We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Martin Quiroga Jr. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Martin below.

Hi Martin, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

In music, there are small risks that usually involve a small monetary investment, normally followed by a small, but continuous reward. These risks may seem minuscule, but are monumental to musicians; instruments, brand creation, releasing an album, website design, band formation, tuxedos. The benefits of these small risks are that you can usually break even after the first six months if one really hustles and pokes under every rock imaginable to find the next paying performance (keyword being paying; “exposure” is for the birds). Large risks seem monumental in our world, such as creating a large ensemble vis-a-vis a choir or a symphony, or in my case, creating a music festival, of which I’ve done twice, each with its own demise.

When I moved back to Houston, TX with a bank balance of $67 from Oregon with a Masters degree in Music Composition in tow, I was hungry in both the artistic and dietary sense. I attended a concert featuring the music of Brian Eno promoted by Space City Performing Arts, ran by “The Twins” Jacob and Zach Gutierrez. I had attended undergrad with these lovable characters, so it was easy to strike up a conversation with the event promoters. After some initial chit-chat, they asked if I was interested in doing any projects, and so I proposed composing a ballet and having them produce / promote it. In sync, the twins body language changed, as the majority of the work that SCPA had done were solo works and the occasional chamber work. Reading the room so to speak, I proposed and alternative; a Contemporary Music Festival deep in the heart of the Lone Star State, and the only one to exist in the state as a whole. With a slight tilt to their heads, they leaned in and asked a few questions, leading them to submit a one page questionnaire. In six weeks time, that one page document turned into a tome containing all the secrets to the festival; budgeting, marketing strategies, recruitment, artist and personnel contracts, facility requests, schedules. On September 1st 2017, the Space City New Music Festival was announced for the summer of 2018 whilst following the news of the well documented catastrophe known as the Fyre Festival. I was announced as Festival Director, a position that included the roles of Executive and Artist Director, Production Manager, Facility Coordinator, Artist Manager, Participant Manager, as well as minor roles in Marketing and Personnel Manager. The festival was a riveting success, with a 2018 season that reveled in its successful execution of five concerts, five masterclasses countless hours of rehearsals and private lesson, all within the course of seven days. The 2019 season grew and added two additional concerts and lectures, still within the week long format. The 2020 season was slated to grow to around nine or ten days, as the amount of traction was beginning to grow at the rate of a successful festival business. But alas, 2020 was a year that will be forever be etched into the history books, and just like the rest of the world, the SCNMF was shut down, never to resurface.

In 2021, I began speaking with Chad Robinson, director of Texas New Music Ensemble, although when and where is lost to the fog of time. TNME was slated to perform at the 2020 festival, and when I informed Chad that the event was no longer in existence and that I would essentially have to shop the festival around again, he seemed very interested in taking up the reins with his non-profit. The story follows the same format as SCNMF, although our timeline was a bit longer in preparation, as we had missed the September 1st deadline for announcing the festival. On September 1st, 2022, the Texas New Music Festival was announced, with a change in my official title; Executive Director. Chad wanted to choose the artist headline and take over the Artistic Director position that was initially tied to my role. I conceded the role (which if you’ve ever managed anything, know how difficult that can be), but realized that my position was bloated with responsibilities, and delegation is the secret to success. The TNMF resembled the 2019 season, but with the resources and personnel of what would have been the 2020 season, and thus my second successful festival was born. The format of these two festivals were identical; a week long festival featuring chamber works written by festival participants, performed by professional musicians, ending with a final concert showcasing the talents of both the festival artists and that years guest composer, a total management of circa thirty to thirty-people. On the penultimate day of the 2023 festival, Chad submitted a document that would lead to my ousting; an additional jazz ensemble was to be introduced as well as the creation of a chamber orchestra, of which I was charged with recruiting and managing, all of which came with an additional $500 bonus if I managed to recruit the entire orchestra. At the end of the day, a music festival is a business, and I felt that proposed reformatting of the festival was too quick and inorganic, as I wanted to build the brand and incrementally grow to that size. Chad disagreed. The politics of the ousting were cutthroat to say the least, and I would never wish ill on any of my creations, it’s just business after all.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I like to brand myself as “The Cowboy from Texas”, an entrepreneur that has been in the music business for the last eighteen years. I have created academic programs at the collegiate level, consulted with nonprofits in the creation of music festivals, collaborated with world-renowned artists, and have taught a generation of percussionists. I pride myself in crafting novel solutions, tackling monumental projects, and navigating bureaucracy at multiple levels. The only thing I ask of my clients is the same thing I ask of myself; commitment.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The greatest advice I can offer to anyone who is attempting to grow their clientele is to remember one thing; your customers ARE your business cards. They are the gate-keepers who will recommend you to other customers. They are the job creators who want to grow their business the same way you do. Buy them coffee, admit when its your mistake, and congratulate them on their success, as it is your success too.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

The reason I like the Twitch streamer Sketch is because after he goes on a rather foul-mouthed tirade online, he almost always ends it with “Sorry for cussing.” This right here is the secret; be hard on your team, be honest about their mistakes, and then apologize. It is your duty to care for the business first, but do not forget that you have human beings on your team. Transparency is the key to maintaining high morale, regardless of how difficult the situation may be.

Contact Info:

• Website: martinquirogajr.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mort_the_chicken/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-quiroga-jr-2772612a9/