Arts Alive San Antonio

By now, we are all used to virtual events, so it’s no surprise that the 2020 Cactus Pear Music Festival is also going to take place online. Starting July 9, the fest, “Around the World in 8 Days,” will present four programs of archival festival performances and four original master classes over a span of eight days.

The “around the world part” promises to take you for an “Italian Excursion;” followed by some wandering through “English Landscapes,” and an exciting “Tour de France” road trip, before bringing you back home with “Latino Longings.” These are actually titles of specific compositions, by, respectively, Domenico Scarlatti, Henry Purcell, Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, and Mike Mower. But each concert features multiple other pieces by a wide range of composers, including Gian Carlo Menotti, Benjamin Britten, Gabriel Faure, Giuseppe Verdi, Maurice Ravel, Joaquin Turina, Melanie Bonis, Hugo Wolf, and others. The four concert videos will be posted, respectively on July 9, 11,16 and 18 at 3 p.m. Once posted, they will continue to be available for viewing any time thereafter, free of charge on the festival’s website www.cpmf.us

The four master classes are scheduled to take place July 10,12,17 and 19, also at 3 p.m., starting with “If She Only Had a Voice,” presented by festival founder Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio and focusing on female composers. The three other master classes will be presented by the two men who were chosen last year as artistic director candidates, Scott Cuellar and Ryo Yanagitani, and by Jeffrey Sykes, festival artist and program annotator.

To see the entire schedule and concert programs go to https://www.cpmf.us/season-24-e-festival

We told you last week about the Tobin Center’s new momentum and plans for the fall. But there’s a lot more coming up, such as humorist Garrison Keilllor (Sept.10), “An Evening with C.S. Lewis” starring David Payne (Sept. 17-20), Andrew Schultz Live (Sept.20), Elizabeth Gilbert (Oct.24), Damien Escobar (Oct. 27), and, of course, Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone (Sept.19) that we prominently mentioned last week.

Due to COVID-19, nothing is certain these days and plans are subject to change. So, the Tobin wants you to know that you risk nothing if you buy tickets for any of the fall shows right now. No matter what, you’ll receive a full refund if your show is cancelled. If it’s only postponed and you cannot make the new date, you’ll still receive a full refund. Fair, right? So, go ahead, buy those tickets for the event of your choice. It helps sustain the organization’s work and plans for the future.

Opera San Antonio and the San Antonio Public Library have teamed up to introduce kids and families to the grand art of opera this summer through a series of educational programs exploring opera-related subjects. Though original plans were to have performers sing live and in-person at several libraries, the pandemic forced the organizers to go virtual.  The five sessions are scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. on the following dates: July 10, 17,24, 31, and on August 7. On each of these dates, OSA and SAPL will release one 15-minute educational video that focuses on a specific aspect of opera. Following the videos, there will be Zoom sessions for kids and their families to meet four young-adult professional artists and ask questions. The four OSA Apprentice Artists are: mezzo-soprano Alexandra Sanchez, bass Rob Saldana, soprano Bronwyn White and tenor Joseph Rodriguez. To find out more about themes and arias, go to https://www.opera.org/education. Mom and dad will probably enjoy it, too.

On the literary front: Voices De La Luna has announced the winners of its inaugural Harold Rodinsky Memorial Poetry Contest which was judged by the 2018 Texas Poet Laureate Carol Reposa. The top three prizes went to James Dennis for his poem “Wallace,” Martha K. Grant for her poem “If I Had a Gun,” and Roberta S. Dohse for “Horseshoes.”  Honorable mentions went to Charles Darnell, Sarah Colby and Ruth F. McArthur. All six poems will be published in the next issue of VOICES, San Antonio’s only independent literary magazine, www.voicesdelaluna.org

Staying with poetry, here’s more news. The distinguished San Antonio poet, Mobi Warren, has a new book of poetry coming out. Titled “Thread and Nectar,” the collection is scheduled to be officially released Sept. 4 by Finishing Line Press but pre-orders are accepted and encouraged. (To get a sense of her poetry, please read “Shell-ter in Place” on this site, published as part of our poetry & art series, Life in the Time of COVID-19.)

To preorder: https://finishinglinepress.com/product/thread-and-nectar-by-mobi-warren/

Many San Antonians may not know that the San Antonio International Airport is also a place where remarkable works of art are displayed and a place that hosts musical performances on a regular basis. The airport’s capable Arts & Culture manager, Matt Evans, has even organized series of home-based concert opportunities for musicians whose gigs were cancelled due to COVID-19.

This Friday, SAT will be unveiling two new art exhibits in each of the two terminals, both celebrating San Antonio’s rich military history. One of the shows will feature the work of the winners of the Air Force Art Contest sponsored by the Air Force Services Agency to give airmen and their families the opportunity to show their artistic talents. The agency received 1650 entries from 920 artists! The winners were selected from Air Force bases around the world.

The other exhibit, “City of Service” is on loan to the airport as a result of a partnership with the city’s Department of Arts & Culture and the city’s Office of Military and Veterans Affairs. It was originally created in 2019 to celebrate the local legacy of military services and military bases. The show consists of works by 19 San Antonio artists, all featuring military themes interpreted by talented contemporary artists. Some of the art is stunning and definitely work a drive to the airport! (All art is in the publicly accessible areas.)

To make it even more festive for America’s 244^th Independence Day, hundreds of American flags will be placed throughout the airport grounds to greet the travelers.  

Happy 4^th of July to all our readers!