BY SUZI CASTELLAW with JASMINA WELLINGHOFF As the winds begin to blow with the promise of a cool shower, I am waiting to meet with Nicolas Valdez under the beautiful Jesse Trevino three-dimensional mosaic of a Mexican votive candle that adorns the Guadalupe Theater on South Brazos.  Valdez is a conjunto musician and playwright who recently premiered his play “Conjunto …

Did you know that there’s a National Day of the Cowboy? Neither did we but, yes, there’s one and this year it falls on July 24. Not every state has officially adopted a special day to remember and celebrate the cowboy legacy but Texas has, and the Briscoe Museum, here in San Antonio, is ready to celebrate. And you are …

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor Millions of Americans have already been vaccinated against COVID-19 but there’s still some distance to go to get to that herd immunity level that would help us return to normal life. Here in San Antonio, 1,028,077 people or 61.9 % are fully vaccinated, according to Metro Health data. If the individuals who have received only one …

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor When Opera San Antonio (OSA) staged a live, in-person production of “Lucia di Lammermoor” in May, it became the first opera company in Texas to return to live, theater performances in the state. OSA’s general and artistic director, E. Loren Meeker, attributed that auspicious development to the unique venue where the opera was performed, namely, the …

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 …

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor Jazz lovers have cherished the Balcones Heights Summer Jazz Festival for years, but this past year the powers behind the fest decided to change the format. Instead of multiple concerts during a single week in July, they chose to present a concert series, with shows throughout the year. The series is coming to an end July …

Classical music ensembles seem to all go on vacation in the summer. Fortunately, there’s the Cactus Pear Music Festival that fills the void left behind, at least for two weekends each July. And it has done so for the last 25 years. CPF is back again in 2021, live on-stage, for the first weekend, July 8 – July 11, with …

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor Laughter makes people feel good but making people laugh is no easy task. If you would like to learn how to use humor to entertain others, Gemini Ink has just the thing for you: a class called “Laughing Matters: The Joke Writing Process,” taught by San Antonio comedienne Tori Pool. Largely self-taught, Pool performs regularly in …

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor Come fall, you’ll again be able to take your children to the Magik Theatre to see live shows, with real actors on stage, and real families enjoying themselves in the audience. After nearly a year-and-half of pandemic restrictions and virtual this and that, the return to the new/old reality is something that evolved over months at …

Independence Day celebrations abound this weekend throughout San Antonio and the surrounding towns, with parades, games, food trucks and fireworks. And there’s an arts component to all of them since all feature music bands and patriotic music. The city’s “official” festive party, sponsored by the San Antonio Parks Foundation in partnership with the City’s Parks and Recreation Department, will once …