Arts Alive San Antonio

We’ll start by introducing you to the Annual San Antonio Folklife and Dance Festival presented by Heritage Festivals of San Antonio. This is the event that’s taken the place of the former Texas Folklife Festival organized by the Institute of Texan Cultures around the iconic building in Hemisfair Park.

“If you miss the Texas Folklife Festival, which delighted visitors for decades, this colorful event is for you,” said Mona Lisa Montgomery,” one of the organizers.

The new multicultural version has been taking place at the Rolling Oaks Mall for the past couple of years.
This year’s event is scheduled for this weekend at that mall. San Antonio is home for a number of ethnic groups who will perform song and dances from their respective cultures: Ukrainian, Turkish, Mexican, Hawaiian, Philippine, Korean, Panamian, and others.  In addition, groups like Fire on the Mountain, Echo Effect K-Pop, KaravanSA (belly dancing), Ballet Folklorico South Texas, and many others will also grace the stages.

District 8 and 10 councilmen will be there for the opening ceremony, after a short presentation from SA Pipes &Drums. Elizabeth Ruiz is the emcee for the festival. In addition to performances, ethnic foods and crafts will be demonstrated and available for purchase. (March 23 and 24; Rolling Oaks Mall, 6909 N. Loop 1604 E., noon until 5 p.m. each day; free admission, free parking.}

For something different and unusual, check out “Pirates on the Plaza” with Opera San Antonio and the Classical Music Institute. The opera company is about to open a new production of “Pirates of Penzance” at its performing home, the Tobin Center, and this event on Main Plaza is just a fun precursor sponsored by the Main Plaza Conservancy and the two performing companies – OSA and the Classical Music Institute. Singers and musicians will entertain you with numbers from the opera. You will also be able to explore musical instruments, learn sea shanties and just have a great time. (Saturday, March 23, 5-7 p.m.; Main Plaza,115 N. Main Ave. Bring folding chairs or blankets. Food vendors will be available; for more contact 210-225-9800; https://www.mainplaza.org/)

The actual opera will be performed April 11 and 13 at the Tobin Center. (Will tell you more, closer to that date.)

Lots of other musical events are coming up. The San Antonio Philharmonic is presenting a concert this weekend, featuring Anthony Parnther, one of today’s foremost film conductors. He’s worked with a number of film and TV composers on stages in the U.S. and Europe. The featured soloist is pianist David Kaplan. On the program: Ballade in A Minor by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor; Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20, and Schuman’s Symphony No.3, “Rhenish.” (March 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, March 23, also at 7:30 p.m.; First Baptist Church of San Antonio, 515 McCullough Ave., 78215; for tickets $35-$75, call 210-201-6006 or via www.saphil.org)

Camerata San Antonio will perform a children’s concert featuring classical chamber music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Dame Ethel Smyth, and others. Instruments that will be introduced to the young audience will be the violin, viola and cello, and questions will be welcome. Performers are: Laura Scalzo (violin), Emily Freudigman (viola) and Ken Freudigman, cellist and speaker.
(March 23 at 10:30 a.m.; Patrick Heath Public Library, 451 North Main St., Boerne, TX 78006; 830-249-3053; creech@boernelibrary.org)

At the Laurel Heights Seventh Day Adventist Church, you can get into the Easter mood with Easter Messiah performed by the church’s chorus and orchestra under the direction of Maestro Mazias de Oliveria. (March 23 at 11 a.m.; Laurel Heights SDA Church, 703 W. Ashby Place; free, “our gift to the community” says the church; free, 210-732-6898)

More sacred music:  Musica Sacra San Antonio, under the direction of Owen Duggan, will present a concert titled “Two Brothers of Different Mothers,” a choral concert featuring Mexican and German composers, to recognize the two founding cultures in South Texas. Selections are: works by 17^th-century Mexican composer Juan Gutieres de Padilla and 20^th-century composer Manuel Ponce. Ponce’s works are inspired by Mexican folk culture and popular songs. The German composer featured at this concert will be Johannes Brahms. A reception will follow. (March 23, at 4 p.m.; Northwood Presbyterian Church;
518 Pike Rd., 78209; 210-824-7238, www.npcsa.org; To contact Musica Sacra call 210-241-5589 or
musicasacraSA@gmail.com)

Jazz lovers may want to catch the Ilya Serov smooth jazz sounds at the Buena Vista Theater Saturday.
The talented trumpeter will appear with Oli Silk. The show is part of Jazz on the Water series. (March 23 at 7 p.m. and at 9:30 p.m.; Buena Vista Theater, 501 W. Cesar E. Chavez, 78207; tickets at:
www.buenavista.live/events-and-tickets)

Jimmie Dale Gilmore with West Texas Exiles. This group blends elements of folk, rock, country, blues and bluegrass. Gilmore’s recordings earned three Grammy nominations in both Contemporary Folk and Traditional Folk categories, and he was named Country Artist of the Year three times by Rolling Stone Magazine. (March 22 at 6:30 p.m.; Arcadia Live Theatre, 717 Water St., Kerrville, 78028, 830-3155483;
boxoffice@thearcadialive.org)

Let’s look at visual arts. The Big event this weekend should be the On and Off Fredericksburg Rd, an event run by Bihl Haus Arts since its inception. The idea is that artists living in the area – and there are quite a few – will open their studios and work spaces to visitors, and offer art for sale. They can also invite other artists to show with them in the same location. The participating artists can also display a piece at the Bihl Haus Arts Gallery. The tour opening event is taking place at the gallery on March 22. The event catalog should be available at that time. The studio tour officially takes place March 23-24, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on March 23, and 12-5 p.m. on the 24^th. (Bihl Haus Arts, 2803 Fredericksburg Rd., 78201; 210-383-9723; www.bihlhausarts.org)

The Contemporary at Blue Star has announced the names of the artists who will travel to Berlin, Germany, for a residency at Kunstlerhaus Bethanien Art Center in the 2024-2025 cycle of residents. They are: Heyd Fontenot, Sarah Fox, Beronica Gonzales and Jason Willome. Artists spend three months each in Berlin. The current resident there is Theresa Newsome who will be followed by Juan Carlos Escobedo this year.

The annual Fiesta Exhibition at the Witte Museum is scheduled to open April 6. What to expect: extravagant gowns of Fiesta royalty that this year drew inspiration from the sky and stars. More relevant is the museum’s celebration of the Total Solar Eclipse with a weekend-full space-related activities. (April 6 and 7, from noon to 4 p.m. On April 8, the Witte will host a Solar Eclipse Viewing with all museum visitors receiving complimentary eclipse glasses.)

Centro Cultural Aztlan has an exhibit of works by women artists that’s definitely worth a visit. The focus is on the resilience and persistence of women. This weekend, the center will also hold the 16^th annual Vuelo de Mariposa Spring Market, which gives local artists an affordable venue to sell their works of art, and provides visitors the opportunity to meet the artists and artisans. (March 23 and March 24, 12-5 p.m.; 1800 Fredericksburg Rd., Ste 103, 78201; 210-432-1896; https://centroaztlan.org)

And there’s excitement at the Briscoe Western Art Museum which will mark its 10^th anniversary with the 2024 “Night of Artists,” the signature event that launched the museum a decade ago. The event draws artists, collectors, and art lovers to the handsome museum building on the River Walk for two days of festivities, kicking off one of the largest Western Art exhibitions and sale events in the world. Attendees will have the opportunity to see and buy more than 295 new works – paintings, sculptures and mixed media – by more than 85 leading contemporary Western artists. The Briscoe will also release its first-ever publication about its permanent collection, titled “The West Starts Here.” (Exhibition opening, art sale and reception take place March 23; the public exhibition and sale: March 24-May 5, 2024. And, BTW, locals enjoy a free day of art and culture on the first Sunday of each month. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W. Market St., 78205; 210-299-4499; www.briscoemuseum.org)

An interesting, ballet-related presentation is planned at the McNay Art Museum. Dr. Caroline Hamilton, a Ballet Russes costume and dance historian will present a talk about the dazzling artistic and creative contribution made by women to the famous company. This will be a visual journey of the legacy of the Ballets Russes through the lens of the Tobin Collection of Theater Arts at the museum, featuring art works by Natalia Gontcharova, Sonia Delauny and Alexandra Exter. (March 28 at 6 p.m., at the McNay Art Museum; free but registration required.

The Anual Juried Student Exhibition at UTSA is juried by Eden Collins, assistant professor of sculpture at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is part of the COLFA research Conference. (UTSA Main Art Gallery, 1 UTSA Circle, 78249; Opens March 20 at 6 p.m.., on view through March 29. https://colfa.utsa.edu/art/galleries/)

The city of San Antonio has announced a new poet laureate: Eddie Vega, who will serve as the seventh poet in that position., from, April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2027. This honorary position focuses on promoting literary and poetic arts, and literacy, in the community. A public investiture ceremony will take place on April 15, during National Poetry Month.