BY JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor Love, jealousy and betrayal are timeless themes in life and in art. In one form or another, they frequently pop up in opera, usually “wrapped” in beautiful music and grand arias. This is certainly the case with Ruggero Leoncavallo’s 1892 opera “Pagliacci” – “The Clowns” – that Opera San Antonio chose as its season opener. It …
Opera San Antonio (OSA) is opening its season with “Pagliacci” a short opera by Italian composer Ruggero Leoncavallo, which may be the perfect introduction to classical opera for people who are not familiar with opera. The story is engaging, the arias (songs) are powerful, and the staging promises to be first class. The opera is about a traveling theater company …
By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor Your company will be presenting two flamenco shows this week, “Mercuria” on Thursday and “Yo Quiero Ser Humana” on Friday. Tell us about “Mercuria.”The title, “Mercuria” is kind of a play on words. It’s a name of a woman, or of all the women performing in this piece. It’s not a character’s name per se, it’s …
There are so many Day-of-the-Dead events that we probably overlooked a few. Here’s one: The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center is celebrating the holiday of remembrance with a free dance production, La Vida de Los Muertos, at Plaza Guadalupe, and a month-long altar exhibition, starting on Nov. 2 The dance show brings to life various characters who explain the significance of …
The Day of the Dead and All Souls Day are not the same thing but both are devoted to the remembrance of the departed, though in different ways. In San Antonio, the various commemorations and celebrations, stretch over several days, blending into one festive period. We like fiestas here! Several events are planned downtown. This weekend, a major fest will …
By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor Back in high school in Portsmouth, Ohio, Jonathan Burton was a guitar player who at one point was asked to join a production of the school’s musical as a singer. He performed well enough and so, he was asked again the following year. Soon after, he started taking voice lessons, and, once in college, he abandoned …
BY JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor “Galactic Mayan Gods” is San Antonio Artist Andy Villarreal’s Current Exhibit at Bihl Haus Arts.One line review: Colorful, imaginative, engaging, and fun. Tell us about the inspiration behind these fabulous paintings?I’ve been working on this series for about 20 years though pieces in this exhibition are recent, from this past year. My work deals with the …
v Good news from the music world! Two of San Antonio performing organizations that used to partner for multiple occasions in the past, are going to do it again. The two are the San Antonio Mastersingers and the San Antonio Philharmonic, a new entity created by the musicians of the former San Antonio Symphony. They are old friends, and we …
By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor More than five centuries ago, a girl was born on the Yucatan peninsula in the Aztec Empire and she was named Malinalli. Today, so many years and centuries later, she is still an object of fascination and interpretation, both in Mexico and in Mexican-American communities in the U.S. So much so, in fact, that at least …
By BERIT MASON, Contributor “AI” stands for artificial intelligence. As our world is digitized and computerized, AI software is being applied to medicine, education, shipping and art. Yes, art. The leading AI software on the market are Midjourney, DALL-E and DALL-E 2. With them, artists can photograph their work, scan it into the computer and then it gets to …
