Arts Alive San Antonio

About a year ago, we told you about the Caritas Concerts, founded by Mary Ann Winden in 2021. A long-time San Antonio organist, choir director, and “friend of the Chapel of the Incarnate Word,” Winden wanted to highlight the power of organ and choral music, both artistically and spiritually. What’s more, the chapel happens to have a Schoenstein organ, produced by the eponymous company that has built these highly valued instruments for the likes of the Washington National Cathedral, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City.

Since its dedication here in San Antonio, the Chapel and the congregation have hosted numerous recitals and concerts featuring local and national artists.

The artist who is scheduled to play for the upcoming concert is Lynne Davis, who has performed in nearly every cathedral in France and throughout Europe, says the press release. After graduating with a degree in organ performance from the University of Michigan, Davis moved to France to study for eight years with several top organists. She won first prize at the 1975 St. Albans International Organ Competition, in England. These days she is invited to judge organ competitions. (March 12 at 3 p.m.; Chapel of the Incarnate Word, 4503 Broadway; free)

YOSA, the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, will present “Queen’s Greatest Hits Live, a celebration of the famed British rock band’s many hits, including Somebody to Love, We Will Rock You and Bohemian Rhapsody. The actual rock numbers will be performed by San Antonio-based Q: The Music of Queen while backed up by the power of a full YOSA orchestra. During its heyday, Queen was hugely popular, selling some 250 million records over its performing career. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award.

YOSA has found a special niche by presenting classic rock and pop music with symphonic orchestra accompaniment. (March 12 at 8 p.m.; Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle; tickets start at $25, tickets@tobincenter.org or by phone 210-223-8624)

More beautiful music will be heard at the Tobin with the presentation of PLANET – Live in Concert,a spectacular tribute to life on our planet. Inspired and based on the Netflix original documentary called Our Planet, the currently touring show fuses “breathtaking cinematography” projected on a large HD screen, with newly orchestrated music by Steven Price, who composed the music for the Netflix documentary. An 18-piece orchestra will perform live on stage. The on-screen narrator is David Attenborough. (March 10-11 at 8 p.m.; Tobin Center; tickets start at $36.40; tickets@tobincenter.org or by phone 210-223-8624.

The San Antonio Chamber Music Society is bringing to town the Merz Trio, that will perform a varied repertoire in “their unique, mesmerizing, integrative programming style.” According to the press release, the trio is passionately committed to reshaping the narrative of classical music through “vibrantly dynamic music programming and wide-ranging interdisciplinary collaboration.” (March 12 at 3:15 p.m.; Temple Beth-El, 211 Belknap Place, 78212; tickets $25 at the door or online at https://www.sacms.org)

Southwest Guitar Symposium 2023 will be taking place this weekend, with concerts, masterclasses and competitions, organized by the UTSA School of Music. It sounds like heaven for guitar lovers. Among the performers will be Spanish guitar virtuosa, Andrea Gonzalez-Caballero, Zohn-Li Guitar Duo, Duo Fortis – Alejando Montiel and Isaac Bustos; Dr. Elliot Frank; Ben johnson, Aytahn Benavi, and others. All concerts will take place at the UTSA Recital Hall. (To see the schedule go to https://music.utsa.edu/swgs)

Only one day is left to enjoy works by living composers at the New Music Festival, also taking place at the UTSA Recital Hall. The featured composers are: Hannah Benitez, Zachary Cook, Brandon Davis, Klint Fabian, Jordan Green, Micah Rosenstein and James Syler. (Through March 9, UTSA Recital Hall; for more info, visit https://music.utsa.edu/nmf)

And for jazz lovers, the traditional style jazz band, The Dirty River Jazz Band, will perform In Schertz on Thursday. The first band members met at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, where most of them were studying music. After they attended a concert by Jim Cullum, the young musicians decided to form a group of their own. Their first concert was under the gazebo on Seguin’s main square, and it was a success. (March 9 at 7 p.m.; Schertz United Methodist Church; 3460 Roy Richard Drive, 78154; 210-658-3202; to contact the band go to dirtyriverdixieband@gmail.com; website www.dirtyriverjazzband.com)

Mexican songstress, Kenia Guadalupe Flores Osuna, known as Kenia Os, who posted videos of herself performing on YouTube to help her get noticed, will be in San Antonio Sunday. (March 12 at 8 p.m.; Aztec Theater, 104 N. St. Mary’s, 210-812-4355 or www.theaztectheatre.com)

The British dance-rock band, New Order, will entertain the grateful crowds at the AT&T Center, Saturday (8 p.m., 1 AT&T Center Parkway; tickets start at $50, www.attcenter.com)

The Camille A, Brown & Dancers will be showcased at the Carver Community Cultural Center Saturday night. Brown is an acclaimed choreographer and director who incorporates African American dance traditions and socially conscious themes in her choreography. (March 11 at 8 p.m.; Carver Center, 226 N. Hackberry; tickets are $$18-$38, through Ticketmaster.)

The fun musical, “Hairspray” continues its run at the Majestic Theater through March 12. (March 10 at 2 and 8 p.m., and Saturday, March 11 at 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Majestic Theater, 224 E. Houston; tickets $40 – $140; 210-226-3333, info@majesticempire.com)

On the visual arts front, we want to draw your attention to two new exhibits: Womanish: Audacious, Courageous, Willful Art at the McNay Art Museum and a very different show, Redux: Brought Back, Revived at Art Gallery Prudencia. The former features 80+ works by women artists in the McNay collection in honor of Women’s History Month. Quite a few local artists are included, and the show is altogether an interesting display of the range of styles and themes contemporary women artists are exploring. Definitely worth a visit!

The Prudencia Gallery show, however, is kind of unique. It’s a solo exhibit of works created by artist Susan Riley, who has found her own art niche. She restores, colorizes and meticulously embellishes old photos of various divas from the past, creating in the process, a new, revived presence of each woman, and a few men. It takes a lot of patience and detailed work but the sparkling results, are very “real.” Ten pieces were sold on opening night. (Art Gallery Prudencia, 2518 N. Main Ave., 78212; 210-422-8681)

In Kinship with Water is a poetry reading about San Antonio’s and humanity’s kinship with water. This is an outdoor poetry reading with seating available for about 50 guests. The organizing poetry group is called Stone in the Stream/Roca en el Rio. (March 12 at 2 p.m.; park at the Incarnate Word Chapel lot or other UIW lots along Broadway, located a short distance from the Lourdes Grotto where the reading will take place. Headwaters at Incarnate Word, 4503 Broadway; 210-828-2224; info@headwaters-iw.org)

Creative Confluence: A Spirited Festival of Nature, Music, Poetry, Storytelling, in celebration of World Water Day. All ages and abilities are encouraged to experience the inspiration of nature intertwined with music, dance, drumming and hands-on activities. Local artists will help with art projects and there will be live performances from the Sounds & Sights of Nature stage. You’ll learn a lot about water, animals and life on the river. (March 11, 3-6 p.m.; Confluence Park, 310 W Mitchell, 78210; 210-224-2694, https://sariverfound.org/confluence-park/)

Next week is spring break and the Witte Museum has a lot to offer to curious children and adults. One exhibit you’ll not find elsewhere is Antarctic Dinosaurs, which will take you to Antarctica, the Earth’s most isolated and dangerous place, where you may find dinosaurs’ bones. (Until recently, it was believed that life could not have existed in that environment but bones have been found there.) You’ll get a chance to see full-scale models of recently discovered dinosaurs, examine real fossils, and learn about the risks scientists take to explore and unearth the frozen continent’s past.

Another exhibit, Toys: The Way We Play, is about toys from recent decades, Cabbage Patch Kids, Care Bears, Transformers and others. But there’s something fun for adults, too. On Sunday, March 12, spend a relaxing afternoon under the pecan trees as the Regency Jazz Band plays classic jazz for you. (Free with museum admission). Free Tuesday at the Witte is on March 14.

Speaking of free, the San Antonio Museum of Art will also have free access from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 14. (SAMA, 200 W. Jones Ave., 78215; 210-978-8100; https://www.samuseum.org)

And the Briscoe Western Art Museum will be open seven days a week March 9-20, but no freebies here! Still, there are fun and educational programs lined up. On March 16, kids can learn about the animals that live in Texas. After completing a scavenger hunt to locate animals “hidden” in the museum, visitors have the opportunity to create their own stuffed animal, which they can take with them. The next day, they can create their own landscape or wildflower artwork. (To see all the fun options and activities, check the museum’s website www.briscoemuseum.org)

If you are willing to drive a little farther, your kids may have fun at the Robot Mania, at the Science Mill in Johnson City. “We will have robots that battle, robots that code, and robots that explore under oceans and on other planets,” says the press release. Visitors can also enjoy the more than 50 interactive exhibits inside the museum and outside in the Science & Art Park. (Open weekdays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Sunday noon-4 p.m. Special Robot Mania activities run continuously morning & afternoon except Sundays. Science Mill, 101 S Lady Bird Lane, Johnson City 78636; 844-263-6405. For more info visit www.sciencemill.org or call 844-263-6405.)