WINSTON-SALEM – You might not think that an arts school would have anything to crow about at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Well, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts does.

Felix "Tex" Ventouras, who received a Bachelor of Music in Composition from the School of the Arts in 2007, has written and arranged music for the U.S. Olympic Synchronized Swimming Team.

“Tex” Ventouras is, as you might suspect, from Dallas, Texas. During his senior year, he assisted School of the Arts Chancellor John Mauceri when Mauceri conducted at the Detroit Symphony. After graduation, Ventouras again assisted Maestro Mauceri as he conducted at the Motion Picture and Television Fund gala and at the Grammy Awards.

You can catch Ventouras’ music when the U.S. team performs to it during its technical routine on Aug. 22 (Day 14), to be broadcast on NBC and NBCHD between 12:35-2 a.m., and on Aug. 23 (Day 15), to be broadcast on NBC and NBCHD between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Unfortunately, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts does not have any athletes participating this year, but there will be some extra cheers going up for U.S. swimmer Benjamin Wildman-Tobriner, whose uncle is Robert Wildman, director of the Performing Arts Management Program in the School of Design and Production at UNCSA.

For more on Wildman-Tobriner, see his bio at: http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/DesktopModules/BioViewManaged.aspx?personid=e817ea4a-b53d-40e7-a551-

Now, if the Olympics ever adds Pickleball as a sport, the Fighting Pickles of UNCSA would certainly bring home a medal… .