By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor First, could you explain the “Chispas” in your name?The reason I came up with the name “Chispas” – and my studio is named Ay Chispas – is related to what was happening at the time when I was starting as an artist. My friends would come to my studio to hang out and drink beer but …
The San Antonio Philharmonic may have wrapped up its season but others have stepped in to provide classical & art music, even sooner than we expected. In fact, The Classical Music Institute (CMI) will be presenting a festival – CMI 210 Festival – this summer, starting with a concert this weekend. On the program are works by Galina Grigorieva, Peteris …
By PHIL HOUSEAL, Contributing Writer When music fans attend “Lomax on Lomax” at the Kerrville Folk Festival on June 7, they will learn the secrets of a 500-year-old musical mystery–the real story of Froggy Went A Courtin’. That is more propitious than it might sound. Because presenter John Lomax III is carrying on the musical legacy of the Lomax family …
NEWS ROUNDUP, June 1, 2023 As is traditional, the end of spring also brings the end of the live concert season for most music organizations, including, of course, the San Antonio Philharmonic. The summer is not exactly a musical desert, however, with the Cactus Pear Chamber Music Fest coming up in July, and possibly another Mozart Festival later in the …
A SHORT HISTORY OF MEMORIAL DAY – and Poems We all know that on Veterans Day we remember and honor those who died while serving in the U.S. Armed forces. But do we know how the tradition started? Quick! What’s the correct answer? Here’s a hint: The first Memorial Day was observed in 1868. Now you know, right? It was …
As summer approaches, performing arts organizations are wrapping up their 2022-23 seasons, and so is the San Antonio Philharmonic. For the final concert of its inaugural season, the orchestra has something special for music lovers, promising to end “with a bang.” And for this special occasion, SA Phil has brought to town conductor Akiko Fujimoto who once served as associate …
By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor Traditional artists painted landscapes, still-lives, religious themes and portraits of mythological and real heroes. San Antonio contemporary painter, Mary Helwick paints heroes, too, but her heroes are working men who work in essential but risky jobs like construction. As a construction manager for the City of San Antonio, Helwick knows and interacts with these men, and …
By PHIL HOUSEAL, Contributing Writer When Chad Matthews, then a Los Angeles-based actor, writer, and producer, decided to start an independent film festival back in 2010, why did he choose Fredericksburg, a tiny Texas town far from the hills of Hollywood? “Fredericksburg is kind of like my second home,” he said in an interview at the time. “As I was …
The big event this weekend is the Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival, the oldest and longest-running conjunto fest in the country. Organized by the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, this year’s event “Is shaping up to be an incredible Tejano Conjunto Festival a great line-up and more enthusiasm than ever from conjunto fans,” according the GCAC executive director, Cristina Balli. Most of …
By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor Not long ago, many music lovers feared that San Antonio would be left without a symphonic orchestra after the dissolution of the former San Antonio Symphony. But that did not happen. The musicians of the defunct Symphony didn’t let it happen. They marshaled their talents as both musicians and organizers, and re-created a symphonic orchestra, which …
