Arts Alive San Antonio

The Cactus Pear Music Festival continues this weekend but the concerts are moving online. Friday’s event, Beethoven & the Belgians, will feature music by Beethoven, Auerbach, Stravinsky and Frank. So, who are “The Belgians”? You may ask. They are a duo of performing musicians known as the DeMaeyer-Kende Duo. This will be followed Saturday by “American Classics,” an evening-long showcase of American composers, including contemporary ones, such as Ben David Richmond, Caroline Shaw, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Daniel Zajicek who composed a new piece for this occasion that will be performed by San Antonio’s favorite baritone Timothy Jones. Sunday’s concert is “Duos Dynamics” focusing on the music by Carl Maria von Weber, Francis Poulenc and, again Beethoven. (All concerts start at 7 p.m., and all are free. A post-show e-reception follows each concert, with the featured artists in attendance. To view go to www.cpmf.us; no registration necessary)

If you love jazz music, you are in luck. The City of Balcones Heights is wrapping up its annual series of jazz concerts with a free outdoor event at the Wonderland of the Americas Amphitheater. The first part of the music-making belongs to San Antonio’s own Joe Posada and his trio, and the second part, after intermission, will spotlight the performances of nationally known artists, Johnny Britt and Nils (Jiptner). (To learn more – and there’s more – read our article from July 14, on this site.)

If you are not familiar with “southern soul,” here’s an opportunity to experience it. The five-member band, Prophets and Outlaws, will be at Gruene Hall Friday, July 16. Founded in 2015, this group has garnered quite a following and two million Spotify streams. Not shabby! (8 p.m., July 16, Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Rd., in New Braunfels; $15; 830-606-1281; www.gruenehall.com)

And you may not want to miss Garrett T Capps, the singer/songwriter who penned the “Born in San Antone” song, and who also operates the Lonesome Rose on St. Mary’s St. This weekend, however, he will appear at the John T. Floore’s Country Store in Helotes. On July 17, the star of the show will be Ashley McBryde. (14492 Old Bandera Rd., 78023; www.liveatfloores.com/) And check out what’s happening at Lonesome Rose, too: www.thelonesomerose.com.

At Market Square downtown, you can enjoy great conjunto music all weekend during the Tejano Music Awards Summer Fan Fair. Performers include Max Baca y Los Texmaniacs, Katie Lee Ledesma, Conjunto Cats, A-T Boyz, Laura Linda, and many others on four stages. The bands start playing at 5:30 p.m. though the festivities start at noon, Friday-Sunday. (Market Square, 514 W. Commerce St., free)

We also want to tell you about this little place we just discovered. It’s called Dellview Music, and describes itself as “the coolest little neighborhood music shop.” Friends and owners, Nick Visser and Andrew Walker, are both accomplished musicians who teach classes in the shop/studio, Nick teaches guitar, bass and ukulele, while Andrew teaches keyboard, trombone and ukulele. They also have a little stage inside their space where they have staged small-scale performances for about a year, all virtual so far. One is coming up on Wednesday, July 21, 7-9 p.m. It will feature George Garza, of the Pop Pistol band, and the group Secretkink. Later in the month, Nick & Andrew will host a Super Spintacular Vinyl Pop Up Sale, a July 31 shindig offering a parking-lot-full of record vendors, artists, food and live music.   

Unfortunately, there’s sad news from the Tobin Center. We received a press release informing us that comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias has tested positive for COVID-19, and his remaining shows have been cancelled. The Tobin will refund all affected ticketholders. We wish Iglesias a speedy recovery. Obviously, COVID is still among us.

The city’s Arts & Culture Department has been very proactive in bringing public art to our parks and streets and continues to be so. The latest addition is part of the “Bloom” sculpture series designed by artist, Leticia Huerta.  Inspired by native wildflowers, three new “Bloom” sculptures have been installed in Eisenhower Park, near the Northwest Military park entrance. The project is a collaborative initiative with the Parks & Recreation Department. Kudos to both!

The large, tall sculptures are made out of metal, and are painted in mostly vivid colors. You cannot miss them. The first “flowers” were “planted” in McAllister Park, but a few also “sprouted” downtown along the River Walk.

The ‘Bloom’ series highlights the many ways public art improves our community including increasing neighborhood connectivity, creating visual identities for our park trailhead and greenways, representing unique elements that make San Antonio a great city, and providing opportunities for San Antonio-based creatives,” said Debbie Racca-Sittre, the Arts & Culture executive director.

Additional sculptures are being planned for at least four different locations in the city.

This weekend is your last chance to see “On Your Feet” at theWoodlawn Theatre. Based on the life story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan, the show is packed with music, good singing and real characters that you can empathize with. (Social distancing enforced; masks; www.woodlawntheatre.org)

Speaking of theater, San Antonio composer/musician Tom Masinter who composed the music for playwright Steve Warren’s one-man play “The Confessions of David Crockett,” has some promising news. The play-with-songs was shown in San Antonio just before the pandemic closed live performance venues. It starred the excellent Roy Bumgarner in the title role and won praise for all involved – playwright, composer, actor and musicians. Now, experienced New York theater artists have shown a serious interest in the work, and Masinter will be flying to the Big Apple to help them shape the show. (Warren died last year) Acclaimed actor Bart Shatto, who appeared on Broadway in many iconic roles, including Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables,” is interested in portraying the legendary Crockett, and director Nick Corley will work with Masinter to tweak the original one-man format and add a few more musical numbers. Stay tuned!

 The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s 2021 Cine Festival has announced jury awards for short films in three sections: Texas Short Film, U.S. Fiction Short Film and U.S. Documentary Short Film. And the winners are…”El Fantasma” by director Arturo R. Jimenez ties with “La Luna y El Colibri” written and directed by Luis Fernando Puente, for Best Texas Short Film.  “Worry Dolls” directed by Marcella Ochoa is the best U.S. Fiction Short. And “Aguilas,” directed by Kristi Guevara-Flanagan & Maite Zubiaurre, won for Best Documentary Short.

And here are a few interesting things happening outside San Antonio. Fans of Bob Dylan will be happy to learn that a new “world-class” Bob Dylan Center will be opening in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the spring of 2022. It will house and exhibit more than 100,000 cultural treasures created and owned by the beloved contemporary troubadour, including hand-written lyrics manuscripts, unreleased recordings, unseen film performances, recreated studios, photos and more. The building is designed by Olson Kundig.

The second item is the news that art created by 42 American artists will be displayed in Japan at the Chiba City Museum of Art in an exhibition that coincides with the tightly regulated 2021 Summer Olympics. American sports fans can’t get in but art can! The U.S. art will join works by other international artists in the 20^th Japan International Art Exchange Exhibition, Aug. 3-8, 2021. The curator of American art headed for Japan, is Detroit-based Julienne Johnson, who will also curate an exhibition of American art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art/Tokyo in April 2022.