Arts Alive San Antonio

Their doors may be closed but arts organizations are trying their best to stay active in a new way, which, of course, means generating online content, from broadcasting full concerts to providing educational material for youngsters and adults.

Two music nonprofits, Agarita Chamber Players and the Musical Bridges Around the World, have taken the lead in using the internet to provide great music to listeners.

 Agarita is streaming previous live concerts featuring its four members and various guests, including non-musician artists, such as dancers or poets. Right now, you can watch a unique offering – 360 View: Women in Music, a concert devoted to women composers. Yes, there are women composers, though we rarely hear about them. Featured here are Missy Mazzoli, a fairly successful contemporary American composer; Amy Beach, who has the distinction of being the first female to build a great career by composing large-scale art music; Irish pianist and composer Joan Trimble; and Jessica Meyer, an American whose music is inspired by many traditions, including the blues, flamenco and Appalachian fiddling.Joining the Agarita quartet on stage are pianist Jean Park and mezzo-soprano Veronica Williams.

MBAW has been quite active online, replaying parts of the 2020 Gurwitz piano competition and featuring long-distance chats with the finalists, but now it has gone one step further by broadcasting its regularly scheduled San Fernando Cathedral concert on April 12 online. The musicians will be performing from their home bases in Miami and Belgium, respectively. (Let’s praise the amazing technology that makes such a concert possible!)

Titled “Dreams from Afar,” the virtual music-making will feature Armenian-born soprano Mane Galoyan from Miami, and Belgian duo Jolente De Maeyer on violin and Nikolaas Kende on piano from their home base in Belgium. All are distinguished performers, with a record of awards and multuple concert performances. Unfortunately, we know nothing about what they will be performing. The streaming is scheduled for 7 p.m., April 12. To watch go to: https://musicalbridges.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/MusicalBridgesAroundtheWorld/

And while we are talking about music, here’s something that opera and ballet fans will appreciate. The Royal Opera House in London will be broadcasting operas and ballets throughout April. We are talking here about top talent and original productions. Here’s the schedule: “Cosi Fan Tutte” (opera) tonight, April 10; “The Metamorphosis” (ballet) April 17; “Gloriana” (opera) April 24; “Winter’s Tale” (ballet) May 1. All start at 7 p.m. BST (6 hours ahead of Central Daylight Time) and all are free. www.roh.org.uk.

Visual arts organizations are also trying to stay connected with the patrons and the public in general. The Blue Star Contemporary has launched the BSC Book Shelf through which the staff and artists will recommend art-related books for your reading pleasure. All selections are available for download at the Internet Archive, a new nonprofit digital library offering free access to books, movies and music. Thank you, Bluestar, for letting us know about this wonderful resource!

Here are the titles that the Bluestar folks recommend: “The Photograph as Contemporary Art” by Catherine Cotton; “On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes” by Alexandra Horowitz, and “The Artist’s Mentor” by Ian Jackson.

If you would rather explore artists’ studios, you can do that too, at www.bluestarcontemporary.org/all-open-studios.

And let’s not forget the kids!

The DoSeum has created a new online educational resource called “Do It At Home,” a collection of educational materials for parents and caregivers to use and work on with children. Originally planned for a summer launch, it is being offered now to address current needs of stay-at-home students and their families. It includes DIY projects, storytelling, “Ask a Doer” videos and printable content, according to the press release. New content will be shared weekly as it becomes available.

“As a leader in informal learning, the DoSeum’s role is to help guide and inspire caregivers during this unique situation. Our doors might be temporarily closed but we are committed to our mission with all our hearts,” CEO Daniel Menelly is quoted as saying. “We understand families need resources to make at-home-learning joyful, meaningful and engaging.”

“Ask a Doer” has already been launched. The aim is to engage the curiosity of children by providing answers to their many questions. To access go to the museum’s website: https://www.thedoseum.org/Do-it-at-home .

The Magik Theater is also aiming to engage the young by providing what they do best – entertainment, education and comfort. They do so by featuring daily videos that offer learning, laughter and storytelling. To find the videos on the Magik’s Facebook and Instagram pages search @themagiktheatre

The schedule:

Magik Reader’s Theatre – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 2 p.m. on Facebook. Following the readings, kids can comment on the stories.

Magik Madlibs – Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3 p.m. on Facebook LIVE. Magik Madlibs takes suggestions from viewers and uses them to create silly stories and songs.

Pirate Pete and Friends – Saturdays at 10 a.m. on Facebook.  Pirate Pete tell stories about his adventures from aboard his ship.

Children’s Yoga – Sundays at 10 a.m. on Facebook. Aimed at the youngest kids but everyone can take part.