Tale of Feathers, Fur, and Fins

Recently host John Clare joined the Symphony of the Hills to narrate Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saens with poetry by Ogden Nash.  Here is their performance:

Classical Spotlight Sells out

This week we highlight concerts from Mission Espada to the Callioux Theater!

Mostly Motets
The San Antonio Chamber Choir starts their 2010-11 season with a concert celebrating the music of Heinrich Schutz, Brahms and Rindfleisch .
Fri, Oct 1 - 8 pm   Mission Espada
Sat, Oct 2 - 8 pm  Mission Espada
Sun, Oct 3 - 3 pm  St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Visit http://www.sachamberchoir.org/ for more information.

At the Helm
Sebastian Lang Lessing starts his tenure as Music Director of the San Antonio Symphony Saturday night.  On the program is Mahler's First Symphony, Brahms' “Lost Youth”, “In Silent Night”, “Evening Serenade” and Bizet's “Avec la garde montante”. The concert is sold out...but they begin their regular season next weekend, October 8 & 9 with Christopher Seaman, conductor and pianist Jeffrey Swann in a program including Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 and Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 2, "London".  Find out more at SASymphony dot org.

If it's not Baroque
Musical Bridges Around The World presents Mercury Baroque, a chamber ensemble from Houston, performs the opera “La Serva Padrona” by Giovanni Pergolesi staged with period costumes and furniture.
Also Edwin Colon Zayas - award-winning master of the Puerto Rican cuatro national instrument - plays a blend of native folk and dance music, and salsa with Sabor a Cultura, a group of musically-gifted youngsters from Cayey, Puerto Rico.
It takes place Sunday afternoon at 3 at McAllister Auditorium, on the campus of San Antonio College, 1300 San Pedro. More at 210-464-1534 or musicalbridges.org

What's Opera Doc?
Symphony of the Hills start their 2010-11 season next Thursday, October 7, at 7:30pm. The program from the Callioux Theater in Kerrvile is called Opera Highlights - featuring local and regional vocalists in excerpts from favorite operas.  Dr. Jay Dunnahoo leads Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, Bizet and more!

Classical Spotlight: March 5

This week we feature several local concerts and a new release from Koch International Classics!

Tonight and Sunday don't miss the Symphony of the Hills in a program, "For the Young and Young at Heart". They'll play Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Smetana and Tubby the Tuba. Conductor Jay Dunahoo, pictured right, spoke with host John Clare about the concert. Find out more here.

Tuesday night, the Olmos Ensemble presents a concert of "Romance and Humor" with special guests, Anne Epperson, piano and Linda Poetschke, soprano. Founder and Artistic Director Mark Ackerman, pictured left, came by the TPR studios and talked to us about the program that includes Robert and Clara Schumann, Francaix and Alfred Bachelet.

Finally, Anne Akiko Meyers, pictured right, has a new cd out from Koch called Smile. It features pieces by Piazzolla, Messiaen, Schubert and traditional folk tunes. She spoke from Carnegie Hall about the new release.

Listen to Classical Spotlight every Thursday afternoon at 2pm on KPAC and KTXI, your classical oasis in San Antonio and the Hill Country.

Classical Spotlight: Symphonic Starts

We'll hear from two orchestras this week, The Symphony of the Hills and the Austin Symphony Orchestra on Classical Spotlight.

First, director Jay Dunahoo (left) stops by the Texas Public Radio studios to discuss the Symphony of the Hills opening program, U.K. is Okay. The performances are September 28th & October 2nd at the Kathleen C. Cailloux Theater - City Center for the Performing Arts in Kerrville. They'll play Eric Coates' London Again Suite; Mendelssohn's Fingal’s Cave Overture, Op. 26; Vaughn Williams' Rhosymedre - Prelude on a Welsh Hymn Tune; Haydn's Symphony No. 104 in D (London); and Percy Grainger's Irish Tune from County Derry. Tickets and information are available here.

Then we talk with virtuoso violinist Leila Josefowicz (right) about her Beethoven Concerto performance with the Austin Symphony; and discuss the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis' Field of Infinite Forms with music director Peter Bay (left).

They also play Wagner and Stravinsky on September 19 & 20, at 8:00 p.m. in the The Long Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Listen to the interviews on the TPR website here. Don't miss Classical Spotlight tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon at 2 p.m. on KPAC and KTXI.