News Roundup, Jan. 11, 2024
Aren’t you glad the holidays are over and we can return to normal life? So, let’s see what’s happening in the arts in the coming days.
Music from St. Mark’s will present Arts Lyrica Houston this coming Sunday. The ensemble’s program is titled “Fugal Games” featuring Baroque works by G.P. Telemann, and excerpts from Bach’s “Art of the Fugue,” as well as chamber pieces from “Musical Offering.” Members of the ensemble are: Matthew Dirst, harpsichord; Elizabeth Blumenstock, Baroque violin and viola; Stephen Redfield, Baroque violin; Sydney ZumMallen, Baroque cello; and Colin St.Martin, traverso. (Jan. 14 at 4 p.m.; St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 315 E Pecan St., 78205; 210-226-2426, free, https://stmarks-sa-org)
Camerata San Antonio is continuing its season with “Star Crossed” featuring Claude Debussy’s “Pelleas et Melisande,” and works by Clara Schumann and Johanes Brahms who were lovers in real life. According to the press release, their works “converge in a mesmerizing display of passion and unfulfilled longing.”
(Clara was married to Robert Schumann) To quote further from the release: “Star-Crossed promises not only a showcase of virtuosity but also an exploration of the profound connection between love, life and the enduring power of musical expression.” (Jan. 12, 13 & 14; The Jan. 12 concert will take place at 4 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Kerrville, 800 Jefferson St.; the Jan. 13 concert will be at 3 p.m. at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, 11093 Bandera Rd., in San Antonio; and the Jan. 14 event will be at 2 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 510- Belknap Place; admission for general seating is a donation of $20; tickets can be reserved at www.cameratasa.org or by phone 210-492-9519)
Many of you remember the talented Tina Turner who died in May, 2023 in her home in Switzerland. She had a stellar career as “the queen of Rock & Roll” and sold some 20 million albums, though her personal life had its ups and downs. Now, there’s ”Tina – the Tina Turner Musical” that features her music and depicts her life, from humble beginnings to superstardom. People magazine described the musical as “euphoric, moving and totally joyous.” Now you can see at the Majestic Theater (Jan. 16-21’ evening and afternoon shows are available; Majestic Theater, 224 E. Houston, 78205; tickets are $55-$160; 210-226-5700, box office 210-226-5700, box office 210-226-3333; www.majesticempire.com)
Also at the Majestic, this weekend is The Lone Below, with Liz Longley a musical group celebrating its 10th anniversary by touring. It began as a songwriting project for Zach Williams, whose wife suffered paralysis after a horseback riding accident. He started writing a journal during her recovery, and eventually transformed his journal entries into songs. Williams is the lead vocalist of the band, that also includes Brian Elmquist, and Kanene Donehey Pipkin. (Jan. 12 at 8 p.m.; tickets are $29-$50; www.majesticempire.com/events)
And there are always great shows at the TOBIN! One of them is Shen Yun, a large ensemble of dancers and musicians presenting works that reflect the arts heritage from Ancient China. The show is quite spectacular, lavish and colorful and audiences seem to want to see it repeatedly. ((Six performances, Jan. 13-Feb. 18, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle; tickets are $84-$184; 210-223-8624 or tickets@tobincenter.org)
A few days later, a very different company of dancers will appear on the Tobin stage: Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Despite the name this group is entirely American-made and New York-based. Look closer at the ballerinas on stage. Don’t they look strange? That’s because this is an all-male troupe that presents parodies of classical ballet, complete with accidents, slapstick, exaggerations but delivered with technical prowess. (Jan. 18 at 8 p.m., Tobin Center. Tickets start at $37. To buy, see above.)
On the visual arts front, the most significant event is the opening of the new landscape exhibit at the San Antonio Arts Legue and Museum (SAALM) Titled “Lone Star Horizons: Texas Landscapes Past, Present and Future,” the exhibition just opened on Jan. 6. The show celebrates the diversity of Texas landscapes and the artistic visions they evoke. Only SAALM members were eligible to participate. But it also includes a landscape retrospective from the museum’s permanent collection. The juror for the members’ section of the show was artist Harold Joiner from Houston.
The SAALM exhibit also includes an innovative non-juried invitational selection of Texas landscapes which incorporate AI tools (Artificial Intelligence components) in the production of the artwork.
AI on one end and the historic works on the other, bookend the exhibit. (On view through Feb. 16, 2024; free access; SAALM, 130 King William St., across from King William Park; free access, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.; 210-223-1140, www.saalm.org)
San Antonio galleries are also presenting new shows.
Art Gallery Prudencia is about to open “Shared Visions,” an exhibit that will show the works of two artists – Billy Keem and Tim McMeans. Keen’s works are part of SAALM’s permanent collection and The U.S. Air Force Collection, and in private collections. He is quoted as saying “I am struck by the phenomenon of memory and how it relates to the landscape.” There it is again, artists’ fascination with nature. Tim McMeans is best known for his hybrid painted-drawings of animals, abstractions and objects in broken geometric planes. His art has been included in 35 group exhibitions and 13 solo shows.
(0pens Jan. 20; Art Gallery Prudencia, 2518 N. Main, 78212; 210-422-8681; www.prudenciagallery.com)
Clamp Light Studios and Gallery is presenting a solo exhibition by artist Chloe Eseo: “There are Still Beautiful Things: Expressionist Landscapes in Oil” She says she paints in the style of “open expressionism, a technique that employs rich colors and thick brush strokes pieced together almost like stained glass.” She is also an art teacher and she aimed at creating works that her students could relate to and enjoy. (Opens Jan. 12, 6-9 p.m., Clamp Light Studios, 1704 Blanco Rd., ste.104; clamplightstudios@gmail.com)
We are about to celebrate and commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Every year the city’s Department of Arts and Culture invites students to create an original artwork to represent and symbolize the occasion. This year, they received 82 submissions, and chose the art submitted by Fort Sam Houston ISD high School student, Alexa Villanueva. It will be used as the visual representation of the 37th Martin Luther King, Jr March and commemoration that will take place Jan. 15, An official unveiling of the artwork took place January 9 at the Carver Community Cultural Center.