May/June 2016

May/June 2016 | On The Town 1

Storybook HousesTexas Folklife FestivalThe Vineyard at Florence Tobin Center 2016-17 SeasonRene Romero: Faux-Wood Artist

Cactus Pear Music FestivalArts San Antonio 25th Anniversary

Lana and David Duke of Ruth’s Chris2016 San Antonio Piano Competition

Plus 7 Additional Articles

Storybook HousesTexas Folklife FestivalThe Vineyard at Florence Tobin Center 2016-17 SeasonRene Romero: Faux-Wood Artist

Cactus Pear Music FestivalArts San Antonio 25th Anniversary

Lana and David Duke of Ruth’s Chris2016 SA International Piano Competition

Plus 7 Additional Articles

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May/June 2016May/June 2016

http://onthetownezine.com


2 On The Town | May/June 2016

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Lair Creative, LLC would not knowingly publish misleading or erroneous information in editorial content or in any advertisement in On The Town Ezine.com, nor does it assume responsibility if this type of editorial or advertising should appear under any circumstances. Additionally, content in this electronic magazine does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the management of Lair Creative, LLC. Since On The Town Ezine.com features information on perfor-mances and exhibits, it is recommended that all times and dates of such events be confirmed by the reader prior to attendance. The publisher assumes no responsibility for changes in times, dates, venues, exhibitions or performances.

There’s So much to see and do in May and June 8Don’t miss incredible opportunities to beEntertained!

The Tobin Center 2016-17 Season 14Dance, Broadway and a new “edge”

2016 San Antonio International Piano 18Competition to feature young musicians

Cinema Tuesdays Series begins May 31 22with Dial M for Murder

Arts San Antonio notes 25th anniversary 24with varied programs that “mix and blend” local cultures

Youth Orchestras of San Antonio: 28transforming lives through the pursuit of excellence

Follow the sizzle to Ruth’s Chris 54

The Vineyard at Florence is women owned 58and Texas Proud

Maya, Splendor, Coney, Rodin, De la Selva y mas 64Area museums and art centers offer grandexhibitions in May and June

Rene Romero: Faux wood artist 68

New at San Antonio Botanical Garden: 72Storybook Houses and Saturday Drop-in Programming

Texas Folklife Festival Celebrates 45 Years 82

20/20 Vision: Cactus Pear Music Festival’s 20th 86Anniversary Season

88 2424 3333

Features Features Cont.

Events Calendar 34

Artistic Destination: Kerrville's Mueum of 76Western Art a giant in the Hill Country

Book Talk: Randy Fritz, author 92

Out & About With Greg Harrison 98

Departments


Front Cover Photo:From Maya: Hidden Worlds RevealedCourtesy Witte Musuem

Performing Arts Cover Photo:The Wizard of OzPhoto by Daniel A. Swalec

Events Calendar Cover Photo:Akiko FujimotoPhoto by Eric Green

Culinary Arts Cover Photo:Photo by Greg Harrison

Visual Arts Cover Photo:Reginald Marsh, Wooden Horses, 1936, tempera on board, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut, The Dorothy Clark Archibald and Thomas L. Archibald Fund, The Krieble Family Fund for American Art, The American Paintings Purchase Fund, and The Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection Fund, 2013.1.1. © 2016 Estate of Reginald Marsh / Art Students League, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Festivals & Celebrations Cover Photo:Courtesy ITC Texas Folklife Festival

Literary Arts Cover Photo:Photo by Greg Harrison

Out & About With Greg Harrison Cover Photo:Photo by Greg Harrison

Cover Credits

Lair Creative, LLC would not knowingly publish misleading or erroneous information in editorial content or in any advertisement in On The Town Ezine.com, nor does it assume responsibility if this type of editorial or advertising should appear under any circumstances. Additionally, content in this electronic magazine does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the management of Lair Creative, LLC. Since On The Town Ezine.com features information on perfor-mances and exhibits, it is recommended that all times and dates of such events be confirmed by the reader prior to attendance. The publisher assumes no responsibility for changes in times, dates, venues, exhibitions or performances.

68685454 8686

ContributorsGary Albright

Mikel Allencreative director/graphic designer

Rudy Arispe

James M. Benavides

Olivier J. Bourgoin(aka, Olivier the Wine Guy)

Julie Catalano

Thomas Duhon

Peabo Fowler

Dan R. Goddard

Antonio Gutierrez

Greg Harrisonstaff photographer

Christian Lairoperations manager/webmaster

Kay Lair

Susan A. Merknercopy editor

Sarah Selango

Jasmina Wellinghoff

OnTheTownEzine.com is published byLair Creative, LLC14122 Red MapleSan Antonio, Texas 78247210-771-8486210-490-7950 (fax)



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Performing Arts

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Performing Arts

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THERE’S SO MUCH TO SEE AND DO IN MAY AND JUNE.DON’T MISS INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE ENTERTAINED! By Sara Selango



May and June bring warm weather and hot performances. Right off the bat, Motown The Musical sings and dances its way onto the Majestic stage

May 3-8 for eight performances courtesy of the North Park Lexus Broadway in San Antonio series. Later in May the series gives us the opportunity to see Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Wizard of Oz at the same venue. Dates for this one are May 31 through June 5. After this, starting in September, touring Broadway at the Majestic includes The Sound of Music, Cabaret, Jersey Boys, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical and Matilda to name a few.

In addition to great nights of musical theater, the Majestic has a full slate of incredible performances to consider in May and June. I’m name-dropping here when mentioning the likes of The Gipsy Kings, Celtic Woman, John Fogerty, Chicago, Whoopi Golberg, Whitesnake and Alan Cumming. All are coming to town at the Majestic in those months, as are Graham Nash and Jane Lynch at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre next door. Go to the Majestic-Empire website and mark your calendar.

A few blocks away at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, the San Antonio Symphony features Akiko Fujimoto as conductor and Martina Filjak as piano soloist for Saint-Saens Piano Concerto May 6-7 at the center’s big

hall, followed by Bruch Violin Concerto with soloist Sarah Chang and guest conductor Gabriel Feltz, May 20-21. Mahler’s Titan concludes the symphony’s classic season June 3-5. Sebastian Lang-Lessing conducts with Augustin Hadelich as violin soloist. In the pops category, the symphony will play the music of John Williams, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, John Phillips Sousa and more at Patriotic Pops, May 13-15, also at the Tobin Center.

Other featured performances at the Tobin’s H-E-B Performance Hall during this time frame are Peter Frampton, Jo Dee Messina, The Glenn Miller Orchestra and Chubby Checker. At the smaller Carlos Alvarez Studio Theatre, the Tobin’s very popular Edge Series bring Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus to the stage May 12-15 for five performances, as well as intimate Studio Sessions evenings with Bebel Gilberto, John Waite, Taylor Hicks and John Mayall. Check the events calendar in this issue for days and times.

The Children’s International Puppet Festival, presented by Children’s Fine Arts Series and the Tobin, comes around again this year from May 4-10. For young children and their parents, this is not to be missed. Some of the world’s greatest puppeteers will entertain all who come to the six different shows offered.



You might also want to check out these wonderful opportunities at the Tobin shortly after the May-June period. Included are performances by America, Case/Lang/Veirs, Culture Club, Clint Black and Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Woman Show.

Spring and summer months are always great at local community theaters. This year, enjoy Memphis at the Woodlawn before it ends May 8, Born Yesterday by The Classic Theatre of San Antonio through May 22 and The Cemetery Club in neighboring Boerne at their theatre until May 21. The list goes on with The Gingerbread Lady on stage at Harlequin Dinner Theatre May 5-28 and with A Chorus Line featured at the Russell Hill Rogers Theatre at Playhouse San Antonio May 6-June 5. Following this at Playhouse San Antonio’s Cellar Theatre is Tribes May 20-June 12.

Jaston Williams of Greater Tuna fame brings A Wolverine Walks Into A Bar (Conversations Over Ice) to Classic Theatre San Antonio for six performances over two weekends starting May 26 and finishing up on June 5. Please allow a personal plug here. I can’t wait to see this one.

Attic Rep gets into the act with 14 at the Tobin’s

Carlos Alvarez Studio Theatre with multiple performances June 6-19, and Capitol Steps comes to Laurie Auditorium June 26.

Not to be forgotten in this sea of shows are Oklahoma at the Smith-Ritch Outdoor Theatre in Ingram, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast by Fredericksburg Theatre Company, Footloose at Circle Arts Theatre in New Braunfels, African Folktales at the Carver, two performances by Hornsby Theatre Company of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide on stage at the Josephine and Shiploads of Shimmies at the VK Garage Theatre in Kerrville.

Looking again at live music, evenings you don’t want to miss in May and June include Boz Skaggs May 7, Asleep at the Wheel May 13, Ronnie Milsap May 14, Charlie Daniels Band May 15 and Jerry Jeff Walker May 20-21 at Gruene Hall, Texas’ oldest dance hall. Ray Wylie Hubbard also plays there June 25 and on the same night Billy Currington is featured at Whitewater Amphitheater in New Braunfels. Also in New Braunfels, the Brauntex Performing Arts Theatre is the place for An Evening with Gary Morris May 14.



Two music festivals are on the calendar in May and June aw well. They are the 35th Annual Tejano Conjunto Festival at Guadalupe Theatre and Rosedale Park May 11-15 and the Kerrville Folk Festival with Judy Collins, Terri Hendrix, Ruthie Foster, Peter Yarrow and more at Quiet Valley Ranch May 26-June 12.

Before wrapping things up, I want to mention four classical performances and a piano competition. Mid-Tex Symphony, under the direction of David Mairs, offers an afternoon of Copeland and Saint-Saens May 1 at Jackson Auditorium in Seguin while Youth Orchestras of San Antonio performs a program titled European Rhapsody on the evening of that same day at the H-E-B Performance Hall at the Tobin. Sunday, May 15 has the Fredericksburg Music Club featuring pianist Emil Pandolfi at Fredericksburg United Methodist and Musical Bridges Around The World offering Silk Sojourn at San Fernando Cathedral.

And as a noteworthy end to this writing, the San Antonio International Piano Competition for 2016 is scheduled for June 5-12 at Trinity University.

That’s a lot of stuff in May and June to enjoy. Take my advice and get some tickets and go!

Photo Credits:

Pages 8-9:

The Wizard of OzPhoto by Daniel A. Swalec

Pages 10-11 (L-R)

Mairead Nesbitt – Celtic WomanCourtesy celticwoman.com

Whoopi GoldbergCourtesy Majestic Theatre

Martina FiljakPhoto by Romano Grozich

Chubby CheckerCourtesy Tobin Center

Pages 12 (L-R)

Sarah ChangPhoto by Cliff Watts

John FogertyCourtesy Majestic Theatre


http://celticwoman.com


http://broadwayinsanantonio.com


The third season of San Antonio's Tobin Center for the Per forming Ar ts promises to be the best yet - - and

that 's saying a lot af ter a second season that v ice pres ident of programming and market ing Aaron Zimmermann descr ibed as “an absolutely incredible r ide.”

With more than 20 sellout acts in the past year, the upcoming 2016-17 season with its three stellar series — dance, Broadway and adult-themed theater — is sure to sustain the audience love.

Ready? Mark your calendars and get your tickets early. More sellouts are surely on the way.

THE TOBIN CENTER'S 2016-17 SEASON:DANCE, BROADWAY...AND A NEW 'EDGE'By Julie CatalanoPhotography courtesy of the Tobin Center


Into The Woods Pilobus

May/June 2016 | On The Town 15May/June 2016 | On The Town 15

THE DANCE SERIES“These are some of the best dance organizations in the world,” Zimmermann said. “Getting all four of them in one season is incredible.” Even better, “all four are going to offer a children's master class, giving young people opportunities they might not otherwise have.”

Parsons Dance. Sept. 25. Internationally renowned New York-based modern dance company founded in 1985 by artistic director David Parsons and lighting designer Howell Binkley, Parsons Dance is known for athletic ensemble work and contemporary collaborations with Donna Karan, Annie Leibovitz, Milton Nascimento and others.

Pilobolus: Shadowland. Jan. 18. A unique, surreal, coming-of-age dramedy set to an original score by David Poe, “Shadowland” is the perfect vehicle for a groundbreaking company famous for constantly exploring innovative ways of using the human body as a graphic and expressive

medium. In 2015, Pilobolus was named an “Irreplaceable Dance Treasure” by the Dance Heritage Coalition.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. March 28. A must-see for every dance lover, the company designated as “a vital American cultural ambassador to the world” by the U.S. Congress has performed on six continents, 71 countries, and in television, film and online.

MOMIX: Opus Cactus. April 19. Originally created as a 20-minute piece for Ballet Arizona, “Opus Cactus” is a full-evening work for a riveting company of dancer-illusionists under artistic director Moses Pendleton.

THE BMW OF SAN ANTONIO SIGNATURE SERIES Menopause the Musical. Aug. 19. This raucous, insightful take on the “silent passage” that is silent no more features four female characters — Professional Woman, Iowa Housewife, Earth Mother and Soap Star — as they navigate the choppy waters of “the change.” Songs are

Menopause The Musical Julie Madly Deeply


styled after baby boomer faves: “Please Make Me Over,” “Puff, My God, I'm Draggin',” more.

The Other Mozart (special show that can be added to the subscription series). Nov. 17-19, three performances. In the intimate setting of the Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater, this one-woman show takes on special poignancy as the true story of Amadeus Mozart's sister Nannerl is told. Prodigy, virtuoso and composer, Nannerl's rightful place in musical history faded in the shadow of her celebrated brother — until now.

Mamma Mia! The Farewell Tour. Jan. 29, two performances. This might be the last chance to see the smash hit stage show before it goes off the road. Fans of Abba's music and this sunny tale of love and friendship set on a Greek island can never get enough of “Take a Chance on Me” and “Dancing Queen.”

Into the Woods. Feb. 23. With music and lyrics by

Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, fairy tales never looked or sounded so good. Using characters from the Brothers Grimm, the magical musical-with-a-lesson teaches, “Be careful what you wish for.”

Hedwig and the Angry Inch. April 8-9, three performances. The high-powered, over-the-top rock musical first blew up off-Broadway in 1998. The story centers on fictional East German singer Hedwig (formerly Hansel), who assumes her female persona after a botched sex-change operation. “We're very excited to have the San Antonio premiere of this Tony award-winning show for its first tour since closing on Broadway,” Zimmermann said.

Greater Tuna. April 13. A Texas-born perennial favorite, the irreverent comedy puts the spotlight on Tuna, Texas' third-smallest town, “where the Lions Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies.” Playing everywhere from Broadway to the White House, this two-man, 20-character show has enjoyed worldwide success.


Mommix Alvin Ailey American Dance


THE EDGE SERIES Playing in the Studio Theater, “this was the first season of the Edge Series, and I think it worked fabulously,” Zimmermann said. “Edgy, adult-ish, off-Broadway, off-color, we made a statement, and it worked. We're definitely developing the audience.”

My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish and I'm in Therapy. Sept. 23-24. One of the longest-running one-man shows in history, writer and comedian Steve Solomon's brainchild brings to life almost 30 different voices of hilarious characters in family situations.

The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron? Jan. 19-21. Meet Bobby (writer, actor, comedian Robert Dubac). He's in a massive state of confusion after being dumped by the girl of his dreams. In trying to find out what happened, he turns to other men, equally clueless (or are they?) -- the Colonel, the Frenchman, Fast Eddie,

Old Mr. Linger — all brought to life by the brilliant Dubac in this sidesplittingly funny-for-both-sexes hit.

Disenchanted! Feb. 24-26, five performances. A hilariously subversive, not-for-kiddies musical featuring Snow White and her petulant posse that tears off the tiaras of the famous princesses you think you know. Yes, those princesses. That glass slipper will never look the same.

Julie Madly Deeply. May 18-20. Billed as a “cheeky yet affectionate cabaret,” award-winning singer and West End actress Sarah-Louise Young presents a funny and candid love letter to the legendary Dame Julie Andrews. Young blends iconic Andrews’ songs with stories of her life, from child star to the loss of her beloved singing voice.

For more information: tobincenter.org. Tickets available online or by phone at 210-223-8624.


Hedwig and the Angry Itch Mamma Mia




Lo-An Lin wasn’t focused on winning when she competed in the San Antonio International Piano Competition four years ago. Instead, she

saw it as a wonderful performance opportunity, where she could continue to improve as an artist.

So when her name was announced as the 2012 Gold Medalist, it took her by surprise.

“Unbelievable,” Lin said by phone after a full day of teaching piano to undergraduate music majors at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where she resides. “I had already competed in a number of competitions and won in high school and college. After I started my master’s degree, I stopped competing for two years. I think it helped me to be in a healthier state of mind because I was refreshed and relaxed and just wanted to share my musical ideas.”

Lin returns to San Antonio on June 5, when she opens the 2016 San Antonio International Piano Competition (SAIPC) at the Ruth Taylor Recital Hall at Trinity University. All performances are free.

Founded in 1983, SAIPC is dedicated to providing an enriching musical experience for San Antonio and South Texas audiences while offering a challenging yet inspiring opportunity to promising young artists. Limited to pianists ages 20 to 32, the SAIPC provides significant cash awards to the gold, silver and bronze medalists, who compete through a series of daily concerts given by 12 semi-finalists, five concerts by finalists, and a final Winners’ Recital.

Suzan Lambillotte, SAIPC executive director, said the public can enjoy 30 hours of professional classical music by pianists from the United States, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, China and South Korea. “At the culmination of the

competition, we will have a recital from the gold, silver and bronze medalists,” she said. “It’s interesting to see each finalist evolve to a higher level in order to win.”

For those who can’t make it to Trinity University, all performances will be live streamed. “The competition happens every four years, so you can still watch your favorite pianist as they compete and advance to the next level,” Lambillotte said. “You can watch on your phone, Facebook live or Periscope.”

This year, SAIPC received more applications than ever before: 96. All submitted a video of a required performance online. “They had to play a specific repertoire, which were reviewed by judges,” she said.

SAIPC commissioned Texas composer Matthew Mason to produce a new work, which all 12 semi-finalists are required to learn. The world premiere of his work will then be performed by the five finalists. In addition to awards for first, second and third place, there are awards for best performance of the commissioned work, and of works from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th-21st century eras, as well as of a Russian work and a work by a Spanish, Latin American or Impressionistic composer. The winners of these awards will perform at the Winners’ Recital.

Past winners, Lambillotte said, use their cash awards – such as the $15,000 for the gold medalist, $10,000 for the silver medalist and $5,000 for the bronze medalist – to advance their music educations and concert careers.

“They often use that money to concertize,” the executive director said. “Being an artist is about creating a reputation. It can be hard. The international competition gives them an open stage for people to become familiar with their name.”

2016 San Antonio International Piano Competition to feature young musiciansBy Rudy Arispe

May/June 2016 | On The Town 19© Darya Petrenko | Dreamstime.com


The gold medalist, for instance, will have an opportunity to play with the San Antonio Symphony, as well as other performance opportunities, such as the Mozart Festival, Cactus Pear Music Festival and Fredericksburg Music Club.

“My hope is to assist in developing performance opportunities to help winners concertize,” Lambillotte said. “Our donors and supporters make the competition happen. We thank them for supporting piano artistry in San Antonio.”

Lin, meanwhile, has kept busy since winning the gold in 2012. In addition to being a teaching assistant at Eastman School of Music, the 27-year-old Taiwan native is working on her doctorate of musical art at Eastman and also teaches at the Eastman Community Music School, where her private students range from 4 years old to age 60.

Incidentally, Lin’s older sister’s desire to play led her into music, as well. “My mom wanted to be fair, so she enrolled me and all my four siblings in lessons,” she said. “At age 9, I auditioned for a music conservatory in Taiwan and was accepted.”

The gold medalist offers some advice for the 2016 competitors. “Trust your own musical ideas, be confident and enjoy your performances,” she said.

During her June 5 concert, Lin will perform Gabriel Fauré’s “Nocturne No. 6” and Robert Schumann’s “Kreisleriana,” among other pieces.

For information about performance dates and times, visit www.saipc.org or call 210-655-0766.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Photo Credits:

Page 20(Above)

Lo-An Lin2012 Gold MedalistPhoto courtesy SAIPC

(Below)Ryo Yanagitani2009 Gold MedalistPhoto courtesy S&R Foundation20 On The Town | May/June 2016

https://ticketstickets.com/artssa/campaign.asp?campaigncode=1617_OTTZ_AD

http://www.saipc.org


https://ticketstickets.com/artssa/campaign.asp?campaigncode=1617_OTTZ_AD


Cinema Tuesdays Series Begins May 31 with 'Dial M for Murder'By Peabo Fowler

T his year, Texas Public Radio’s Cinema Tuesdays series is going where it never has before—into the third dimension.

The popular summer film series, curated by TPR’s Nathan Cone, opens with a 3D film for the first time in its 16-year history. Alfred Hitchcock’s “Dial M for Murder” opens the series on May 31.Wait, Hitchcock in 3D? Didn’t that movie come out in the 1950s?

“Few people know that Hitchcock actually shot ‘Dial M’ in the 3D format,” Cone said. “3D movies were a fad that came and went in less than 10 years back in the ’50s, but with new technology, we’re able to bring back this classic film the way it was truly meant to be seen.” That means no red and blue tinted glasses; instead, viewers will get modernized 3D specs to watch the movie.

“Dial M For Murder” will screen at the Santikos


Dial M for Murder


Palladium, and following that, Cone has a whole summer full of classic films, with a few contemporary gems thrown in for good measure. Highlights include the long-requested film “ To Kill A Mockingbird” (June 14) as well as John Wayne in “ The Quiet Man” (June 21) and the monumental “Ben-Hur,” starring Charlton Heston June 7). For that screening, TPR will present the film with an overture and intermission, just like it was back in 1959.

The annual Oscar Shorts program (June 28) and the Ariel award-winning Mexican film “Güeros” showcase some of the best in modern cinema, as will “The Send-Off,” a Texas-made film that won Best Texas Short at the recent South by Southwest film festival in Austin. The short film will accompany a screening of “My Dinner With Andre” on July 5.

Over the years, Cone has resisted creating a theme for any one particular season, feeling it would

be too limiting. “Really, the only theme we’ve ever had was that these are all great movies that deserve a big-screen treatment,” he said. “ They are often one-of-a-kind opportunities to share the experience with a friend, family member, or just savor it for yourself. I enjoy meeting and visiting with everyone who comes to the show each week. There’s a real sense of community among TPR cinema fans.” The Cinema Tuesdays series runs through Aug. 16. Admission is by suggested donation each week, and season passes are available for TPR members. All proceeds from TPR’s Cinema Tuesdays benefit Texas Public Radio, which operates the NPR affiliate KSTX 89.1 FM and classical music station KPAC 88.3 FM in San Antonio.

See you at the movies!

Details are at tprcinema.org.


Ben Hur

http://tprcinema.org


John Tooheypresident and executive directorArts San Antonio

May/June 2016 | On The Town 25January/February 2016 | On The Town 25

Twenty-five years ago, two local arts organizations were married and gave birth to a new arrival: ARTS San Antonio.

Observing its silver anniversary season this fall, ARTS San Antonio is known as a presenter of performing arts with an emphasis on arts education.

Since its birth in 1992, ARTS San Antonio has produced “The Nutcracker” every holiday season. Collaborating with existing local arts groups and bringing in performers from around the globe, the organization offers a wide array of performances, with a specialty in dance and jazz.

“Although ARTS San Antonio can’t be all things to all people, especially in a city as large and diverse as San Antonio, the organization’s goal is to appeal to the widest population,” said John A. Toohey, ARTS San Antonio president and executive director.

“Our programming is diverse,” Toohey said. “We want it to reflect the nature and composition of the community.”

Attorney Jon C. Wood, a founding board member of ARTS San Antonio who remains active with the organization, said that local arts groups reached an economic nadir in the early 1990s.

“Arts groups all faced the same financial trouble: They were in debt at the end of their season, and they had to fundraise to make up the deficit,” Wood said. “It was tough.”

At the time, the San Antonio Festival was an annual event, with a self-produced opera as its centerpiece, Wood said. Simultaneously, the San Antonio Performing Arts Association presented a variety of programs each year.

After repeated requests for funding, local business leaders asked the two groups to consider a merger and in exchange gave the new organization, ARTS San Antonio, a firm budget for each of the next several years.

“ARTS San Antonio is successful because it presents the highest quality performances, managed in a fiscally responsibly way,” Wood said. “They have highly dedicated board members and a very good staff.”

The organization is open about its budget; financial reports are posted to its website. Toohey said 65 percent of the ARTS budget comes from admissions, 15 percent from the city, and 20 percent “we need to go out and find everyday. We’re committed to our work here. Every performance has to be the best possible performance. What has lasting value is the exchange between the community and the artists.”

Toohey, who has spent his professional career working for nonprofit fine arts groups, including the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Dallas Opera, said ARTS San Antonio is committed to education. Guest performers often are scheduled for visits to area schools, allowing students to meet with the artists personally.

In past years, cellist Yo-Yo Ma played alongside Sul Ross Middle School students.

Spanish Harlem Orchestra musical director Oscar Hernandez worked with pupils at Clark High School. Members of Ballet Folklórico de Mexico and the band Los Lobos, who performed together at the Majestic Theatre in February, also visited Roosevelt High School.

ARTS San Antonio also provides free seats for area students to attend performances.

ARTS SAN ANTONIO notes 25th anniversary with varied programs that ‘mix and blend’ local culturesBy Susan A. Merkner

May/June 2016 | On The Town 25Photo of John Toohey by Greg Harrison


San Antonio’s Northside Independent School District presented ARTS San Antonio with an Outstanding Partner of the Year award in April. Named an outstanding community organization by the school district, the arts group was praised for its efforts in providing arts experiences for students and teachers during the past several years.

“Our theme is connecting artists to the community,” Toohey said. “It’s one of the ways we are differentiated from other local arts organizations. We provide the one-on-one and small-group opportunities. When you travel to San Antonio to perform with us, it’s expected that you will work with students.”

Because of its use of city funds, ARTS San Antonio is required to present programming that reflects the community and is sensitive to the many cultures here, he said.

“Programming to the community means you need a great variety of arts,” Toohey said.

“The fun we have is getting people to mix and blend and experience new things.”

2016-17 SEASONThe silver anniversary 2016-17 season will feature 17 productions from September through May 2017. Four newly priced subscription packages are offered as well as individual tickets.

Scheduled performances include: Italian pianist Alessandro Deljavan, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars with African club music, the Julian Bliss Septet from London with “A Tribute to Benny Goodman,” “An Irish Christmas,” “The Nutcracker” performed by the Mejia Ballet International from Dallas-Fort Worth and the San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet, Brazil’s Balé Folclórico da Bahia with “Sacred Heritage,” Pilobolus of New York’s “Shadowland,” a presentation of “What the Day Owes to the Night” by Cie Hervé Koubi from France and Algeria, Spanish guitarist David Russell, the Peking Acrobats, the Five Irish Tenors, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Scrap Arts Music of Vancouver with “Found Percussion of Tomorrow,” Mnozil Brass from Vienna, Che Malambo from Argentina, an evening with U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera of California, and the 5 Browns, a piano quintet from Utah.

Learn more at www.artssa.org.


Margaret King Stanley

Jon Wood

http://jccsanantonio.org/arts-and-culture/the-sheldon-vexler-theatre/

http://www.artssa.org


http://jccsanantonio.org/arts-and-culture/the-sheldon-vexler-theatre/


YOUTH ORCHESTRAS OF SAN ANTONIO: transforming lives through the pursuit of excellenceBy Rudy ArispePhotography courtesy Youth Orchestras of San Antonio

D ominic Walsh was at a school band camp several years ago when a peer mentioned the nonprofit organization Youth

Orchestras of San Antonio ( YOSA), which helps young musicians develop their talents in classical music. Curious, he researched the nonprofit and decided to audition. “I’ve been a member since the seventh grade,” the 17-year-old Central Catholic High School senior said. “It’s the reason I’m staying in San Antonio to go to Trinity University. YOSA introduced me to a lot of people, who have helped me get involved with the local music scene.”

Walsh, a percussionist, is one of 1,800 YOSA students. The program’s mission is to enhance education, enrich the community, and transform lives by pursuing excellence in classical music accessible to all youth. “YOSA provides young musicians a safe, nurturing place to cultivate their creative talents and to do so at a higher level,” said executive director Brandon Henson. “Not only are we transforming lives, but we motivate our students to think about their futures. We have some musicians who have been with us for a while and who go on to be first-generation college students.”



YOUTH ORCHESTRAS OF SAN ANTONIO: transforming lives through the pursuit of excellenceBy Rudy ArispePhotography courtesy Youth Orchestras of San Antonio

In July, about 60 students will take a major leap from local music venues to the world stage during a 10-day, whirlwind tour of Vienna, Prague and Budapest as musical goodwill representatives of the Alamo City. They will be accompanied by 30 staff and parents.

“Starting in the mid-’80s, YOSA wanted to look at being ambassadors of our community overseas,” Henson said. “Now our students tour internationally every two years.”

In addition to supporting the development of young musicians, the nonprofit impacts the community as well by offering a number of concerts each year. Many are free or low cost. For instance, one of its newer concert series that has quickly grown in popularity is the “Live Series,” in which local rock bands are invited to perform with the 75-piece YOSA Philharmonic. In March, they performed the Beatles’ “Abbey Road.”

“It bridges the gap between the classical world and the rock world,” Henson said.

On May 22, YOSA presents the free “YOSApalooza” at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. All eight of its orchestras will take turns performing on stage. The event has become so popular that it is simulcast on a big screen along the River Walk plaza outside the Tobin. YOSA has evolved since officially becoming Youth Orchestras of San Antonio in 1977, beginning in 1949 as the San Antonio Youth Symphony, Henson said. One of the most notable milestones is the expanding number of students who now make up the organization. The group has grown from 218 in 2008 to its current size of 1,800. Since 2009, Troy Peters has served as YOSA music director, instilling a level of musical excellence in his young charges and driving them to greater heights with the wave of his baton. Peters has guest conducted several orchestras, including the Oregon Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Vermont Symphony Orchestra and Vermont Mozart Festival. “ Troy Peters is by far the greatest musical mentor



anyone could ask for,” Walsh said. “It's wonderful to learn from someone who is so clearly passionate about teaching young people. He has really taught me how to listen to music as a musician.”

Henson also has a musical background. Prior to becoming YOSA executive director in 2014, he was a professional bassist for 12 years and freelanced as a jazz artist. He lived in Branson, Missouri, for a while, working as a bassist at the Moon River Theatre for the late gold-and platinum-selling singer Andy Williams.

Musically gifted individuals age 8 to 20 can join YOSA. Auditions are held annually for those with at least one to two years of experience depending on their instrument.

“We listen to 500 kids and match them in orchestras with students of similar skills,” Henson said. “Last year, we had 10 tubas auditioning, but we don’t have spots for 10 tubas. So it ’s always a difficult choice. But for those who aren’t selected, we are always encouraging and tell them to come back next year. The audition process is low pressure. The judges talk to you before your audition to make you feel comfortable.”

YOSA violinist Abigail Dickson, 17, recalls being placed in the YOSA Symphony on her first audition two years ago. She was placed in the Philharmonic Orchestra on her second audition. She said she enjoys meeting and working with fantastic professional musicians, such as those from the San Antonio Symphony, as well as guest artists with whom the students rehearse.

“In the fall, guest artist Bella Hristova performed the Barber Violin Concerto with the YOSA Philharmonic,” Dickson said. “She also lead a masterclass where four Philharmonic violinists were able to participate. This masterclass was really wonderful for me. I became more comfortable in performing as a soloist, and I received excellent advice on how to improve my skills as a musician.”


Troy Peters

Brandon Henson


http://thecarver.org


http://kerrvilletexascvb.com


Events Calendar

34-52

Events Calendar

34-52


May/June 2016 Events CalendarMusic Notes Mid-Texas SymphonyConcert 6 – Copland / Saint-SeansDavid Mairs, conductorEdwin Rieke, organ5/1, Sun @ 4pmJackson AuditoriumAt Texas Lutheran UniversitySeguin

Blue October5/1, Sun @ 6:30pmAztec Theatre

Youth Orchestras of San AntonioEuropean Rhapsody5/1, Sun @ 7pmTroy Peters, conductorJennifer Berg, oboeH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

Matthew West, Sidewalk Prophets & More: The Bible Tour5/1, Sun @ 7pmLaurie Auditorium @ Trinity University

Ancira Music SeriesSam Riggs5/5, Thu @ 7:30pmThe County Line on IH-10

Bennett & Hines5/6, Fri @ 6pmO’Brien’s in Bergheim

Friday Night LiveJames Pardo5/6, Fri @ 7pmThe County Line – IH10

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience5/6, Fri @ 7pmAztec Theatre

Reckless Kelly5/6, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Monte Good Band5/6, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Flans5/6, Fri @ 8:30pmLila Cockrell Theatre

Stoney LaRue with Bri Bagwell5/6, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

San Antonio SymphonySaint-Saens Piano Concerto5/6-7, Fri-Sat 2 8pmAkiko Fujimoto, conductorMartina Filjak, pianoH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

Boz Skaggs5/7, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Aaron Einhouse5/7, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Children’s Chorus of San AntonioMother’s Day Concert5/8, Sun @ 3pmH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

Graham Nash: This Path Tonight Tour 20165/9, Mon @ 7:30pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

La Ley: Adaptacion Tour5/8, Sun @ 8pmAztec Theatre

Gypsy Kings5/9, Mon @ 8pmMajestic Theatre

Celtic Woman5/10, Tue @ 7pmMajestic Theatre

Apocalyptica: Shadowmaker Tour5/10, Tue @ 8pmAztec Theatre

Filter: Make America Hate Again Tour5/11, Wed @ 5:30pmAztec Theatre

Ancira Music SeriesMike Ryan5/12, Thu @ 7:30pmThe County Line on IH-10

John Fogerty in Concert5/12, Thu @ 8pmMajestic Theatre

Rick Cavender Band5/13, Fri @ 6:30pmO’Brien’s in Bergheim

Friday Night LiveDerek Winters5/13, Fri @ 7pmThe County Line – IH10

Asleep at the Wheel5/13, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Emily Herring5/13, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Alfredo Rodriguez Trio5/13, Fri @ 8pmJo Long Theatre @ The Carver

Frankie Ballard5/13, Fri @ 8pmAztec Theatre



http://operasa.org


Jody Nix5/13, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Bob Schneider5/13, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

San Antonio Symphony PopsPatriotic Pops5/13-15, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2pmStuart Chafetz, conductorH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

An Evening with Gary Morris5/14, Sat @ 7:30pmBrauntex Performing Arts TheatreNew Braunfels

Janice Maynard5/14, Sat @ 8pmKendalia Halle

Ray Wylie Hubbard5/14, Sat @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Justin Trevino5/14, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Eli Young Band5/14, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Ronnie Milsap5/14, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Fredericksburg Music ClubEmil Pandolfi, piano5/15, Sun @ 3pmFredericksburg United Methodist

Musical Bridges Around the WorldSilk Sojourn5/15, Sun @ 6:30pmSan Fernando Cathedral

Charlie Daniels Band5/15, Sun @ 8pmGruene Hall

SOLI Chamber EnsembleUnder the Lugarian Sun5/16, Mon @ 7:30pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatreat the Tobin Center5/17, Tue @ 7:30pmRuth Taylor Recital Hallat Trinity University

Tobin Studio SessionsBebel Gilberto5/17, Tue @ 7:30pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatreat the Tobin Center

53 Million & One: NAHREP Presents 2016 Nuevo Latino Tour5/18, Wed @ 7pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatre at the Tobin Center

Ancira Music SeriesThe Damn Quails5/19, Thu @ 7:30pmThe County Line on IH-10

Almost Patsy Cline Band5/20, Fri @ 6pmO’Brien’s in Bergheim

Friday Night LiveBrian Catalini & Jake Patek5/20, Fri @ 7pmThe County Line – IH10

Eagles of Death Metal5/20, Fri @ 8pmAztec Theatre

Robert Glasper Experiment5/20, Fri @ 8pmStieren Theaterat Trinity University

Nick Lawrence Band5/20, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Zane Williams5/20, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Thomas Michael RileyMusic Festival5/20-21, Fri @ 4pmSat @ 12:3pmLuckenbach Dancehall

San Antonio SymphonyBruch Violin Concerto5/20-21, Fri-Sat @ 8pmGabriel Feltz, conductor Sarah Chang, violinH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

Jerry Jeff Walker5/20-21, Fri-Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Maifest 2016 Donnie Wavra and Al Dressen & Super Swing Revue5/21, Sat @ 12pmAnhalt Hall

Chamber Orchestra San AntonioA Minimal (Re) Composition5/21, Sat @ 7:30pmCarlos Izcaray, conductorFrancisco Fullana, violinCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatreat the Tobin Center

The Legend of Zelda5/21, Sat @ 8pmMajestic Theatre

Strangelove: A Tribute toDepeche Mode featuringThe Smiles5/21, Sat @ 8pmAztec Theatre

The Georges5/21, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

20th Annual KNBT 92.1FMAmericana Music Jam5/22, Sun @ TBAGruene Hall

San Antonio Choral SocietyMusica Sacra de las Americas5/22, Sun @ 3pmTravis Park United Methodist

Heart of Texas Concert BandMarches Around the World5/22, Sun @ 3pmJudson ISD Performing Arts Center



Youth Orchestras of San AntonioYosapalooza5/22, Sun @ 7pmH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

Tobin Studio SessionsTom Waite5/22, Sun @ 7pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatreat the Tobin Center

Peter Frampton5/23, Mon @ 7:30pmH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

San Antonio Wind Symphony5/25, Wed @ 7:30pmDr. Robert Rustowicz, conductorH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

Ancira Music SeriesThe Band of Heathens5/26, Thu @ 7:30pmThe County Line on IH-10

Buttercup5/26, Thu @ 7:15pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

Tobin Studio SessionsTaylor Hicks5/26, Thu @ 7:30pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatreat the Tobin Center

Kerrville Folk Festival5/26-6/12Quiet Valley RanchKerrvilleFor details visit: kerrvillefolkfestival.org

Friday Night LiveBexar Creek Boys5/27, Fri @ 7pmThe County Line – IH10

Hal Ketchum5/27, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

The Merles5/27, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Almost Patsy Cline Band5/27, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Shane Smith & The Saints5/27, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Josh Abbott Band5/28, Sat @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

The Eric Stanley Project5/28, Sat @ 8pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatreat the Tobin Center

Chicago5/28, Sat @ 8pmMajestic Theatre

Bobby Flores and theYellow Rose Band5/28, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Mario Flores & The Soda Creek Band5/28, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Dirty River Boys5/18, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Mike and the Moonpies5/28, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Steel Panther: All You Can Eat Tour5/28, Sat @ 9pmAztec Theatre

http://thepalm.com/san-antonio


The Bud Light River City Rockfest5/29, Sun @ 12pmAT&T Center

Sentimental Journey Orchestra5/29, Sun @ 3pmKathleen C. Cailloux TheaterKerrville

Bunbury5/29, Sun @ 7pmAztec Theatre

Roger Creager & Cody Johnson5/29, Sun @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Dale Watson5/29, Sun @ 8pmGruene Hall

Ancira Music SeriesRuby & The Reckless6/2, Thu @ 7:30pmThe County Line on IH-10

Friday Night LiveThe GR8 Band6/3, Fri @ 7pmThe County Line – IH10

Charlie Robison6/3, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Gogol Bordello and Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls6/3, Fri @ 8pmAztec Theatre

Wagon Aces6/3, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Gunpowder Soup6/3, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Aaron Watson6/3, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

San Antonio SymphonyMahler’s Titan6/3-5, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2pmSebastian Lang-Lessing, conductorAugustin Hadelich, violinH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

Bennett & Hines6/4, Sat @ 6pmO’Brien’s in Bergheim

The Magnetic Zeros with Preservation Hall Jazz Band6/4, Sat @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Shelia E6/4, Sat @ 8pmJo Long Theatre @ The Carver

Rocky King Band6/4, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Radney Foster6/4, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

The Reed Brothers6/4, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store


Blue Water Highway Band6/4, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Blanco Performing ArtsKathryn Eberle, violin6/5, Sun @ 7:30pmUptown Blanco BallroomBlanco

San Antonio InternationalPiano Competition6/5-12, Sun-Sun, Times TBDTrinity University Concert Hall

Whitesnake6/6, Mon @ 8pmMajestic Theatre

Ancira Music SeriesCody Canada6/9, Thu @ 7:30pmThe County Line on IH-10

Friday Night LiveDerek Winters6/10, Fri @ 7pmThe County Line – IH10

Jo Dee Messina6/10, Fri @ 8pmH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

The Black Lillies6/10, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Doug Moreland6/10, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Cactus Country6/10, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

The Damn Quails6/10, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Randy Rogers Band & Kevin Fowler6/11, Sat @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Leon Larregui6/11, Sat @ 8pmAztec Theatre

Bart Crow6/11, Sat @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

3 Chord Rodeo6/11, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Turnpike Troubadours6/11, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Jonathan Tyler6/11, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Waylon’s Birthday Bash with Thomas Michael Riley6/12, Sun @ 1pmLuckenbach Hall

Jane Lynch Sings!6/12, Sun @ 8pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

Ancira Music SeriesBlue Water Highway Band6/16, Thu @ 7:30pmThe County Line on IH-10

http://sabot.org


Almost Patsy Cline Band6/17, Fri @ 6pmO’Brien’s in Bergheim

Friday Night LiveBexar Creek Boys6/17, Fri @ 7pmThe County Line – IH10

Larry Joe Taylor6/17, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Bret Mullins Band6/17, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Gary Allan6/17, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Los Lonely Boys6/18, Sat @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Johnny Bush6/18, Sat @ 8pmAnhalt Hall

Rick Reyna Band6/18, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Old Crow Medicine Show6/18, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

The Glenn Miller Orchestra6/21, Tue @ 7:30pmH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

Ancira Music SeriesJohn Baumann6/23, Thu @ 7:30pmThe County Line on IH-10

Rick Cavender Band6/24, Fri @ 6:30pmO’Briens in Bergheim

Friday Night LiveThe Reed Brothers6/24, Fri @ 7pmThe County Line – IH10

Uncle Lucius6/24, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Almost Patsy Cline Band6/24, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Monte Good Band6/24, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

William Clark Green6/24, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Vans Warped Tour6/25, Sat @ 11amAT&T Center

Chubby Checker6/25, Sat @ 7:30pmH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

Billy Currington6/25, Sat @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Blaggards6/25, Sat @ 7:30pmKathleen C. Cailloux TheaterKerrville

Tobin Studio SessionsJohn Mayall6/25, Sat @ 8pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatreat the Tobin Center

Texas Family Tradition6/25, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Ray Wylie Hubbard6/25, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs6/26, Sun @ 7:30pmMajestic Theatre

Ancira Music SeriesMike & The Moonpies6/30, Thu @ 7:30pmThe County Line on IH-10

Live TheaterThe Nerd5/1, Sun @ 2pmFredericksburg Theater CompanySteve W. Shepherd TheaterFredericksburg

Legends of the Oldies5/1, Sun @ 2:30pmJosephine Theatre

Memphis5/1-8, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pmSun @ 3pmWoodlawn Theatre

Good PeopleThe Wimberley Players5/1-8, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pmSun @ 2:30pmWimberley Playhouse

Alone Together Again5/1-15, Thu-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pmS.T.A.G.E – SpotlightTheatre & Arts GroupBulverde

Born Yesterday5/1-22, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 3pmThe Classic Theatre of San Antonio

Motown: the Musical (touring)5/3-8, Tue-Thu @ 7:30pmFri @ 8pmSat @ 2pm & 8pmSun @ 2pm & 7:30pm

The Gingerbread Lady5/5-28, Thu-Sat @ 8pm(dinner @ 6:15pm)Harlequin Dinner Theatre

The Cemetery Club5/6-21, Thu @ 7:30pmFri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pmBoerne Community Theatre

A Chorus Line5/6-6/5, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 3pmRussell Hill Rogers Theatre at The Playhouse San Antonio

Tobin Center Edge SeriesMen are from Mars, Women are from Venus (touring)5/12-15, Thu @ 7:30pmFri @ 8pmSat @ 2pm & 8pmSun @ 2pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatre at the Tobin Center



http://cpmf.us


Shiploads of Shimmies5/19-20, Thu-Fri @ 8pmVK Garage TheaterKerrville

African FolktalesRenaissance Guild Presentation5/20, Fri @ 10amJo Long Theatre atThe Carver

Tribes5/20-6/12, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 3pmCellar Theatre at The Playhouse San Antonio

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When The Rainbow is Enuf5/22 & 29, Sun @ 5pmJosephine Theatre

Jaston Williams’ A WolverineWalks Into A Bar(Conversations Over Ice)5/26-29, Thu-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 3pm6/4-5, Sat @ 8pmSun @ 3pmThe Classic Theatre of San Antonio

The Wizard of Oz (touring) 5/31-6/5, Fri @ 8pmSat @ 2pm & 8pmSun @ 2pm & 7:30pm

The Amazing Tour is Not on Fire6/9, Thu @ 7pmH-E-B Performance Hallat the Tobin Center

Attic Rep146/9-19, Thu-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatreat the Tobin Center

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast6/17-7/3, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pmSun @ 2pmFredericksburg Theater CompanySteve W. Shepherd TheaterFredericksburg

An Evening with Whoopi Goldberg6/24, Fri @ 8pmMajestic Theatre

Capitol Steps6/26, Sun @ 7pmLaurie Auditorium @Trinity University

Ruthless3/4-6, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 3pmPerforming Arts San Antonio Theatre

Creatures of the Night3/4-12, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 7pm3/18-20, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 3pm3/25-26, Fri-Sat @ 8pmGreg Barrios Theater @The Overtime Theater London Calling3/11-4/16, Thu-Sat @ 8pm(dinner @ 6:15pm)Harlequin Dinner Theatre

Foxfire3/18-20, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pmSun @ 2pm3/25-4/2, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pmElizabeth Huth Coates Indoor TheatreIngram

Make Me a Musical4/1-17, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 3pmPerforming Arts San Antonio Theatre

Center of The Universe4/1-16 & 29-30, Fri-Sat @ 8pm, 4/10, Sun @ 3pm4/24, Sun @ 7pmOvertime Theater

Stomp4/2-3, Sat @ 3pm & 8pmSun @ 3pmMajestic Theatre

Around the World in 80 Days4/8-24, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2pmCircle Arts TheatreNew Braunfels

Disney’s The Little Mermaid6/24-7/24, Fri-Sat @ &:30pmSun @ 3pmWoodlawn Theatre

DanceSan Antonio Metropolitan BalletDance Kaleidoscope5/1, Sun @ 2:30pmJo Long Theatre @ The Carver

Alamo Arts Ballet TheatreAlice! A Ballet Wonderland5/7-8, Sat @ 7:30pmSun @ 3pmJo Long Theatre @ The Carver

Savion Glover & Jack Dejohnette5/28, Sat @ 8pmJo Long Theatre @ The Carver

Main Stage Dance Spring Show6/4, Sat @ 6pmBrauntex Performing Arts TheatreNew Braunfels

Lone Star DanceThat’s How Easy Love Can Be6/11, Sat @ 2pmKathleen C. Cailloux TheaterKerrville

Mexico 20006/15, Wed @ 10am & 1:30pmBrauntex Performing Arts TheatreNew Braunfels

Michael Jackson: I WantYou Back Dance Tribute6/18, Sat @ 7pmBrauntex Performing Arts TheatreNew Braunfels

OperaLady BirdTexas State Opera Theater5/12, Thu @ 7:30pmKathleen C. Callioux TheaterKerrville

Opera Piccola of San Antonio5/21-22, Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre



http://kvartfest.com


http://childrensfineartseries.org


CinemaFathom Events5/4 – Metropolitan Opera / Elektra5/12 – Art & Architecture in Cinema /Painting the Modern Garden5/15 & 18 Ferris Buhler’s Day Off5/16 – The Abolitionists5/19 – A Story Worth Living5/23 – The Shakespeare Show5/24 – Soledad O’Brien Presents / The War Comes Home: The New Battlefront5/25 – Kiss Rocks Vegas6/7 – One Night for One Drop / Imagined by Cirque du Soleil6/16 – Art & Architecture in Cinema / Teatro Alla Scala: The Temple of Wonders6/23 – 2016 DCI Tour Premiere6/26 & 29 – Willy Wonka & The Chocolate FactoryFor theater locations and show times: www.fathomevents.com

H-E-B Cinema on the PlazaSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band5/13, Fri @ 8pmRiver Walk Plaza at the Tobin Center

ComedyKristen Key5/1, Sun @ 7pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

BT Kingsley5/1, Sun @ 8pmImprov Comedy ClubRivercenter

Shayla Rivera5/4-8, Wed-Thu @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 8pmImprov Comedy ClubRivercenter

Rob Schneider5/6-7, Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Billy Bonnell5/11-15, Wed-Thu @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 8pmImprov Comedy ClubRivercenter

Brent Morin5/13-15, Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 7pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Michael Mack5/18-22, Wed-Thu @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 8pmImprov Comedy ClubRivercenter

Nick Griffin5/18-22, Wed-Thu @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 7pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

http://www.fathomevents.com

http://bellaontheriver.com


Katt Williams5/20, Fri @ 8pmIllusions Theater @the Alamodome

Joshua D. Evans5/25, Wed @ 7:30pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Danny Ingle5/25-26, Wed-Thu @ 8:30pmImprov Comedy ClubRivercenter

Tina Giorgi5/26-29,Thu @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 7pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Deon Cole5/27-29, Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 8pmImprov Comedy ClubRivercenter

Jim Dailakis6/1-5, Wed-Thu @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 8pmImprov Comedy ClubRivercenter

Ralphie May6/2-4, Thu @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 7:30pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Nick Guerra6/8-9 & 12, Wed-Thu @ 8pmSun @ 7pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Hypnotist Don Barnhart6/8-12, Wed-Thu @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 8pmImprov Comedy ClubRivercenter

Michael Yo6/10-11, Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Chris Fonseca6/15, Wed @ 8pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Andy Kindler6/16-19, Thu @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Earthquake6/17-19, Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 8pmImprov Comedy ClubRivercenter

Cowboy Bill Martin & Chad Prather6/18, Sat @ 7:30pmKathleen C. Cailloux TheaterKerrville

Ben Moore6/22, Wed @ 8pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Joe List6/22-26, Wed-Thu @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 8pmImprov Comedy ClubRivercenter

Ben Gleib6/23-26, Thu @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Humor for Heroes6/25, Sat @ 8:30pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Rick Gutierrez6/30-7/3, Thu @ 8:30pmFri-Sun @ 8pm & 10:15pmImprov Comedy ClubRivercenter

Children'sCharlotte’s Web5/1-6/1For details: www.magiktheatre.orgMagik Theatre

Children’s Fine Art SeriesInternational Puppet FestivalMoon Mouse5/4-5, Wed-Thu @ 6pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatreat the Tobin Center

Children’s Fine Art SeriesInternational Puppet FestivalThe Legend of Walter Weirdbeard5/6-8, Fri @ 6pmSat @ 11am, 1:15pm, 3:30pmSun @ 1:15pm, 3pm & 4pmEast Rotundaat the Tobin Center

Children’s Fine Art SeriesInternational Puppet FestivalThe Adventures of Alvin Sputnik:Deep Sea Explorer5/6-7, Fri @ 6:30pmSat @ 1pm & 4pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatreat the Tobin Center

Children’s Fine Art SeriesInternational Puppet FestivalPekka by Theatre des petites amas5/7, Sat @ 10am, 12:15pm & 2:30pmFike Family Rotundaat the Tobin Center

Children’s Fine Art SeriesInternational Puppet FestivalThe Dinosaur Show by Paul Messner Puppets5/8-10, Sun @ 12:15pm, & 4:15pmMon @ 5pmTue @ 6pmFike Family Rotundaat the Tobin Center

Children’s Fine Art SeriesInternational Puppet FestivalOndin by L’Illusion, Theatre de Marionnettes5/8-10, Sun @ 11am, 2pm & 4pmMon @ 6pmTue @ 5pmCarlos Alvarez Studio Theatreat the Tobin Center



November/December 2015 | On The Town 47

ExhibitionsARTPACE

Spring 2016 Artists in ResidenceExhibitionDaniel GarciaWu TsangAndriana CorralJuan de Nieves, curatorThru 5/15

BLUE STAR CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM

Blue Star Ice CompanyThru 5/8

Do it & Do itCurated by Hans Ulrich ObristThru 5/8

Going on Going Justin BoydThru 5/8

Blue Star Red Dot5/18, Wed @ 6pm

BIHL HAUS ARTS

Necessary Work: Bryce Milligan’s World of Words and DesignThru 5/21

Profiling Made Visible: The Art of Mark Anthony Martinez & Michael Martinez6/4-7/9

BRISCOE WESTERN ART MUSEUM

Night of Artist ExhibitionThru 5/15

210/West Gallery TalkSelling The WestJenny Chowning5/3, Tue @ 6:30pmAridJack McGilvray6/7, Tue @ 6:30pm

Briscoe Book ClubBury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American WestDee Brown5/10, Tue @ 6:30pmTrue GritCharles Portis6/14, Tue @ 6:30pm

Briscoe Film SeriesButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid5/17, Tue @ 6:30pmTrue Grit6/21, Tue @ 6:30pm

Voices of the West Distinguished Lecture SeriesRobert Earl KeenStorytelling and Song in the American West6/28, Tue @ 6:30pm

INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES

Our Part of VictoryThru 12/7

Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta and Farm WorkersThru 6/5

45th Annual Texas Folklife Festival6/10, Fri / 5pm-11pm6/11, Sat / 11am-11pm6/12, Sun / 12pm-7pmITC Grounds


48 On The Town | March/April 2016

LINDA PACE FOUNDATION

Secondary Stories by Brazilian Artist Rivane NeuenschwanderThru 7/29

Adam (Public Artwork)By Arturo Herrera25’ h x 98’ w, Frost Bank GarageCommerce at MainThru 12/2016

McNAY ART MUSEUM

My Royal Past: Cecil Beaton and the Art of ImpersonationThru 6/5

Dressed to Kill: Glam and Gore in TheatreThru 6/5

Stephan Westfall: The Holy ForestThru 7/31

Art for the Sake of Art: Ornament Prints from the Blanton Museum of ArtThru 8/7Greg Smith: The LoopThru 8/28

Shepard Fairey at the McNayThru 9/11

Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861-20085/11-9/11

SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN

Wings of the CityThru 6/5

Storybook HousesThru 7/10

SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART

Roberto de la Selva: Modern Mexican Masterpieces in WoodThru 6/26

Rodin: The Human ExperienceSelections from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor CollectionsThru 5/29

Highest Heaven: Spanish and Portuguese Colonial Art from the Collection of Roberta and Richard Huber6/11-9/4

SOUTHWEST SCHOOL OF ART

Mona MarshallThree Stories About Water5/6-7/3

Karen MahaffyAccumulated Erosions5/6-7/3

Anthony RundbladeEchoes From a Bear Cave5/6-8/21

TEXAS A&M CENTRO DE ARTES

Nuestra Gente: Celebrating People Past and PresentNow thru 5/8

WITTE MUSEUM

Splendor on the Range: American Indians and the HorseThru 8/21

Mapping Texas: From Frontier to the Lone Star StateThru 9/5

Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed5/14-9/5

MiscellaneousCinco de Mayo Celebration5/1, Sun 12pm-7pmHistoric Market Square

Las Casas Foundation presents 2016 Joci Awards5/1, Sun @ 7pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

Seven Seas Food Festival5/1-15 - dailySeaworld San Antonio

Savor The Arts 20165/5, Thu @ 7pmJohn L. Santikos BuildingSouthwest School of Art

Fiesta Noche del Rio5/13-8/13, Fri-Sat @ 8:30pmArneson River Theatre in La Villita

Culinaria Festival Week5/19-22, Thu-SunFor details: www.culinariasa.org

Soul Food Festival & Gospel On The Plaza5/20-21, Fri 6p-12aSat 12pm – 12amLa Villita Maverick Plaza

Armed Forces River Parade5/21, Sat @ 5pmSan Antonio River Walk

Summer Art & Jazz Festival6/3-6/5, Fri / 5pm – 10pmSat-Sun / 12pm – 10pmCrockett Park

Coming SoonRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Circus EXTREME6/30-7/4AT&T Center

Footloose6/30-7/24, Circle Arts TheatreNew Braunfels


America7/2, Tobin Center

Cactus Pear Music Festival7/5-16. Various Venues

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance7/8-30, Smith-Ritch Point TheatreIngram

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas7/8-8/7, The Playhouse San Antonio

Jim Gaffigan7/10, Majestic Theatre

Ted Nugent7/14, Tobin Center

Loretta Lynn7/15, Majestic Theatre

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum7/15-30, Playhouse 2000Kathleen C. Cailloux TheaterKerrville

Drum Corp International:Southwestern Championship7/23, Alamodome

Steve Miller Band7/24, Majestic Theatre

Photo CreditsPage 34 (L-R)

Jennifer BergCourtesy San Antonio Symphony

Reckless KellyCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Martina FiljakPhoto by Romano Grozich

Mairead Nesbitt-Celtic WomanCourtesy celticwoman.com

Page 36 (L-R)

Stuart ChafetzPhoto by Pat Johnson

Gary MorrisCourtesy garymorris.com

Janice MaynardCourtesy janicemaynardmusic.com

Ray Wylie HubbardCourtesy gruenehall.comPage 38 (L-R)

David MairsCourtesy Mid-Texas Symphony

Gypsy KingsCourtesy Majestic Theatre


http://culinariasa.org


Page 39 (L-R)

Gary P. NunnCourtesy www.liveatfloores.com

Asleep at the WheelCourtesy cmt.com

Page 40 (L-R)

Almost Patsy Cline BandCourtesy www.liveatfloores.com

Sarah ChangPhoto by Colin Bell

Gabriel FeltzCourtesy www.gabrielfeltz.com

Judy CollinsCourtesy Kerrville Folk Festival

Page 42

Taylor HicksCourtesy Majestic Theatre

Terri HendrixCourtesy Kerrville Folk Festival

DaleWatsonCourtesy www.liveatfloores.com

Ruthie FosterCourtesy Kerrville Folk Festival

Page 45 (L-R)

Sebastian Lang-LessingPhoto by Marks Moore

Radney FosterPhoto by Marshall Foster

Page 46 (L-R)

Kathryn EberleCourtesy Blanco Performing Arts

Jo Dee MessinaCourtesy jodeemessina.com

Motown The MusicalPhoto by Joan Marcus

Jaston WilliamsCourtesy Classic Theatre of San Antonio

Page 48 (L-R)Wizard of OzPhoto by Daniel A. Swalec

Shayla RiveraCourtesy Improv Comedy Club

Rob SchneiderCourtesy Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Tina GiorgiCourtesy Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Page 49 (L-R)

SOLI Chamber EnsembleCourtesy www.solichamberensemble.com

Alan CummingCourtesy Majestic Theatre


http://cappysrestaurant.com/

http://cappyccinos.com/

http://lafondaonmain.com/


Culinary Arts54-62

Culinary Arts54-62

54 On The Town | May/June 2016Lana & David Duke


Follow the Sizzle to Ruth’s ChrisBy Antonio GutierrezPhotography courtesy of Ruth’s Chris

Lana Duke was beaming with optimism when she moved from Canada to New Orleans in 1963 at age 18. But she soon found herself in a frustrating predicament.

“No one would hire me,” she said. “I thought, ‘They’re going to deport me if I don’t get a job soon.’ I saw in the paper they were looking for a salesperson to sell pots and pans with straight commission.”

Before long, Duke was plying her shiny wares, carrying them on her back through neighborhoods. That humble experience was one of many life lessons

she learned in her new home.

“It taught me to knock on every door because you don’t want to second-guess someone’s pocketbook,” she said. “It also taught me to never give up because that last door you might knock on, that’s the person who wanted that set.”

Duke, owner of Ruth’s Chris Steak House at Concord Plaza, the River Walk and La Cantera (which opened in November 2015), also knows not to second-guess people’s appetites. Her guests expect the


Crabstack Seafood Tower

56 On The Town | May/June 201656 On The Town | May/June 2016

same quality and consistency in every bite of their steak, which she maintains. That premium standard extends from the front of the house to the kitchen.

Now the home-goods rep, turned ad-agency exec, turned steakhouse-owner is excited about several new additions to the Ruth’s Chris menu at all three San Antonio locations.

“A year ago, corporate presented all franchisees with items they were thinking about adding,” Duke said. “They tested them for quite some time in many markets. I think we set ourselves up for another decade of success.”

The Chilled Seafood Tower, for instance, is one of her new favorite appetizers. “From a presentation standpoint, it’s served over ice and makes a ‘wow’ statement,” she said. It consists of Maine lobster, Alaskan king crab legs, jumbo shrimp and lump blue crab. “You can order it on a small or large scale. If you have a group of eight people and you want to impress them, then this is what you order.”

Another appetizer she recommends is the new

Crab Stack: lump blue crab, avocado, mango and cucumber. Ruth’s Chris also offers a quarterly seafood dish ranging from halibut to Chilean sea bass.

“What we learned through the years, and we’re not heavy in seafood, but what we do have is excellent,” the restaurateur said. “When you have steaks that are as great at Ruth’s Chris, when you put seafood on the menu, it has to stand out. Our menu has a really good balance.”

Then there are the hearty new specialty cuts: Bone-in Filet, Bone-in New York Strip and the 40-ounce Tomahawk Ribeye. “People have been asking for these specialty cuts for a long time,” Duke said, “but you want to make sure you do it right.” Expect to be delighted when you order a specialty cut. A manager will offer you a choice of two specialty knives presented in a hand-carved cedar knife box.

The mouth-watering Lobster Mac and Cheese, with tender lobster, a three-cheese blend and green chilies, is a guest favorite. “People are crazy about it,” she said. “A lot of people order it as an entrée.”There are too many delicacies to discuss, such as

Tomahawk Ribeye Lobster Mac & Cheese

May/June 2016 | On The Town 57May/June 2016 | On The Town 57

Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Grilled Asparagus and Fire-Roasted Corn, among others.

At the helm of her three San Antonio restaurants and two in Canada since 1992, Duke is supported by her son and co-franchisee owner, David Duke. She’s thrilled he is involved in the family business.

“I was president of an ad agency (whose first client was Ruth’s Chris founder Ruth Fertel), so from the time he was knee-high he heard nothing but Ruth’s Chris,” she said. “Ruth was his godmother. I’m kind of passing the baton although I’m still extremely involved. I’m just not traveling as much. I have two grandchildren I’m crazy about and want to be a part of their lives.”

David Duke, who also is based in New Orleans, visits the Alamo City about twice a month, and said he enjoys working with his mom. “Having grown up watching Lana throughout much of her career, she has been a natural mentor in my journey for success,” he said. Now that she is taking more time to pursue personal goals, I have taken over the day-to-day operations, and I am reminded on a daily basis of

one of her (and founder Ruth’s) favorite quotes and strongest beliefs that ‘a restaurant is either growing or dying, there is no in between.’ With the plans we have in place, we have grown our restaurant locations and sales by 35 percent since I have come onboard with the company. It makes me very proud to carry on their legacy.”

Ruth’s Chris is famous for broiling its steaks in a trademarked 1,800-degree oven that original owner Ruth Fertel helped to develop nearly 50 years ago. Each USDA prime beef steak is served on a ceramic plate heated to 500 degrees to ensure the steak stays “sizzling” hot from the time it leaves the kitchen and arrives at a guest’s table.

The owner said she prefers her steak “filet, medium rare, charred plus. I like it between medium rare and rare. What I do is cut the steak right down the middle, and if it needs a little more cooking, I turn it over and let the beef absorb into the butter, which gives it even more flavor and cook it for about 20 seconds. Then it’s absolutely perfect.”

For more information, visit www.ruthschrissa.com.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Fire-Roasted Corn

www.ruthschrissa.com


The Vineyard at Florence is women-owned and Texas proud. By Olivier J. Bourgoin, aka “Olivier, the Wine Guy” Photography Courtesy The Vineyard at Florence

T..uscany, the world-renowned native land of Chianti wines, has been responsible for countless romantic adventures over the

centuries. It was while sipping wine there during an Italian vacation that two girlfriends, Kris Davis and Kambrah Garland, decided to pursue their dream to open a winery of their own.

Back to Texas reality, the pair joined forces and made good on their plan by purchasing the property for their winery in Florence, Texas, in 2006.

The same year, Garland moved there, and the following year, the vineyard was planted. Famed

winemaker Dan Gatlin was hired as consultant on the project, and in 2009, the first vintage -- a thousand cases of a 100 percent single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon -- was released.

Since then, the Vineyard at Florence, located north of Georgetown, has followed the natural progression of the Texas industry as a whole, concentrating on grape varietals that are better suited genetically to Texas weather and general climate conditions.

Garland said she and her business partner visited Italy together several times. “We knew the



potential for making great wines in Texas was already there, and we wanted to create something more European driven, more old world-style in winemaking,” she said.

“Our wines are 100 percent estate grown,” Garland said. “Today, in an optimal year, we release about 5,000 cases. But realistically because of variable weather issues which affect the crop, we can expect to make about 3,000 cases.”

Blanc du Bois, Norton and Lenoir are now the featured varietals, Aurelia, a white wine, is a buttery yet crisp, medium-bodied, 100 percent Blanc du Bois, with tones of pineapple, mango and guava culminating into a quick, clean and bright finish.

Galileo and Roma are two red wines produced there. Galileo is an estate-grown blend made up of Norton and Lenoir. It is described as having notes of candied fruits, spice and slight vegetation on

the nose with black cherry, raspberry, cola, and dried fruit flavors with a perfect balance of fruit to acid. As folks at the vineyard like to say, think of it as being “the tough guy with a soft side.”

Roma is crafted from the Norton grape and is noted by some as being similar to Pinot Noir, although purists may not agree. It's best described as a slightly translucent, yet brilliant red with notes of raspberries, cherries and more cherries with a crisp, complex finish.

Another red wine available from the Vineyard at Florence is Forte. In a recent interview, Garland said: “Made from Lenoir, we market Forte as a more spicy-fruit, Shiraz-style type of wine. Our drinkers relate to it more in the vein of big cabs from Napa, super viscous and super fruit forward.”

If you like sweet or dessert wines, Bella Donan is a white, port-style wine made from estate-grown Blanc du Bois. It brings to the forefront a slightly



sweet profile, accented citrus notes of lemon zest and honey, and refreshing crispy finish.

“We are still in the process of educating the Texas consumer about what to expect from our wines,” Garland said. “We can’t be everything to everybody, but we are changing the game. It ’s nice to see some homegrown, talented winemakers coming up through the ranks.”

Garland’s daughter, Daniella DaSuta, also is involved in the business. A wine educator and consultant, DaSuta oversees the Vineyard at Florence Wine Club.

“I was lucky enough to interest her into coming on board,” Garland said. “We teamed up from the very beginning. Her brother and her sister are also involved. It ’s a family project.”

Visitors seeking a romantic getaway can stay at the Villa Botticelli, one of the luxury villas available at the Vineyard at Florence, along with a number of single rooms. Lunch is available at the onsite restaurant, Villa Firenze. The property is also available for weddings and other events.

The Vineyard at Florence111 Via Francesco (8711 FM 487)Florence, Texas 76527 254-793-3363For more information: www.thevineyardatflorence.com


“OUR WINES ARE 100 PERCENT ESTATE GROWN. TODAY, IN AN OPTIMAL YEAR, WE RELEASE ABOUT 5,000 CASES. BUT REALISTICALLY BECAUSE OF VARIABLE WEATHER ISSUES WHICH AFFECT THE CROP, WE CAN EXPECT TO MAKE ABOUT 3,000 CASES. WE ARE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF EDUCATING THE TEXAS CONSUMER ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT FROM OUR WINES. WE CAN’T BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYBODY, BUT WE ARE CHANGING THE GAME. IT’S NICE TO SEE SOME HOMEGROWN, TALENTED WINEMAKERS COMING UP THROUGH THE RANKS.”

- KAMBRAH GARLANDTHE VINEYARD AT FLORENCE

http://www.thevineyardatflorence.com



http://pesto-ristorante.com


Visual Arts64-80

Visual Arts64-80



MAYA, SPLENDOR, CONEY, RODIN, DE LA SELVA Y MASArea museums and art centers offer grand exhibitions in May and JuneBy Dan R. Goddard

The largest exhibit about the ancient Maya to tour the United States, not to mention the largest exhibit ever presented by the Witte

Museum, “Maya: Hidden Worlds Revisited” is set to inaugurate the newly built $15 million, 19,000-square-foot Mays Family Center for special exhibitions and events. In the past, the Witte had to pass on some major exhibits for lack of space, but the Mays is designed to accommodate the biggest blockbusters.

Filling 15,000 square feet, “Maya,” which runs May 14-Sept. 5, features never-before-seen artifacts, hands-on activities and immersive environments, including re-creations of an underworld cave, the starry night sky and a vibrantly colored mural room. Several large-scale carved monuments, or stelae, have been replicated as well as a famous frieze from the El Castillo pyramid in Xunantunich, a Maya ceremonial center. Artifacts from the tomb of Great Scrolled Skull in Belize include a jade mosaic mask along with numerous vessels and figurines.

Interactive activities enable visitors to decipher glyphs, build corbeled arches, explore tombs and investigate the Maya understanding of math and astronomy. Because of the scope of “Maya,” Witte president and CEO Marise McDermott is recommending visitors schedule a longer than average time to enjoy the exhibit, demonstrations and programs.

Also at the Witte through Aug. 21, “Splendor on the Range: American Indians and the Horse” explores the impact the four-legged creatures had on American Indians after being introduced into the New World by the Spanish in the 1500s. Curator Bruce Shackelford, stalwart appraiser of Western and Indian objects for PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow,” has assembled a stunning array of artifacts from the Witte’s world-class collections to examine the culture and lifeways of tribes through the Plains and Southwest before and after the arrival of the horse.

The McNay Art Museum celebrates the archetypal American beach resort and amusement park with “Coney Island: Visions of the American Dreamland, 1861-2008,” May 11-Sept. 11. But the exhibit spans more than just rides and games, exploring what author Henry Miller famously called “the Coney Island of the mind” using more than 140 objects, including paintings, drawings, photographs, prints, film clips, posters, carousel animals and side-show banners. Because of its proximity to New York City, Coney Island has inspired a multitude of well-known artists, ranging from William Merritt Chase and John Henry Twachtman to modern and contemporary artists such as Diane Arbus, Weegee, Walker Evans, Red Grooms, Reginald Marsh, Joseph Stella and George Tooker.

With election fever heating up, the McNay looks at Shepard Fairey, the street-artist who rose to fame in 2008 with his Hope poster for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. Fairey’s prints on view through Sept. 11 are from the collection of Harriett and Ricardo Romo, the UTSA president and his wife who have collected many works by Latino artists produced by Richard Durado’s Modern Multiples in Los Angeles, where Fairey’s prints were made. Fairey may not be a Latino artist, but his work often conveys social or political messages similar to the Chicano art the Romos are known for collecting.

The Linda Pace Foundation presents the Texas debut of “Secondary Stories,” a hypnotic room-size installation by Brazilian artist Rivane Neuenschwander, widely acclaimed for her often ephemeral work that explores narratives about language, nature, social interactions and the passing of time. Appearing to take viewers through the looking glass, the overhead installation of brightly colored circles immerses you in a slowly shifting play of light and color. Hidden fans gently move the giant confetti-like shapes around a translucent ceiling and, occasionally, the colored forms slip through perforations in the ceiling and flutter to the



floor. An Artpace resident in 2001, Neuenschwander had a major exhibit at New York’s New Museum in 2010 and the Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo in Brazil in 2014. Along with three video installation works, “Secondary Stories” will be on view April 30 through July 29.

Hurry to San Antonio Museum of Art to catch “Rodin: The Human Experience,” which ends May 29. Also at the museum there’s still plenty of time to see “Roberto de la Selva: Modern Mexican Masterpieces in Wood” through June 26. The Nicaraguan-born artist who moved to Mexico City in 1921 is considered a master of the carved wooden bas-relief panels that combine pre-Hispanic craft with modernist painting.

If you’re still in the mood for Fiesta, “Medal Mania IV,” featuring a sampling of 2016 Fiesta medals along with medals from the past, including a visual database extending back for several decades, continues through May 29 at the Institute of Texan Cultures.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Photo Credits:

Page 64

Frederick Brosen, Fortune Teller, Jones Walk, Coney Island, 2008, watercolor over graphite on paper, Courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York. Photograph by Joshua Nefsky; Image courtesy of Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York; © 2016 Frederick Brosen/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New YorkCourtesy McNay Art Museum

Page 66

(Above)Stoneball Gameyoke from Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed exhibitionCourtesy Witte Museum

(Below)

Roberto de la Selva (Nicaraguan/Mexican, 1895—1957) At the Fair, 1934 Painted and carved white mahogany 58 x 47 in. Courtesy San Antonio Museum of Art66 On The Town | January/February 201666 On The Town | May/June 2016


http://texasfolklifefestival.org


May/June 2016 | On The Town 69January/February 2016 | On The Town 69Jeff Balfour

L ooking roughly hewn from native wood decades ago, two new bridges at Mission San José’s gristmill are the “false wood” work of Mexico

City-born artist Rene F. Romero, who is continuing the San Antonio carved concrete tradition of “el trabajo rustico” or “faux bois” he learned from his mentor, Carlos Cortés.

Picnic tables, benches, lampposts, flower baskets, birdhouses and fountains are just a few of the mostly privately commissioned projects he has built at his home studio.

“I worked with Carlos for five years and began by working on the grotto he built for the San Antonio River Foundation on the Museum Reach,” Romero said. “In the past five years, I’ve been working on my own doing one-man projects. Most of my business comes through word- of-mouth, but it’s hard for me to keep up with demand. I have a great deal of admiration for Carlos. He has kept the tradition of faux wood alive.”

The three-story, dream-like grotto is located in a bend of the river between the Camden and Newell street bridges. Besides the many hand-carved decorations or artist “follies,” the grotto features a stairway leading into the jaws of a giant jaguar head. Directly across the river, Cortés constructed the palapa-style overlook with a thatched roof held up by a tree trunk sprouting root-like benches. The best-known San Antonio artist to work with carved concrete, Cortés also created the Witte Museum treehouse and a rustic pavilion at the Landa Library. He learned the faux-bois technique from his father, Maximo Cortés, who was taught

by Dionico Rodriguez, who introduced the highly secretive technique from Mexico to Texas in the 1920s. His father and Rodriguez, who married into the Cortés family, worked on many structures throughout San Antonio, including bridges in Brackenridge Park and the palapas bus stand in Alamo Heights.

Cortés restored a fountain, cat sculpture and other work by his father and uncle in Miraflores Park across from the University of Incarnate Word. The park, now on the National Register of Historic Places and owned by the city of San Antonio, contains the largest grouping of Rodriguez sculptures in Texas. Romero also worked with Cortés on the sign and picnic tables at the Robert L.B. Tobin Park that’s part of the Salado Creek Greenway east of the intersection of Loop 410 and Harry Wurzbach Road.

“Doing the bridges for Mission San Jose was a great honor since the mission (also a National Historical Park) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site,” Romero said. “I didn’t really know much about faux bois until I started working with Carlos, but he was a great teacher.”

French for “false wood,” faux bois was first developed in France in the mid-1800s by garden craftsmen who built fantasies of fake rock and rustic wood-like constructions using mortar over iron rods, barrel bands and machine-made mesh. Today, Romero first builds a hand-shaped and welded rebar frame or armature that is wrapped with heavy-duty galvanized wire mesh and filled with modern concrete mix.

To achieve a realistic wood texture, he uses hand-

RENE ROMERO: Faux Wood ArtistBy Dan R. GoddardPhotography Greg Harrison



carving and customized metal tools to shape concrete so each piece is unique. He often uses the coarse texture of mesquite bark for its dramatic appearance. For the outer surface of bark, he uses a higher proportion of Portland cement than in regular concrete.

“It becomes like glass and can be highly detailed,” Romero said.

Cortes taught him to add color to his work by applying mineral salts, naturally occurring pigments that produce “earth tone” colors. Romero usually waits a day or two for the concrete to cure some before spending several hours rubbing in the pigments to achieve the finished, ancient-looking patina.

“The French did not add color to their work,” Romero said. “But thanks to Carlos, the French have begun adding color to their pieces. The result is a functional piece of art, guaranteed to last decades; a timeless masterpiece that will age with beauty.”

The 43-year-old artist moved to the United States when he was 17, settling in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. He had been interested in art since his childhood in Mexico City, recalling his first drawing of an apple tree when he was 5. For eight years, he and his brother did caricatures in a stall at the Mall of America.

“But I got tired of the snow and moved in 1999 to San Antonio where I had some family,” he said. He attended Our Lady of the Lake University and began working with inflatables.

“I made models – black rubber sculptures – that would be turned into the inflatables,” he said. “I worked at that for five years and then began working with Patrick McMillan at Toxey/McMillan Design Associates, which creates museum-exhibit designs among other things. We were doing rest areas for a park and wanted to do some concrete trees. Patrick pointed me to Carlos Cortés.”

Working as part of a four-man crew on the



grotto gave him a quick education. After a few years, customers began to ask him to make private commissions. Romero began showing his creations at the Period Modern furniture store on McCullough Avenue. That brought him to the attention of restauranteur Cappy Lawton, who commissioned him to do some pieces for La Fonda on Main. He created a lamppost, table and hollow concrete squares that look like blocks of wood.

But one of Romero’s favorite pieces is a drinking fountain in the shape of a tree trunk with a frog sitting on the rim of the catch basin and a doggie dish at ground level that Lawton had installed at the corner of Main Street and West Craig Place near the restaurant.

“It ’s been fun to see what I can come up with,” Romero said. “I even did a realistic rhino. The family wanted something the kids could climb on and ‘ride.’ With rebar and concrete, I can make anything my customers want to look like it ’s made of wood.”

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Photo Credits:

Page 70

Bridge at Mission San JoseA UNESCO World Heritage Site

Page 71 (L-R)

Faux wood table on the patiobetween Cappy’s Restaurant on Broadway and Cappyccino’s next door

Drinking fountain in the shape ofa tree trunk with a frog on the rim of the catch basin



NEW AT SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN: STORYBOOK HOUSES AND SATURDAY DROP-IN PROGRAMMINGBy Tracy LowePhotography courtesy SABOT

The San Antonio Botanical Garden is host to Storybook Houses from now until July 10, 2016. Five unique interpretations on a storybook theme

come to life at the Garden and are on interactive display for Garden visitors to explore inside and out.

The Storybook Houses Exhibit is part of an ongoing, award-winning partnership between the San Antonio Botanical Garden and the San Antonio chapter of The American Institute of Architects

(AIA), aimed at showcasing both organizations' commitment to and focus on the environment, recycling, education and sustainability.

Area architects and design teams submitted entries for consideration, utilizing a wide array of styles and materials. A panel of judges representing the AIA, San Antonio Public Library and the Botanical Garden reviewed the designs and scored them based on a variety of criteria such as creativity of design and use/re-use of



weather-resistant materials; focus on recycling, reuse or sustainability; accessibility; collaboration with others; and design appeal for all ages of visitors.

The five entries selected for the exhibit are at the Garden and ready for exploration now.

"This AIA partnership is a treat for the imagination. This year’s theme opened up so many possibilities for the creative teams participating,” says Bob Brackman, Executive Director of the San Antonio Botanical Garden. "The designs will be fun for the entire family to explore."

The winning Storybook Houses entries include:

Oh! The Places You’ll Go Brady Renner, PBK

San Antonio & the BeanstalkLucas Mackey, Overland Partners, Esau Hernandez, Overland Partners, Marcel Van der Maas, Overland Partners

Worms at Work (based on Diary of a Worm) Christopher Drown, Bucrane Design Build, Lauran Drown, Bucrane Design Build

The Little HouseJames P. Beyer, RVK Architects, Andi Galloway, Joeris General Contractors

Sleeping BeautyErnest Guerrero, South San Antonio High School (Angelica Ramos, Teacher)

"AIA San Antonio is honored to partner with the San Antonio Botanical Garden for the fourth time on an activity that showcases the creativity of local architects," said Executive Director of AIA San Antonio Torrey Stanley Carleton, Hon. AIA. "The Storybook Houses installation will draw local families and visitors to the Garden to engage in a healthy outdoor activity that shows how seamlessly the built and natural environments can be integrated."



The partnership between AIA San Antonio and the San Antonio Botanical Garden was awarded the 2009 Texas Society of Architects Citation of Honor. The collaboration began in 2008 with the Terrific Treehouses, followed by the 2010 Playhouses and Forts, the 2014 Birdhouses, and now the 2016 Storybook Houses exhibit.

A special thank you to the sponsors of Storybook Houses:

• Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation, Inc.

• The USAA Foundation, a charitable trust

• A grant from the John L. Santikos Charitable Foundation Fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation

• Dickson-Allen Foundation

This spring the Garden also kicks off its Family Drop-In Programing scheduled on certain Saturdays and is free with Garden admission. Family Drop-In Programming will be seasonal, topic specific and allows for hands-on family fun!

Storybook Houses programming takes place on second Saturdays from 10am-12pm. Programming will vary but will include activities such as reading the story the Story Book House is based on, creating a simple craft, playing a game, and taking part in a garden exploration activity.

May 14 – Worms at Work, based on Diary of a WormJune 11 – The Little HouseJuly 9 – Oh! The Places You’ll Go

Later in June, Winged Wonders will include activities such as reading a story about a pollinator, creating a simple craft, playing a game, and taking part in a garden exploration activity. Winged Wonders provides education explaining how birds and butterflies find sustenance for their life cycle at the Garden, sensitizing all of us to the importance of habitat for those who “cohabit” with us. Admission to the Storybook Houses Exhibit is free for Garden members, and is included in the cost of daily Garden admission for non-members. For more information, visit www.sabot.org or call 210-536-1400.



http://bihlhausarts.org


Artistic Destination:


Kerrville's Museum of Western Art a giant in the Hill CountryBy Julie Catalano

The Texas Hill Country brims with treasures both natural and manmade, and one place especially stands out as a perfect mix of the two: the Museum

of Western Art, where some of the best artwork that can be found anywhere depicts the unique landscape of the American West.

Located on a shaded hilltop in Kerrville, the 14,000-square-foot Southwestern-style building designed by renowned architect O' Neil Ford is a work of art in itself. Inside, paintings and sculptures grace the light-filled galleries; outside, monumental bronzes stand guard on the picturesque grounds. It's a veritable Western art heaven.

“People come here from all over world,” said executive director Stephanie Turnham, who came to the museum almost a year ago. “We have about 250 paintings, about 150 bronzes, and selected artifacts. Our primary collection is the Cowboy Artists of America (CA) work; that's in the main gallery.”

The museum opened in 1983 as the Cowboy Artists of America Museum, later changing its name to the current one when CA split off and designated its museum in Oklahoma City.

The official CA affiliation may be gone but the art lives on — work after magnificent work brings to life vignettes of an era that is long gone. In spectacular oils and bronzes, there are scenes with early Native Americans, settlers, pioneers, cattle, rugged landscapes, mountain men — and everywhere, the ubiquitous cowboys and their trusty horses.

The permanent collection features Cowboy Artists (CA) from the mid-20th century to the present, including Roy Andersen, Wayne Baize, Joe Beeler, Fred Fellows, Bruce Greene, Oreland Joe, William Moyers, George Phippen and many more who follow in the tradition of Frederick Remington.

Visitors also can see actual Remingtons, which Nancy

Foster of Foster Tourism Marketing called absolutely priceless works.

“Once people find us, they say, oh my gosh, this is really something,” Foster said. [Note: Check out the museum's Facebook page for news of rotating exhibits, Artist of the Month, and other special events.]

The Children's Gallery is a delightful section that beckons youngsters (and some oldsters) with interactive displays of life in the old West and what it took to survive.

“One of the activities is about what you would take if you were setting out,” Foster said. Trunks with dress-up clothing and hats, kitchen tools, a nearby covered wagon and a teepee with a “campfire” lend a realistic touch. The charming gallery is in keeping with the museum’s mission “to educate about our historic and colorful Western past and to preserve our Western heritage through art and education,” she said.

Turnham said that all of the museum’s items offer lessons. An education director develops programs throughout the school year. Activities such as storytelling and crafts keep students engaged in a multi-station format. The theme for this year's summer camp is Westward Ho, for ages 6-12, “and kids are already signing up,” she said.

The building also features a gift shop and cozy library that boasts about 6,000 resident volumes on art and the history of the area, for on-site research. “Railroads, cowboys, you name it, we can probably find something for you,” said Nan Stover, a museum member and volunteer since 1991.

Visitors strolling the grounds end up in the company of Jason Scull, on those days when he can be found hard at work in his studio. “That's an extraordinary thing,” Turnham said, “having a museum with an artist in residence.”

And not just any artist, but a Cowboy Artist (CA), the


78 On The Town | May/June 201678 On The Town | March/April 2016

only one currently in Kerrville. The affable Scull, who works in bronze, explained what sets Cowboy Artists apart: “We pursue the creation of art in the tradition of Remington and [Charles Marion] Russell that is accurate in its representation of the American West at any given point in time.” Authenticity is the key, he said, with proper historic research as the foundation. As for the enduring popularity of Western art: “I think it's a very relatable thing if you consider the history of our country. There will always be those who love the American West and images from that time.”

Looking around the serene grounds of a beautiful institution that houses such treasures, who wouldn't love the American West? For those who do — and especially for those who think they don't — the Museum of Western Art is a must-see and definitely worth the trip. Museum of Western Art1550 Bandera Highway, Kerrville, TX 78028

For hours and admission fees: museumofwesternart.com, 830-896-2553.

Photo Credits:

Page 76

Kickin’ ‘em off the Rimrock Bronze sculpture by GrantSpeed

Page 78

Museum of Western ArtMain Gallery

“PEOPLE COME HERE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. WE HAVE ABOUT 250 PAINTINGS, ABOUT 150 BRONZES, AND SELECTED ARTIFACTS. OUR PRIMARY COLLECTION IS THE COWBOY ARTISTS OF AMERICA (CA) WORK: THAT’S IN THE MAIN GALLERY”

- STEPHANIE TURNHAM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE MUSEUM OF WESTERN ART

http://museumofwesternart.com


”

March April 2016 | On The Town 79

http://enchiladasbook.com


http://www.yosa.org


Festivals & Celebrations82-90

Festivals & Celebrations82-90



TEXAS FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 45 YEARSBy James M. BenavidesPhotography courtesy of ITC

For 45 years, Texas traditions have come to life at the University of Texas at San Antonio Institute of Texan Cultures’ signature event, the Texas

Folklife Festival. For three days each summer, June 10-12 this year, Texans bring the museum to life, showing the influences many groups had on the state.

Every year, the celebration reaffirms the value of the knowledge the museum safeguards and maintains. The collected knowledge, research, artifacts, exhibits and programs at the museum define the essence of the Texan identity.

“The Texas Folklife Festival is an extension of the exhibit floor,” said festival director Jo Ann Andera. “When this museum was being developed, the researchers scoured the state to find cultural groups and the customs that shaped their lives. As difficult as it might be to build a

museum about cultures and the ways people live, that narrative runs through every exhibit on display. But to really show that culture, to transform objects and stories into living, breathing, real, relatable people – that changes knowledge into experience.”

The Institute of Texan Cultures exhibit floor showcases more than 20 cultures that found a home in the state, from the Spanish explorers and missionaries, to the German pioneers of the Hill Country, to the Chinese who built the railroads and more. Unconstrained by gallery space limitations, the Texas Folklife Festival features 50 cultures on the museum’s grounds.

“We’re maintaining culture and tradition by showing it alive and well,” said Andera, “and we’re also introducing new cultures that may have just started making their mark on Texas. Sikhs, Koreans, Vietnamese, Argentine,



Salvadoran, Bulgarian, Lithuanian – they’ve only emerged in the past few decades. With the festival, we can display these cultures, too.”

While Andera gives significant credit to living history and tradition playing out across the festival grounds, it takes more for ideas to stick. Museum educators often point out that knowledge sticks when three factors come together: experience, emotion and intellect.

“The festival stimulates the senses,” Andera said. “It’s an immersive and interactive environment. And with the museum right there, doors open the whole time, guests have access to the exhibit floor and the intellectual experience to back up what they have experienced on the festival grounds. There is an opportunity to truly connect with and understand other cultures.”

One of the best ways to experience the festival and the museum, Andera believes, is to approach the Texas Folklife Festival as an introduction to the Institute of Texan Cultures, with a year of follow-up programs that bring other aspects of Texan culture to life, and a museum full of information to help research and understand other cultures available throughout the year. A museum membership is one way to pursue

that study, with admission for a year and additional benefits. The museum’s free Second Sunday programs supplement the learning experience as they focus on other aspects of Texan culture such as pioneer life, or on specific cultures such as the Maasai.

“The festival can help you appreciate another culture, and enjoy their food, music, dance, art,” Andera said. “Combine that with the events and experiences that have shaped the lives of a people, and you can begin to understand. Texas is filled with amazing people, and they have amazing stories to tell. That’s what makes Folklife and the institute such a powerful experience. It takes effort. It takes time. And when someone is willing to make that investment, the result is spectacular. It’s a global citizen. It’s someone who can look at another human being, regardless of race, religion, language or custom, without fear or judgment. That’s why we’ve kept this tradition going since 1972 and why this museum has been a part of Texas since 1968.”

The 2016 Texas Folklife Festival runs 5 to 11 p.m. June 10; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 11; and noon to 7 p.m. June 12. For information, call 210-458-2300 or visit TexanCultures.com.


http://TexanCultures.com

http://woodlawnapa.org


http://woodlawntheatre.org


Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio©2015, La Bella Vita Photography


20/20 VISION: CACTUS PEAR MUSIC FESTIVAL’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY SEASONby Gary Albright

W e blink and realize that our child is going off to college when she was just learning to walk “yesterday.” Up pops an Oscar-

winning film, and we can’t believe we saw “Titanic” in the theater 20 years ago with some upstart actors named Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. And what about that upstart summer chamber music festival that in the same year, 1997, made its appearance in San Antonio?

Cactus Pear Music Festival and the vision artistic director and founder Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio had one spring evening on the San Antonio River Walk as she nursed a cactus-pear margarita — the eponymous drink for which the festival was named — are now focused on the organization’s 20th season.

“It's been an exciting journey,” she said. “We are ready to celebrate the 20th in style, with 20-20 Vision our season’s theme, for what has been and what is yet to be.

“For season 20 we are pulling out all the stops: 20 artists collaborating in 20 pieces by greats such as Schubert, Brahms and Dvořák, and cutting-edge works by celebrated living American composers Puts, Bunch and Daugherty,” Sant’Ambrogio said.

“The repertoire ranges from intimate piano sonatas by Scarlatti to large ensemble sextets, septets and even a nonet with percussion in Poulenc’s “Le bal masqué.” And for the first time, I decided to invite some of the extraordinarily talented alums from our


Kostov Lachezar Ellen Pavliska


Young Artist Program (YAP, Cactus Pear’s tuition-free educational mentoring program) to join us on stage as professional colleagues. It will be thrilling for all of us to play with pianist Ellen Pavliska [2011] and violinist Colin Sorgi [2005] in week one, and pianist Wayne Ching [2009] and clarinetist Sam Almaguer [2008] for our final two programs.”

The festival’s founder is known for hiring world-class musicians season after season. “We are blessed to have a wonderful mix on stage of some of my favorite chamber artists from across the globe, as well as a select handful of ‘stars’ from the San Antonio Symphony,” she said.

“Joining me in Brahms’ passionate “Piano Quintet” will be San Antonio International Piano Competition winner Ryo Yanagitani, violist Ara Gregorian and cellist Lachezar Kostov. Our dear pianist friend Jeffrey Sykes is back, along with husband and wife cellists Tony Ross and Beth Rapier, flutist Stephanie Jutt, baritone Timothy Jones, as well as oboist Rong-Huey Liu and the symphony's Eric Gratz, Sharon Kuster, John Carroll and Sherry Rubins. It is going to be a season of perfect vision and artistry on stage. I can't wait!”

The festival opens with Fantasies and Folktales (July

7-8 and 10), featuring the music of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts, “Aria for violin and piano.” The centerpiece of program one, on every “top 10 greatest” chamber music list, is Dvořák’s boisterous and folksy “Piano Quintet,” while Fauré’s “Piano Quartet No. 2 in G Minor” adds a layer of fantasy. Audiences will get to see the seasoned Yanagitani perform with his 2011 YAP protégé Pavliska as they sit side by side performing the expressively beautiful four-hand “Schubert Fantasie.”

Passions Old, Passions New, the July 9-10 program, showcases the most recent winner of the festival’s young composer prize, Thomas Dougherty, who, at 25, is stirring hearts with his evocative writing. His string quartet will be led by YAP alum Colin Sorgi. Sant’Ambrogio includes a little-known piano trio by Arno Babadjanian. “I was first introduced to it in 2010,” she said. “Its haunting melodies and exotic beat patterns have gripped me ever since. I’m eager to share it with our audiences.” The program climaxes with Brahms’ lushly romantic “Piano Quintet in F Minor.”

Inspired by her recent sabbatical in France, Sant’Ambrogio created the third program, French Impressions (July 15). Redolent with some of the


Ryo Yanagitani Eric Gratz


greatest French composers— Ravel, Poulenc, Debussy and Auric — she also pivoted the program around the rich, burnished voice of bass-baritone Timothy Jones, who is featured in Ravel’s “Don Quichotte à Dulcinée.” She said, “Martinu is not a Frenchman, but you can’t get more French than his ‘La Revue de Cuisine,’ a delightful morsel that always brings the house down.”

Program 4 (July 14, 16-17) is a true Firecracker Finale with dazzling works by Poulenc, Menotti, Bartok and Americans Michael Daugherty and Puts. In 2012, Sant’Ambrogio organized a five-festival consortium to commission a quintet from Puts composed to feature baritone Timothy Jones along with some of her favorite partners on stage. “In at the Eye” receives its Texas premier this July.

With an eye to CPMF’s anniversary season, Sant’Ambrogio said: “One day you have a dream of something that could be, and you hope your enthusiasm for the idea is met with the kind of support that will bring that vision into reality. I feel so blessed; it’s been met in spades.” The 20th season begins July 7 in Kerrville, July 8 in San Antonio, and July 10 in Boerne.

For a complete listing of program pieces and artists, go to www.cpmf.us/cpmf_season.html

SCHEDULE

Program 1: FANTASIES AND FOLKTALES7 p.m. July 7, First Presbyterian Church, Kerrville7 p.m. July 8, Coker United Methodist Church, San Antonio2 p.m. July 10, First United Methodist Church, BoerneProgram 2: PASSIONS OLD, PASSIONS NEW7 p.m. July 9, Coker United Methodist Church, San Antonio 2 p.m. July 10, First United Methodist Church, Boerne

Program 3: FRENCH IMPRESSIONS7 p.m. July 15, Coker United Methodist Church, San Antonio One performance only

Program 4: FIRECRACKER FINALE7 p.m. July 14, McKenna Event Center, New Braunfels7 p.m. July 16, Coker United Methodist Church, San Antonio2 p.m. July 17, First United Methodist Church, Boerne

VENUES

Boerne: First United Methodist Church, 205 James St.Kerrville: First Presbyterian Church, 800 Jefferson St.New Braunfels: McKenna Event Center, 801 W. San Antonio St.San Antonio: Coker United Methodist Church, 231 E. North Loop Road


Timothy Jones Rong-Huey Liu

http://www.cpmf.us/cpmf_season.html



Literary Arts92-96

Literary Arts 92-96


Book Talk:


RANDY FRITZ, AUTHOR Story and photos by Jasmina Wellinghoff

Randy Fr i tz and his wi fe Hol ly moved f rom Wisconsin to Centra l Texas in 1979 to sett le in the hear t of the Lost

Pines forest where they bui l t their f i rst house. He was a potter, she a dance teacher. O ver the years, they would bui ld three other res idences whi le Fr i tz t ransi t ioned into a publ ic ser v ice career, f i rst as a Bastrop Count y judge (1991-94) and later as Chi ldren’s Health I nsurance Bureau chief for the Texas Depar tment of Health and eventual ly COO for the Depar tment of State Health Ser vices. Dur ing the devastat ing Bastrop wi ldf i re of 2011 - the most destruc t ive in Texas histor y - the Fr i tz fami ly lost i ts home and the forest they loved was turned into a ghost of i tse l f. Deeply unsett led by this exper ience of loss, Fr i tz wrote a book that documents the consequences of the annihi lat ing f i re, as wel l as h is intense reac t ion of gr ief and anger that l ingered for months. I nterspersed with this narrat ive are shor t accounts of the fami ly ’s l i fe before the f i re. Ti t led, H a i l o f Fi r e - A M a n a n d H i s Fa m i l y Fa ce N a t u ra l D i s a s t e r , the book was publ ished by Tr in i t y Univers i t y Press in 2015. I t was one the three f inal ists for the Texas I nst i tute of Letters Carr Col l ins Award for Best Book of Nonf ic t ion publ ished in 2015. Fr i tz cont inues to l ive in Bastrop in a new house with his wi fe and youngest daughter M iranda. He current ly works as an independent consultant , specia l iz ing in health insurance issues.

JW: Te l l us why you chose to l ive in the Lost Pines forest and about your love of the forest .RF: I t ’s more of a past tense at this stage because there isn’t much lef t of i t . The main par t of Lost Pines that remained af ter the 2011 f i re burned in the f i re of 2015. But the reason I loved i t i s because i t reminded me of where I grew up - i t was ver y green, with ta l l t rees. The loblol ly pines that we had grew ver y ta l l and grew in amazing ways. A lot of them do not just shoot stra ight up. They cur ve, grow in s inew y ways ; they are ver y str ik ing, unusual t rees. We had mi l l ions of them. The est imates are that some t wo mi l l ion t rees died. The forest has suf fered a catastrophic loss.

JW: You lost your house but a lso the three previous houses your fami ly l ived in . I t ’s a lot of personal h istor y to lose.

RF: Ever y one the houses burned except the f i rst l i t t le one that we bui l t ; but that one burned in 2015. A house is sor t of a spir i tual archive of fami ly l i fe and we had mult iple houses l ike that , most of which we bui l t ourselves except for one, and they are a l l gone. I t ’s a terr ib le loss. There’s no place we can go now and point to our grandk ids ‘ That ’s where your mom was born; that ’s where she grew up.’ Our fami ly ’s ent i re ecosystem has been destroyed.

I n the book I descr ibe going to revis i t the places that burned and I ta lk about the fac t that i f I could go back in t ime l ike Emi ly does in ( the play) Our Town, I would revis i t the house



where we l ived whi le our k ids were l i t t le. I used to dr ive by that house at least once a week for years, just because I l iked look ing at i t and being reminded of what happened there.

JW: You seem to have been more deeply af fec ted than your fami ly members or your neighbors. Why do you think that was so?

RF: I cannot answer that analyt ica l ly. I can s imply say that i t was a combinat ion of things. I was the only person in my fami ly to go back ( to the house) whi le the f i re was raging. I saved some of our things but had a narrow brush with death. I then went back the nex t morning and saw what my house looked l ike af ter the f i re was done with i t . As I sa id, I saw the destruc t ion of our fami ly ’s ent i re ecosystem and that k ind of t raumatized me.

JW: What prompted you to decide to wr i te a book?

RF: I guess, as much as anything, i t was being in therapy and real iz ing that I had something to say to people who have gone through s imi lar exper iences. There are no books out there wr i t ten in the f i rst person by people who have gone through a major natural d isaster. Some f ic t ion accounts exist but I couldn’t f ind a s ingle memoir wr i t ten f rom the f i rst person perspec t ive. So I fe l t that this was a book that needed to be wr i t ten. And I a lso thought that i t would be a heal ing thing to do for our communit y. Thousands of people have read the book local ly and the response has been over whelming.

JW: Your book is d iv ided into sec t ions that are not only dated, but the hour of the day is of ten indicated. Did you keep a journal throughout the post- f i re year?

RF: No, but I kept a ca lendar of th ings to do. S o i t was ver y s imple for me to reconstruc t what happened. There were a couple of t imes when I took notes on my iphone about a conversat ion that par t icular ly stuck in my mind. Also, a lot of what happened in the year af ter the f i re i s as f resh in my memor y as i t could be. S ome



conversat ions were re lated a lmost verbat im because they had such a big ef fec t on me.

JW: You descr ibe the t rees, the landscape, the sk y and the f i re i tse l f in a r ich , poet ic language. Do you read poetr y or perhaps wr i te i t too?

RF: (Laughs) No, I don’t wr i te poetr y. That ’s l ike real ly hard! I do t r y to wr i te poet ic prose. There’s a big di f ference bet ween wr it ing poet ic prose and being a poet . But I do read a lot of poetr y. I am ver y fond of v iv id language and that ’s why I l ike to read l i terar y f ic t ion.

JW: How hard or how easy was i t to f ind a publ isher?

RF: I t was surpr is ingly easy. One of my advisers (people he consulted with whi le wr i t ing) , Janice Shay, had a lot of connec t ions in the book wor ld, so she ac ted as an informal agent for me. She went to the Book Expo of Amer ica in New York in May 2014 and ta lked to some fr iends of hers, and just l ike that , I had a couple of of fers . I chose Tr in i t y Press for t wo reasons : i t ’s a Texas publ isher which gave me the oppor tunit y to work with people who are geographical ly c lose ; and the other is , I went down to see them, and i t was obvious to me that the book had an emotional impac t on those who read i t . I fe l t they would be t rue champions of my work .

JW: Inevitably, a memoir is not only about the person writing it, but also about other people. Your family, neighbors, your therapist and many others are talked about and quoted in Hail of Fire. Were you careful not to ruffle any feathers?

RF: I t would have felt weird to me to write about these people without using their real names. As long as there was nothing negative….. All of them read the book but sometimes I didn’t hear from them until months later. I t was as if at f irst they had their guards up and it took months for the book to really hit them. Then they typically said, “ Thank you for writing it. I t has helped me.”

JW : I n your former profess ional capacit y, you were in charge of organiz ing the state’s

response to Hurr icane K atr ina and R ita . But that apparent ly did not help you to be personal ly ready when disaster st ruck .

RF: As a state of f ic ia l I handled the disasters f rom a physical and logist ica l s tandpoint . I k new theoret ical ly that mental health ser v ices were impor tant ; but I had no real appreciat ion for that . Now, in hindsight , I bel ieve that those ser v ices are among the most impor tant things that need to happen af ter a d isaster. C lear y, there’s the in i t ia l need to get food, water and a safe place for d is located people to go to ; but , once a l l that i s taken care of, I th ink mental health ser v ices are absolutely essent ia l . People suf fer emotional and spir i tual devastat ion. That ’s what l ingers on for a long t ime.

JW: With your exper ience in mind, what would you say to a person who has just l ived through a natural d isaster?

RF: I would probably say, “Have you thought about going into therapy?” Again, most people who suffer a great loss are going to need therapy at some point . But maybe that quest ion is too personal . Which br ings me to another reason I wrote the book : though there are many books about psychotherapy, there are ver y few personal accounts of what ac tual ly happens in therapy. I n my book , I wrote about the process i tse l f ; you are ac tual ly eavesdropping on my therapy sess ions. I thought i t was impor tant to demyst i fy and de -st igmatize that process.

JW: Any f inal thoughts?

RF : I am glad that you noticed the poetic element in my writing. I guess that ’s the thing I l ike about the book. I mean, you don’t want to write a book that you don’t l ike yourself ( laughs). I am a person who is very selective about what I read, maybe a l ittle of a l iterary snob. So I was somewhat worried about writing a book that I was not going to feel good about later. But I reread my book about six months after publication and it was l ike, “I ’m proud of this book.”

M r. Fr i tz ’s comments have been edited for publ icat ion.



Out & About with Greg Harrison98-110


http://simplyfinesahomes.com




http://simplyfinesahomes.com
















May/June 2016

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