Arts Alive San Antonio

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Good news from the music world! Two of San Antonio performing organizations that used to partner for multiple occasions in the past, are going to do it again.  The two are the San Antonio Mastersingers and the San Antonio Philharmonic, a new entity created by the musicians of the former San Antonio Symphony. They are old friends, and we are old friends with both ensembles. Some call it a “historic reunion.” Together, they will perform Mozart’s “Solemn Vespers” this Sunday, at the University United Methodist Church, easily the best house and environment for this performance.

This will be the Mastersingers first concert under the baton of new music director Yoojin Muhn.

Also on the program: “Cantique de Jean Racine” by Gabriel Faure, choral selections by Mathias, Theodor Kirchner, and contemporary American much-in-demand composer, Elaine Hagenberg. (Oct. 23 at 3 p.m.; University United Methodist Church, 5084 De Zavala Rd.; for tickets go to www.samastersingers.org)

SA Phil will also perform for students at Reagan and Brennan High Schools Tuesday through Friday of next week. The free concerts will be conducted by Stefan Sanders, music director of the Central Texas Philharmonic and the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra. SA Phil’s next pair of regular concerts is scheduled for Oct. 28-29 at the organization’s new home, the First Baptist Church of San Antonio. (More about that next week)

Camerata San Antonio will start its new season with a solo piano recital by its favorite pianist- the Bulgarian-born Viktor Valkov. He will play works by Tchaikovsky, Bach, Brahms, and Musorgsky’s beloved “Pictures at an Exhibition.” (Oct. 23 at 3 p.m.; Diane Bennack Concert Hall on the campus of the University of the Incarnate Word; 4301 Broadway; tickets $20 plus a $2.85 fee; www.cameratasa.org/tickets/)

 Camerata had to cancel its planned season opener “Postcard’ due to illness of one of its members. The new dates for that program are Friday, April 14, Saturday, April 15 and Sunday, April 16.

AGARITA’s HUMBLE HALL is back! Humble Hall is a concert delivered from the back of a truck in an informal setting, which can be a park, a parking lot or some other place where people gather. This is a group of fine musicians, so go and enjoy it. The upcoming music-making will take place at Tandem, where you can buy coffee, beer and wine. No word about the program (Oct. 23 at 3 p.m.; 310 Riverside Dr., 78210, right off the Mission Reach; free; www.agarita.org)

The Youth Orchestra of San Antonio – known as YOSA – plans to inaugurate its YOSA Zachry Series with “Frontiers,” featuring the “spectacular” guest artist, flutist Mimi Stillman. The highly accomplished young musicians will perform Aaron Copland’s dramatic musical retelling of the life of Wild West outlaw, Billy the Kid. The music will be paired with “Wild West” artworks from the Briscoe Western Art Museum. Also on the program is a new concerto by GRAMMY-nominated composer Zhou Tian, composed for Stillman. Sounds like a winning combination! (Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.; Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle; tickets at 210-223-8624 or tickets@tobincenter.org)

 And here’s something for all of you, non-professional musicians: The SOLI Chamber Ensemble and Texas Public Radio will have their annual community event, Open Mic VI, featuring talented individuals from the community performing their favorite works written since 1970. You have to register in advance. (The event is scheduled for Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. at TPR’s Malu and Carlos Alvarez theater; to register go to www.solichamberensemble.com/open-mic-vi/)

For music and comedy rolled into one, you can see “Menopause, The Musical” at the Tobin Center. Here’s how it’s described: “Four women at a lingerie sale have nothing in common but a black lace bra and memory loss, hot flashes, not enough sex,” etc. The songs are from the 60s, 70s and 80s. (Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m.; Tobin Center, 100 Auditorium Circle; tickets start at $24.50 at 210-223-8624 or tickets@tobincenter.org)

At the Majestic Theater, you can enjoy GOV’T MULE with Soul Rebels (Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m.; tickets start at $49.50; 224 E. Houston, box office 210-226-3333, www.majesticempire.com)

The rock group, Puscifer will be here Oct.22. The best-known member is probably vocalist Maynard James Keenan, who’s been with the band from the beginning. Supporting act is Night Club. (Oct. 22 at 8:30 p.m., parking opens at 4 p.m.; Tech Port Center & Arena, 3331 General Hudnell Dr., 78226; 210-600-3699; tickets $45.50-$71.50 at www.etix.com/ticket/online)

For Country music followers, there’s singer/songwriter Bonnie Lang, performing in New Braunfels. (Oct. 21, 6-9 p.m.; Krause Biergarten & Café, 148 Castell Ave..; free)

Folk Duo, Indigo Girls – friends Amy Ray and Emily Saliers – will be at the Rustic Saturday. (Oct. 22 at 9:30 p.m.; The Rustic, 17619 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 204; tickets $32-$79.50; 210-245-7500; www.therustic.com)

San Antonio is blessed with a wide selection of visual arts exhibits and events. The most compelling at this moment seems to be San Antonio Museum of Art’s just-opened exhibition, Traitor, Survivor, Icon – The Legacy of La Malinche. La Malinche was an indigenous girl who became Hernan Cortes’ linguistic and cultural interpreter, and later his mistress and mother of his first son. The current exhibit, that originated in Denver, examines her legacy through art, created by artists over several centuries, though the majority are from recent times. To learn more about the show, read our article from Oct. 18 on this site. (Through Jan. 8, 2023; San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., 210-978-8140, www.samuseum.org)

A new exhibit is about to open at the Witte Museum: Beasley’s Vaqueros of the Brush Country. Ricardo Beasley was a vaquero, and an artist and a poet, whose visual works and writings captured the details, danger and drama of the vaquero life, from the 1930s through the 1960s. This exhibit tells the story of the vaqueros through his work. (Oct. 22 – March 5, 2023; Witte Museum, 3801 Broadway, 78209; included in museum admission, www.wittemuseum.org)

Another Witte exhibition focuses on Brackenridge Park and its history. This one, sounds timely, given the possible changes to the park and the controversy over removing old trees. (Oct. 22 – March 5, 2023)

“Galactic Mayan Gods” is an exhibit opening at Bihl Haus Arts, featuring the work of Andy Villareal. His work pays homage to meso-American ancient cultures, such as the culture of the Maya people. It celebrates the history, rituals, and the people’s way of life. In his work you encounter colorful renditions of warriors, kings, pyramids, jaguars and other symbols of the time and place. His art has been shown in more than 50 exhibitions and dozens of art shows in Texas, New York, California and Mexico.

San Antonio Art League and Museum has cancelled the Artist of the Year talk scheduled for Sunday. However, you can still see the exhibit of works by the honored artist, Sylvia Benitez. (SAALM,
130 King William St., 78204; 210-223-1140, free; www.saalm.org)

And here’s a heads-up about the Day of the Dead Parade downtown. It’s been renamed SpiritLandia and the floats are likely to be bigger, more ornate, with altars, catrinas and costumed riders. It will take place Oct. 27 but it will be recorded and turned into a streaming special that will be available Nov. 1

And URBAN-15’s Carnaval de Los Muertos will be part of it! The parade is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.

The Color Purple is the last show at the Woodlawn Theater before the now renamed Wonder Theater company moves into the former Bijou Theater inside the Wonderland of the Americas Mall. There are three performances left in the old place; www.woodlawntheatre.org.

The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts has announced that Brian Moore has been named as the organization’s new Vice President of Programming. Moore will be overseeing programming for the Tobin Center and for Tobin Entertainment, the company’s offsite booking and promotion division, as well as its events and relationships across the country. Tobin Entertainment currently works with over 90 venues in 39 states.