may/june 2012 issue

May-June 2012 | On The Town 1

Chris Brooks – Ruth’s Chris Steak HouseCirque du Soleil – Michael Jackson

Mike Rilley – Majestic / EmpireSouth Texas Heritage CenterThe New Woodlawn Theatre

Cactus Pear Music FestivalTexas Folklife Festival

Plus 11 Additional Articles

Chris Brooks – Ruth’s Chris Steak HouseCirque du Soleil – Michael Jackson

Mike Rilley – Majestic / EmpireSouth Texas Heritage CenterThe New Woodlawn Theatre

Cactus Pear Music FestivalTexas Folklife Festival

Plus 11 Additional Articles

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May/June 2012May/June 2012

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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.

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Loretta, La Cage, Cirque, Star Wars & More 8May and June Bring Great Performances to SA and Surrounding Area

Mike Rilley: New Majestic and Empire GM 14

Court Jesters: San Antonio’s Band of Lawyers 18

The New Woodlawn Theatre: 22The Show Must Go On

SOLI Chamber Ensemble: Creating Classics 26

KPAC On the Air in San Antonio 30

Cirque du Soleil Brings Michael Jackson: 32THE IMMORTAL World Tour to AT&T Center

Chef Chris Brooks: A Winner in Every Way 54

Fiesta Noche del Rio Celebrates 56th Season 64at Arneson River Theatre

Texas Folklife Festival: 66 Preserving a Texan Way of Life

Cinema Tuesdays: Classic Films Soar 70 on the Big Screen

Caffeinated Concerts: Cactus Pear Music 72Festival’s 16th Season

Travel Through Art 78

Witte Museum Opens Much-Anticipated 82South Texas Heritage Center

Front Cover Photo: Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World TourPhoto: OSA ImagesCostumes: Zaldy Goco © Cirque-Jackson I.P., LLC

Performing Arts Cover Photo: Loretta Lynn Photo courtesy Majestic Theatre

Events Calendar Cover Photo: La Cage Aux FollesPhoto by Paul Kolnik

Culinary Arts Cover Photo: Greg Harrison

Festivals & Celebrations Cover Photo: Courtesy Fiesta Noche del Rio

Visual Arts Cover Photo: Greg Harrison

Culinary Arts Cover Photo: Greg Harrison

Literary Arts Cover Photo: Greg Harrison

Eclectics Cover Photo: Greg Harrison

Features 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.

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May-June 2012 Events Calendar 38

Pinch Pennies & Dine Well: Plan Your 58Meal, Get a Steal

Book Talk: Gilbert Garcia 88Journalist and Author

Artistic Destination: The Heart of Nashville 94

Out and About with Greg Harrison 98

Departments ContributorsGary Albright

Mikel Allen,creative director /graphic designer

James Benavides

Julie Catalano

John Clare

Cynthia Clark

Lisa Cruz

Kemp Davis

Thomas Duhon

Dana Fossett

Ashley Festa

Peabo Fowler

Paul Garcia

Greg Harrison,staff photographer

Shannon Huntington- Standley

Michele Krier

Christian Lair,operations manager

Kay Lair

Diana Marin

Marlo Mason-Marie

Susan A. Merkner,copy editor

Angela Rabke

Sara Selango

Christine Schipper

Jasmina Wellinghoff

Cassandra Yardeni

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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Loretta, La Cage, Cirque, Star Wars & More!May and June Bring Great Performances to SA and Surrounding Area By Sara Selango


O ver the past few weeks, many outstanding performing arts organizations in and around San Antonio announced their 2012-

13 seasons. I can’t wait to tell you all about what’s featured on their future schedules, but first I need to give props to the performers and shows on the entertainment agenda for the remainder of the current season.

The final show in the Cadillac Broadway in San Antonio Series is La Cage Aux Folles starring George Hamilton. Catch it if you can at the Majestic from Tuesday, May 8-Sunday, May 13. In community productions, Cries That Bind is featured at San Pedro Playhouse’s Cellar Theater until May 6, For the Love of an Anesthesiologist plays the Overtime through May 12 and Dir ty Blonde continues at the Cameo until May 13. Openings include, but are not limited to, The Fantasticks by Off-Broadway Productions at The Josephine May 4-26, Oliver! at the Sheldon Vexler May 10-June 10 and Classic Theatre of San Antonio’s King Lear at the Sterling Houston Theatre in the Blue Star complex May 11-27. The curtain also rises on The Drowsy

Chaperone at Russell Hill Rogers Theater in San Pedro Playhouse starting May 18 and running for a month, Baby The Musical at the Josephine June 8-24, The Pillow Man in the new Black Box Theatre at the Woodlawn June 14-July 7 and Next to Normal June 29-July 29 on the Woodlawn’s main stage. For an evening of murder mystery, take in the Cameo’s Mamma Mia, That’sa Murder at the Spaghetti Warehouse May12 & 26.

In June, a theatrical event of a different kind comes to town that is super-worthy of your attention. Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque du Soleil weaves its magic at the AT&T Center for one night only June 23.

To keep up on all things “entertainment” on the local level, check the events calendar in this magazine. First up is the music category, which prompts me to mention the San Antonio Symphony’s presentation of Mozar t in Old Style at the Majestic on May 4-5 with Barry Douglas conducting as well as being the featured pianist for the evening. A free concert, Berlioz and



Barzun , is next on Tuesday, May 15 with Sebastian Lang-Lessing on the podium. Michael Krajewski then leads the orchestra in a pops performance of Star Wars and other Space Odysseys on Friday and Saturday of the same week at Laurie Auditorium on the Trinity University campus. Rounding out the month is the return of Alondra de la Parra in a program at the Majestic titled Alondra Conducts Copeland on May 24-25. Bruckner Blockbuster featuring pianist Olga Scheps and conductor Sebastian Lang-Lessing concludes the symphony season June 1-2.

The month of May is loaded with other classical opportunities that merit your consideration. Symphony of the Hills goes Out of This World at the Kathleen C. Cailloux Theater in Kerrville May 3 while Mid-Texas Symphony travels to The West and the West Side at the New Braunfels Civic Center May 6. On the same day, Youth Orchestras of San Antonio presents Music For Great Cities at the Majestic. The plethora of performances continues with Olmos Ensemble’s A Wonder ful Pianist and an Excellent Oboist on May 7 at

First Universalist Unitarian and SOLI Chamber Ensemble’s Freedom May 8-9 at Ruth Taylor and McNay’s Leeper Auditorium respectively. More opportunities include five performances by San Antonio Brass of Olympic Spirit beginning May 13 (check the listings for details), two performances of Jazz Meets Classical 20th Anniversary from Musical Offerings May 14 in the Great Hall at San Antonio Museum of Art and May 15 at Ruth Taylor, plus Caribbean Express presented by Musical Bridges Around the World on Sunday, May 20 at McAllister Auditorium on the campus of San Antonio College.

Classical choral performances abound in May, with some in June too. Be sure to check the listings for concerts by Children’s Chorus of San Antonio, Voci di Sorelle, San Antonio Chamber Choir, The Copperleaf Quintet and Alamo City Men’s Chorale.

One of the biggest moments for me in the next couple of months will be when Loretta Lynn takes the stage at the Majestic at 6:30pm on Sunday



evening May 20. The word “legend” comes to mind rather quickly. I will be a face in the crowd. K.D. Lang and the Siss Boom Bang follow at the same theater two days after that, with Idina Menzel of Wicked fame performing there on June 12. One week later, Buddy Guy & Jonny Lang play the Majestic. Another big name appearing in the Alamo City is Stanley Clarke at the Carver ’s Jo Long Theatre June 2.

Country music in the area is ubiquitous. Here are but a few of the well-know performers you can enjoy in May and June: Ronnie Dunn, Emmylou Harris, Asleep at the Wheel, Robert Earl Keen, Jerry Jeff Walker, Dierks Bentley, Roger Creager, Radney Foster and Cory Morrow. Visit the websites of Gruene Hall, John T. Floore Country Store, Whitewater Amphitheater and Cowboys San Antonio for their complete lineups. Also take an online look at Cavender Toyota Music Series at The Country Line BBQ.

Another form of entertainment that ’s available to us on a daily basis is comedy. A few more laughs

in our lives might be just what the doctor ordered, to borrow an overused phrase. Acquire a dose of fun any night of the week at both Rivercenter and Laugh Out Loud Comedy Clubs. Usually the better known comedians are booked from Wednesday to Sunday, but don’t take my word for it, check the calendars for both clubs for complete details.

Before saying hasta luego, I want to mention three tributes and a dance. See Liverpool Legends: Beatles Tribute Band at Rockbox Theatre in Fredericksburg May 15-16, The Legends: A Tribute to The Temptations at the Palace Theater in Seguin May 18, and Donny Edwards: A Tribute to Elvis at the Brauntex in New Braunfels May 27. The dance performance is Dallas Black Dance Theatre at the Carver May 5.

There is so much to see and do. Get some tickets and go!



Photo Credits

Pages 8-9

Loretta LynnCourtesy Majestic Theatre

Pages 10-11 (L-R)

La Cage Aux FollesPhoto by Paul Kolnik

George HamiltonLa Cage Aux FollesPhoto by Paul Kolnik

Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World TourPhoto: OSA ImagesCostumes: Zaldy Goco © Cirque -Jackson I.P., LLC

Idina MenzelCourtesy idinamenzel.com

KD LangCourtesy kdlang.com

Pages 12-13 (L-R)

Gibaro de Puerto RicoCourtesy Musical Bridges Around the World

Olga SchepsCourtesy San Antonio Symphony

Alondra de la ParraPhoto by Fernando Aceves

Michael KrajewskiCourtesy michaelKrajewski.com

Michael Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World TourPhoto: OSA ImagesCostumes: Zaldy Goco © Cirque -Jackson I.P., LLC


http://idinamenzel.com

http://kdlang.com

http://michaelKrajewski.com

http://michaelKrajewski.com


Mike Rilley:

New Majestic and Empire GMBy Angela RabkePhotography Greg Harrison

T.here’s no doubt that the Majestic Theatre lives up to its name. It ’s as expansive as a blockbuster release, as awesome as a cast of thousands. But

what’s truly amazing is that San Antonio has yet another gem – The Empire Theatre – that dates back to Vaudeville days. And it ’s literally just around the corner. The Empire’s a little more intimate in scale, but certainly not shy when it comes to flaunting its gold leaf … ” – www.visitsanantonio.com

The description above, from the San Antonio visitor website, nicely encapsulates the splendor of SA’s two treasured downtown theaters. And while those of us in San Antonio might take them for granted, it is incredible that these two cultural gems, the Majestic Theatre and the Empire Theatre, exist not only within the same city, but within blocks of each other. The Majestic — which is home to our symphony, Broadway performances and the Pops Series — is familiar to most locals. The Charline McCombs Empire Theatre hasn’t been as prominent in the entertainment landscape, but is gaining popularity as a venue for intimate performances, including recent shows by the Courtyard Hounds and Matisyahu. While both properties claim a rich historical and architectural history, they present differing marketing and booking challenges, which are handled by new general manager Mike Rilley.

Rilley moved to San Antonio in August after Art Center Enterprises, the management company for both the Majestic and the Empire, placed him, a gentleman with significant experience in performing arts management, in this role. Rilley came to San Antonio from Dallas, where he served as managing director for the Dallas Center for Performing Arts before handling the management transition for Dallas’s Majestic Theater.

Rilley’s career in theater/venue management began when he was in law school. “I started working with the Cleveland Orchestra at their outdoor venue, the Blossom Center, in the ‘80s,” Rilley said. “I was in law school at the time, and realized very quickly that I would enjoy a career doing this. I will never forget my first show with Robert Plant and Stevie Ray Vaughan.” It is evident that his love for memorable performances motivates Rilley to provide the same opportunities at the venues he serves.

His resume prior to arriving is San Antonio is impressive: after graduating from law school at the University of Akron, Rilley went to work for a historic theater management company in Columbus (CAPA), where his first assignment was serving on the team that restored the historic Southern Theatre in Columbus. Since that time, Rilley has filled his resume with significant experience,

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including performing arts management, start-up situations and working with constituent arts groups. He served as general manager of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, held a variety of leadership roles with the Columbus Association of the Performing Arts (of which the symphony was a resident constituent). He led negotiations with Disney and the City of Chicago for CAPA to operate the Chicago Theatre, which he oversaw for three years and worked with artists ranging from Phillip Glass to Sting. In 2000, he became vice president of programming and business development, managing CAPA’s contract with the Shubert Theater in New Haven and serving as liaison to the resident arts groups of CAPA’s six venues. Rilley’s experience also includes positions with the Columbus Arts Council, Blossom Music Center and the Indianapolis Arts Garden.

His experience with historical venues means that he knows the value of what already exists in San Antonio. “One thing that is great about this job is that there is nothing that needs to be ‘fixed.’ There are always things that we can do better, and I am still learning things, but we have consistency in management and great opportunities ahead of us.”

The Majestic’s lineup for the 2012-13 season was just announced. “It ’s always exhilarating to usher in a new season of the best Broadway shows currently on tour,” Rilley said. “We have an exceptional lineup of new hits and family classics with themes that address equality, deception, triumph, adventure and just enough theatrical magic to make it a season you won’t want to miss.”

Neither will people want to miss upcoming shows at the Empire. According to Rilley, there are great opportunities that utilize the Empire Theatre’s more intimate size. “We can do some smaller and more unique shows there. It allows for such a cool relationship between the artist and the audience member. I’d like to see more happening there and am doing the research and talking to people in the community to see what opportunities will work there.”

For more information on the Majestic and Empire theaters, visit www.majesticempire.com.


http://www.majesticempire.com


http://vexler.org


SAN ANTONIO’S BAND OF LAWYERSBy Michele KrierPhotography Courtesy of the Court Jesters


You might not think a team of legal eagles was “born to be wild”, but the Court Jesters, one of San Antonio’s most popular bands, really get ‘the house

rockin’’” whenever they perform. The big band of local musicians (who also happen to be attorneys) has been making beautiful music together since 2005, entertaining non-profits, private parties and corporate events.

They’ve performed for the American Heart Association Heart Ball, several Elf Louise benefits, the San Antonio Zoological Society (2010 Zoo Ball), the State Bar of Texas, and the San Antonio Bar Association, to name just a few of the groups the Court Jesters have brought out to the dance floor over the years. Major players in San Antonio, with a record of giving back to the community, the Court Jesters just kicked of the Fiesta 2012 Opening Ceremonies in Alamo Plaza, and can be seen regularly at La Fonda Oak Hills on the first Saturday of the month from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“We play a lot of civic and charitable events,” notes Doug Walsdorf, longtime Court Jester band member. He points to an upcoming civic festival in Boerne, where the group will be part of a city-wide celebration dedicating the new Heart of Boerne Trail. Doug says that the band plays several gigs a month around South Texas. Venues they have played include Majestic and Empire theatres, all the big River Walk hotel ballrooms, including the Grand Hyatt, as well as the Hyatt Hill Country Resort and the new J.W. Marriott Hill Country Resort, the Pearl Stable, Red Berry Mansion, and various country clubs. They’ve also enjoyed several gigs on the Texas Cavaliers Fiesta River Parade barges and at Fiesta Oyster Bake.

In addition to favorite songs from over the years, Doug says the band has been trying to add more music with a modern edge. “You’re likely now to hear a piece from Cold Play next to our traditional playlist which features songs like Mustang Sally, Honky Tonk Woman, and Huey Lewis’ Power of Love.

The members in the band have had successful careers. For example, Doug Walsdorf’s practice has consisted almost exclusively of conducting mediations since 1995, although he has handled various other legal matters. Similarly, he plays trumpet almost exclusively in the Court Jesters, although he does sing on some numbers. The rest of the Court Jesters include two judges--Sol Casseb (drummer and civil district judge) and Mark Luitjen (bass player and criminal district judge). There are six other attorneys in the band. These include Steve Barrera (guitar), Ruben Barrera (trombone & trumpet), Joe Casseb (vocals and guitar), Jim


Frost (saxophones), Mike Jackson (guitars & vocals), Brett Rowe (trumpet & vocals). Rounding out the band is Bobby Trevino, the only non-attorney in the band. Trevino is a commercial real-estate broker and handles all the keyboards for the band. Although several of the band members had crossed musical paths in years past, the Court Jesters were “created” to play a handful of songs at a San Antonio Bar Association dinner back in 2005. “After that one show, most of the group felt we could make a go of this bit of musical fun” says Walsdorf. Their love for music and entertaining keeps the band of 10 together.

Doug says one of the highlights of his musical career is hands down the night the Court Jesters opened for Huey Lewis and the News at the Majestic Theatre. “I’m still riding that wave! I got to hang out with Huey Lewis’s sax player Johnny Colla.”

Another highlight connected the Jesters with Harry Connick, Jr.’s band. “I took a private lesson from Roger Ingram who plays trumpet in Connick’s band. What really struck me was that we met Harry, who came down later in the bar. He said that we were all really lucky to be playing music because we want to play, without the pressure of making a living in the music business.”

Doug, whose musical taste runs from classics to New Age and everything in between, plays music at his church every weekend. “Anytime you can get up and play music, it’s great,” he says speaking about his passion for music. “Thank God for my wife, she lets me do it!” Doug and his musically talented wife, were college sweethearts. Their son and daughter are in band and orchestra, carrying on the family’s musical tradition. “People may not realize this, but some of the finest musicians in Texas perform here every year at the Texas Music Educators (TMEA) Association conference. I take my kids to the concerts. It’s a great way to hear some of the best musicians who are already performing in All-State bands and their local orchestras.”

Over the years the Jesters have played with a Who’s Who list of San Antonio musical favorites, including Patsy Torres, the Krayolas, who are enjoying a royal resurgence of their own, Spot Barnett, Shawn Sahm, Bobby Rey, Rick Cavender, Los #3 Dinners, and the legendary Augie Meyer, known for jamming the keyboards with everyone from Hendrix to Bob Dylan.

For the Court Jesters, playing the venerable Gruene Hall would be as noteworthy as Carnegie Hall. “We’d love to play Gruene Hall,” says Doug. And judging from the growth of their fan base, let’s hope the Mecca for Texas musicians will pop up soon on their concert tour schedule. Stay tuned. You can follow the band on Facebook (“The Court Jesters”) and also on their website at courtjestersband.com.20 On The Town | May-June 2012

http://courtjestersband.com


http://sanpedroplayhouse.com


The NewWoodlawn Theatre: The Show Must Go OnBy Julie CatalanoPhotography Greg Harrison

I n the best Andy Hardy tradition of, “Let ’s turn this theater into a.. .theater,” Kurt and Sherry Wehner have done a masterful job of taking

one of San Antonio’s most iconic buildings and continuing its second life as a theatrical venue. Best of all, its newly renovated digs in the city ’s Deco District are a snazzy portal back to the Woodlawn’s glory days when John Wayne himself hosted the premiere of The Alamo movie in 1960.

There were bumps along the way, most recently the dissolution of a partnership with a local production company and original renovator after Kurt purchased not only the theater but also the adjacent Woodlawn Center. The new Woodlawn Theatre Inc., is a nonprofit organization, and its new caretakers – along with its new board of directors and artistic director – are only looking forward, not back.

That’s not to say they aren’t celebrating the Woodlawn’s venerable past that began in 1946, when it was one of about 100 movie palaces designed by American architect John Eberson, who also designed the Majestic. The enterprising couple has recreated an elegant and glamorous era with the lobby’s new look, fixtures, rugs and the striking floor logo.

“We are going to keep making it nicer cosmetically,” said executive director and technical director Kurt, while also hoping to eventually “tweak the sound and lighting systems, and some of the rigging.” He holds a construction management degree from the University of Houston and a master ’s in land development from Texas A&M University. Sherry is a pathologist who performed in dance and drill teams in high school and met Kurt when they worked together in a downtown Houston theater similar to the Woodlawn. They moved to San Antonio in 1998.

It was the couple’s young daughter Conley and her passion for performing that got them into the theater biz. Moving from production to production, Conley “ended up in a show at the Woodlawn several years ago,” Kurt said. As dutiful parents supporting their fledgling star (“We enjoyed the space and wanted to become a part of it,” Kurt said) they served as volunteers, began to see the possibilities, and the rest is history. They also have a son, Wes, who is headed to Texas A&M University to major in aerospace engineering.

Kurt believes that the Woodlawn’s real niche is in ambitious, full-scale musicals. “We have such a large stage and backstage area, we’re able to



put on productions that others can’t do,” he said. They’ll also be “going for newer, more modern musicals, with a younger feel.” Their first show was Legally Blonde in April, directed by Josh Harris. “We had almost 250 people on opening night,” Sherry said. “It was great.” The next show, Next to Normal, runs from June 29 to July 29 and will be directed by SA theater veteran and new artistic director Greg Hinojosa. “Greg has done a fabulous job and has extensive roots in the theater community,” Kurt said. “ That’s going to help us expand our base.”

There’s expansion all around. “I think the thing that ’s going to improve it the most is the addition of the black box theater next door,” Kurt said. Designed for dramatic plays and “edgier productions,” it will add another 3,000 square feet to the existing 11,000. More intimate, with 150 seats to the main theater ’s 400, the as-yet-unnamed black box will, according to Kurt, “make a big difference. That’s going to make us competitive with some of the other theaters in town, like the San Pedro Playhouse Cellar Theater.” It opens with The Pillow Man , described as “a dark, adult fairy tale” that runs from June 14 to July 7.

The long-term goal, Kurt said, is “to create a theater where we can attract talent from out of town, from Austin, San Marcos, Texas State, so we can grow our audience base so we’re not getting the same audience every time.” As marketing director and co-director of youth educational programs, Sherry concurred. “You have to work really hard to get people in, but once you do, they usually fall in love with it and become regulars.”

Call them realistic optimists, or optimistic realists, the youthful, energetic couple have more than a touch of Mickey and Judy in them. They’re going to need it to carry out an artistic vision that includes reacquainting the neighborhood with the new old theater, providing scholarships to foster the next generation of performers, and running a year-round children’s theater program.

“It ’s a lot of work but it ’s fun,” Kurt said. “I have high hopes for it.” Sounds like the perfect soundtrack.

Kurt and Sherry Wehner24 On The Town | May-June 2012


http://sanantoniocomedyclubs.com


SOLI Chamber Ensemble: Creating ClassicsBy Lisa CruzPhotography Kemp Davis


F or nearly 20 years, the musicians of SOLI Chamber Ensemble have brought the innovative, yet timeless sounds of 20th

and 21st century classical music to San Antonio audiences. They have done so not only by creating a unique, intimate experience but also by featuring never-before-heard compositions.

SOLI’s final concerts of the 2011-12 season on May 8 and 9 will feature their 25th commissioned piece. Internationally recognized and award-winning composer Steven Mackey will present the world-premiere of Prelude to the End.

In partnership with video artist Mark DeChiazza, Prelude to the End takes the audience on Mackey’s own journey of self-discovery. As Soli artistic and managing director and violinist Ertan Torgul explains, Mackey begins by trying to recapture the playfulness of his youth, eventually moving into a realm of maturity and discovering, in the end, how life’s experiences mold him and his music into what they are today.

“When we approached Steven about comm-issioning another piece for us, he associated us with a previous piece he had written for electric guitar and clarinet,” Torgul said. “It was a very youthful, driven piece, and Mackey describes how he could never do that type of piece again. Twenty years have passed and life has happened, so he thought about how to ‘reconcile mature, world-weary wisdom with this almost immortal energy.’ He created a piece that takes the audience on the journey with him as he embraces who he has become instead of who he was.”

As part of the experience, DeChiazza has created a visual representation of the piece with images on two screens, not quite touching. “This represents the impossibility of these two worlds (the younger and older self ) coming together. Eventually, the images migrate together on a third screen in the middle to create a convergence of the two worlds, however imperfect,” Torgul said.

Prelude to the End is part of SOLI’s final concert of the season, titled “Freedom.”

“Each of the pieces we will feature in this final concert has a feeling of freedom running through

28 On The Town | May-June 201228 On The Town | May-June

them,” Torgul said. “Mackey’s piece pulls them together, because hearing a piece for the first time frees people’s minds to take them wherever they want to go and achieve that peak experience.”

“Freedom” is the culmination of the 2011-12 season, titled “Peak Experiences.” The title and heart of the season originated from a Psychology Today article that discusses life’s peak experiences, SOLI artistic director and clarinetist Stephanie Key writes on the ensemble’s website.

“SOLI is about that feeling of new awareness, of intense power … through music … of sharing and communicating that emotion to others,” Key writes. “That is the gift of music for me, for us as an ensemble. Music is strength and connection – and empowerment.”

The “Freedom” concert also will feature Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir, the premiere of Andy Warhol Sez from Paul Moravec, and works by Richard Carrick and Stephen Hartke.

“Our goal, as an organization, is not only to enlarge the repertoire but present composers and new pieces for the first time that could become masterpieces in many years,” Torgul said. “It ’s amazing to be a part of how our future is being shaped. We have showcased world-premiere music right here in San Antonio for years, and we are getting noticed nationally and internationally as people want us to premiere their pieces. It ’s much bigger for us and the community than just presenting concerts.”

While the musicians of SOLI, including Torgul, Key, Carolyn True on piano and David Mollenauer on cello, have been playing together for 16 years, Torgul said their commitment to each other, the music and the audience keeps them creative.

“The repertoire is not conducive to just sitting back,” Torgul said. “It ’s difficult to put together and understand, but our work together helps the audience unlock the mystery of each piece, and the audience trusts us to guide them through the piece.”

San Antonio audiences have been trusting SOLI for two decades now. SOLI recently launched a new fundraising program called Sound Investors, where contributions will underwrite the cost of commissioning new musical works and showcasing those pieces to global audiences, helping create “the music of our time,” Torgul said.

With the commissioning of new works and showcasing the next generation of classical artists, an international audience will have the opportunity to trust SOLI to guide them through the future of classical music.

SOLI’s “Freedom” concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. May 8 in Ruth Taylor Recital Hall at Trinity University, and 7:30 p.m. May 9 in Leeper Auditorium at the McNay Art Museum.

For more information, call (210) 317-8816 or visit www.solichamberensemble.com.

Below: (L-R) Carolyn True, David Mollenauer, Ertan Torgul and Stephanie Key

http://www.solichamberensemble.com


http://musicalbridges.org


K PAC 88.3 FM is one of the few remaining full-time classical music stations in the United States. Until recently, KPAC was

broadcasting via a 500-watt backup transmitter on the roof of Texas Public Radio’s (TPR’s) office building as construction of a new 1,125-foot tower started in November 2011. Although the project was expected to be completed in late December, frequent rain and high winds led to numerous unanticipated delays. With the tower now a finished product and the station back to full power, host John Clare prepared this profile of his coworkers.

A set of seven simple questions for each announcer produced a myriad of answers.

Nathan Cone is director of classical programming at TPR. Cone moved to San Antonio in 1991 and started at KPAC in May 1995. He enjoys watching

and writing about movies, especially classic films, and occasionally painting and drawing. Cone also plays piano, guitar and alto saxophone. His favorite composers include: Beethoven, Bach, Frederick Delius, Aaron Copland, Philip Glass, Michael Torke, and Krzysztof Penderecki. In the jazz world, he loves Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and, of the newer artists, Kenny Garrett. In rock/pop, his all-time favorite is the Beatles, followed by the Ramones, King Crimson, U2 and the Rolling Stones. Cone says he enjoys discovering and re-discovering music every day at KPAC. “I enjoy broadcasting because I like to share my passion with friends.”

Randy Anderson moved to San Antonio in 1971 and was first on KPAC in November 1982. Anderson is the music director at KPAC and hosts morning drive weekdays, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and “The Piano” Sunday afternoons. He used to play cello, drums

KPAC ON THE AIR IN SAN ANTONIOBy John Nasukaluk ClarePhoto Courtesy Texas Public Radio



and trombone, but nowadays can be found at the piano occasionally. When he was young, Anderson studied to be a portrait painter and has taken that up again recently. Motorcycling and building tube amplifiers – high fidelity systems in general – and being a fan of B movies round out his activities. Anderson likes pretty much all music from 10th century to the 21st. As for being on air, he loves the fact that KPAC brings great music to anyone with a radio in San Antonio. “Radio is such a personal media, and I like the fact I have great friends I have never met, but they know me very well.”

In 1980, Deirdre Saravia moved to San Antonio, began part-time employment at TPR in 1993, and started full-time the next year. She hosts classical music mid-days, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. weekdays, and “World Music” on KSTX Saturday nights. A former Irish dancer, she appreciates the music of Mozart as well as a myriad of international composers and performers. Saravia reads, gardens, paints, bicycles and travels for fun. As for being on air and broadcasting, she notes, “The milieu of broadcasting allows anonymity unless you speak.”

For the last 35 years, Ron Moore has lived in San Antonio, but he also has spent time in Europe, on the East Coast and in Los Angeles, where he was born. An original founding board member of KPAC, Moore started working part time in 1997 and moved to full time in 2004. Moore holds air shifts Wednesday through Friday, 6 p.m. to midnight, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends, co-hosts “Alternate Routes” and in the off season of the Met, he does the same for “Saturday Afternoon at the Opera.” A failed pianist (his words), Moore enjoys singing lieder when he walks, and his favorite composers are Miles Davis and Brahms, though Monteverdi, Faure and late Wagner are not far behind. He also enjoys writing and reads endlessly. When it comes to broadcasting on KPAC, Moore likes the camaraderie of the staff, which extends to the management, and, of course, daily exposure to great music and musicians. “When an interview goes well, to have the sense of exploring a musically adept and sensitive mind in conversation … sharing that with a larger audience is an incredible experience.” Moore most recently spoke with baritone Simon Estes and mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves.

James Baker started at KPAC at midnight April 8,

1993, with Dvorak’s Seventh Symphony. He lived off and on in San Antonio from 1975 to 1981 and became a permanent resident in 1987. These days, Baker can be heard on air weeknights from 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday (including “Listener ’s Choice”) to Tuesday, co-hosting “Alternate Routes,” and producing “Itinerarios” (music and musicians from throughout Latin America) on Sundays. An accomplished French horn player, Baker has a wide range of musical favorites from the three B’s to Mozart, Strauss (Richard), Bruckner, Mahler, Wagner, Copland, Bernstein, Carlos Chavez, Arturo Marquez, Daniel Catan, Eugenio Toussaint, the Beatles, the Chicago Symphony, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Eric Dolphy, Oliver Nelson (Blues and the Abstract Truth), Villa-Lobos, Piazzolla, Ella, and Diana Krall. He gardens, birdwatches, runs, camps and hikes with his dogs. Baker takes pleasure in “sharing music with friends, and I like to think of KPAC as an opportunity to share the experience of listening to a wide range of music.”

As for me, John Clare, I also love the chance to interview musicians occasionally. Most memorable were discussions with Daniel Catan, David Amram, Sarah Willis, Wayne Barrington (my teacher and mentor), Anne Burt (wife of Alfred Burt), and writer Gene Lees. I moved to San Antonio to be on air for KPAC’s afternoon drive, 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and to host “Classical Spotlight” on Thursday afternoons. A radio veteran in markets from Las Vegas to D.C., I now do a lot of new media with Blogger, Twitter and Facebook, providing video of classical groups and musicians. No doubt one of the few Inuit broadcasters (especially in classical music), I travel wherever and whenever possible, enjoying concerts, interviews, cigars and laughs. Andrzej Panufnik is one of my all-time favorite composers, and music from living composers is a passion. Having talked with Pulitzer Prize-winners to youth orchestra musicians, exploring creativity and musicality is not just part of my job, but a joy.

Tune in for all of us at 88.3 FM and find out more at http://www.tprclassical.org.

Photo previous page: (L-R) Randy Anderson, Ron Moore, John Clare, Deirdre Saravia, James Baker and Nathan Cone


http://www.tprclassical.org


Cirque du Soleil Brings Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour to AT&T CenterBy Christine SchipperPhotos: OSA ImagesCostumes: Zaldy Goco © Cirque-Jackson I.P., LLC

M ichael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour combines Michael Jackson’s music and choreography with Cirque du Soleil

creativity to give fans a unique view into the spirit, passion and heart of the artistic genius who forever transformed global pop culture.

The show has been written and is directed by Jamie King, a leading concert director in pop music today, and features more than 60 international dancers, musicians and acrobats in a concert setting. The show will visit the AT&T Center in San Antonio one night only at 8 p.m. June 23.

Aimed at lifelong fans as well as those experiencing Jackson’s creative genius for the first time, the show captures the essence, soul and inspiration of the King of Pop, celebrating a legacy that continues to transcend generations.

Jackson’s powerful, inspirational music and lyrics — the driving forces behind the show — are brought to life with extraordinary power and intensity. Through unforgettable performances incorporating

more than 30 of his songs, Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour underscores the performer’s global messages of love, peace and unity.

Writer and director King said, “[ The show] is really just a celebration of [Jackson] and his legend and his immortality. Even though he’s not there physically, you will feel him spiritually and emotionally because of what you’re visually seeing and hearing. It was easy for us because Michael has not only always been a fan of Cirque but has always lived in a kind of fairytale, fantastical way. So in many ways he’s already kind of Cirque-like … He loves magic, fairytale, theatricality and appreciates everything that Cirque provides. So now that we have this great marriage, we have such a great opportunity to flip things upside down and make it larger than life.”

The video projections in THE IMMORTAL World Tour play a key role in making Jackson’s presence palpable. A large, multi-purpose LED screen, larger than a basketball court, was developed for the show, and the stage extending into the audience



is equipped with a conveyor belt.

To showcase Jackson’s voice and support the huge cast, musical director Greg Phillinganes, who had worked with Jackson for more than 25 years, has rounded up a stellar group of musicians, including Jonathan “Sugarfoot” Moffett, who played drums for Jackson for 30 years.

“Michael was always trying to top himself, and I fundamentally believe he would have liked this show – even though I added horns to the band, which he never used in concert and thought were ‘archaic.’ The guy was a huge fan of Cirque du Soleil, ever since he caught one of their tented shows in Santa Monica in 1987. He visited their headquarters in Montreal more than once. The last time, in 2004, Michael found the costume wing and lost his mind. He didn’t want to leave. He really respected the creativity of the Cirque shows and how they obsessed on everything, down to the last little detail,” Phillanganes said.

Few stage performers have created iconic looks that are directly related to specific songs. Jackson’s world was the wellspring of costume designer Zaldy Goco’s creativity. Goco also was the exclusive designer for the THIS IS IT concert series.

“In particular, we explored techniques such as 3D printing and LED, pushing the l imits just as Michael would,” Zaldy said. More than 90 costume pieces in three acts use unique LED light technology. The production brims with imaginative costumes and outfits also util izing pyrotechnics and Swarovski crystals.

Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour will perform in North America through the fall and then move to Europe. For more information, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com/michaeljackson.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Note:All photos by OSA ImagesAll costumes by Zaldy Goco © Cirque-Jackson I.P., LLC


http://cirquedusoleil.com/michaeljackson


http://broadwayinsanantonio.com


http://woodlawntheatre.com


Events Calendar

38-52

Events Calendar

38-52


Music NotesThe Fresh Beat Band5/1, Tue @ 6:30pmMajestic Theatre

Staind and Godsmack5/2, Wed @ 6:30pmIllusions Theater at the Alamodome

Cavendar Toyota Music Series Roger Creager5/2, Wed @ 8pmCounty Line BBQ I-10

Symphony of the HillsOut of This World5/3, Thu @ 7:30pmKathleen C. Cailloux Theater-Kerrville

Rockbox Theater - Fredericksburg5/4-6/30, Fri @ 8pm,Sat @ 4:30 & 8pm, Sun @ 2pm

San Antonio SymphonyMozart in Old Style5/4-5, Fri-Sat @ 8pmBarry Douglas, conductor/pianoMajestic Theatre

Todd Snider5/4-5, Fri @ 8pm, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Randy Rogers Band5/4, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Childen’s Chorus of San Antonio Spring Song5/6, Sun @ 3pmMaureen McCormick, conductorAlamo Heights United Methodist

Voci di SorelleTravelin’ Shoes: American Hymn & Spirituals5/6, Sun @ 3pmRuth Moreland, conductorSt. Mark’s Episcopal5/12, Sat @ 7:30pmThe Union Church-Kerrville5/20, Sun @ 3pmBulverde-Spring Branch Library

Youth Orchestras of San AntonioMusic for Great Cities5/6, Sun @ 4pmTroy Peters, conductorMajestic Theatre

Mid-Texas SymphonyThe West and the West Side5/6, Sun @ 4pmDavid Mairs, conductorNew Braunfels Civic Center

Gipsy Kings5/6, Sun @ 8pmIllusions Theater at the Alamodome

Olmos EnsembleA Wonderful Pianist and an Excellent Oboist5/7, Mon @ 7:30pmColette Valentine, pianoMason Tran, English hornFirst Universalist Unitarian

Jane’s Addiction5/7, Mon @ 8:30pmLila Cockrell Theater

SOLI Chamber EnsembleFreedom5/8, Tue @ 7:30pmRuth Taylor Recital HallTrinity University5/9, Wed @ 7:30pmLeeper AuditoriumMcNay Art Museum

Mana5/8, Tue @ 8pmAT&T Center

Cavendar Toyota Music Series Charlie Robison5/9, Wed @ 8pmCounty Line BBQ I-10

Mid-Texas Symphony Quintet Words and Music5/10, Thu @ 7:30pmSteele HS Auditorium

Turnpike Troubadours5/11, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Almost Patsy Cline Band5/11, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

James McMurtry5/11, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

99.5 Kissfest featuringMarilyn Manson5/12, Sat @ 7pmSunken Gardens Theatre

May-June 2012 Events Calendar



http://brauntex.org


Jake Kellen5/12, Sat @ 8pmKendalia Halle

San Antonio Chamber Choir Deep Water5/12, Sat @ 8pmScott McPherson, conductorSt. Joseph’s Catholic5/13, Sun @ 3pmSt. Peter Prince of Apostles Catholic

Dirty River Boys5/12, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Radney Foster5/12, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Miles Zuniga withLonnie Trevino5/12, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

San Antonio BrassOlympic Spirit: Faster! Higher! Stronger!5/13, Sun @ 2pmBecon Hill Presbyterian5/14, Mon @ 7:30pmFirst Presbyterian-Kerrville5/22. Tue @ 7pmSt. Luke’s Episcopal5/29, Tue @ 7:30pmAbiding Presence Lutheran6/4, Mon @ 7:30pmSt. Mark’s Presbyterian-Boerne

Sunday Jazz at the WitteThree Divas: Brett Butler, Joan Carroll & Katchie Cartwright5/13, Sun @ 4pmWitte Museum

Musical OfferingsJazz Meets Classical 20th Anniversary5/14, Mon @ 7pmGreat HallSan Antonio Museum of Art5/15, Tue @ 7pmRuth Taylor Recital HallTrinity University

San Antonio SymphonyBerlioz and Barzun5/15, Tue @ 7pmSebastian Lang-Lessing, conductorMajestic Theatre

Liverpool LegendsBeatles Tribute Band5/16-17, Wed-Thu @ 7pmRockbox TheaterFredericksburg

Cavendar Toyota Music Series Brandon Jenkins5/16, Wed @ 8pmCounty Line BBQ I-10

The Copperleaf QuintetCopperleaf at Southwest School of Art5/17, Thu @ 7pmSouthwest School of Art

The LegendsA Tribute to The Temptations5/18, Fri @ 6pmPalace Theater-Seguin

Cory Morrow5/18, Fri @ 7pm Cowboys San Antonio

Ronnie Dunn withJason Eady & Bri Bagwell5/18, Fri @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

San Antonio Symphony Pops Star Wars and other Space Odysseys5/18-19, Fri-Sat @ 8pmMichael Krajewski, conductorLaurie AuditoriumTrinity University

Kick-A-Boot Band5/18, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit5/18, Fri @ 8:30pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Jerry Jeff Walker5/18-19, Fri-Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Shake Rattle & Roll /Country Comedy Tour5/19, Sat @ 7:30pmBrauntex Performing Arts Theatre-New Braunfels

Josh Abbott Band5/19, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit5/19, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

San Antonio SymphonyPaint to Music5/20, Sun @ 2:30pmLaurie Auditorium

Musical Bridges Around the WorldCaribbean Express5/20, Sun @ 3pmMcAllister AuditoriumSan Antonio College

Fredericksburg Music ClubKay and Friends5/20, Sun @ 3pmFredericksburg United Methodist

San Antonio Chorale SocietyW.A. Mozart - Requim, K.6265/20, Sun @ 4pmJennifer Seighman, conductorTravis Park United Methodist

Loretta Lynn5/20, Sun @ 6:30pmMajestic Theatre


http://childrensfineartseries.org


http://childrensfineartseries.org


KD Lang and the Siss Boom Bang5/22, Tue @ 7:30pmMajestic Theatre

Cavendar Toyota Music Series Kyle Park5/23, Wed @ 8pmCounty Line BBQ I-10

Rammstein5/24, Thu @ 8pmAT&T Center

Kevin Fowler & Reckless Kelly5/25, Fri @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Max Stalling5/25, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Rosie Flores5/25, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

San Antonio SymphonyAlondra Conducts Copeland5/25-26, Fri-Sat @ 8pmAlondra de la Parra, conductorMikhail Simonyan, violinMajestic Theatre

Skrillex5/26, Sat @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Cactus Country5/26, Sat @ 8pmKendalia Halle

Micky & The Motorcarswith Jason Eady5/26, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Jesse Dayton5/26, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Donny Edwards:A True Tribute to Elvis5/27, Sun @ 3pmBrauntex Performing Arts TheatreNew Braunfels

Spazmatics5/27, Sun @ 7:30pmWhitewater Amphitheater

Gary P. Nunn5/27, Sun @ 8pmGruene HallNew Braunfels

Two Ton Tuesdays5/29, 6/5, 12, 19, 26Tues @ 8:30pmGruene Hall

Cavendar Toyota Music Series Rick Cavendar Band5/30, Wed @ 8pmCounty Line BBQ I-10

Geoff Tate of Queenryche5/31, Thu @ 8pmCharline McCombs Empirt Theatre

Emmylou Harris6/1, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Rosie Flores6/1, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Hall

San Antonio SymphonyBruckner Blockbuster6/1-2, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSebastian Lang-Lessing, conductorOlga Scheps, p;ianoMajestic Theatre

Wayne Hancock6/1, Fri @ 9:30pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Randy Rogers Band6/2, Sat @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Stanley Clarke Band6/2, Sat @ 8pmJo Long Theatre at CarverCommunity Cultural Center

Kris Kimura Quartet6/3, Sun @ 2pmArtpace

New Edition6/3, Sun @ 7pmAT&T Center

Cavendar Toyota Music Series Jason Boland & the Stragglers6/6, Wed @ 8pmCounty Line BBQ I-10

Concert Under the Stars:Ron Wilkins Quartet6/7, Thu @ 7pmSan Antonio Botanical Garden

Gillian Welch6/7, Thu @ 8pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

Delbert McClinton6/8, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Jamie Richards6/8, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Hall

Two Tons of Steel6/8, Fri @ 9:30pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Robert Earl Keen with Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis6/9, Sat @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Dale Watson6/9, Sat @ 8pmKendalia Halle



Rodney Crowell6/9, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Mario Flores & The Soda Creek Band6/9, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Idina Menzel6/12, Tue @ 8pmMajestic Theatre

Cavendar Toyota Music Series Brandon Rhyder6/13, Wed @ 8pmCounty Line BBQ I-10

Concert Under the Stars:Local 346/14, Thu @ 7pmSan Antonio Botanical Garden

Roger Creager6/15, Fri @ 7pmCowboys San Antonio

Dierks Bentley with Hayes Carll & Kristen Kelly6/15, Fri @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Bob Schneider6/15, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Weldon Henson6/15, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Hall

Cody Johnson Band6/15, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

WWL Worship Concert featuring Tye Tribbett6/16, Sat @ 7pmFreeman Colisuem

T.J. SmithVoices in My Head Tour6/16, Sat @ 7:30pmKathleen C. Cailloux TheaterKerrville

Amber Digby6/16, Sat @ 8pmAnhalt Hall

Cory Morrowwith Waylon Payne6/16, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers6/16, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Granger Smith6/16, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

http://yosa.org


Buddy Guy & Jonny Lang6/19, Tue @ 8pmMajestic Theatre

Cavendar Toyota Music Series Bart Crow Band6/20, Wed @ 8pmCounty Line BBQ I-10

Concert Under the Stars:Strings Attached6/21, Thu @ 7pmSan Antonio Botanical Garden

Don Williams6/22, Fri @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Van Halen6/22, Fri @ 7:30pmAT&T Center

Larry Joe Taylor6/22, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Gary P. Nunn6/22, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Casey Donahew Band6/23, Sat @ 7:30pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Bobby Flores and theYellow Rose Band6/23, Sat @ 7:30pmKathleen C. Cailloux TheaterKerrville

Alamo City Men’s ChoraleSongs of Jubilation6/23-24, Sat @ 8pm, Sun @ 4pmDavid Lingle, conductorTravis Park United Methodist

Asleep at the Wheel6/23, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Mockingbird Sun with Cameran Nelson6/23, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Scorpions – Final Sting Tour 20126/26, Tue @ 7:30pmIllusions Theater at the Alamodome

Cavendar Toyota Music Series Dirty River Boys6/27, Wed @ 8pmCounty Line BBQ I-10

Concert Under the Stars: Josh Weathers and the True Endeavors6/28, Thu @ 7pmSan Antonio Botanical Garden

Mary C. Rohe Classical Music SeriesEllison Sax Quartet6/29, Fri @ 7:30pmKathleen C. Cailloux Theater-Kerrville

Joe King Carrasco & The Crowns6/29, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Van’s Warped Tour6/30, Sat @ 12pmAT&T Center

Micky & The Motorcars6/30, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Emory Quinn6/30, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Uncle Lucius with Lincoln Durham6/30, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

On StageThe Overtime TheaterFor the Love of an Anesthesiologist5/3-12, Thu-Sat @ 8pm(no show on Fri, 5/4)

S.T.A.G.E – BulverdeThe Red Velvet Cake War5/3-20, Thu-Sun @ 8pm (no show Sunday, 5/13)Kraus Haus

Playhouse 2000Do Not Go Gentle5/4-5, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pmKathleen C. Cailloux Theater-Kerrville

Stephen and Mary Birch Texas Theatre-SeguinShip of Dreams5/4-6, Fri-Sat @ 7pmSun @ 2pm

San Pedro Playhouse Cries That Bind5/4-6, Fri-Sat @ 8pm, Sun @ 2:30pmCellar Theater

Cameo TheatreDirty Blonde5/4-13, Fri-Sat @ 8pm, Sun @ 3pm

Off-Broadway ProductionsThe Fantasticks5/4-26, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pmSun @ 2pm Josephine Theatre

Cadillac Broadway in San AntonioLa Cage Aux Folles5/8-13, Tues-Fri @ 8pmSat @ 2pm & 8pmSun @ 2pm & 7:30pmMajestic Theatre

Attic Rep TheatreGod of Carnage5/10-27, Thu-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pmTrinity University

Sheldon Vexler TheatreOliver!5/10-6/10, Thu@ 7:30pmSat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pm(no shows of Fridays)



http://texasfolklifefestival.org


46 On The Town | July-August 200946 On The Town | July-August 2009

Boerne Community Theatre Cabin Fever5/11-26, Thu @ 7:30pmFri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2pm

Classic Theatre of San AntonioKing Lear5/11-27, Fri-Sat@8pmSun @ 3pm Sterling Houston Theater at Blue Star

Cameo Theatre Production at Spaghetti WarehouseMamma Mia, That’sa Murder!5/12 & 26Sat @ 6:30pm

San Pedro PlayhouseThe Drowsy Chaperone5/18-6/17, Fri-Sat @ 8pm, Sun @ 2:30pmRussell Hill Rogers Theater

Shakespeare in the Park:Othello5/30-6/2 - TBDSan Antonio Botanical Garden

Hill Country Arts FoundationDoo-Wop Wed Widing Hood6/8-10, Fri-Sun @ 8:30pm6/14-23, Thu-Sat @ 8:30pmSmith-Ritch Point Theatre-Ingram

Off-Broadway ProductionsBaby The Musical6/8-24, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pmSun @ 2pm Josephine Theatre

San Pedro PlayhouseIn The Next Room or The Vibrator Play6/8-7/8, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pmCellar Theater

Black Box Theatre The Pillow Man6/14-July 7, Thu-Sat @ 8pmThe Woodlawn Theatre

Micheal Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World Tour by Cirque du Soleil6/23, Sat @ 8pmAT&T Center

Fredericksburg Theater CompanyHonk6/29-7/15, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pmSun @ 2pmSteve W. Shepherd Theater

Woodlawn TheatreNext To Normal6/29-7/29, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2pm

DanceGraduation by River City Ballet5/4 & 6, Fri @ 7:30pmSun @ 4pmBrauntex Performing Arts TheatreNew Braunfels

Dallas Black Dance Theatre5/5, Sat @ 8pmJo Long Theatre at Carver Community Cultural Center

Shen Yun5/8-9, Tue @ 7:30pmWed @ 2pm & 7:30pmLila Cockrell Theater

Bridges: National Tap Dance Day5/19, Sat @ 7:30pmJo Long Theatre at Carver Community Cultural Center

Quenedit Ballet School’s Swan Lake5/26, Sat @ 7pmJo Long Theatre at Carver Community Cultural Center

Guadalupe Cultural CenterFiesta de Verano5/26, Sat @ 7pm5/28, Mon @ 3pmGuadalupe Theater

Children’sThe Magik TheatreClick, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type5/1-5, Tu-Thu @ 9 :45am & 11:30amFri @ 9:45am, 11:30am & 7pmSat @ 2pm

The Magik TheatreKnuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical5/11-6/16, Tu-Thu @ 9:45am & 11:30amFri @ 9:45am, 11:30am & 7pmSat @ 2pm(No performances 6/1)

Children’s Fine Arts SeriesRapunzel6/15, Fri @ 9:45am, 11:45am & 6:30pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

ComedyKevin Hart5/5, Sat @ 8pmAT&T Center

Dan Davidson5/2-6, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pmRivercenter Comedy Club


May-June 2012 | On The Town 47March-April 2011 | On The Town 47

http://cirquedusoleil.com


Alex Reymundo with SpecialGuest Edwin San Juan5/3-6, Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Hypnotist Gary Conrad5/9-13, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pmRivercenter Comedy Club

Loni Love5/10-13, Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

World Series of ComedyRegional Finals5/16-19, Wed-Thu @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pmRivercenter Comedy Club

Darren Carter5/16-20, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Justin Worsham5/23, Wed @ 8pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Jim Short5/23-27, Wed-Thu @ 8:30pmFri-Sun @ 8:30pm & 10:30pmRivercenter Comedy Club

Gary Gulman5/24-27, Thu @ 7:30pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Sun @ 8pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Mike MacRea5/30-6/3, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pmRivercenter Comedy Club

Vic Henley5/30-6/3, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Paul Virzi6/6-10, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pmRivercenter Comedy Club

Rick Gutierrez6/6-10, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Spanky6/13-17, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pmRivercenter Comedy Club

Corey Holcomb6/14-17, Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Erin Jackson6/20-24, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pmRivercenter Comedy Club

Joey Kola6/20-24, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Jim McCue6/27-7/1, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pmRivercenter Comedy Club

Tommy Blaze6/27-7/1, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmLaugh Out Loud Comedy Club

On ExhibitARTPACE

International Artist-In-ResidentNew Works: 12.1Adam PendletonJames ShamFlorian SlotawaJeffrey Grove, curatorThru 5/20

Hudson (Show) RoomNew Works NowAlex de Leon, Katie Pell,Juan Miguel Ramos andLordy RodriquezOpens 5/10

Window WorksThomas Cummins5/10-9/9

BIHL HAUS ARTS

The Boy Made of Lightning: The Willie Velazquez Story Opens 5/8

Golden Visions: New works by Bihl Haus Goldens @Cafe Tutti, Opens 5/16

GLOW: The Nuclear ShowOpens 6/15



BLUE STAR CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER

Passage to the Future: Art from a New Generation in JapanThru 5/5

Guillermina Zabala:JuanitoThru 5/5

San Antonio Painters -Curated by Barbara MacAdam5/31-8/18

GUADALUPE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER The Inaugural Perennial: Natural AbstractionThru 5/25

INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES

Texas Contemporary Artists Series: Henry CatenacciThru 5/19

Texas Photographers: Descriptions of ChinaThru 5/27

A Maverick’s TexasThru 6/17

Timeless Texas ToysThru 8/5

40 Years of Texas Folklife Festival MemoriesThru 8/26

Texas Trails & Tales6/18-7/27

McNAY ART MUSEUM

Adolf Dehn’s Selected Tales of Guy de MaupassantThru 5/6

Drawn Forth: ContemporaryDrawings from the CollectionThru 5/6

Andy Warhol: Fame and MisfortuneThru 5/20

An El Greco RediscoveredThru 5/20

Baroque to Bauhaus: Designs from the Tobin CollectionThru 6/10

Rouault’s Miserere: Printed Prayers5/16-7/29

http://www.tamusa.tamus.edu/picasso/


A Century of Collage5/16-9/2

Radcliffe Bailey: Memory as Medicine6/6-9/2

MUSEO ALAMEDA

Revolution & Renaissance: Mexico & San Antonio 1910-2010Thru 6/2012

Guanajuato Through Resendiz’ Art5/11-11/11

SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN

Art in the Garden 2012 (in conjunction with Blue Star Contemporary Art Center)Through 3/1/13

SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART

San Antonio Collects: African American ArtistsThru 5/6

San Antonio Collects: Theodore Gentilz and Mission Life of San Antonio and Northern MexicoThru 5/20

The Chinese Art of Cricket Keeping: The Ernest K.H.Lee CollectionThru 6/17

Imagenes del Pueblo: Spanish Popular Graphics from the Permanent CollectionThru 6/28

San Antonio Collects: ContemporaryThru 7/1

SOUTHWEST SCHOOL OF ART

David Almaguer: Apotheosis5/11-7/8

Joey Fauerso: Drama5/11-7/8

Ovidio Giberga: Signal To Noise5/11-7/8

Helen Hiebert: String Theory5/11-7/8

TEXAS A&M-SAN ANTONIO

Picasso, Amigos and ContemporaneosThru 5/20

WITTE MUSEUM

Witte Through Time: 85 Years and Still GrowingThru 5/26

Family Traditions: EasterIn Brackenridge ParkThru 6/24

Designed for Royalty:Staging the CoronationThru 8/26

Darwin: How One Man’s Theory Turned the World on its HeadThru 9/3

If The River Could Talk: 12,000 Years of Life on the San Antonio RiverOpening May 2012

MiscellaneousFirst Friday Art Walk5/4, 6/1Southtown

5th Annual Luminaria5/5, Sat / 6:30pm-12amHemisFair Park Fountain Plazawww.luminariasa.org for details

Arts San Antonio’s Floating Feastival5/8-9, Tue-Wed @ 6pmEl Tropicano Riverwalk

Lucha Libre USA Tour5/11, Fri @ 7:30pmIllusions Theater at the Alamodome

Fiesta Noche del Rio5/11-8/11, Fri-Sat @ 8:30pmArneson River Theatre

Tejano Conjunto Festival en San Antonio 20125/15-17, Various events at Guadalupe Theater5/18, Fri / 5:30pm-12am5/19, Sat / 12:30pm-23am5/20, Sun / 1pm-11pmRosedale Parkwww.guadalupecultural arst.org for details

Culinaria Wine and Culinary Arts Festival5/16-20, Wed-Sun / Various events-locationswww.culinariasa.com for details

Texas Folklife Festival6/8, Fri / 5pm-11pm6/9, Sat / 11am-11pm6/10, Sun / 12pm-7pmInstitute of Texan Cultures

Boerne Berges Fest6/15, Fri / 5pm-12am6/16, Sat / 10am-12am6/17, Sun / 10am-8pmMain Street


http://www.guadalupeculturalarst.org

http://www.guadalupeculturalarst.org


Photo CreditsPage 38 (L-R)

Roger CreagerCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Barry DouglasCourtesy barry-douglas.com

Randy Rogers BandCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Voci di SorelleCourtesy bennissimomusic.org

Page 40 (L-R)

Troy PetersCourtesy Youth Orchestras of San Antonio

David MairsCourtesy Mid-Texas Symphony

Mark AckermanCourtesy olmosensemble.org

SOLIPhoto by Kemp Davis

Page 42 (L-R)

Charlie RobisonCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Radney FosterCourtesy radneyfoster.com

San Antonio BrassCourtesy sabrass.org

Musical OfferingsCourtesy musicalofferings.com

Page 43 (L-R)

Sebastian Lang-LessingPhoto by Marks Moore

Liverpool LegendsCourtesy liverpoollegends.com

Page 44 (L-R)

Cory MorrowCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Ronnie DunnCourtesy ronniedunn.com

Michael KrajewskiCourtesy michaelkrajewski.com

Jerry Jeff WalkerCourtesy jerryjeff.com

Page 46 (L-R)

Kay and FriendsCourtesy kayandfriends.com

KD LangCourtesy kdlang.com

Kevin FowlerCourtesy kevinfowler.com

Reckless KellyCourtesy recklesskelly.com

Page 48 (L-R)

Max StallingCourtesy maxstalling.com

Alondra de la ParraPhoto by JLC

Two Tons of SteelCourtesy twotons.com

Geoff Tate of QueensrycheCourtesy Empire Theatre

Page 49 (L-R)

Gillian WelchCourtesy Empire Theatre

Stanley Clarke BandPhoto by Steven Parke

Page 50 (L-R)

Robert Earl KeenCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Idina MenzelCourtesy idinamenzel.com

Dierks BentleyCourtesy dierks.com

George HamiltonCourtesy Majestic Theatre

(L-R)

La Cage Aux FollesPhoto by Paul Kolnik

Mamma Mia, That’sa MurderCourtesy Cameo Theatre

Cirque du Soleil -Micheal Jackson: THE IMMORTAL World TourPhoto: OSA ImagesCostumes: Zaldy Goco © Cirque-Jackson I.P., LLC

Dallas Black Dance TheatreCourtesy Carver Community Cultural Center



http://cappysrestaurant.com/

http://cappyccinos.com/

http://lafondaonmain.com/


Culinary Arts 54-62

Culinary Arts 54-62

May-June 2012 | On The Town 55January-February 2011 | On The Town 55

CHEF CHRIS BROOKS: A Winner in Every WayBy Ashley FestaPhotography Greg Harrison

The steaks aren’t the only sizzlers at Ruth’s Chris Steak House; the employees also are earning their share of accolades.

But before Chris Brooks became a star among the more than 70 franchise locations, he was just trying to get his foot in the (kitchen) door.

Brooks started in the Ruth’s Chris pantry making salads and desserts. “I just wanted to get in and prove I’m limitless,” he said, which he has accomplished in spades.

Among the awards the San Antonio Ruth’s Chris locations brought home from the franchise owners’ annual regional meeting was the Sizzling Plate Award, given to district executive chef Brooks. The 2011 Ruth’s Chris Steak House Franchise Chef of the Year oversees both the downtown and Concord Plaza restaurants.

Brooks gave credit to his team, saying he couldn’t have won the award without their support. He noted that it’s sometimes the small things that add up to big awards.

“This job is all about the details,” Brooks said. Those details, he said, include being passionate and going above and beyond what’s expected.

Lana Duke, owner of both San Antonio Ruth’s Chris restaurants, has witnessed Brooks’ eagerness to always do a little bit more.

“He has bought flowers for people on their anniversary out of his own pocket,” she said.

Moving up from the pantry, Brooks became sous chef at

the restaurant, and he strived for consistency between both locations. His efforts proved he could handle the responsibility, and he soon became executive chef, overseeing both locations.

Brooks comes by his love of food and being in the kitchen honestly; both of his grandmothers loved to cook, and his mother and father both loved to entertain. Originally from Mexico City, Brooks learned about comfort foods from one grandmother, and the other, who hailed from London, taught him more refined techniques.

Brooks’ mother found joy in cooking for her guests, a love she passed on to her son. “She’s my main inspiration,” he said.

He began washing dishes at age 13, and though he went on to do other types of work – landscaping, historic restoration – he discovered he missed being in the kitchen. Now at age 33, he’s celebrating his biggest award and eight years in the kitchen at Ruth’s Chris.

It was about the time he started work at Ruth’s Chris that Lana Duke began holding etiquette classes and an annual Thanksgiving dinner for children at Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives, a charitable organization close to her heart.

“We were preparing all the night before,” Brooks said. “It’s really nice to see the results and the smiling faces of the kids. It makes you realize what a long way I’ve come.”

As a teenager, Brooks’ bad behavior landed him at Roy Maas for a time. Now that he’s come full circle to work



for a woman dedicated to youth in crisis, Brooks finds ways to reach out to the children.

Every summer he teaches a cooking camp, and the kids learn more than their way around a kitchen. “We teach life skills and try to inspire them to do better,” said Brooks, who works one-on-one with the campers.

“If I can make a difference in someone’s life, it’s all worth it.”

His main job these days at the restaurants is to coach and develop the kitchen staff. He still cooks sometimes, places all the orders for food, dishes and silverware, and he also maintains organization in the kitchen, especially at the downtown location.

“It’s a difficult kitchen to work in because it’s two floors,” he said. The food prep area is downstairs, and the galley, where food is served, is upstairs. “We’re running our butts off,” so organization is a must, he said.

Also essential to a fine dining restaurant is the consistent taste of all the dishes prepared at both locations. “I’m always tasting food and making sure it’s right, and teaching the staff what it should taste like,” Brooks said. Line check is from 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., and that’s when this chef tastes all the dressings, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and soups to ensure each dish is up to snuff.

“There’s a gym right next door, so I go right after,” he said, laughing.

Though the tasting and teaching are great parts of the job for Brooks, his favorite thing about working at Ruth’s Chris is his team. “This is my family. I see them more than anybody else,” he said. “This award wasn’t me. It was all of us pulling together and making it happen.”

“Chris has a heart bigger than Texas,” Duke said. “I’m so proud of how far he’s come.”

Ashley Festa is a San Antonio freelance writer. Contact her at [email protected].

56 On The Town | March-April 201156 On The Town | May-June 2012

mailto:ashley%40ashleyfesta.com?subject=


http://majesticempire.com


Plan Your Meal, Get a StealBy Marlo Mason-Marie

Pinch Pennies & Dine Well:


P ick a date, any date. How about Thursday, May 24? Here’s my plan.1. Make 7 p.m. reservations for two at Citrus in

Hotel Valencia Riverwalk on Houston Street through opentable.com and earn 1000 points – which are worth $10 when I qualify for an Open Table Dining Cheque.2. Take advantage of complimentary valet parking provided to dining guests by the hotel.3. Bring the $100 Citrus gift card I purchased through iCitycerts.com at the reduced rate of $40.4. Order the three-course dinner for two because it’s the best, and we deserve it.5. Enjoy an evening of culinary excellence prepared by Chef Jeffrey Balfour and staff.6. Pay $40 prior to tax and tips, which will net down to $30 after my Open Table Dining Cheque is issued.

Plan your meal and get a steal! By taking the time to plan, you can save megabucks on fine dining at many area restaurants. However, before you can plan, it is imperative that you research the myriad of offers available to you. Here’s a “starter kit” that will save you hundreds, if not thousands, of hard-earned dollars.

Familiarize yourself with these purveyors of off-price dining opportunities:

• Restaurant.com• Groupon• LivingSocial• UrbanDealight• AmazonlocalDeals• DealoftheDaySA• SACurrentDeals• KGBDeals• iCitycerts.com• EntertainmentBook• EnjoytheCityBook• BookofFree• KLRNMemberCard• LocalSteals• Val-Pak• MoneyMailer

With the exception of Local Steals, Val-Pak and Money Mailer, each of these services requires dollars upfront to purchase their gift certificates or books. Not to worry, the return on investment is staggering. Here are two examples:

Example 1: The Book of Free cost me $50 during the 2011 holiday season. If I take advantage of the offers below over the course of 2012, I will save $205.69, a net gain for me of $155.69. These are not “buy one, get one free deals” but rather “no strings attached” totally free entrees.

Silo Elevated Cuisine – Free dinner entrée up to $29 (2) = $58

Silo Elevated Cuisine – Free lunch entrée up to $12 (2) = $24

Nosh – Free lunch or dinner entrée up to $12 (3) = $36

Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q – Free dinner for two, up to $13 (3) = $39

Aldo’s Ristorante Italiano – Free dinner entrée up to $19

Aldino at the Vineyard – Free dinner pasta up to $14.99

Los Barrios Mexican Restaurant – Free dinner entrée up to $8.95

La Hacienda de Los Barrios – Free lunch entrée up to $7.95

Tiago’s Cabo Grille – Free street vendor tacos entrée @ 9.80

Total: $205.69

Example 2: Restaurant.com offers gift certificates at greatly reduced rates, but attaches provisions for use. For example, with a code (they send the code via email) you can purchase a $25 gift certificate to any of thousands of restaurants across the country for as little as $2. Most of these require spending a minimum of $35 at the restaurant in order to receive the $25 from the certificate. If you spend exactly $35 on your meal, the bill will be $10. Add in the $2 cost for the certificate, and you’ve dined for a grand total of $12, prior to tax and gratuity. That’s a 65 percent savings. Currently there are 70 restaurants in San Antonio on this service.

You also should get to know OpenTable.com. This incredible company actually pays you money (in the form of dining cheques) to make free reservations through their service. How good is that, eh?

Discount offers are out there, everywhere. If you will take the time to research, organize and plan your dining experiences, you will save a small fortune. You really can pinch pennies and dine well!



http://zoccariverwalk.com/


http://cpmf.us


Festivals & Celebrations

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Festivals & Celebrations

64-76


T he Alamo Kiwanis Club Charities Inc. celebrates the 56th season of Fiesta Noche del Rio – the

longest-running outdoor musical revue of its k ind in the United States. All shows are per formed at the Arneson River Theatre every Friday and Saturday night from May 11 through Aug. 11 beginning at 8:30 p.m.

Fiesta Noche del Rio is a professionally produced, fast-paced and colorful musical revue performed in seven acts. It features beautifully costumed dancers and singers with lively music from Mexico, Spain, Argentina and Texas. Since 1957, the outdoor show has been seen by more than 1 million locals and visitors. It was created by, and is produced each year by, the volunteer-

Fiesta Noche del Rio Celebrates 56th Seasonat Arneson River TheatreBy Diana MarinPhotography Paul Garcia


May-June 2012 | On The Town 65January-February 2011 | On The Town 65

run Alamo Kiwanis Club Charities Inc. to raise funds to benefit local children’s charities. Some of the charities include Respite Care of San Antonio, Any Baby Can, the Children’s Shelter, Children’s Miracle Network, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, among others. Nearly $5 million has been raised to date. The 2012 cast includes: Elizabeth Sanchez-Lopez, lead female singer, director and choreographer;

Andrew Mauricio, lead male singer; Mauricio Rios, dance captain; and dancers Moises Saenz, Roger Mendoza, Erin Galvan, Alexis Estrada, Valerie Chavarria and Natalie Sonnen. Individual tickets may be purchased at the gate on the night of each performance, online at www.fiestanochedelrio.com, or by calling (210) 226-4651. Group and military discounts also are available.

Fiesta Noche del Rio Celebrates 56th Seasonat Arneson River Theatre


http://www.fiestanochedelrio.com

http://www.fiestanochedelrio.com


Texas Folklife Festival:Preserving a Texan Way of LifeBy James BenavidesPhotos courtesy Institute of Texan Cultures

E very second weekend in June, Texans gather at the Institute of Texan Cultures for a celebration of who they are and

what they ’re about. The Texas Folklife Festival encapsulates the Texan identity in three days of music, dance, food, entertainment and more.

The spotlight shines brightly on the 40-plus participating cultures, but with some exploring on the festival grounds, guests can find some of the finest ar tisans in Texas, preserving the skil ls and crafts that made a way of l ife possible.

Festival founder O.T. Baker was determined to preserve Texas folkways and operated a smokehouse on the festival grounds, showing visitors how pioneers would preserve meats.

“ We’re going to try to give all the visitors that we can a chance to learn how to do something that maybe they ’ve heard talk about but never had the chance,” Baker said in an oral history from the festival ’s early years. “You can sit down and learn how to whittle. You can get in a pen with an ax and learn how to chop, or you can learn to cut stained glass and lead it in.”

David Hartman of Beaumont demonstrates pioneer ingenuity by util izing available materials to repair and reuse scarce resources. Since 1985, Hartman has made cowhide chairs at the festival. He explains, in the frontier days, a classic ladder-back chair might come from Sears or Montgomery Ward, but once the seat wore out,

pioneers had to use what was available to fix it . That meant preparing a cowhide replacement.Hartman does it the old-fashioned way, scraping and washing a hide fresh from the packing house. Guests can watch as he cuts a pattern and lacing straight from the hide and fits it to the chair frame. With about two weeks’ drying time, the cowhide will shrintk and tighten into a new seat. Hartman says several guests relate treasured memories about uncles or grandfathers who had cowhide chairs out on the front porch.

Eric Jackson tells a similar story. He says the greatest compliment he can receive is being told he made someone’s favorite cup. Jackson has worked with clay for 32 years. He and a team of ambassadors from the Texas Clay Festival have demonstrated pottery at the Texas Folklife Festival since 1999.

“As each piece is made, we offer it up to visitors, mainly k ids, and invite them to decorate the piece with a stick ,” he said. “ The dynamic allows for a relaxed, informal discussion of clay, craft, the Clay Fest, community, and life in general.”

As guests explore more of the festival ’s Back 40 area, circulating among the artisans’ tents, they may meet a rare breed of gunsmith in James Stephen. He built his f irst muzzleloader in 1956.

“I feel that, historically, the basic sk il ls of the early days of Texas are an important part of who we are,” he said. “Muzzleloaders were used for



over 200 years, for defense and to procure food on the frontier.”

Though leatherwork, pottery and muzzleloading have been around for centuries, the skil ls are fading in a modern society. Guests can experience these lost ar ts with a tr ip to the Texas Folklife Festival. The festival preserves not only the unique aspects of Texas’ diverse cultures, but the classical ar tisanship and skil ls required to tame the frontier.

“ They wanted to have people splitting rails and making butter and sausage and doing all of those things that a frontier person had to do in his daily l ife,” festival founder Baker said in an oral history interview. “ Well, surely I knew what folk life was, in fact, I was folk life!”

The 2012 Texas Folklife Festival is June 8-10 at the Institute of Texan Cultures, 801 E. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd. For more information, visit www.texancultures.com/festivals_events.

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

Page 66Texas Folklife Festival grounds at the Institute of Texan Cultures

(R-L)

David HartmanMaker of Cow Hide Chairs

Karen HobbsHandmade Brooms and Baskets

Mary BrownBasket Weaver


http://www.texancultures.com/festivals_events

http://www.texancultures.com/festivals_events


http://www.alamo-kiwanis.org/FiestaNoche.html


Cinema Tuesdays: Classic Films Soar on the Big Screen By Peabo Fowler | Photography Courtesy TPR

C lassic film fans in San Antonio have reason to rejoice each summer, as Texas Public Radio opens its 12th summer of its popular Cinema Tuesdays

series on May 29 at the Santikos Bijou theater in the Wonderland of the Americas Mall.

The 14-week series presents high-quality presentations of the greatest films of all time each summer, with a few modern rarities thrown in for good measure. This year brings two silent films, a musical, a documentary with Texas roots, and the greatest film of all time, Citizen Kane.

TPR cinema’s curator Nathan Cone said he always is excited to begin the season each year, but this May brings something extra special. “Our opening film on May 29 will be Wings, which was shot in San Antonio,” Cone said. “It’s a spectacular story of WWI flyboys and the girl they love, played by Clara Bow. And until this year, it was the only silent film ever to win best picture at the Oscars.”

Cone was referring to the fact that the silent French film The Artist won best picture earlier this year. Wings isn’t entirely silent, though. A recent restoration by Paramount Pictures added an orchestral score to the



soundtrack, and even sound effects. “These effects are not anachronistic,” Cone said. “Back in 1927, live effects artists would create the sound of machine guns or airplanes in the theater as the picture rolled. Paramount has done a great job of recreating that.”

Another film with Texas roots this summer is Thunder Soul, a documentary about Houston’s legendary Kashmere Stage Band. The 1970s high school band went against the grain to play funk music when other high schools stuck to Louie, Louie. Members of the Kashmere Stage Band reunited to honor their teacher, Conrad Johnson, and that joyous moment is captured on film in the award-winning Thunder Soul, which screens on June 26.

Other highlights this summer include Orson Welles’ astonishing debut film, Citizen Kane, on June 19; the French epic Children of Paradise on July 10; the noir film Gilda on Aug. 7, starring Rita Hayworth; and the Mexican drug-war drama Miss Bala on Aug. 14.

One thing that has changed this summer, Cone said,

is the preferred method of projection. A stickler for top-quality images, Cone has shunned screening films from DVDs in the past unless it was absolutely necessary, such as for the annual Oscar Shorts program (which takes place on June 12, by the way). Now, theaters across the country are transitioning to digital projection systems that can show films in 2K or 4K resolution. The images are several times better than even top-shelf Blu-ray systems at home can deliver.

“This summer, we’ll be showing films in a variety of formats,” Cone said. “Some will be projected from 35mm prints, and others will be digital presentations. Either way, it will be an experience you can’t get at home. I hope everyone will enjoy this summer’s series.”

The Texas Public Radio Cinema Tuesdays series runs from May 29 through Aug. 28 at the Santikos Bijou Theater. For more information, call (210) 614-8977, or visit www.tpr.org/cinema. For the latest movie news from here, there and everywhere, follow Nathan Cone on Twitter, @TPRCinema.



Caffeinated Concerts: Cactus Pear Music Festival’s 16th Season by Gary Albright | Photography Courtesy CPMF

C offee? Make that eine Kaffee in Germany, uno caffé in Italy, or qahwa in the Arab world where it all started. No matter where you go on the

globe, you can get it – even on the remotest coffee corner in the hinterlands of Hinterland.

It’s that toasted taste and caffeinated compulsion that drove J.S. Bach to pen his delightful miniature comic “opera,” The Coffee Cantata, his ode to the brown bean and the addictive quality that made coffee such a talked-about social issue in the early 18th century. Like the good addiction that coffee is, music lovers are looking forward to their next fix of Cactus Pear Music Festival’s world-class summer chamber music festival, whose season 16 thematic centerpiece is J.S. Bach’s satiric masterpiece.

“Last summer in Madison, I saw Jeffrey Syke’s hilarious 21st century alternative coffee house staging of The Coffee Cantata,” said artistic director Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio, “and I just had to bring it to Texas. And being our 16th season, it reminded me that Mendelssohn wrote his incredible String Octet masterpiece when he was only 16 years old. When I decided to program the octet, it was logical to build another program around our four stunning violin soloists. In our fifth and final program, we’ll present the eight Seasons of Vivaldi and Piazzolla, along with Evan Premo’s miniature song cycle of Seasons performed by Duo Borealis, the same program that was an enormous hit and drew record-breaking crowds back in 2007.”

Without missing a coffee beat, Sant’Ambrogio continued: “With our lineup of some of our regular CPMF favorite artists and a few ‘piping hot’ new artists, this is a supercharged season! We’re also starting a new tradition by bringing in a pre-formed ensemble for its own concert – the young and exciting Brasil Guitar Duo, who will perform a program of Latin, as well as classic Baroque, gems.”

Still centered at Coker United Methodist Church, the festival’s San Antonio concerts take place on consecutive Thursdays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. beginning July 5. The first shot of caffeine starts with “Caffé Viennese,” a

program that has all the musical elegance one would expect from the uncontested musical capital of 18th century Europe — two trios and a quartet for piano and strings, all composed in Vienna by the legendary trio of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. San Antonio International Piano Competition gold prize-winner Ryo Yanagitani is featured, along with violist Aloysia Friedmann, cellist Dmitri Atapine and Sant’Ambrogio.

Program II, “German Espressos,” on July 7 in San Antonio and July 8 in Boerne, features two German greats, Richard Strauss and Johannes Brahms. Strauss’ youthful piano quartet pieces, Little Love Song and Arabian Dance, open the program and then prepare the listeners for baritone Timothy Jones’ powerful renditions of some of Strauss’ most popular and dramatic lieder. Brahms’ Rondo alla Zingarese movement of his boisterous Piano Quartet in G Minor, Op. 25 will bring the program to a caffeinated conclusion.

“Brazilian Breve,” Program III, showcases the brilliant Brasil Guitar Duo in a program of baroque transcriptions by Rameau and Scarlatti, along with duos by Piazzolla, Villa-Lobos, Gismonti and some exciting Brazilian pieces. Winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, duo members João Luiz and Douglas Lora have been performing and touring together for 16 years. The concert takes place at 7 p.m. July 8 in Boerne’s acoustically warm and intimate First United Methodist Church.

The thematic centerpiece, The Coffee Cantata, will be performed on Program IV, “Coffee Cantata,” July 12 in San Antonio, July 13 in New Braunfels, and July 15 in Boerne. A delightful French take on the dark elixer, Le Caffé Cantata by Nicolas Bernier opens the program, featuring soprano Mary Bonhag, flutist Joanna Martin and the incomparable baroque duo of Fred and Christina Scott Edelen traveling in from Amsterdam. The sensational young Bulgarian violinist Bella Hristova will lead the strings in Mendelssohn’s greatest chamber music work, the String Octet in E-flat major.

The festival ends with Program V, ”Cappuccino Suite:



Equal Parts Vivaldi and Piazzolla,” reprising the 2007 concert whose triple-shot of Vivaldi, Piazzolla and Premo was the most successful program of CPMF’s festivalography. Violinists Katarzyna Bryla, Carmit Zori, Bella Hristova and Sant’Ambrogio will grace the stage in San Antonio July 14 and in Boerne for the final festival performance July 15.

“I can’t vouch that every musician drinks coffee, but I know that we are all born with caffeine in our musical veins,” Sant’Ambrogio said. “This festival is going to pulse with energy.” It’s hard not to believe the dynamic artistic director when she makes those caffeinated claims.

For more information, go to http://www.cpmf.us/cpmf_season.html

PROGRAM 1: CAFFÉ VIENNESE7 p.m. Thursday, July 5, Coker United Methodist Church,231 E. North Loop Road, San Antonio.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478 for piano, violin, viola and celloYanagitani, Sant’Ambrogio, Friedmann, AtapineLudwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)String Trio in G Major, Op. 9, No. 1Sant’Ambrogio, Friedmann, AtapineFranz Schubert (1797-1828) Trio No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 100, D. 929 for piano, violin and celloYanagitani, Sant’Ambrogio, Atapine

PROGRAM 2: GERMAN ESPRESSOS7 p.m. Saturday, July 7, Coker United Methodist Church, 231 E. North Loop Road, San Antonio.

2 p.m. Sunday, July 8, First United Methodist Church,205 James St., Boerne.

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)Two Pieces for Piano Quartet, TrV 169Liebesliedchen • Arabische TanzYanagitani, Sant’Ambrogio, Friedmann, AtapineRichard Strauss (1864-1949)Selected Songs for baritone and pianoJones, YanagitaniJohannes Brahms (1833-1897)Quartet in G minor, Op. 25 for piano, violin, viola and cello Yanagitani, Sant’Ambrogio, Friedmann, Atapine

PROGRAM 3: BRAZILIAN BREVE7 p.m. Sunday, July 8, First United Methodist Church,205 James St., Boerne.Featuring the Brasil Guitar DuoProgram to be announced

PROGRAM 4: COFFEE CANTATA7 p.m. Thursday, July 12, Coker United Methodist Church, 231 E. North Loop Road, San Antonio.7 p.m. Friday, July 13, New Braunfels Presbyterian Church.2 p.m. Sunday, July 15,First United Methodist Church, 205 James St., Boerne.


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

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


Nicolas Bernier (1664-1734) Le Caffé Cantata for soprano, flute and basso continuoBonhag, Martin, F. Edelen, C. EdelenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)The Coffee Cantata, BWV 211 (1734)for tenor, soprano, baritone, flute, string quartet, harpsichordOrig. German libretto by Christian Friedrich HenriciBrabant, Bonhag, Jones, Martin, Bryla, Johnson, Budish, Atapine, C. EdelenFelix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20Hristova, Sant’Ambrogio, Zori, Bryla, Budish, Okada, Atapine, F. Edelen

PROGRAM 5: CAPPUCCINO SUITE: Equal Parts Vivaldi and Piazzolla7 p.m. Saturday, July 14,Coker United Methodist Church, 231 E. North Loop Road, San Antonio.7 p.m. Sunday, July 15, First United Methodist Church, 205 James St., Boerne.

Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741)Astor Piazzolla (1921 – 1992)Soloists: Bryla, Sant’Ambrogio, Zori, Hristova, Premo, BonhagArtists: B. Johnson, Budish, F. Edelen, Atapine, Redzic, C. EdelenVivaldi Spring and Piazzolla Summer in Buenos Aires (violin soloist: Bryla)Premo In Just Spring and Summer for bass and soprano (Premo, Bonhag)

Vivaldi Autumn and Piazzolla Winter in Buenos Aires (violin soloist: Sant’Ambrogio)2012 Young Artist Program [YAP] ensemble performance [SA only]Vivaldi Winter and Piazzolla Autumn in Buenos Aires (violin soloist: Zori)Premo It Would Melt and Velvet Shoes for bass and soprano (Premo, Bonhag)Vivaldi Summer and Piazzolla Spring in Buenos Aires (violin soloist: Hristova)

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

Page 72Stephanie Sant’AmbrogioPhoto by Liz Garza Williams

Page 74 (L-R)Aloysia Friedmann, violaBella Hristova, violinBrasil Guitar Duo

(L-R)Dmitri Atapine, celloJoanna Martin, fluteMary Bonhag, soprano

Photos on Pages 74 & 75Courtesy of Cactus Pear Music Festival



http://bluestarart.org/


Visual Arts78-86

Visual Arts78-86


TRAVEL THROUGH ARTby Cassandra Yardeni

For many, the warm weather brings with it a growing sense of wanderlust. Longer days and pleasant evenings excite the summer spirit in all of us and

fortunately for San Antonio, the local art scene boasts exhibits that will transport viewers to exotic locales and to times past, without having to step outside the city.

Opening May 26, the Witte Museum invites you to journey back to the 1800s as it reclaims the legendary story of wild and vivid land that is South Texas. The highly anticipated grand opening of the Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg South Texas Heritage Center will pay homage to this untamed country that served as the birthplace of ranching empires that continue today, and was the crucible from which emerged the American Cowboy from his Vaquero forbearers.

The 20,000 square-foot, two-story building incorporates the historic Pioneer Hall and will serve as a permanent home for the Witte’s South Texas collections, exhibitions and public programs, combined with the latest museum technology, to trace the legendary history of South Texas. The Witte’s South Texas collections include saddles, spurs, basketry, branding irons, historical clothing, land grants, art and firearms. The South Texas Heritage Center provides immersive and engaging experiences of real-life stories of the men, women and children of South Texas. Hear the traveling narratives of Tejano Freighters and the historical narratives of Chili Queens, merchants, Texas Indians, Spanish settlers, trail drivers, ranchers and farmers. Encounter historic personas sharing the stories of vaqueros, cowboys, oilmen and women, gas industry leaders and the children who grew up on the land.

Still on display at the Witte is the critically acclaimed Darwin: How One Man’s Theory Turned the World on its Head exhibit. Making its exclusive Texas debut at the Witte, Darwin offers visitors a provocative exploration of the life and discoveries of Charles Darwin, whose insights led to the theory of evolution, forever changing the perception of the origin and nature of our own species and launching

modern biological science. Darwin is an engaging and enlightening exhibition for visitors of all ages.

Through May 27, the Institute of Texan Cultures showcases Texas Photographers: Descriptions of China, a new work by famed Southern shutterbugs, Ricardo Romo, Peter Brown, Ansen Seale, Al Rendon and Joel Salcido. These five Texas photographers were invited to exhibit images of Texas at the 14th Annual China International Photographic Art Exhibition. Curated by Arturo Infante Almeida, Descriptions of China includes images of the people, culture and landscapes of an ancient place in the 21st century.

See the work of talented Texas high school students as they document their culture for a student exhibit at ITC, on view through June 17. Under the direction of Texas Highways Magazine photographer, Griff Smith, a group of students from Pasadena Memorial High School, just outside of Houston, Texas, A Maverick’s Texas, named for the Pasadena Memorial mascot, showcases the uniqueness of Pasadena through images and artworks.

“We wanted students to take their classroom lessons out into the real world,” said Ashlie McKenzie, an education specialist with the Institute of Texan Cultures. “Geography teaches the importance of ‘place’ and ‘culture.’ With inspiration from Griff Smith, it was our hope that students would see their lessons come to life in a new and challenging way.”

Blue Star Contemporary Art Center similarly showcases local talent this summer with their San Antonio Painters exhibit, on display beginning May 31. The collection, curated by Barbara MacAdam, Deputy Editor of ARTnews magazine, features the work of ten artists, whose work was chosen based on “originality…and diversity…in style, medium and genre.”

Let there be light at the San Antonio Museum of Art! Starting June 2, Sublime Light: A Survey of American Photographs from the Permanent Collection offers visitors the chance to experience more than fifty masterful and



iconic images from SAMA’s holdings of photography. The exhibit illustrates the breadth and vitality of the medium over the last one and one half centuries.

A selection of historic photographic images emerge from SAMA’s vault for the exhibition, dating from the mid to late 19th century by largely unknown photographers or studios, and offers a rare glimpse into the early years of fixing image to plate or paper.

This exhibition features some of America’s most accomplished and celebrated photographers such as Berenice Abbott, Ansel Adams, Richard Avedon, Margaret Bourke-White, Imogen Cunningham, Elliot Elisofon, Dorothea Lange, Barbara Morgan, Irving Penn, Kay Bell Reynal, W. Eugene Smith, Edward Steichen, Paul Strand, George Tice, Edward Weston, Minor White and James Van Der Zee. Subjects range from cityscapes, industry, and rural landscapes, to portraits, figures, and still-lifes that are imbued with elegance and poignancy as well as sublime beauty.

The McNay Art Museum is hailed for taking visitors far and wide with a simple canvas, and this season is no exception. Opening May 16, Rouault’s Miserere: Printed Prayers showcases work inspired by Psalm 51’s “Oh Lord, have mercy on me.” The artist’s suite of 58 prints is a modern prayer of deliverance from the scourges of war and for forgiveness of those who have strayed from the faith.

Also debuting May 16 is A Century of Collage, featuring the 1912 masterpiece Guitar and Wine Glass—one of Pablo Picasso’s most important collages. The exhibit marks 100 years since Georges Braque and Picasso brought a scrapbooking technique into the realm of fine art. The McNay’s extensive holdings of collages include works by John Baldessari, Natalia Gontcharova, Lee Krasner and Robert Motherwell.

Life is a stage at the McNay through June 10, as Baroque to Bauhaus connects theatre designs to the larger history of visual culture from the 1600s to the early 1900s. The juxtaposing styles offer a visual feast, with the spare, clean lines of the Bauhaus challenging the painterly illusionism of the Baroque. The Baroque theme includes modern designs in an ornate mode by artists such as Alexandre Benois and Eugene Berman, along with designs from the 1600s–1700s by Giacomo Torelli and the Bibiena family. The Bauhaus theme focuses on artists affiliated with the German school that stressed unity of art, craft, and technology in the 1920s–1930s, including Laszlo



Moholy-Nagy and Grit Kallin-Fischer, as well as exponents of international Constructivism such as Alexandra Exter.

The Southwest School of Art offers a variety of stunning and transformative modern art, from David Almaguer’s Apotheosis and Joey Fauerso’s provocative Drama, to Ovidio Giberga’s Signal to Noise and Helen Hiebert’s thought-provoking String Theory.

With subjects as varied as these, one need not travel far to experience a world of beauty, fantasy and history. Take advantage of the summer’s slower pace and explore the vast landscapes the local art scene offers without needing a passport or luggage. Cheers!

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Photo Credits:

Page 78A Maverick’s TexasReminiscentPhoto by Shawnna Hall ofPasadena Memorial High SchoolInstitute of Texan C ultures

Page 80(Above)Texas Photographers:Descriptions of ChinaPhoto by Dr. Ricardo RomoInstitute of Texan Cultures

(Below)David Almaguer: ApotheosisMan of Steel, 2012Aerosol and acrylic on wood,24 x 36 in.Southwest School of Art

(Above)Guitar and Wine Glass by Pablo Picasso A Century of Collage Exhibit McNay Art Museum

(Below)South Texas Heritage CenterCourtesy Witte Museum



It’s time South Texas reclaimed the legendary story of this wild and vivid land, and the Witte Museum is doing just that with the grand opening of the

South Texas Heritage Center, Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday, May 26, 2012.

When Spanish explorers came to South Texas and the lands of the Rio Grande, they found a place ideally suited to raising livestock and ranching. This untamed country was the birthplace of ranching empires that continue today and was the crucible from which emerged the American Cowboy from his Vaquero forbearers. This 20,000 square-foot, two-story building that incorporates the historic Pioneer Hall, serves as a permanent home for the Witte’s South Texas collections, exhibitions and public programs, combined with the latest museum technology, to trace the legendary history of South Texas.

The Witte’s South Texas collections are cherished links to our interwoven heritage and include saddles, spurs, basketry, branding irons, historical clothing, land grants, art and firearms. The South Texas Heritage Center provides immersive and engaging experiences of real-life stories of the men, women and children of South Texas. Hear the traveling narratives of Tejano Freighters and the historical narratives of Chili Queens, merchants, Texas Indians, Spanish settlers, trail drivers, ranchers and farmers. Encounter historic personas sharing the stories of vaqueros, cowboys, oilmen and women, gas industry leaders and the children who grew up on the land.

The main galleries of the new Center include exhibits on ranching, farming, San Antonio’s Main Plaza in the 1840s, the oil and gas industry, horse culture, life along the border and a gallery dedicated to the Witte’s seminal 19th and 20th century early Texas Art

Witte Museum Opens Much-Anticipated South Texas Heritage CenterBy Shannon Huntington StandleyPhoto courtesy Witte Museum


collection. The Witte Museum is renowned for creating highly interactive and theatrical exhibitions and programs that bring history to life. Through collections and advanced technology, the South Texas Heritage Center boasts robotic characters and simulated sights and sounds to put into context the history of South Texas in a way that has never been seen before. Visitors are immersed in fascinating stories of ranching families and cowboys emerge in real-time narratives, beginning in San Antonio’s Main Plaza of 1847, traveling through the ranches of South Texas and ending in the oil and gas refineries of the Texas Coast.

Additionally, the Witte’s ground-breaking 2006 exhibition, A Wild & Vivid Land: Stories of South Texas, which attracted more than 100,000 visitors, has been enhanced and now takes its home in the South Texas Heritage Center. A Wild & Vivid Land revealed the relevance and real-life stories of South Texans in a new

and compelling way—and proved that present-day visitors want to understand the past.

“Most people don’t know where they came from. And if you don’t know where you came from, I don’t know how you can set a course for where you’re going to go…It’s an important thing the Witte is doing to preserve the heritage of the families that developed and pioneered in South Texas,” said Mary West Traylor, South Texas rancher and Witte supporter.

Other Highlights of the South Texas Heritage Center include a grand two-story entry hall; classroom space for educational programs for students; an outdoor amphitheater; sculptures and much more.

The South Texas Heritage Center will be included with museum general admission. For more information call 210.357.1910 or visit www.WitteMuseum.org.

http://www.WitteMuseum.org


http://thecarver.org


http://www.swfoodexpo.com/


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Literary Arts88-92

Literary Arts 88-92


GILBERT GARCIA Journalist and AuthorStory and photo by Jasmina Wellinghoff

Book Talk:


San Antonians may remember him as the former music writer for the San Antonio Current, but Gilbert Garcia also has covered politics, sports and

religion during his 20-year career in journalism. Besides the Current, he has worked for the Dallas Observer, Phoenix New Times, the San Antonio Light and the San Antonio Express-News, winning 12 regional and national journalism awards along the way. He currently writes for the online publication Plaza de Armas and has recently published his first book, “Reagan’s Comeback: Four Weeks in Texas that Changed American Politics Forever.”

Published by Trinity University Press, the book tells the story of how Ronald Reagan won the 1976 Texas primary and how that victory paved his way to the White House four years later. Reagan was going up against President Gerald R. Ford, and by late March of that year his campaign was in serious trouble. He had lost several states in a row, was low on funds and had little support from prominent Republicans who were rallying around Ford.

But his huge victory in Texas changed everything. It gave Reagan stature at the 1976 national convention, mobilized a new breed of conservative activists and ultimately led to the revival of conservatism in American politics. Ford lost to Jimmy Carter, but Reagan triumphed four years later.

We spoke to Garcia at his San Antonio home.

JW: Are you an admirer of the former president?

GG: I wouldn’t describe myself that way but I am fascinated by him. Whether people like him or not, Reagan’s become such an iconic figure; he can’t be ignored. His political skills were impressive. When you look at some Republican candidates today, many are expressing views similar to the ones he expressed but they lack the political skills that he had. So I have an appreciation for how effective Reagan was with the voters. But I have disagreements with him on policy issues.

JW: Why did you want to write “Reagan’s Comeback”?

GG: I’ve always been interested in the challenge of writing a book, and I have had some ideas over the years that didn’t really go anywhere. With the 2012 election approaching, I started thinking about how Texas has changed in my lifetime, how the South has changed politically, and I sort of started thinking about Reagan’s impact and this particular primary, and how pivotal it was

to his career. And I realized that while many books have been written about Reagan, this was one story that had not been explored in depth.

JW: Contemporary readers may be surprised to learn that before 1976 Texas used to be a solidly Democratic state. That’s so different from what we have today. Could you explain?

GG: This was really rooted in the post-Civil War era. Coming out of the Civil War there was a lot of antipathy toward Republicans everywhere in the South since it was the party of (President Abraham) Lincoln. So, Democrats dominated throughout the South for more than a century. But the Democratic party in Texas was largely controlled by conservative Democrats and an uneasy alliance existed between conservative and liberal Democrats. Back then, the Republican Party was a non-factor. At one point in the book, I mention that out of 181 state legislators, 180 were Democrats. That started to change after Lyndon Johnson, as a Texas Democrat, pushed forward the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. Conservative Democrats rebelled against that. But conservatives had no strong motivation to leave the party because their party still controlled the political scene in Texas in 1976. I think that Reagan was the person who gave them that motivation. Many were so drawn to him that they crossed over to the Republican Party, making his victory possible.

JW: What was Reagan’s appeal?

GG: Texans have generally gravitated to politicians who conveyed toughness and confidence, and Reagan certainly did. Also, he made no apologies for his conservatism. He emphasized national defense and national security and the fear that America was becoming weaker, all of which struck a chord. He talked about individual freedom and that government should be beholden to the people, not the other way around. He basically tapped into the frustration that conservatives had at that time. Ford was always careful not to alienate anybody; Reagan was forceful and if someone disagreed with him, he did not back down.

JW: Do you think that Reagan essentially repackaged Barry Goldwater’s ideas and presented them in a more effective way, or did he contribute new concepts of his own?

GG: The ideas were very similar. Goldwater’s book, “The Conscience of a Conservative,” was kind of a bible for Reagan. Reagan did bring the social issues into



the equation a little more than Goldwater had and repackaged what Goldwater had done 12 years earlier in a way that people found reassuring.

JW: Would you say that he managed to turn the Republican party from an enclave for the rich to a populist party?

GG: That was his great accomplishment. Today when we think of the South, we think Republican, but that was a complete flip from before. And the party started attracting working people like never before. You have to point at him as the agent of that change, and all of that started in Texas during that primary.

JW: In your book you make it clear that the unsung heroes of Reagan’s successful Texas primary were two not particularly prominent volunteers, Ray Barnhart and Ernest Angelo, and a couple of other “outsiders” who threw themselves heart and soul into mobilizing supporters, including Democrats, and finding ways to raise funds. Once again, their story proves that a few determined individuals can “change history,” as you said.

GG: Oh, absolutely. I think they were the two most important people. Their loyalty to the cause was all consuming, and they put everything else aside for months. Their doggedness was crucial because the Ford campaign had so much more money, so much more support in the Republican establishment, and they had John Tower, the U.S. senator, who actively campaigned for Ford.

JW: You have made a connection between the grassroots rise of conservatism in Reagan’s time and the Tea Party. Could you elaborate on that?

GG: The connection is really between the Reagan 1976 movement and the Tea Party. Because by 1980, Reagan’s appeal had broadened, and he won the general election in a landslide. But in 1976, he had a pretty narrow conservative base, but it was intensely loyal. His supporters were not satisfied with the Republican party as it was. They saw it as wishy-washy and were very frustrated. The Tea Party movement is somewhat similar. Many Tea Party people lean Republican but their loyalty is really to a set of ideas, and they are willing to challenge and confront their Republican representatives if they are not satisfied. Reagan’s 1976 supporters were viewed by the establishment as outsiders and troublemakers, and I think that Republican leaders would privately say similar

things about the Tea Party today.JW: Tell me about the genesis of the book. How hard was it to find people to interview, and how did you decide on the structure, which is not a linear narrative? You also offer insights into other political figures on the scene, some of whom, like Ron Paul and Rick Perry, are still very much in the game.

GG: I had done a little bit of research in the fall of 2010 to get the book proposal together. Then I did no further work on it for a few months. When I eventually talked to the people at Trinity University Press, they and I agreed that it would be great to get this book out in early 2012 to time it with the presidential primary season. To do that, I was going to have to complete the project in about three months. So it was a big challenge. One of the challenges was that (these events) happened 36 years ago, and many of the people involved had passed away or were in poor health. Still, I was able to find most of the people I wanted to talk to and, I would say, most were very receptive to the idea of being interviewed. For them, this really was a pivotal event in their lives, and there was a bit of a hunger to tell that story.

While I was writing, there were certain figures that emerged in the story, like John Tower, John Connally, Ron Paul, that I felt I should devote extra attention to. Initially I thought of incorporating all that in the chronological development of the story but it didn’t feel comfortable to me. In my own way I viewed it as a documentary, and if you had a documentary, you would pause to explain to the audience who John Tower was, or John Connally, and then you would go back to the story which, hopefully, would make more sense to them (after those explanations.) So that’s the way I did it. I didn’t want to throw off the reader, but those individuals deserved chapters of their own to make their role in the story clear.

JW: After the book was published, have you heard from a Reagan family member or anyone from his former entourage?

GG: No, but the Washington Times ran a review of my book by Peter Hannaford, a close friend of Reagan’s. It was a very positive review.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •Garcia’s comments have been edited slightly for space and clarity. His book is available wherever books are sold.



http://cynthiaclarkphotos.com


Eclectics94-104

Eclectics94-104


Artistic Destination:

I f I were in charge of the world’s travel plans, I would make Nashville a mandatory stop for everybody – specifically downtown Nashville, where you’ll

find practically everything that is wonderful about Music City. No matter what you think you know about this Tennessee capital city, nothing can prepare you for the perfect combination of first-class arts and entertainment, history, honky-tonks and hospitality all within a handful of city blocks. But you’ll soon get the idea after these first few stops.

Ryman Auditorium (116 Fifth Avenue North, ryman.com). Known as the “Mother Church of Country Music,” the Ryman Auditorium is a National Historic Landmark and a Nashville must-see no matter what your musical tastes. Daily self-guided tours and backstage tours (subject to availability) showcase the fascinating history of the building and the phenomenal talent that has graced its legendary stage – everyone from Enrico Caruso and Harry Houdini to Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, James Brown and Elvis Presley to today’s music



The Heart of Nashville By Julie CatalanoPhotography Courtesy visitmusiccity.com

legends. The guided backstage tour includes dressing rooms and the wings of the stage itself. The Ryman was the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974 (and is now at its new home at Opryland, about 10 miles from downtown). But you can catch the Opry at the Ryman during the winter months, November through January, when it returns each year to its historic roots.

Honky-tonk Row (Lower Broadway). Fittingly enough, this colorful area is right behind the Ryman, since

it’s often a springboard for budding songwriters and musicians on their way to fame and fortune and a longtime regular venue for popular local and regional bands. Most clubs have no cover charge, and it’s a great place to people watch and catch a glimpse of a celebrity, or one in the making. Two new additions are the National Underground (thenationalunderground.com), owned by singer-songwriter brothers Gavin DeGraw and Joey DeGraw, and a sister music club to the original location in New York City; and Honkytonk Central (honkytonkcentral.


http://visitmusiccity.com


com), housed in the renovated Seanachie Building and co-owned by Steve Smith of the legendary Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge (tootsies.net).

Hatch Show Print (316 Broadway, countrymusichalloffame.org). You’ll know the signature look of a Hatch Show Print when you see it – it was created at one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in the country. Since 1879, their posters have featured some of the biggest names in country, pop, rock, and blues; companies such as Nike and Jack Daniels; and magazine covers, CDs and books. You can watch them prepare a poster using up to 10,000 basswood and maple-wood blocks, thousands of photo-plates, and drawers filled with wood and metal type.

Schermerhorn Symphony Center (1 Symphony Place, nashvillesymphony.org). Surprise! Nashville has one of the best classical concert venues to be found anywhere. Named for the Nashville Symphony’s late maestro Kenneth Schermerhorn, the $123.5 million home of the 85-member, Grammy-winning orchestra is simply stunning. The neoclassical structure’s centerpiece is the magnificent shoebox-style, 1,844-seat Laura Turner Concert Hall, which in turn is home to the massive Schoenstein & Co. concert organ. One-hour building tours are free and highly recommended, held most Wednesdays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. (more than 10 require reservations). The 2012-13 season kicks off Sept. 7 and 9 with “Mahler’s Eighth – Symphony of a Thousand,” featuring the Nashville Symphony, the symphony chorus, the Blair Children’s Chorus, and soloists TBA. Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (222 Fifth Avenue South, countrymusichalloffame.org). This is it, the mother lode of all things country music – 40,000 square feet of archives, artifacts, exhibits, costumes, rare videos, recordings and more. The museum store alone is worth the visit. The new exhibit, “The Bakersfield Sound: Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and California Country,” is narrated by Dwight Yoakum and runs through Dec. 31, 2013. Do not miss the guided tour at nearby RCA Studio B, where more than 35,000 songs were recorded, including 200 by Elvis Presley.

Frist Center for Visual Arts (919 Broadway, fristcenter.org). With no permanent exhibits of its own, the 24,000-square-foot Frist Center plays host to key exhibitions from around the world in a former U.S. post office Art Deco building. Shows include 63 drawings and paintings by Alabama artist Bill Traylor through Sept. 3; and English landscape master, “Constable: Oil Sketches From the Victoria and Albert Museum,” from June 22 through Sept. 30.



The Hermitage Hotel (231 Sixth Avenue North, thehermitagehotel.com). You’ll need a rest after all this, and what better place than Tennessee’s only Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond luxury hotel. The fabulous Hermitage is not just a pretty face – although it’s a stellar example of the School of Beaux Arts architecture – but has served as the social and political center for Nashvillians and beyond since 1910. The guest book is a Who’s Who of American history, featuring six presidents, politicians, film stars, athletes and entertainers. The excellent Tennessee State Museum (505 Deaderick St., tnmuseum.org) nearby is one of the largest state museums, and it’s free.

What you need to know: Stop by the Nashville Visitor Information Center (Fifth Avenue South and Broadway, information line (800) 657-6910) which is an entertainment venue in itself. In addition to the usual brochures, tickets, maps and souvenirs, Nashville musicians regularly appear on the center’s stage in free performances open to the public. To browse more than 120 Nashville area clubs, download Nashville’s Live Music App for iPhone and Android. You can search the live music calendar for tomorrow or any specified date for two weeks out. Go to visitmusiccity.com for more information.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Photo Credits

Pages 94-95Nashville skyline with the General Jackson showboat

Page 96

(Above)Ryman Auditorium

(Below)Schermerhorn Symphony Center

(Above)Honky Tonk Row

(Below)Frist Center for the Visual Art


http://visitmusiccity.com

98 On The Town | May-June 201298 On The Town | March-April 2011


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