Arts Alive San Antonio

Let’s start with a dance & music event that’s bound to be fun and educational, too: The San Antonio Folklife and Dance Festival.  Virtually every culture in the world has a folk music and dance tradition, and a good number of those traditions will be part of the fest, which started as the International Folk Dance Festival years ago.  We remember seeing a couple of those shows at the Auditorium on the Campus of Our Lady of the Lake University, where San Antonio-based dance groups were joined by ensembles from other cities.

After a hiatus of several years, the event has been revived by folk dancer enthusiasts. The 2023 version will feature dances from a range of countries, including Brazil, China, Spain, Moldova, Panama, Mexico, Korea, Germany, Ukraine, and others. Colorful dances and lively music are guaranteed. A Hip Hop showcase was also added, representing, we assume, the folklore of the USA. And yes, there are still out-of-town guests, such as the Komenka Ethnic Dance Ensemble from New Orleans and Ballet Folklorico South Texas College from McAllen. The event is organized by Heritage Festivals of SA, with additional support from the city’s Department of Arts and Culture.

Other performing groups are: Karavan SA, Fire-on-the-Mountain, Amigos Musikanten, Samba Viva Drums, the Bedouin Dancers, Hula Halua Ohana, the Teresa Champion Dance Academy, SA Pipes & Drums, Ballet Folklorico SA (flamenco), the Arathi School of Indian Dance, and others. All of that for free! The schedule will be available on site.

And “family fun” in the Food Court area will include line dancing, karaoke, balloon animals, Las Monas Performance Group, and a variety of ethnic merchandise. (March 25 & 26, Noon to 5:30 p.m., Rolling Oaks Mall, 6909 N. Loop 1604 E, JC Penney Entrance; free admission; https://safdf.org/performances/

There’s a lot more music on the calendar this weekend of a different kind but we wanted to start with the Folklife Dance showcase because it’s such a wonderful example of what dedicated volunteers can bring to their community.

Onward!

 The San Antonio Philharmonic – a very professional organization – will be presenting two concerts this weekend with guest conductor Brett Mitchell and internationally known pianist, William Wolfram. The centerpiece of the program is Franz Liszt’s Concerto No. 2, which is considered the Hungarian composer’s masterpiece. This will be bracketed by Manuel de Falla’s Suite No. 1, from his famous work
“The Three-Cornered Hat’ and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 “Scottish.”

Mitchell is the artistic director & conductor of Oregon’s Sunriver Music Festival, following his time as music director of the Colorado Symphony (2017-2021). He is a conductor in demand who has worked with a number of US orchestras, including the famed Cleveland Orchestra, the Houston Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. (March 24-25 at 7:30 p.m.; First Baptist Church of San Antonio, 515 McCullough Ave., 78215; tickets are $30-$65, available at the door and at www.SAphil.org)

Italian pianist, Leonardo Colafelice, who won the Bronze Medal at the 2020 Gurwitz Piano Competition, here in San Antonio, seems to have a special relationship with San Antonio and the Central Texas area. He recently returned to these parts to play with the Symphony of the Hills in Kerrville, and will be the featured pianist at the Sunday concert, which is part of Musical Bridges Around the World’s season. And he, too, will play Liszt’s compositions, this time pieces that were inspired by beloved operas of Rossini, Bellini and, the king of opera – Giuseppe Verdi. (March 26 at 7 p.m.; San Fernando Cathedral; free but registration required at www.mbaw.org) {To read more about Colafelice, check out our interview with him; on this site.)

The Cactus Pear Music Festival Is inviting you to “A Hint of Spring” March Soiree Concert with CPMF new artistic director, and brilliant pianist Jeffrey Sykes and his musician guests – clarinetist Ilya Shterenberg, member of the San Antonio Philharmonic; and cellist Amy Levine-Tsang, from Austin. They plan to entertain you with music by Debussy, Poulenc, Beethoven and Piazzolla. The music will be followed by a light dessert reception. (March 26 at 3 p.m.; Trinity Baptist Church, 319 E. Mulberry Ave., 78212; tickets through Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cpmfs-march-26th-soiree-a-hint-of-spring-tickets-535159836477

Alamo City Arts presents a program by Alamo City Symphony Viva, featuring Ryan Coppin (Violin), Rachel Ferris (Harp), Adelante Winds (woodwind quintet) and Ta-Wei Tsai (piano). No info on the program. (March 26 at 4 p.m.; University United Methodist Church, 5084 De Zavala RD., 78249; tickets $10-$20; https://alamocityarts.org, 210-369-8311)

For an outdoor spectacle-type event, go to URBAN-15’s “Lighten Up” at Woodlawn Park. The announcement says; “We will Illuminate Woodlawn Lake Casting Pond at Sunset! This year’s performance is surrounded by various colored LEDs and powerful Instrumentation!” The event will include URBAN-15’s art forms – dance, drumming and media expressions. (March 25, 4-9 p.m., Woodlawn Casting Pond & Park, 138 S. Josephine Tobin Drive; to find out more go to https://urban15.org)

Cuba 1918 presents The Afro Cuban Jam Session live on Sundays in March and April, from, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., hosted by Haile Uriarte and Havana Soul. For more info go to Cuba 1918, a quaint café at 2809 W. Southcross Blvd, 78211; 210-296-3617 or www.Cuba1918.com.

If you love ballet, The Ballet Conservatory of South Texas will perform selections from “Swan Lake” this weekend. Established in 2005, the Ballet Conservatory is the only nonprofit ballet academy and pre-professional company in San Antonio. (March 25 at 5 p.m. and March 26 at 2 p.m.; Carlos Avarez Studio Theater at the Tobin Center; tickets start at $24; tickets@tobincenter.org or call 210-223-8624)

New theatrical productions are “Chato’s Bridge’ at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, and “Tune In” at the Overtime Theater.  For information on the former, read our feature story from Tuesday, on this site. Written by the San Antonio playwright, Mono Aguilar, “Chato’s Bridge” is a gripping story set in San Antonio’s West Side neighborhood.

“Tune In” is a new drama by TV actor and playwright, Carlos Lacamara. Some will know him as the father on the Nickelodeon sitcom “The Brothers Garcia” which was set in San Antonio. His new play centers on Samantha Albert, a female psychology professor in the 1960s. She battles the male domination at the university while conducting experiments on a new wonder drug -LSD. Her experiments change her, and her colleagues, in ways she did not expect. (March 24 – April 15, Fridays-Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m.; Overtime Theater, 5409 Bandera Rd., suite 205; 78238; tickets $18 general admission, available at the door or online at www.ShowTix4u.com; Pay-what-you-Wish night is April 6.; www.theovertimetheater.org)

The Classic Theater of San Antonio, which is still looking for a permanent home, is presenting a staged reading of playwright, Sheila Rinear’s play, “Bound by Truth” at Mission Conception this Sunday. The play focuses on a real-life woman from the 16^th century, Margaret “Meg” More Roper, the daughter of Sir Thomas More, a literate woman in an age of male-dominated public life. Rinear sees her as “the prototype for the modern professional woman.” Besides being a mother of five children she was an esteemed educator, writer and translator. And, according to the press release, she was brave enough to challenge the mighty King Henry VIII. “It’s time for her to step out of the shadow cast by her father’s martyrdom and subsequent sainthood,” said Rinear as quoted in the release. (March 26 at 4 p.m., Mission Conception, 807 Mission Rd., 78210; for tickets go to www.classictheatre.org)

On the visual arts front, we’ll mention two big events: The 15^th annual On & Off Fredericksburg Road Studio Tour, and The Night of Artists at the Briscoe Western Art Museum. The former invites art lovers and buyers to visit a series of art studios, homes and galleries to get acquainted with artists who live or work in the areas around Bihl Haus Arts, the organizer of the event. Anyone can pick up a map at Bihl Haus and start exploring the art riches of the area. (See our article from Monday on this site) There will be a reception on March 24 at the Bihl Haus Gallery, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. You can buy the catalog to help you navigate the neighborhoods.)

The Night of Artists at the Briscoe is one of the premier Western Art events in the U.S., and that also means, in the world. It includes the viewing and sale of more than 300 new art works, including paintings, sculptures and mixed media by more than 75 leading contemporary Western artists. It’s a big deal! A number of additional events are also planned around the opening of the exhibit, such as the Briscoe Collectors Summit, a preview dinner and live auction, an artists’ awards lunch and the, popular “Luck of the Draw” sale. The public exhibition is a unique opportunity to see this amazing array of contemporary Western art before the works get bought and join private collections. (March 24-25: Opening Weekend Events, Celebration and Live Auction; Match 26- May 7, Public Exhibition and Sale. This is the primary fundraiser for the museum, benefitting the Briscoe’s programs and exhibits throughout the year. For tickets call 210-299-4499; www.briscoemuseum.org)