Strings After Dark Beatles Benefit with Award Winning Strings & Songwriter

Are you drawn to music, moonlight, and mystery?

As twilight deepens, you arrive.

You sink into your seat beneath a canopy of trees, and the air begins to shimmer with the first notes of live string music—carrying you somewhere timeless.

For over 35 years, I’ve invited thousands of seekers into my world of sound and story—blurring boundaries between music and nature, ceremony and spontaneity.

Secret Strings After Dark is the newest chapter in the Strings in the Woods journey—named Best of Austin 2024—a ritual of acoustic magic, shared under open skies, and ancient tress far from the noise of modern life.

Joining me for the magic will be Wimberly resident and award winning songwriter Tucker Livingston, along with Cellist Tony Rogers.

What to Bring:• Hiking shoes• Water• Camp chair, blanket, or pillow• A friend. And a sense of wonder.

Side effects may include: soul-level relaxation, nervous system healing, goosebumps, spontaneous smiles, deep connection to nature and self, and the feeling of being truly seen and held by community.

This will be a benefit for the victims of the Hill Country Floods of 2025.

Musical Guests

Will Taylor is a professional violinist and Austin music icon for over 27 years, jamming with folks such as Willie Nelson, Pearl Jam, Gary Clark Jr., Shawn Colvin, Shiny Ribs, Guy Forsyth, the Turtle Island String Quartet at Town Hall in New York City and so many more. Will is a lover of the outdoors and the magic of bringing people into nature for life-changing moments of connection and musical bliss. Will is an Austin Music Award winner, Best of Austin finalist, and award winning film composer for the film Protocol 7

Tony Rogers: cello

Tony is a cellist, educator, performer, arranger and composer.

He performs regularly with The Austin Piazzolla Quintet, The Waterloo Trio, Jenifer Jackson, the multi-genre group Strings Attached, performs weddings on weekends, and onstage with symphonies, playing 70 public performances per year, teaches a few hundred lessons and directs the Austin Cello Choir every week on Tuesday evenings for cellists of all levels. In his spare time he organizes chamber reading sessions.

Tucker Livingston: guitar, songs

Tucker Livingston is an award-winning Austin-based singer-songwriter and guitarist whose music fuses raw poetry, rich melodies, and global influence. A featured performer at the Austin City Limits Music Festival, SXSW, Kerrville Folk Festival, and Voice of America, Livingston emerged as a standout voice in Americana and folk.

In 2003, he was awarded Best Singer-Songwriter for the Austin Music Foundation’s Incubator Grant Competition, supporting the creation of his critically acclaimed debut album. Produced by Mitch Watkins and engineered by Jim Vollentine at Viewpoint Studio, the album climbed to #6 on the iTunes Folk Chart and received widespread radio and television exposure.

The album's success led to an interdisciplinary collaboration with Ballet Austin: choreographer Gina Patterson created “No Defense,” set entirely to Tucker’s music, which premiered at the Paramount Theatre to four sold-out performances .

Livingston's songs have also reached the screen, featured in the film Maturing Youth, directed by award-winner Michael Polanski. Beyond the studio, he has worked with Texas music educator Neal Kasinov and performed with the Groundwork Music Orchestra, a non-profit ensemble described as “the Wilco of children’s music groups.”

Tucker spent over a decade touring internationally with his father, Texas music legend Bob Livingston, as U.S. cultural ambassadors supported by State Department grants. Together, they brought American roots music to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. He is also a core member of the Texas Commission on the Arts’ celebrated educational group Cowboys & Indians, blending Native American, East Indian, and Western musical traditions.

In 2006, Livingston paused his career to immerse himself in South Indian Carnatic music, living and studying in India for 15 years. Now based in San Marcos, Texas with his wife and son, he is returning to the stage and studio, crafting a new body of work and continuing to share his music across Texas and the world.

Testimonials

Alicia, February 2022

This was truly a unique and magnificent experience. Will is an awesome tour guide, he provided a nice history of the park, took us to some magical places, and provided live music along the way. Go on this tour! You won’t regret it!

Cassandra, April 2019

“Will took us on a musical journey in nature that was incredible and therapeutic. We had a small group and hiked along a trail that was fairly leveled due to one of the hiker’s physical condition. Along the way Will made sure all of us were taken care of and having a good time. We were later joined by another amazing musician/cellist Charles. The only downside to this trip is that whenever I’m hiking now I miss Will and his gang of musicians. I’ve been spoiled. Next time I will bring my teenage kids.”

Sarah, April 2019

“This was a unique experience, and I enjoyed combining music with nature. The fresh air along with soothing music, made me feel at ease and one with our group. Highly recommend, if you love the outdoors and love listening to live music.”

***Debbie, April 2019

“Unique experience connecting both to nature and to music. A quieter, reflective sidelight on the frenetic Austin tourist experience. Also, a chance to network with some area musicians.”