NEWS ROUNDUP, 5/9/2025 Lots of good music coming our way!The San Antonio Philharmonic is ready for its season finale and is inviting music lovers to “Phil the Hall” for the last concert of the season. On the program: Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection,” conducted by Music Director Jeffrey Kahane and featuring the mighty San Antonio Mastersingers and soloists Erica Petrocelli …

So Far Gone by Jess Walter Reviewed by Steven G. Kellman             When nine-year-old Asher and thirteen-year-old Leah show up on his doorstep, Rhys Kinnick is speechless. He is at a loss for words not merely because it has been so long since he last saw his grandchildren that their appearance shocks him into silence. Kinnick has been a recluse …

The San Antonio Philharmonic will present its Classics IX concert this weekend, featuring the music of Brahms, Prokofiev and Peter Shin, a young Korean-American composer, whom the New York Times called “a composer to watch.” The program begins with “a bracing and viscerally emotional work” by Shin, titled “Slant.” Also on the program is Brahm’s “magnificent” Double Concerto for Violin …

“Lovers of Franz K” By Burhan SonmezReviewed by Steven G. Kellman             Although he published more than 80 books, Max Brod is unknown to most American readers, except, perhaps, as the best friend of Franz Kafka, one of the most widely revered authors of the twentieth century. At the time of his death – of tuberculosis, at 40, in 1924 …

NEWS ROUNDUP, April 24, 2025 If you did not have a chance to see Camerata’s San Antonio season finale concert in Kerrville, here’s your second chance in San Antonio. Titled “Romantic Resonances,” the program featuresthe following works:          – Camille Saint-Saens: Barcarolle for Piano Quartet, Op.108;          -Fanny Mendelsohn-Hensel: String Quartet in E -flat Major          -Erno Dohnanyi: Piano Quintet in E Flat …

Interview with JIM ESKIN, founder of Eskin Fundraising Training                               By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor Since the majority of arts organizations are non-profits, we thought that a conversation with San Antonio’s non-profit guru, Jim Eskin, would be of interest to our readers. Eskin spent more than three decades in fundraising and public affairs before launching Eskin Fundraising Training, LLC. He presents webinars, …

The excellent ensemble, Camerata San Antonio, will conclude its 2024/25 season with“Romantic Resonances,” featuring the works by Saint-Saens, Mendelssohn-Hensel andDohnanyi. The full Camerata San Antonio Ensemble will collaborate in this program “that explores the richness and diversity of the Romantic era music. From the lyrical elegance ofSaint-Saens to the expressive depth of Fanny Mendelssohn and the brilliance of Dohnanyi, the …

“Julie Chan is Dead” by Liann ZhangReviewed by Steven G. Kellman Driving under the influence is a crime, but shopping under the influence is a popular pastime. Handsomely paid pawns called “influencers” attract millions of followers on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to videos modeling trendy clothing, cosmetics, and comestibles, to the delight of and remuneration by eager sponsors. Influencers are …

NEWS ROUNDUP, 4/10/ 2025 According to the press release from the San Antonio Philharmonic, this weekend’s concerts mark the beginning of a long -cherished dream of musical director, Jeffrey Kahane – to place the music of Johann Sebastian Bach at the heart of the modern symphony orchestra’s repertoire, alongside Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler.  The release further points out that despite …

The San Antonio Philharmonic’s Classics VIII concert will be conducted by Anthony Parnther, one of the best- known film conductors in the country. He helms recording sessions for manytop feature films and television series, working in collaboration with some of the most prominent media composers in the industry. The concerts will also feature a guitarist identified only as JIJI.  On …