Arts Alive San Antonio

Lots of great shows coming to the Tobin!

Multiple-platinum country music star Tracy Byrd takes the stage for a single night tomorrow, Nov 13, to be followed the next day by the Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular that’s become a regular pre-holiday psychedelic experience that fuses the music of Pink Floyd with vivid video and light effects. Most people seem to be enthralled by it.

And then, next weekend you get to hear John Denver…, well almost. It’s actually a tribute to the great singer/songwriter by a musician who looks and sounds like him. According to reports, people were telling Rick Schuler that he looked like Denver when he was just a teenager, though he hardly knew who John Denver was at the time. But Schuler later had a chance to see the star singer in concert several times, and eventually embraced his apparent destiny – to revive and keep alive the beloved country-folk musician’s beloved songs. And that’s exactly what he does in the “Rocky Mountain High Experience,” scheduled to stop at the Tobin Center Nov. 21. During the show he talks a bit and sings all the favorites such “Take me Home Country Road,” “Sunshine on my Shoulders,” “I am Leaving on a Jet Plane,” Thank God I am a Country Boy” and others.

For tickets to all Tobin shows, call the box-office at 210-223-8624 or go to tickets@tobincenter.org

Thanks to its size and ability to literally make seats disappear, the Tobin can easily provide a safe environment with appropriate social distancing between parties.

At the Public Theater of San Antonio, they have decided to present their current show only virtually. Like other shows in the 2020-21 season, it’s a one-person play to minimize stage crowding during the pandemic. Called “Squeamish,” the Aaron Mark work is described as a “psychological horror about craving what terrifies us.” The protagonist, Sharon, is a New York shrink and recovering alcoholic who, following the death of her nephew, finds herself in the South Texas plains without the help of her psychotropic drugs. Reviewer Eleanor J. Bader said on www.theasy.com : “It’s theater at its most provocative. Consider yourself warned.” (Nov. 12-15; tickets www.showtix­_4u.com)

Camerata San Antonio has a special treat for you this weekend: a world premiere of a brand-new composition written by composer Luke Dahn and performed by the highly praised pianist Viktor Valkov, who has been Camerata’s pianist for several years even though he lives in Utah. Both Dahn and Valkov are faculty members at the University of Utah, which gave them a fortuitous opportunity to develop and finetune the new work.  Valkov explained that the piece, “Eight Mazurkas” is fully a work of contemporary chamber music, Dahn’ answer to Chopin’s already highly stylized multiple mazurkas, which had very little connection to the actual Polish dance called mazurka. Yet “each of my mazurkas bears some of the basic defining metric and rhythmic elements of the dance…  though at times these defining elements are rather latent or obscured,” writes Dahn in the program notes.

The other piece on the program is the familiar and beloved “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Modest Mussorgsky. (To read more about the subject, see our feature story from Nov. 10, on this site.)

The concert was recorded and it will premiere Sunday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. Household access is $20 at www.cameratasa.org/tickets. Ticket buyers and subscriber will have access to multiple viewings for some time after the premiere.

A very different concert will be presented by the Children’s Chorus of San Antonio outdoor at the Mission County Park Saturday at noon and at 4 p.m. The younger groups will sing at noon, and the advanced student ensembles such as the Choristers, Concert and Encore, will perform at the later hour- free. You can contact the organization at 210-386-0255 or email office@childrenschorussa.org.

The late San Antonio artist, Chuck Ramirez, whose standing in the art world has substantially increased since his death in a bike accident ten years ago, will be the focus of the new exhibit at the Ruiz-Healy Art Gallery in Olmos Park. Owner Patricia Ruiz-Healy, who is the exclusive representative for the estate of Chuck Ramirez, has introduced his work to collectors and museums, well beyond San Antonio.

The current exhibit, “Chuck Ramirez: Metaphorical Portraits” focuses on the artist’s “career-long exploration of bringing dignity to overlooked objects in a media saturated world.” Ramirez often created large-format photographs featuring ordinary things, such as a broom or an empty chocolate box, imbuing the image with deeper meaning touching upon identity and culture. The exhibit will be on view through January 12. (Ruiz-Healy Art is open 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Masks are required. 210-804-2219, 201-A East. Olmos Park)

The San Antonio Film Festival continues to present a selection of new films through its monthly mini-festival, which this month will take place Nov. 11-15. Movie fans can stream official selections by purchasing a monthly pass for $29, or individual movie tickets for $5. To see the choices go to www.SAFILM.com or https://safilm.eventive.org/welcome

A virtual Poetry Reading featuring two poets, Marisol Cortez and Deborah Kaercher, is scheduled at Bihl Haus Arts, Saturday, Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. The gallery is currently exhibiting the Dia de los Muertos show by artist David Zamora Casas which will be on view through Dec. 12. You can see it in-person on “selected weekends” by making a reservation. Only 10 people are allowed to be inside at any one time. Check the website at www.bihlhausarts.org

And you may want to join some interesting conversations in the next few days. The Classic Theater of San Antonio has launched a series that will look back at its successful production of “Macbeth” at the Botanical Garden. The first one features John Stillwaggon who portrayed Macbeth, talking to colleague Zach Lewis who played Macduff. We watched it and found it interesting – a look at what actors had to do to follow the safety rules while being true to their roles. To watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfKyRcbyGHo

The San Antonio Museum of Art is planning a virtual conversation featuring two curators and one artist who will share their views on folk, fine and popular art, and define art terms. The three are: Lucia Abramovich, associate curator of Latin American Art at SAMA, Lyle Williams, curator of collections at the McNay and artist Victoria Suescum. (Nov. 17 at 6 p.m.; $10, $5 for members; Contact 210-978-8100; www.samuseum.org)

You probably already know that San Antonio has a large celebration and march in January to honor Martin Luther King, Jr. For the 2021 commemoration, the MLK, Jr. Commission has announced the 6th Annual Citywide Contest for Official Artwork, open to all residents of Bexar County. The selected work will be used as the visual representation of the 2021 theme: #WeRiseUpforJustice. For more info, contact the city’s Arts & Culture Department: arts@sanantonio.gov.

And last but not least: Did you know that the John T. Floore Country Store has been open for business and music for some weeks now and the playing takes place outdoors. This Saturday, the featured artist is William Clark Green who has recorded seven albums. Chris Colston will appear with him. The photo on the venue’s site shows tables set out outside, socially distant from each other. We may check it out. The only reason we stopped going, way before the pandemic is that the amplification inside was truly deafening. It’s got to be better outside! (14492 Old Bandera Rd, Helotes, 78023; 210-695-8827; www.liveatfloores.com; tickets $20-$100)