Classical Spotlight: USAF Band of the West

Recently TPR's John Clare spent some time with members of the USAF Band of the West at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. (Pictured left is Clare with Tsgt Steve Wilson.)
Listen to the news story here. (mp3 file)

Now, members of the unit are deployed overseas. Enjoy this performance with Top Flight, the pop music ensemble from the Band of the West:
VIMEO video coming shortly


Clare also spoke with the commander of the band, Captain Cristina Moore Urrutia. Watch their interview:

Classical Spotlight: Capt. Urrutia from John Clare on Vimeo.

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SAVAE at 20 - by James Baker

About 8 months ago a committee was formed to study the possibility of presenting a series of concerts in San Antonio featuring music of Colonial New Spain. Vitally interested in the project were Father Larry Christian, Rector of the Assumption Seminary, and Renata Furst, Director of Studies at the Seminary. When they asked me how we should begin the answer came easily. Let's invite SAVAE, the San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble. Little did we realize it at the time, but through the magic of serendipity we scheduled the SAVAE concert on what turns out to be the exact 20th anniversary of the ensemble's first concert on December 4, 1989, at the San Fernando Cathedral. Needless to say, we are all thrilled to be part of this anniversary concert by SAVAE which will also serve as the inaugural event of the Celebrating Latin American Arts Series (CLAAS).

SAVAE has traveled several musical roads, but their track always seems to bring them back to Colonial Latin America. This is where they made their first mark and it is certainly music to which they bring passion and authority. In speaking recently to Covita and Christopher Moroney, two of the founders of SAVAE, I found that they have been intentional in staking claim to a certain repertory, a music which speaks more directly from the New World than through the filter of European musical styles. Their performances reflect this bias through the numerous folkloric and indigenous instruments which they bring to the stage. According to the Moroneys, they typically bring about 30 instruments to their programs. These punctuate and accompany the various Latin, Spanish, Nahuatl and Quechua texts which reflect the concious effort of the Catholic Church to invite the New World to meet and mingle with the Old World.

SAVAE's concert will kick off a multi-year project in San Antonio called the Celebrating Latin American Arts Series. Future concerts will take place in a variety of venues, including Mission Conception in 2010. This first concert, however, is in a relatively new space, one which mimics the stone and mortar construction of the traditional Spanish missions of the Southwestern United States. The Assumption Seminary's Chapel was designed by the maverick San Antonio architect O'Neil Ford. More about this relatively unknown work of Ford in a future post to this blog.

SAVAE's anniversary concert will take place Friday, December 4, at the Assumption Seminary Chapel, 2600 W. Woodlawn, just West of Woodlawn Park. The concert is free and open to the public. Ample free parking is available. The concert begins at 7:30 pm, with a reception following the concert.

This concert is sponsored by MATT (Mexicans and Americans Thinking Together), and is presented in cooperation with Old Spanish Missions, Inc., San Antonio Institute of Catholic Cultures and KPAC, 88.3.

Itinerarios, airing on KPAC Sunday evening at 7, will this week feature the interview with Covita and Christopher Moroney while also previewing parts of SAVAE's December 4th concert. Read more!

AFSA Awards

The Artist Foundation of San Antonio, which gives grants to individual artists, is giving $62,000 this year, the fourth for the awards. More than 160 artists applied and eleven were selected to receive $5,000 each. Most of the awards are given for specific projects, except the George Cortes Award for Classical Singing, which recognizes opera-based vocal ability. Soprano Angela Malek will receive it this year.

$5,000 grants will go to:

Robert L. B. Tobin Award for Set Design: Steve Gilliam for his work on the Allegro Stage Company's musical “Fire on the Bayou,” opening Jan. 29 at the Woodlawn Theatre.

Robert L. B. Tobin Award for Costume Design: Jodi Karjala for costumes for AtticRep's staging of “Lydia,” opening Dec. 2.

Bernard Lifshutz Award for Visual Arts: Photographer Ansen Seale for a long-range project dealing with transferring images onto glass.

Rick Liberto Award for Visual Arts: Randy Wallace for the mixed-media project “The Thirty Days and Fifty Thousand Words.”

Literary Arts Award: Poet Pablo Miguel Martinez for a book-length piece based on the stories of Mexican guest workers.

Media Arts Award: Visual artist Julia Barbosa Landois for a multimedia installation.

Visual Arts Award: Artist Judith Cottrell for an installation built around her sculptural drawings.

Performing Arts — Original Production Award: Director Tim Hedgepeth for “Fire on the Bayou.”

Performing Arts — Musical Composition: Composer Timothy Kramer for a choral cycle dealing with Old Testament text.

Performing Arts — Dance Choreography: Britt Lorraine, for a personal, minimalist turn on the Ballet Russe's 1913 “Rite of Spring.” Read more!

Artist Interview: Walden Chamber Players

The Walden Chamber Players were in town as part of their residency with Trinity University...they sat down with John Clare for an interview. Professor Carl Leafstedt also joined the talk, who coordinated the visit!

They also played a selection from their program, Saariaho's I feel a second heart:

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He was born for it

As she lay dying St. Cecilia sang out to the Lord and that is the reason given that she is the patron saint of musicians. Her feast day is November 22nd and for this occasion a number of British composers wrote Ode's in honor of Cecilia and music in general.

Another reason to mark St. Cecilia's Day is it is the birthdate of Benjamin Britten. Considered the finest British composer since Purcell, he wrote a great deal of music for the stage, but he was also a great pianist and on the Piano this Sunday the program celebrates Britten's birthday by exploring his thorny Piano Concerto.

The Piano, this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson Read more!

SA Sym: Sebastian Lang Lessing

SA Sym: Sebastian Lang Lessing from Classical Spotlight on Vimeo.

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Conductor in national spotlight

Alondra de la Parra, music driector candidate for the San Antonio Symphony, recently conducted the world renowned San Francisco Symphony in concerts. During her time there, she was interviewed by NPR's Latino USA (heard locally on KSTX & KTXI Fridays at noon & 8pm).

Alondra de la Parra from NPR's Latino USA on Vimeo.

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That is Mr. Footnote to you!

In the arts cream rises to the top and this process is moved along by teachers, academics and Nielsen ratings. Soon we end up with a shorthand view of the world, "Mozart was a perfect musical machine" "Beethoven is the greatest musical architect" and "Bach is the greatest musician of all time"- certainly interesting opinions, but what about the thousands and thousands of serious musicians that don't fall into these tidy boxes? These folks are relegated into footnote status, and there live in a silent limbo until some curious musician digs into the music and gives voice to what was popular long ago.

On the Piano this Sunday we dig into the past and hear the dramatic and melodic music of a man who possessed a true musical gift, learned from the most interesting teachers of his time and passed on that knowledge to a few generations of musicians to follow. Is this a wasted life; hardly. This Sunday afternoon at 5 works of Anton Arensky elevated from footnote status on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

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Classical Spotlight: Everything @ once

Lots of concerts on this weekend, and many of them at the same time, Sunday afternoon @ 3pm!

The San Antonio Brass play Friday night in Kerrville, and Sunday afternoon @ 2pm in San Antonio. More on their website, and an interview with Lee Hipp on the TPR website.

Antonio Barasorda, tenor, will visit and serenade San Antonians Sunday, November 15th, at 3pm, at the Charline McCombs Empire Theater for the Puerto Rican Heritage Society's 25th Anniversary. Barasorda, visiting the area for the first time, will sing varied repertoire of Latin American popular songs, as well as songs from zarzuelas, operettas, operas, Broadway musicals and bohemias. Listen to his interview here.

Sunday, November 15 at 3 p.m. at Coker United Methodist Church, the "Arts at Coker" series presents the woodwind trio ETA3 in a FREE concert.

Sunday, November 15 at 3 p.m. at Travis Park United Methodist Church violinist Karen Stiles and pianist Vivienne Spy will offer Camerata San Antonio's recital. Listen to their interview here.

The San Antonio Symphonic Band, under the direction of conductor, Dr. Donald K. Miller, will be performing it’s first concert of the 2009-2010 series on Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at UTSA Downtown Campus, Buena Vista Theater followed by a second performance on Sunday, November 15, 2009 at 4:00 p.m. at the same location. A guest appearance by The Black Bexar Pipe Band will be made during the performance. Program theme: Across The Pond.

Heart of Texas Concert Band plays "Symphonic Songs For Band" this Sunday at 3:00pm with Heather Blount, Soprano Soloist at Alamo Heights High School. Mark Rogers directs, and you can listen to his interview here.

Please note, the Texas Bach Choir concerts scheduled for this weekend November 14th and 15th have been canceled. They are now without an Artistic Director as Daniel Long, who served with TBC since 1990 has resigned. Read more!

Still making beautiful music together

Despite a divorce, Gheorghiu & Alagna are stellar in this new release!

Alberto Veronesi conducts Pietro Mascagni’s rarely performed opera L’amico Fritz starring soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna, on a new recording to be released by Deutsche Grammophon next Tuesday, November 17, 2009. The album was recorded in 2008 during acclaimed live performances at Deutsche Oper Berlin which were called “a rare musical treat” by Das Opernglas, and for which klassik.com wrote: “The soloists gave of their phenomenal best and the orchestra under Veronesi played sensationally...I can't recall the last time I heard such enthusiastic (and prolonged) applause at the Deutsche Oper.”

L’amico Fritz is Mascagni’s second opera; a light-hearted follow-up to his popular Cavalleria rusticana. The opera tells the story of Fritz (Alagna), a wealthy landowner and confirmed bachelor who falls for Suzel (Gheorghiu), the young daughter of one of his tenants, and includes The Cherry Duet (“Suzel, buon di”) – a love duet considered the best known piece from the opera which has long been part of Alagna and Gheorghiu’s repertoire. The cast on the recording is rounded out by Laura Polverelli as the gypsy boy Beppe, a rare trouser role for the time period, George Petean as David, Yosep Kang as Federico, Hyung-Wook Lee as Hanezó and Andión Fernández as Caterina.

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PT: Five Browns

Check out Performance Today today (November 11th) who feature KPAS' presentation of the Five Browns last May in Kerrvile! And we thought you might enjoy this Rimsky-Korsakov they played as well:

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Hear him in San Antonio

Great news about Olmos Ensemble member Warren Jones...well he is here every year, so he really is considered a member of Mark Ackerman's group:

Musical America, now in its third century as the indispensable resource for the performing arts, today announced the winners of the annual Musical America Awards, recognizing artistic excellence and achievement in the arts.

The announcement coincides with the publication of the 2010 Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts, which, in addition to its comprehensive industry listings, pays homage to each of these artists in its editorial pages.

The annual Musical America Awards will be presented in a special ceremony at Lincoln Center on December 14.

COLLABORATIVE PIANIST OF THE YEAR: WARREN JONES
Warren Jones compares partnering soloists to playing doubles tennis because the endeavor has to be an equal relationship. Few collaborative pianists—a term now preferred to “accompanist”—have enhanced the performances of so many of the world’s greatest singers and instrumentalists. Among those benefitting from his nuanced, insightful, and virtuosic artistry are Marilyn Horne, Kathleen Battle, Samuel Ramey, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Stephanie Blythe. In soprano Ruth Ann Swenson’s words, “He’s one of the greatest musicians I’ve ever known. I trust him
completely.”

See Warren this next Spring:
March 16, 2010
Four Hands, Four Voices
Anne Epperson, and Warren Jones, piano,
Linda Poetschke, soprano, Ken David Masur, baritone
mezzo soprano and tenor TBA

Franz Schubert, Auf dem Strom
Franz Schubert, Fantasie for piano, four hands
Johannes Brahms, Liebeslieder Waltzes

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