Fans of classical music will not only have the newly-formed San Antonio Philharmonic to root for, with a raft of local music groups gearing up for their 2022-2023 seasons.
A dozen performing groups have announced new seasons: Agarita, Camerata, Caritas, Classical Music Institute, the Mid-Texas Symphony, Musical Bridges Around the World, San Antonio Chamber Choir, San Antonio Mastersingers, San Antonio Philharmonic, South Texas Symphonic Orchestra, SOLI Chamber Ensemble and the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA).
Agarita
Half of the Harlem Quartet joins the four-member Agarita chamber ensemble Sept. 3 at the Carver Community Cultural Center, for a program including classics by Mozart, Mendelssohn and Schumann, and newer works by modern composers including Guido López-Gavilán of Cuba.
Agarita has established itself as a frequent collaborator with other artists, often who work in different disciplines. On Dec. 10 at the Radius Center, the group will perform with well-known poet Naomi Shihab Nye, and on Jan. 28 at the McAllister Auditorium, dancers from Ballet San Antonio will join for a concert shaped by choreography.
The San Antonio Botanical Garden provides the backdrop for a late winter concert featuring guest guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas on Feb. 25, and the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) lends both setting and inspiration for the April 18 concert inspired by the Roman Landscapes: Visions of Nature and Myth from Rome and Pompeii exhibition. SAMA offers free admission from 4-7 p.m., and the free concert begins at 5:30 p.m.
Agarita will wind up its season June 17 at the Chapel of the Incarnate Word, promising an eclectic program featuring original arrangements.
Now in its fifth year, the ensemble has committed itself to performing free public concerts in each of the city’s 10 council districts each year, using its portable Humble Hall venue. These concerts will be announced at a later date.
All shows are free. More information on the concerts is available on the group’s website.
Camerata
The Camerata chamber ensemble will celebrate its 20th season with concerts in September, October, and January through April, continuing its regional approach by performing at the First Presbyterian Church in Kerrville, the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit on Bandera Road, and in the concert hall of the University of the Incarnate Word.
Camerata opens its season Sept. 23-25 with a concert entitled “Postcards,” in honor of celebrated British composer Errollyn Wallen’s Five Postcards. Each of the work’s five movements is titled for its musical character: Simple and Flowing, Furious, Intense – Faster, with a little swagger, Soulfully and Vigorous. The program also includes chamber music by Richard Strauss and a piece by Pulitzer Prize-winner Kevin Puts.
Pianist Viktor Valkov will be featured in a recital program Oct. 23, playing works by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and the lesser-known Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, son of Johann Sebastian Bach.
The January concerts feature an all-Shostakovich program, followed by February program “Contrasts,” March program “Tango Amour,” and an April finale of string quartets by Mozart and Beethoven.
Tickets for all Camerata concerts are available through the ensemble’s website.
Caritas
Early this year, the grand Schoenstein organ at the Chapel of the Incarnate Word was the star of a series of concerts.
Though the Sept. 11 intended season-opening concert has been canceled, a full slate of concerts will follow, beginning Oct. 7 with a Hymn Festival for Peace and Reconciliation. On Oct. 16, the University of Texas at San Antonio Concert Choir will perform with organist S. Andrew Lloyd.
The season resumes March 12 with a French music recital by American organist Lynne Davis. On April 7, 14 organists will perform the 14-part Le Chemin de la Croix (Stations of the Cross) by Marcel Dupré for Good Friday.
The Children’s Chorus of San Antonio will sing on April 23, and May 6-7 the San Antonio Chamber Choir will perform works by contemporary American composer Jake Runestad.
All Caritas Concerts are free and open to the public.
Classical Music Institute
Tobin Center for the Performing Arts resident company the Classical Music Institute (CMI) begins its season with a festive food-centric “Savor the Music” event in the H-E-B Performance Hall on Nov. 17.
The group then moves to the more intimate Carlos Alvarez Studio Theatre for two concerts, Nov. 19 and April 7, before activating its innovative summer concert series throughout June.
More information on tickets and the season schedule is available on the CMI website.
Mid-Texas Symphony
Based in Seguin, the regional Mid-Texas Symphony marks its 45th anniversary season by celebrating the Americas with a Sept. 11 concert incorporating folklórico dancers and conjunto music performed by the Teatro De Artes De Juan Seguin troupe.
Other concerts include “Beethoven’s Pastorale” on Oct. 16, “A Storybook Holiday” with the New Braunfels Children’s Chorus on Dec. 11, “Classical Masters” on Feb. 19, “The Wild West” on April 2 featuring selections from Aaron Copland’s Rodeo and Billy the Kid, and the season-ending “Symphonie Fantastique” program on April 30.
Led by music director Akiko Fujimoto, the symphony performs in various venues around Central Texas. Schedule and location details are available on the Mid-Texas Symphony website.
Musical Bridges Around the World
Musical Bridges Around the World is celebrating its 25th anniversary season of uniting cultures through music and art.
Read our recent story on the JUBILEE exhibition at MBAW headquarters, and visit the organization’s website for information on its upcoming season beginning Sept. 25.
San Antonio Chamber Choir
As the world emerges from the global coronavirus pandemic to face new challenges, the San Antonio Chamber Choir takes inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson for its new season, titled “Fear Not, Dear Friend” after a sonnet by the American poet.
Programs range from “Our Deep, Deep Earth” Sept. 24-25 featuring a composition titled Earth Mass that includes whale song, and Aaron Copland’s acapella choral work In the Beginning based on the Book of Genesis.
For the holidays, the choir will sing El Mesías, a Spanish version of Handel’s Messiah on Dec. 17-18.
May 6-7, the choir will explore “The Musical Soul of Jake Runestad,” the Emmy award-nominated American choral composer, with the world premiere of a new work and songs by artists who’ve inspired him.
The San Antonio Chamber Choir performs at multiple venues, more information is available on its website.
San Antonio Mastersingers
The San Antonio Mastersingers will welcome new Music Director Yoojin Muhn with two 2022 concerts, Mozart’s Solemn Vespers on Oct. 23, and Handel’s Messiah on Dec. 4.
For both concerts at the University United Methodist Church, the Mastersingers will be joined onstage by the newly formed San Antonio Philharmonic orchestra, started by former musicians of the defunct San Antonio Symphony.
San Antonio Philharmonic
The new San Antonio Philharmonic bursts out of the gates with a full season schedule of performances, beginning Sept. 16-17 with concerts conducted by Ken-David Masur. Appropriately for its hometown, the orchestra will perform Brahms’ Saint Anthony Variations, along with Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev and Ravel’s classic Boléro.
Other concerts at the SA Phil’s home venue of the First Baptist Church will be conducted by former San Antonio Symphony directors Sebastian Lang-Lessing (Oct. 28-29) and Christopher Wilkins (Nov. 18-19).
The SA Phil has also packed its schedule with 36 free educational Young People’s Concerts for youth groups, including a Jan. 25 concert featuring Black composers, just in time for Black History Month.
Full information on the upcoming SA Phil season, tickets and season ticket packages is available on the calendar pages of the group’s new website.
South Texas Symphonic Orchestra
Texas Country Reporter founders Bob and Kelli Phillips will be the center of attention for the South Texas Symphonic Orchestra’s Oct. 9 “A Texas Tribute” concert at the Lila Cockrell Theater.
The Phillipses will narrate the concert on stage, touching on themes of the Lone Star state including the Texas Revolution, cowboy folklore, and the oil boom of the early 1900s.
SOLI Chamber Ensemble
During the pandemic, the four-member SOLI Chamber Ensemble planted roots at the San Antonio Botanical Garden to perform safely outdoors. Those roots grow deeper with the group’s 29th season, beginning Sept. 26 with a performance titled “Rooted” in honor of outdoor sculptures by artist Steve Tobin dotting the garden grounds.
The “Woven” program on Jan. 16 will feature the world premiere of a composition by San Antonio native Niccolo Athens, and guest artists EnsembleNEWSRQ will join SOLI for “Voiced” on Feb. 27.
Youth Orchestras of San Antonio
The YOSA Philharmonic is the top tier of the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, performing each year at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
The 2022-2023 season features three concerts: “Frontiers” with guest flutist Mimi Stillman on Oct. 23, a Jan. 22 concert with guest artist Tracy Silverman on electric violin, and the “Resilience” concert May 7 showcasing Rossini’s famed William Tell Overture along with Invincible Summer, a new work by American composer Kenji Bunch written to celebrate teens overcoming the challenges of a global pandemic.
