest of Festival Hill on a pay-as-you-go basis.

"This woodwork and the creation of it is something that can still be done today," explains James Dick. "You can still aspire to do something with your hands. That's what Festival Hill is -- doing something with your hands and doing something that blooms out of that endeavor."

Even if you don't have the opportunity to attend a concert, call to schedule a tour of the building. Your look at Festival Hill can include the David Guion Museum Room, housing a collection of belongings and music of this Texas composer, and the Oxehufwud Room, a collection of Swedish decorative arts which recalls the life of a Swedish noble family whose final member retired in La Grange.

Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the 100-acre grounds, planted with thousands of trees and including walking trails and a recently completed stonework bridge, constructed to resemble a Roman footbridge.

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