Mid-summer is a pretty quiet time in the performing arts. But there’s still some live music in town. And there’s a film festival. Let’s start with the music! Record-setting, 10-times CMA Musician of the Year, Mac McAnally, is a renowned songwriter, singer and instrumentalist who has written dozens of hits for other artists, several of which peaked at #1. His …
Prominent arts organization, URBAN-15 is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of Antonio’s community events commemorating the arts and history of the dynamic non-profit led by two San outstanding artists – George and Catherine Cisneros. The organization first attracted attention of the broader public with its Carnaval de San Anto, which performed in parades and city events. It has …
Reviewed by Steven G. Kellman With the publication of his plangent first novel, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears (2007), Dinaw Mengestu became the most prominent author of the Ethiopian diaspora. The story of an amiable immigrant who attempts to remake his life running a grocery store in Washington, D.C., it is redolent of the desolation of dislocation. Unlike …
Summer is the time for festivals, and, in fact, we have a couple of festivals going on at present. The Cactus Pear Music Festival, named this season “Spur of the Moment” is in full swing. The name is both a nod to the San Antonio Spurs and a reference to performing live music, which always includes a component of spontaneity …
By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor You are involved with so many projects, including other chamber music festivals. Why did you agree to lead this one in San Antonio? It’s a fair question! The founder of Cactus Pear, Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio, is a good friend of mine, and I helped with the starting of Cactus Pear back in the day. This is our …
Now that the 4th of July festivities are mostly behind us, let’s take a look at the arts scene for this weekend and beyond. “Melodies in Motion” is a flute, clarinet and piano recital, featuringGregory Obregon (flute); Stephen Moore (clarinet) and Wayne Ching (piano). The concert promises to be Now a “summer celebration of solos and sonatas for those three …
The San Antonio Philharmonic will start the day with a special concert to celebrate the 248th anniversary of American independence. It will take place at 1314 Guadalupe Street, where the orchestra’s offices are located, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. No word about what they will be playing but patriotic music would be a logical choice. Listeners are invited to …
San Antonio has its fair share of music festivals but the one coming up in October is different.Called RISE MUSIC FESTIVAL and sponsored by the RISE Movement, this fest combines good music with a Christian message. The fest is guided by artistic director, Jarrell Flowers who says his parents have always been “followers of Jesus.” He grew up in that …
San Antonio has numerous outdoor art installations and now there’s one more; actually two, strictly speaking, but the two are connected. El Papaloto and El Trompo were just installed the other day at the intersection of Frio and Commerce streets downtown. The Department of Arts and Culture described them as “monumental emblems of childhood play.” The kite (Papalote) features a …
By Steven G. Kellman “It’s not a good time for Hebrew.” The final words of the title novella in The Hebrew Teacher echo its opening line: “It wasn’t a very good time for Hebrew.” Ilana, an Israeli who has been teaching Hebrew at a midwestern American university for almost forty-five years, faces dwindling enrollments and the fact that the Zionist …
