Arts Alive San Antonio

News Roundup is back in its usual spot! And so is the holiday season which looks more and more like what we were used to before COVID.

This Friday, you’ll here again the sounds of music from the outdoor amphitheater at the Wonderland of the Americas Mall. The Balcones Heights Jazz Festival that used to take place in the summer, has been reinvented this year as a year-long concert series, concluding Friday with its final concert. The holiday event will feature the versatile singer, songwriter and instrumentalist known as Slim Man, for whom this will be the 13^th time to take part in the popular fest.

“I love the festival, a free show for the people!” said Slim Man during a recent interview. “It’s a cool venue and it’s a great turnout. And I love San Antonio – the people, the food, the music. I even considered moving here at one point. It was a choice between San Antonio and Nashville, and I ultimately chose Nashville back then because I had a good friend there.” (He now lives in Palms Springs, CA.) And San Antonians seem to love him right back. “The crowd loves him,” said Lorenzo Nastasi, the economic development director for the city of Balcones Heights.

Friday night concert will showcase Christmas music as well as a number of his original songs, including hits such as “Faith in Us,” “Secrets of your Heart,” and “Christmas Eve.” San Antonio crooner Ken Slavin will open.  (Free; Wonderland of the Americas outdoor amphitheater; 7:30 p.m. Bring folding chairs/blankets. In case of rain, the concert moves inside.)

Another festival this weekend is the annual Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza that we told you about Monday. Mariachi instrumental and vocal competitions are taking place over several days at the Lila Cockrell Theater, but the main event, the Mariachi Vargas concert scheduled for Saturday, is sold out. To see the entire schedule go to www.mariachimusic.com

Lots of Christmas music can be enjoyed at the Public Theater of San Antonio where the made-in-San Antonio musical revue, “Season Greetings from San Antonio is playing through Dec. 19. (7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sundays; tickets $17-$47; www.thepublicsa.org, 210-733-7258)

And ‘tis the season for “The Nutcracker” and Ballet San Antonio is ready to take you to the Kingdom of the Sweets with eight performances this weekend. It promises to be an opulent production, with more than 100 kids on stage to complement BSA’s professional company. (Dec. 3 – 5 and Dec. 10 – 12; Fridays at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.; Tobin Center, 100 Auditorium Circle; tickets@tobincenter.org or 210-223-8624)

A couple of other “Nutcracker” productions will follow. We’ll tell you more about those next week.

At the Harlequin Theater, they will present a new musical revue of beloved Christmas songs created and directed by Shawn Kjos. The Harlequin shows take place at the Fort Sam Houston Theater. (2472 Stanley Rd., Fort Sam Houston; tickets by reservations $10-$22; call 210-222-9694

An extraordinary singer and activist, Somi Kakoma will likely dazzle the audience this Saturday at the Carver Community Cultural Center while paying tribute to African star Miriam Makeba. Of African-descent herself, Somi is not only a great pop and jazz vocalist but also a composer, actress and playwright and is currently a Graduate Prize Fellow at Harvard’s Department of Music. She is being referred to as the new Nina Simone. (Dec. 4 at 8 p.m.; Carver Center, 226 N. Hackberry; tickets $34; at Carver box office 210-207-2234; www.thecarver.org)

For those looking for sacred music, the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church’s choir will perform a “skinny” “Messiah,” meaning some parts will be omitted. “We are doing the good bits” wrote director of music Russell Jackson on the church’s website.  He added, “Come along and you’ll get ten minutes off Purgatory.” Skinny or not, Handel’s “Messiah” is uplifting and beautiful. (Sunday at 3 p.m.; 11 St. Luke’s Lane; 78209; www.slecsa.org; 210-828-6425)

Comedian George Lopez, who hardly needs an introduction, will keep his audiences in stitches at the Majestic Theater this weekend. Shows had to be added to the original schedule to meet demand for tickets. He will have four shows Dec. 3 and 4, two each day, at 7 and 10 p.m. (Majestic Theater, 224 E. Houston; tickets $40.50 – $245; www.majesticempire.com, 210-226-3333)

 This may surprise you but the San Antonio International Airport is also in the business of featuring art, giving local artists additional exposure and creating a pleasanter environment for travelers. Right now, six new exhibits are on view thanks to the city’s Aviation Department’s Arts and Culture Program. All art is in the publicly accessible areas of the airport. The featured art was created by a range of individuals and groups: Gio DiZurita, Aliee Wallace, Dee Howard Foundation, the UTSA Art Contest, airport employees and CreatiVets. The press release was not very clear but we’ll tell you more after seeing the exhibits.

Lots going on at the San Antonio Art League and Museum! The Art League’s annual Invitational Exhibit 2021 features three San Antonio artists with very different styles: Jorge Garza, Lee Ricks and Kathy Sosa. And SAALM will soon announce the name of the Artist of the Year 2022. You can probably buy some original art to present as gifts this Christmas. (Free access, open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 130 King William St.; www.saalm.org; check out their Small Works Gift Shop)

Speaking of buying art and art-related gifts, you can probably find unique items in other museums’ gift shops. One fun item sold at the San Antonio Museum of Art shop is the new Monopoly San Antonio game that features SA locations and landmarks. (200 West Jones Ave., 210-978-8140)

The Briscoe Western Art Museum is “adding Western Fun to the Holidays” with its Cowboy Christmas, featuring a Santa wearing a cowboy hat and boots. The museum is inviting you to come and meet Cowboy Santa and enjoy Cowboy Christmas Sunday, Dec. 5. Holiday crafts, a scavenger hunt, cocoa and cookies, and making Christmas ornaments will be part of the day. The museum is right on the River Walk and also has an impressive sculpture Garden to explore, not to mention the obvious: its art collection. And just wait until you see the gift shop! (Dec. 5, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; 210 W. Market St.; www.briscoemuseum.org, 210-299-4499)

And don’t forget the Red Dot exhibit and sale at the Blue Star Contemporary. That’s the place to find cutting-edge contemporary art in a range of styles and media. (116 Blue Star; 210-227-6960 www.bluestarcontemporary.org, )

And if you are an artist, you can enter your work in the San Antonio MLK, Jr. Commission’s 7^th Annual Citywide Artwork Contest. This year’s theme is “Free to Be…” The contest is open to Bexar County residents, and students are especially encouraged to participate. Deadline: Dec. 8, 2021 at 5 p.m.

On view at the Bihl Haus Arts gallery is an exhibition of works by veterans that we already told you about. In conjunction with that show, “Beyond Service: An Exhibition of Artworks by Veterans,” there will be a reading, “Speaking Beyond Service: A Poetry and Prose by Veterans” organized by Vietnam veteran and poet, Edward Guadalupe Acuna Lucio Cody Jr. Eleven other poets will also read at the event.(Dec. 4, 2-4 p.m., Bihl Haus Arts, 2803 Fredericksburg Rd.; www.bihlhausarts.org)

Opening Dec. 4 will be a different exhibit, “South of the Checkpoint, North of the River” at the Presa House Gallery. It is described as highlighting depiction of the border region “through the lens” of Rio Grande artists – Rigoberto Gonzalez, Jerry Lyles Jr., and Gina Gwen Palacios. (Opening reception Saturday at 7 p.m.; www.presahousegallety@gmail.com, 210-913-5842)

And here’s a little surprise quiz for you. Who is the lady in the picture playing the piano? This historical photo was sent to us by our friend, composer and pianist Tom Massinter. If you know the answer, send it to us via “Comments.”