Arts Alive San Antonio

NEWS ROUNDUP, May 4, 2023

Lots of good music coming up!

Musical Bridges Around the World (MBAW) is closing its season with a very promising concert, Expedition, featuring two Russian artists, cellist Boris Andrianov and classical guitarist Dimitri Illarianov. The two will combine classical music with folk tunes in a program that will include music by Albeniz, Vivaldi, Piazzolla and Giovanni Sollima. According to the press release “the duo desires to share the world’s vibrant diversity, its incredible colors and unbelievable contrasts, eliminating physical, historic or stylistic distances”. A tall order, for sure but their program is good start (though we notice that all the composers are from Latin cultures: Italy, Spain, Argentina.)

Together and separately, the two musicians have won major competitions, and performed with illustrious orchestras in Russia, Europe and beyond. And this is their third visit to the Alamo City. They performed for MBAW in 2016 and again in 2018. (May 7 at 7 p.m.; San Fernando Cathedral downtown at 115 Main Plaza; free but registration required through www.mbaw.org)

We also want to remind you of the Cinco de Mayo celebration that will unite the performing talents of the San Antonio Philharmonic, the Guadalupe Dance Company and the singer/songwriter Azul Barrientos. The concert will include symphonic versions of Mexican folk songs and a new song Divino Amor by Barrientos. (May 5 at 8 p.m.; Plaza Guadalupe. 1327 Guadalupe St., free but registration required at www.saphil.org/event/cinco-de-mayo)

The Caritas Concerts series is closing its season this weekend with a performance by the San Antonio Chamber Choir, led by artistic director Rick Bjella. Titled The Musical Soul of Jake Runestad, the program will showcase his work as well as compositions by composers who have influenced him. It should be an interesting concert. As we indicated last week, both the composer and the librettist will give pre-concert talks. (May 6 at 8 p.m. and May 7 at 3 p.m.; Chapel of the Incarnate Word, 4503 Broadway, 78209; free but reservations recommended: 210-828-224 ext. 294 or www.ccvichapel.org)

The YOSA Philharmonic is also wrapping up its season with Resilience, “stirring music of resolute defiance, from Rossini’s celebration of a Swiss folk hero resisting Austrian despotic rule, to Sibelius’ evoking the Finnish struggle against Russian rule, and American composer Kenji Bunch celebrating teens overcoming the challenges of a global pandemic. (The challenges are – Shall we say? – substantially different, but let’s go with the flow!)

On the program: Rossini: William Tell Overture; Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 2; Cecile Chaminade: Concertino pour flute, Op. 107; and Kenji Bunch: Invincible Summer. (May 7 at 7 p.m., Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 115 Auditorium Circle; tickets $18, 210-223-8624, https://www.tobincenter.org)

Harpsichordist, Nadia Bohachewsky Soree will perform a noontime concert at the at St. John’s Lutheran Church downtown this Friday. Soree is both a musician and a lawyer by training, but she has abandoned legal practice to devote herself to music. She won First Prize at the J.S. Bach International Harpsichord Competition in Montreal. She now lives in San Antonio. (May 5, 12, noon; the church is at 502 E. Nueva St., across from La Villita; free parking; concert followed by lunch prepared by volunteers for $5.)

For a different type of music, there’s An Intimate Evening with David Foster & Katharine McPhee at the Tobin Center. (Rescheduled from last October). Sixteen-time Granny Award-winning musician, composer and producer David Foster, and acclaimed singer and Broadway star, Katharine McPhee are bringing “their viral Instagram show on the road.” This intimate show… will be packed with hits that Foster produced with Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, and others, in addition to hit songs by his wife, Katharine McPhee. (May 11 at &:30 p.m., Tobin Center for the Performing Arts; tickets are $50-$89.50, tickets@tobincenter.org or by calling 210-223-8624)

And again, for a different experience, consider Tedeschi Trucks Band at the Boeing Center at Tech Port. Led by husband and wife, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, this is a blues & blues-rock band whose debut album Revelator won the 2012 GRAMMY for Best Blues Album. They are good! (May 6 at 7:30 p.m., Boeing Center at Tech Port; tickets $25.50 to $125.50; https://www.etix.com/ticket/customerSignIn2z/customerSignIn.do?organization_id=9883&method=doLogin&cobrand=Tech%20Port))

Fans of the late Amy Winehouse will have an opportunity to enjoy her music in what is described as a
“soul-stirring tribute” to the Winehouse. She died in 2011. (May 6 and June 3 at 8 p.m.; Terrace on 5^th, Grand Hyatt SA River Walk; for ages 21+)

We also want to remind you that the annual Tejano Conjunto Festival is coming up, May 17-21. Tickets are now on sale at https://guadalupeculturalarts.org/

There’s news from the dance world as well, including a dance festival. The latter is organized by the Quenedit Ballet School through its San Antonio Dance non-profit organization.  The three-day event will have dance performances, master classes and dance workshops, plus an all-star “grand performance.”
Numerous dance genres will be part of the fest: ballet, jazz, Mexican folkloric dance, and even hip-hop. The Grand Performance will include invited guests such as Abigail Davis (San Antonio), Ballet Clasico de Puebla (Mexico); Ballet de Monterrey (Mexico) Smashworks Dance (New York); Vitacca Ballet (Houston), and others. (May 6 at 7:30 p.m.; Carver Community Cultural Center 226 N. Hackberry; tickets available at box office or online through Ticketmaster. You can reach the Carver by calling210-207-7211)

For a very different dance experience, check out the shows that Karavan Studio is presenting this weekend. Karavan is a well-established studio/company that specializes in belly dancing. The dancers will perform to live Near-Eastern type music. Several opportunities include: May 5 at the Luxor Restaurant at the Rim, featuring George Halvani on keyboard. (17631 La Cantera Pkwy, suite #105; 210-405-5555;
May 6, at 7 p.m., Jump Start Theater, 710- Fredericksburg Rd., 78201, live music by Viatorum; and May 7 at 5 p.m. at the Jewel, 1102 S. Alamo; live music by Isaac Lopez. For more info visit www.karavanstudio.com.)

El Dia de los Ninos is a family festival at Plaza Guadalupe that will feature Tish Hinojosa, dancers and performances, a Milagro exhibit and art activities. (May 6, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; 1327 Guadalupe, 78207)

At The San Antonio Museum of Art, you can help celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Lots of “family-friendly” activities but also a dance performance by the Rhythmic School of Kathak Dance (Indian classical dance) and a performance by The Dragon Alliance Association, and movement workshops offered by the Magik Theater.  (SAMA, 200 West Jones Ave., 210-978-8140; free admission 10 a.m. – noon; activities continue until 3 p.m.; https://www.samuseum.org)

There are several new and on-going exhibits to visit. Bihl Haus Arts is opening its first in-house exhibit under the supervision of new director Mycah Arellano, and it’s a good choice. The artist is Mary Helwick and the title of the show is “Hard Hats: Portraits of Construction.” Helwick says she has always been fascinated with the faces of people she observes in everyday life. For this exhibit, she focused on the faces of construction workers. The exhibit features 18 portraits, including her own. We can’t wait to see it! (Opening reception is on May 6, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.; Bihl Haus Arts, 2803 Fredericksburg RD., 210-383-9723, http://www.bihlhausarts.org)

Gallery Prudencia is showing the sunny work of Vikki Fields who paints “From Life,” which is the title of the exhibit. (Gallery Prudencia, 2518 N. Main Ave., 210-422-8681)

And don’t forget to visit San Antonio Art League Museum where the 2023 Juried Show is currently on view. Lots of interesting work by a large group of artists from San Antonio, Texas and beyond. (130 King William St., 78204; 210-223-1140, www.saalm.org) It’s also an opportunity to purchase a unique art piece.)

And here’s another opportunity to get acquainted with and maybe buy art by local artists: ABODE Art Show and Sale, featuring Terry Gay Puckett, and other San Antonio artists, including Jim Collier, Lesta Frank, Nancy Gerfers, Janice Joplin, Cindy Morawski, Peter Szarmach, Dona Walston, Patsy Sasek, and others. This show is supported by ABODE Contemplative Care for the Dying; (May 6, 5-8 p.m. Episcopal Church of Reconciliation, 8900 Starcrest, 78217, 210-655-2731; for more go to https://www.terrygaypuckett.com/)

NOVEL IDEAS Art Book Fair is the only art book fair in the region, according to the press release from the Contemporary at Blue Star. The fair features a range of art books, monographs, magazines, printed ephemera, and more. Exhibitors include: Baby Gibo- Gabriel Garcia; Bill’s Books “n” Art; Robert Craig Bunch whose book features interviews with Texas artists, including a number of San Antonians; Coyote Bones Press; Sacred Rage Bookshop, and others. (May 5, 5-9 p.m.; Contemporary at Blue Star, 116 Blue Star, 210-227-6960, www.bluestarcontemporary.org)

You may or may not be aware that the City of San Antonio organized and supported a film-making contest. Now they are ready to announce the winners, at an event: FilmSA Contest Awards Ceremony & Film Screening.  It was all coordinated by the San Antonio Film Commission. The contest was open to young filmmakers, ages 14-21. (May 6 at 8 p.m., Mission Marquee Plaza.)

The last day to see “Narratives at Play,” curated by artist Raul Rene Gonzalez will be May 6. The exhibit features several artists: Vincent Fink; Stephanie Gonzalez and Calvin Pressley. (Clamp Light Studios & Gallery, https://clamplightstudios.com/)

Mariachi Music.com, the folks who bring us the annual Mariachi Extravaganza, are inviting interested vocalists to attend summer camp in San Antonio. The 9^th Mariachi Extravaganza Summer Camp will take place June 26-30 at the Tobin Center’s Carlos Alvarez Theater. It’s open to all students from throughout the U.S. who are interested in developing their skills. And there will be a performance as well. Instructors are Octavio Moreno and Vanessa Alonzo. Find out details at www.mariachimusic.com

National Poetry Month is behind us but there’s one more “post-party”: The Poets’ Pachanga. The announcement says: “Any person who has published or proclaimed poems, and lives in San Antonio, is invited” (May 7 at 3 p.m. The Dakota East Side Ice House, 433 S. Hackberry, 78203)

STAFF NEWS:  The McNay Art Museum Is one of 19 arts organizations in the U.S. to receive a grant through the Leadership in Art Museums (LAM) initiative. The funding will support the creation of a new Curator of Latinx Art position at the museum. This curator will “promote equity and inclusion of Latinx artists in the institution’s exhibitions and programs.”

Bihl Haus Arts is seeking a part-time Gallery Coordinator who will work 20-30 hours per week, assisting the executive director and the education director. If interested send info about yourself to www.executivedirector@bihlhausarts.org.

The Public Theater of San Antonio has parted company with its executive artistic director, Claudia de Vasco. No reasons were given.  In a statement, the board of trustees expressed its gratitude for her “dedication to the Public’s mission” and for producing high-quality theater. The board has already begun the process of recruiting a new leader.