Arts Alive San Antonio

Opera San Antonio is ready to return to live, in-person performances and it’s doing it with verve and panache by staging “Lucia di Lammermoor” on May 6 and 8 at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.

“Lucia” is a beautiful bel-canto opera depicting a tragic story of love in a hostile environment, similar to the iconic tale of “Romeo and Juliet,” only these lovers – Lucia and Edgardo – live in turbulent Scotland instead of sunny Verona.

Internationally admired soprano, Brenda Rae, as Lucia, will share the stage with equally accomplished tenor Scott Quinn as Edgardo and baritone Scott Hendricks, a San Antonian,  as Lucia’s selfish brother. OSA’s general and artistic director, E. Loren Meeker, will direct the production, and the San Antonio Symphony will be in the pit, though probably with fewer musicians than under normal circumstances.

The Tobin follows strict safety protocols, for both performers and audiences, and it has been re-opened for live shows for several months now. (“Lucia Di Lammermoor” May 6 & 8 at 7:30 p.m.; Tobin Center, 100 Auditorium Circle; tickets $45 – $120; tickets@tobincenter.org; 210-223-8624)

Meeker and OSA’s music director Francesco Milioto will chat with Rae and Hendricks live Friday April 30 at noon on OSA’s Facebook page and on YouTube.

A brand-new opera, “Ribas-Dominicci” by San Antonio composer Nathan Felix will have its premiere on Texas Public Radio (KPAC) Friday at 2 p.m. The opera is based on the life of the composer’s friend’s father, Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci, an Air Force hero, who was killed in combat. It’s good to know that new operas are being created right here in the Alamo City!

For beautiful chamber music, you can always count on Camerata San Antonio, which will present its program, “Memory” Sunday, May 2, online only. On the program are works by Texas composer Quinn Mason, Paul Schoenfield, and Robert Schuman. The concert will open with Quinn’s “In Memory,” a viola solo, which was composed a year ago, in 2020. According to Camerata’s notes, the composer explained that the piece was “meant to be a contemplation of memories past, which could be anything the listener/player desires – the viola acts as the voice that recalls these memories and reflects on them…”

 Schoenfield’s “Café Music piano trio” was apparently inspired by real-life café music at a Minneapolis restaurant. According to program notes, the composer wanted to try his hand at writing “high class dinner music.” Completing the concert will be Schumann’s Piano Quartet in E-flat. (tickets are $20 per household; to purchase go to www.cameratasa.org/tickets)

More chamber music will be offered by the Agarita Chamber Players this Saturday, May 1, at 7 p.m. The talented local group will be joined by two members of the internationally acclaimed  Escher String Quartet for a concert that will be presented both in-person and online. The 3-D performance will take place at The Warehouse @ 221 Burleson. The program includes works by Boccherini, Chris Rogerson, Jesse Jones, Schumann, William Bolcom and John Adams. And it’s all free. (The concert will be streamed at www.agarita.org; for reserved seating at the Warehouse, email agaritachamberplayers@gmail.com)

You’ll probably be glad to hear that two much-loved bands, Del Castillo and Asleep at the Wheel are back in SA. The “Nuevo Americano,” Latin & cross-cultural music group, Del Castillo, will play Saturday at Sam’s Burger Joint (330 E. Grayson, 210-223-2830), and the venerable western swing, Asleep, will be on stage today at the Floore Country Store in Helotes (14492 Old Bandera Rd., 210-695-8827).

Dance companies have been hit hard by the pandemic but some are coming back. The San Antonio-based flamenco company, Arte y Pasion, is going to have a show Saturday night, featuring dancer and artistic director Tamara Adira, dancer Genevieve Obregon, guitarist Randy Cordero, violinist Darian Thomas, and other accomplished performers from here and other parts of the U.S. The outdoor performance is named Tablao Entre Los Arboles. (For more, including how to watch, please see our feature story “Tablao Among Trees” published on this site April 27)

Now here’s a question for you: What happens when the music of Celine Dion makes sweet Canadian love with the eleven-time Oscar-winning film, “Titanic”?  The answer is TITANIQUE.  Puzzled? That’s the name of a show that the Tobin Center will present May 2, at 6:30 p.m. Streamed live from NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge, this ship story will be a little different from the familiar version and it will be performed by “a powerhouse cast” singing 15+ of Celine’s most iconic hits. (May 2 at 7:30 p.m. EST; tickets at tickets@tobincenter.org; 210-223-8624)

Last year, Texas Public Radio and partners, organized a live telethon to raise funds for artists – mostly musicians – whose professional engagements were cancelled due to COVID-19. A year later, the situation may be a little better but live entertainment venues are still not back to normal operations. So, another telethon is scheduled for Saturday, May 8. The 6-hour event, called VIVA! A Live Telethon, will be hosted by musician Garrett T. Capps and livestreamed on TPR’s Facebook page. (More about it next week.)

The Carver Community Cultural Center will present the virtual premiere of “Eleven Reflections on September,” a work written, directed and performed by Andrea Assaf, the founder of Art2Action, Inc. Conceived as a live theatrical experience, the show was originally scheduled to be presented at the Carver last May. It explores the Arab-American experience, wars, and “the constant rain of death amidst beauty that each autumn brings, in a post 9/11 world.” In addition to Assaf, the performance features vocalist Lubana Al Quntar, violinist Eylem Basaldi, percussionist April Centrone, movement by Dora Arreola, and digital design by Eva Auster. (On Vimeo, May 1 at 8 p.m. For tickets go to https://www.ticketmaster.com/jo-long-theatre-tickets-san-antonio/venue/475250)

Jump-Start Performance Co. is hosting a virtual one-week residency of artist Dennis RedMoon Darkeem, which includes “Personal Narratives,” a community workshop that will culminate in an exhibit and sharing that is open to the public. This event is planned for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. A Zoom link will be sent to all who register. For info call 210-227-JUMP (5867).

The McNay Annual Print Fair is also taking place this weekend, and again in a virtual format. The event is free and open to the public; just go to the museum’s website www.mcnayart.org/print-fair. This year’s event may be bigger than ever because anyone in the world can take part. Interviews with print dealers from around the country will also be featured and print making will be discussed and demonstrated.

We just found out that City Council meetings are regularly enlivened by music and songs created by San Antonio musicians. The program is called Local Music Spotlight and new artists are added periodically. The latest additions are Paula Cortez, Larry D. Morales, Coffeehouse Heroes, Los Nahuatlatos and Stephanie High. If you are interested, you can applyat music@sanantonio.gov.

The winners of the 2021 #FilmSA Contest will be announced and recognized Saturday night during a virtual awards ceremony on Facebook. Sponsored by the Department of Arts & Culture, and its film division, and the San Antonio World Heritage Office, the contest asked young filmmakers, ages 14-21, to create short films on the theme “New Beginning. New Vision, New City.” What new beginning they had in mind, it’s unclear. Nevertheless, the sponsors received enough entries in two age categories. Following the ceremony all winners will be entered into the Organization of World Heritage Cities International Video Production Competition. That organization connects 300 cities recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage sites. You can watch the award ceremony at https://www.facebook.com/filmsanantonio or https://www.facebook.com/GetCreativeSA.