Texas Early Music Project

What Texas Early Music Project does

Texas Early Music Project (TEMP) is a private nonprofit performing-arts organization founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas by Daniel Johnson, who continues to serve as artistic director. TEMP is dedicated to preserving and advancing Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical music through live performance, commercial recordings, and educational outreach. Its core programming consists of an annual concert season—typically four themed programs plus an annual "Joy and Light" holiday concert—performed at Austin venues including Redeemer Presbyterian Church (via Arts on Alexander) and St. Martin's Lutheran Church, with repertoire spanning more than 600 years of music history. The ensemble draws on a core group of singers and instrumentalists, supplemented by national-caliber guest artists such as viola da gamba soloist Mary Springfels and countertenor Ryland Angel.

TEMP's product portfolio centers on live concert experiences and a back-catalog of more than 25 commercial CD recordings covering Celtic, French, Sephardic, Christmas, and Sacred repertoire (several titles now sold out). Supplementary offerings include community engagement via TEMP-oh (community madrigal singing events), the Kerr Educational Outreach Fund for school programs, and digital content such as the Director's Blog ("Taco Tuesday" series), TEMP on TAP podcast, and the TEMP Videos YouTube gallery. Distribution is direct-to-consumer: online ticketing via Ticketbud and Arts People, at-the-door sales at venues, and CD/merchandise e-commerce through the organization's own Squarespace storefront.

The revenue model blends earned income (season subscriptions at $120–$138, individual tickets at $30–$38, VIP add-on at $60, CDs at $21–$25) with contributed income (individual donations via the TEMPster Circle, foundation grants from the Tocker Foundation, Fifth Age of Man Foundation, and others, and Amplify Austin Day fundraising). Marketing relies on organic social channels (Facebook, Instagram), email newsletters via Mailchimp, the Director's Blog, KMFA 89.5 FM radio broadcasts, and donor word-of-mouth. TEMP operates with a small staff and contracted ensemble, is governed by a Board of Directors, and has no parent organization or institutional investment ownership.

Name

Texas Early Music Project

Legal name

Texas Early Music Project

Website

https://early-music.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Texas Early Music Project is a 1987-founded Austin, Texas nonprofit that performs Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical music through annual concert seasons, commercial recordings, school outreach, and community sing events, serving Central Texas audiences, subscribers, and donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Live Early Music Concert Performance

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJAFAA

Concerts & Music Festivals

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Live Entertainment & Ticketed Events (Shows, Concerts, Sports Experiences)

Keywords

• Early music performances
• Chamber choral concerts
• Baroque music ensemble
• Music education outreach
• Historical classical recordings

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Concert ticket sales: Single-ticket and season subscription sales for annual concert seasons (typically 4 main programs per season), with general admission and senior pricing tiers.
2. CD and recording sales: Sale of live and studio recordings on CD, including physical CDs ($21 single, $25 for 2-CD set La Pellegrina), digital downloads, and gift cards. Shipping included in U.S.
3. Donations and fundraising: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, including annual giving, the TEMPster Circle donor program ($50+ giving), special campaigns (20 for 20), and participation in Amplify Austin Day fundraising drives.
4. Foundation grants: Support from granting organizations including the Tocker Foundation, Fifth Age of Man Foundation, Arts on Alexander, and others for operational and programmatic funding.
5. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise through the organization's website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Texas Early Music Project delivers live concert seasons (typically four themed programs per year) of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical music performed by an ensemble of singers, period instrumentalists, and guest artists using historically informed performance practice. Revenue-bearing offerings include season subscriptions and single-concert ticket sales, a commercial catalog of more than twenty-five CD recordings, gift cards for recordings, community madrigal sing events (TEMP-oh), and an educational outreach program (Kerr Educational Outreach Fund) serving Austin-area schools.

Product overview

Texas Early Music Project is a single-ensemble performing organization offering live concert performances and recordings of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical music. The core offering is the annual concert season (typically 4 main concerts) held at Austin venues, supplemented by a catalog of over 25 CD recordings available for purchase as physical or digital products. Additional offerings include community singing events (TEMP-oh), educational outreach (Kerr Educational Outreach Fund), and digital content (TEMP Videos, Director's Blog, Taco Tuesday audio series). The organization uses ticket sales platforms (Ticketbud, Arts People) for concert admission and operates a merchandise shop for recordings and gift cards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TEMP Concert Season Annual subscription and single-ticket concert season featuring Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical music performed live by TEMP's vocal-instrumental ensemble and guest artists at Austin venues, offered to general audiences with general admission, senior, and student pricing tiers.
• TEMP-oh Community Sing Event Open-to-the-public community madrigal singing events requiring no prior experience, featuring guest conductors and early music enthusiasts gathering to sing madrigals together as part of TEMP's community programming.
• TEMP Recordings (CD catalog) Commercial catalog of more than twenty-five CD recordings spanning Celtic, French, Sephardic, Christmas, and Sacred repertoire from Medieval through Baroque periods, sold as physical CDs and digital downloads through the TEMP website storefront, with gift cards available.
• La Pellegrina: Music for a Medici Wedding (2-CD Set) A two-CD set of Renaissance music recorded for TEMP performances, sold as a discrete recording product with U.S. shipping included (currently sold out).
• CD Gift Cards Digital gift cards available for purchase for regular single CDs (starting $21.00) or the La Pellegrina 2-CD set (starting $25.00), enabling gifting of TEMP recordings.
• Kerr Educational Outreach Program Funded educational outreach delivering early music programming, workshops, and master classes to Austin-area K-12 schools and students through the Kerr Educational Outreach Fund.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Arts on AlexandercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts on Alexander hosts TEMP concerts on the campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church (2111 Alexander Ave, Austin, TX 78722). This is the primary venue for most TEMP concerts, making Arts on Alexander a core operational partner for the organization's concert programming.
• KMFA 89.5 FMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustin classical music radio station KMFA 89.5 FM partners with TEMP for radio broadcasts of concerts (including the 'Listen Local' series), pre-concert lectures by Sara Schneider (KMFA host), and ongoing promotional coverage. Sara Schneider of KMFA provides pre-concert lectures and interviews for TEMP programs.
• Texas TootcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Texas Toot is an annual early music workshop held near Palestine, TX, co-directed by Daniel Johnson since 2002. It attracts amateur and semi-professional musicians for study in recorder, harp, lute, viols, and voice. The workshop shares personnel and artistic expertise with TEMP, making it a core strategic partner.
• Amherst Early Music FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmherst Early Music Festival is a major national early music workshop in New London, CT. Daniel Johnson serves as assistant co-director and has been attending for 32+ years. TEMP performers and guest artists frequently participate, creating a bidirectional talent and repertoire exchange.
• SFEMS (San Francisco Early Music Society) Medieval-Renaissance WorkshopminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDaniel Johnson teaches master classes at the SFEMS Medieval-Renaissance Workshop, connecting TEMP with the broader early music education community.
• Amherst Early Music FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDaniel Johnson teaches at and serves as assistant co-director of the Amherst Early Music Festival, a premier early music workshop in Connecticut.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Newberry Consort: Chicago-based early music ensemble presenting Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque vocal and instrumental programs. Similar scale and historically informed performance practice to TEMP.
• Blue Heron: Boston-based professional vocal ensemble specializing in Medieval and Renaissance polyphony. Comparable in mission, vocal ensemble format, and recording output.
• Piffaro, The Renaissance Band: Philadelphia-based Renaissance wind ensemble performing Medieval and Renaissance music on period instruments. Comparable ensemble size, mission, and repertoire focus to TEMP.
• Apollo's Fire (Cleveland Baroque Orchestra): Cleveland-based period-instrument Baroque orchestra that performs Baroque and early Classical music with historically informed practice. Comparable in mission, scale, and touring business model to TEMP, though larger and more nationally recognized.
• Boston Early Music Festival: Biennial festival and year-round organization presenting Renaissance and Baroque opera and concerts in Boston. Closely aligned mission in early music preservation and performance, with a larger organizational footprint and bigger seasonal programming.
• Hesperus: Early music ensemble blending Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and crossover repertoire. Direct peer in small-scale early music performance and recordings.
• Anonymous 4: Female vocal ensemble specializing in Medieval and early music repertoire. Direct functional peer to TEMP in vocal early-music performance and commercial recording activity.
• Sequentia: Internationally recognized ensemble for Medieval music performance, with featured guest artists having worked with TEMP (Mary Springfels). Direct peer in historically informed Medieval performance practice.

Broad incumbents

• Chanticleer: San Francisco-based Grammy-winning vocal ensemble spanning Medieval to contemporary repertoire. Larger and broader in scope than TEMP but operates in overlapping vocal early music space with national touring.

Regional players

• Trinity Baroque Orchestra: Early music orchestra based in a different region performing Baroque repertoire. Comparable in period-instrument performance mission though geographically separate from TEMP's Austin/Central Texas market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TexasEarlyMusicProject
• Instagraminstagram.com/txearlymusic
• Xx.com/TXEarlyMusic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/texas-early-music-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Texas Early Music Project