San Antonio Philharmonic. Photo by Chris Stokes1. Reserve Tickets for a San Antonio Philharmonic Concert The symphonic organization that grew out of the now-defunct San Antonio Symphony, opens its second season Sept. 22-23 with violinist Chee-Yun and The Firebird by Stravinsky. Return Oct. 13-14 to hear acclaimed Norwegian trumpet player Tine Thing Helseth as she plays Arutiunian alongside the Philharmonic. saphil.org 2. Buy (or Appreciate) a Piece of Local Art at First Friday Visit the Blue Star Arts Complex for open studios, live music, local makers and plenty of chances to find a fav ..read more

Before Randy and Pauline Glickman agreed to move to San Antonio in the 1980s, the couple wanted to know whether the city had a symphony orchestra. “For us, basically an indication of a high-quality city with a good lifestyle is the availability of the performing arts,” says Randy Glickman, Ph.D., a retired researcher and UT Health San Antonio professor. “Knowing that San Antonio had a symphony and a lively music scene was a factor in considering this a good place to live.” The Glickmans became San Antonio Symphony subscription holders when they arrived back in 1981 and supported them until the ..read more

Kirk Whalum was just getting his start in Houston’s club scene when San Antonio launched its Jazz’SAlive festival 40 years ago. The Memphis native had moved to Texas, along with his wife Ruby, to attend college and says when he got a call inviting him to play at the Jazz’SAlive festival 30-plus years ago, it was a turning point in his career. “It’s incredible it’s been 40 years (of the festival),” Whalum says. “I have some really wonderful and pivotal memories of this festival and, of course, San Antonio is such a magical place. The culture there impacted me deeply.” Whalum will return as a he ..read more

Garrett T. Capps and the NASA Country Band will spend part of October in Europe, but they’re just as excited to be playing on the St. Mary’s Strip in their hometown. “San Antonio rocks,” says Capps. “It’s a privilege to be able to call it my home and know so many awesome people there.” Capps has been playing with the musicians who make up his NASA Country band for years in San Antonio, but People Are Beautiful, the album he released last fall, is Capps’ first full record to feature the band. “There’s definitely some real personalities and kind of legendary teamsters in the band,” says Capps, d ..read more

In a pastel yellow two-story house on the Inner West Side, Jaime Macias has created his own slice of community. The house had been part of the Macias family for nearly 50 years when, in October 2020, it became home to Jaime’s Place: equal parts bar, music venue and gathering place.  “The West Side has historically been the place where the poor have been concentrated,” says Macias, explaining that he was intentional about creating a welcoming atmosphere for the neighborhood.   The result, he says, was divestment from and stigmatization of the local community. Macias wanted to change t ..read more

This evening, boutique wine shop Casa Guipzot will host a special “Wine & Learn” evening with Conjunto legend and “Queen of the Accordion” Eva Araiza Ybarra. Born on San Antonio’s West Side, Ybarra has been performing as a Conjunto musician since childhood, when she taught herself to play the accordion by listening to the radio. In 2021, she was named the 2022 Texas State Musician by the state legislature. At this event, Ybarra will give a live performance and participate in an audience Q&A. Tickets are $55 per person and include two drink tickets and two gorditas. Guests must be 21 or ..read more

If the crowd at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo is singing along when Clay Walker plays his newest single, he knows it’s a keeper. “The audience there knows what real country music is supposed to sound like,” says Walker, who will take the stage at the rodeo on Feb. 20. “If they like it in San Antonio, it’s going to be a hit.” The Texas native who was raised in the Houston area says playing a rodeo is a pinnacle for any Lone Star State cowboy and an experience he cherishes each time the invitation is extended to him. He chats with us here about the show and about his latest album, Texas ..read more

Catalina Cuervo has performed the lead in Maria de Buenos Aires nearly 100 times over the last 12 years but says it’s a thrill every time. “It’s been a blessing,” says Cuervo, who arrived in San Antonio last week to begin rehearsals for Opera San Antonio’s production of the show, Feb. 10 and 11 in the Tobin Center’s Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater. “It’s a lot of fun because it uses a lot of range in my voice that I don’t get to use in any other opera.” At the Tobin Center, Opera San Antonio is not only staging the Spanish opera but also turning it into an immersive experience. Rather than stand ..read more

For the first time in nearly three years, the Goo Goo Dolls are back on tour. However, while they may not have been performing live during the pandemic, the band has been hard at work on their 14th studio album, Chaos in Bloom, released in August. After more than 30 years as a rock band, the album—which is the first produced by frontman John Rzeznik—seems to mark a new chapter. Ahead of the band’s return to San Antonio on Nov. 15, bassist Robby Takac chatted with us about what longtime fans can expect from this tour. This album was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. How did that influence ..read more

The lights are still nearly all the way up in Southwest High School’s auditorium when San Antonio Philharmonic begins to play. Third through fifth graders dispersed throughout the room on this fall morning are still shuffling in their seats, tucking away iPhones, elbowing their neighbors and fidgeting with their hands. When the music crescendos a few minutes later, they burst into applause, only to be shushed by teachers who know the piece isn’t quite over yet. It’s nothing like a formal classics concert, but the rough-around-the-edges etiquette at Young People’s Concerts is exactly what SA Ph ..read more