Arts Alive San Antonio

Music, poetry and visual arts dominate the arts calendar this weekend and in the coming week

The San Antonio Chamber Music Society will be presenting its final concert of the season featuring The Parker String Quartet. The Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, that has been praised for its “luminous sound,” and “dynamic interpretations,” will play music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Leoš Janaček, Győrgy Kurtag and Robert Schumann at Temple Beth-El. The quartet players are currently in their seventh year as faculty members at Harvard University’s Department of Music, as artists-in-residence. The four are: violinists, Daniel Chong and Ken Hamao; violist Jessica Bodner, and cellist Kee-Hyun Kim. (Sunday, April 24 at 3:15 p.m.; Temple Beth-El, 211 Belknap, 78212; tickets $25 at the door or at www.sacms.org/concert-tickets/ Students and active-duty military free)

Another organization that’s closing its season this weekend is the San Antonio Choral Society that will wow us with its soaring performance of Ein Deutsches Requiem by Brahms, featuring the chorus, four-hands piano by Geoffrey Waite and Zachary Ridgway, soprano Lily Guerrero and baritone Jake Skipworth. Brahms wrote his German Requiem after his mother died. It’s a work of “consolation and contemplation.” (April 24 at 3 p.m.; St.John’s Lutheran Church, 502 E. Nueva At., 78205; tickets $15-$18, $5 for students, at the door or online at www.sachoralsociety.org)

The Celtic Woman concert that was postponed twice before is back on at the Majestic Theater. This is a group that public television made famous all across America, and deservingly so. (April 28 at 7 p.m.; Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston, 210-226-3333, www.majesticempire.com)

The American singer/songwriter/producer, Citizen Cope, whose real name is Clarence Greenwood, will perform songs “from across his beloved and critically acclaimed body of work” at the Tobin Center this Sunday. His music is often described as a mix of blues, soul folk and alternative rock. (April 24 at 7 p.m.; Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle; tickets $29.50-$55, box office 210-223-8624 or www.tobincenter.org)

Two days later, the Tobin will present ABBA – The Concert, which is, of course, a tribute to the legendary group ABBA. It’s not the only ABBA tribute band but it has been doing it for past ten years, so it must be good at it. The announcement says “This is the closest to ABBA you’ll ever get.” We have no reason to disbelieve it. Get ready for the beloved hits of yester years, such as “Dancing Queen,” “Waterloo, “Money, Money, Money” and the rest.” (April 26 at 7:30 p.m., Tobin Center, 100 Auditorium Circle; tickets $29.50 – $59.50; tickets@tobincenter.org or call 210-223-8624)

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center is presenting its premier mariachi event, Noche de Romance, on Saturday and Sunday, showcasing its resident company, Mariachi Azteca de America, performing “an array of traditional Mexican love songs,” including boleros, ballads, rancheras and more. Also appearing with the local group will be Arturo Vargas of the famed Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan, and San Antonio singers Rhonda Garcia and Mateo Lopez. A special tribute to the legendary Vincente Fernandez, known as “El Rey,” will be part of the event. (Saturday, April 23 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 24 at 5 p.m.; Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, 1301 Guadalupe St., 78207; Tickets $35-$50; 210-271-3151, www.guadalupeculturalarts.org)

Agarita Chamber Players will present one of their free outdoor concerts they call Humble Hall Concerts. These events are “humble” because they are informal and the audience members have to provide their own chairs or blankets to enjoy the music. On Friday, April 22, you can enjoy some classy music at 12, noon, at the UT Health San Antonio. Long Campus-Lot 6 at 7703 Floyd Curl Dr. Food trucks will be around for the hungry. You have to eat lunch anyway, so why not enjoy it accompanied by beautiful music!

The accordion has been the staple instrument of many European folk music traditions, and the Mexican Americans adopted it, too, incorporating it in the conjunto tradition. So, it’s hardly surprising that the Austin-based Texas Folklife has an annual “Big Squeeze” youth accordion contest which this year is a hybrid event. Contestants submitted their entries in video form but the finals will be live and in-person. Two events are scheduled: The Conjunto Semi-Finals will be held at the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg, this Saturday, April 21 at 12, noon; (free and open to the public). The event will include a performance by Los Cucuys de Rodney Rodriguez. The finals will be held May 14 at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin. Texas Folklife is a statewide non-profit dedicated to presenting and preserving the diverse cultures and living heritage of the Lone Star State. For more info visit www.texasfolklife.org.

The Carver Community Cultural Center is presenting Jess Mahogany, an actress, poet and healing speaker who “brings magnificent and eye-opening real-life struggles to life with her words.” She will share vignettes from her upcoming poetry book, Conversation Pieces, which deal with trauma, love, bossing up and matters of the soul. (April 22 at 8 p.m.; Carver Center,226 N. Hackberry; 210-207-2234; www.thecarver.org)

And National Poetry Month is still ongoing. Here are some upcoming events: Voces Cosmicas Celebrates Poetry Month by presenting “Poetry is like Bread for Everyone” at the Collins Garden Library. Featured poets are: Alicia Zavala Galvan, Jacinto Jesus Cardona, Suzanne Green, Susana Nrvarez-Marquez, Ed Cody and Arturo Mantecon. Musical guests are Rita and Matt Ortiz of the Velvet Hues. (April 23 at 2 p.m., Collins Garden Gallery, 200 N. Park Blvd.; free and open to the public.)

A different poetry event will celebrate National Haiku Day with readings of haiku-style poems, at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Participating poets include Jim LaVilla-Havelin, Mobi Warren, Linda Simone, and Eddie Vega. In addition to readings, they will offer a workshop in the art of haiku. And while you are there, take a look around to spot the new art installations by Steve Tobin, which should not be too difficult to spot as they are “monumental.” In fact, they will be used as inspiration for the poetry. (April 23, 9 a.m. – 12, noon.; SABOT, 555 Funston Place, 78209; 210-536-1400; free with Garden admission.)

The visual arts scene is always pretty active in San Antonio but here’s a new exhibit that we highly recommend: Fragments of Landscapes at the Musical Bridges Around the World Gallery, showing the work of Serbian artist Maya Sokovic. (Opens Saturday with a reception 5-8 p.m.; 23705 Frontage Rd., Ste.101, 78257; free but tickets required; masks encouraged; https://nusicalbridges.org) To learn more, see our article from April 20, on this site.

Another exhibit that we recommend has been on view for a while. That’s the NYFA Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program Exhibition that showcases the work of immigrant artists from 15 or 16 countries who now call San Antonio home. It is different! An opportunity to see it is coming up on April 26, when “an immersive evening of films and performances” by the exhibited artists will take place. We haven’t seen those so can’t say anything about them, but it’s worth going to see the exhibit itself. (April 26 at 6 p.m.; Centro de Artes in Market Square; free access. The exhibit will be on view through July 3^rd)

But the most fun event this weekend is, of course, the annual On & Off Fredericksburg Road Studio Tour, which starts with an opening reception at Bihl Haus Arts. Artists who live in the area – and there are hundreds of them – open their working spaces over the weekend for visitors to come in, see what they do and chat. Painters, sculptors, photographers, ceramicists, designers and others from the Deco District participate and offer art for sale at reasonable prices. To take the tour, attendees purchase either the hardcopy catalog featuring the necessary maps plus artists’ bios and images of their artwork, or the online catalog app for $10 in advance or $15 during the tour. (Bihl Haus Arts is located at 2803 Fredericksburg Rd.; Opening reception: April 22, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.; 210-383-9723.) You can also pick up the catalog at other area businesses, such as Deco Pizzeria, Vee’s Hair Salon, The Junction Antiques and Twig Bookstore.