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The KPAC Blog features classical music news, reviews, and analysis from South Texas and around the world.

Chamber Musical, Classical Music And Ruby City Opens: Your Weekend Is Here

Get a new perspective on chamber music. Tour the city's newest art museum. And then take a musical tour of Britain. Your weekend is here. 

First off tomorrow night, violist Marisa Bushman says Agarita wants you to listen to chamber music with new ears.

"We're trying to break down the barriers of what people perceive classical music to be. Come see a concert. Immerse yourself in an Agarita and friends performance," she said.

As always, the 4-member group is adding another dimension to their performance, this time at McAllister Auditorium. This time it’s photography.

"We are doing this musical collaboration with photographer Natalia Sun," Bushman said.

Agarita performed for Sun a Debussy piece which brought to mind ballerina Sophie Bertolini, who she shot on video. 

"And Natalia created this beautiful story that includes Sophie dancing in some of these beautiful places in San Antonio."  

Violinist Sarah Silver Manzke says these collaborations with other artists really get the neurons firing, for all involved.  

"Our music really syncs up with up it side-by-side, and it's really an incredible way for us to explore our artistry and music-making in ways that we haven't as well," she said.

All Agarita performances are free, and all printed programs are in both English and Spanish. 

IF YOU GO WHAT: Agarita performance WHERE: McAllister Auditorium WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday COST: Free

Then on Sunday -- a museum opening that Kelly O’Connor said started 12 years ago as a dream.

"Linda Pace back in 2007 shortly before passing away had a dream of Ruby City. And she wrote down that dream and drew it and shared it with world renowned architect Sir David Adjaye," she said.

Credit Jack Morgan
Ruby City

Adjaye's award-winning Smithsonian African American Museum cemented his solid reputation in the eyes of the architecture world.    

"Now people are just ga-ga over David Adjaye after the Smithsonian project and so many others that he's working on," O’Connor said.

He also designed this contemporary art museum in Southtown that's opening Sunday morning at 11. Pace's objective for Ruby City was San Antonio-centric.

"She wanted to share her collection with the community,” O’Connor said. “She had such a love for San Antonio, and she knew that the collection could have a big impact here." 

Credit Jack Morgan
Art in the outdoor event area behind Ruby City

IF YOU GO WHAT: Ruby City opening WHERE: 150 Camp Street WHEN: 11 a.m. Sunday COST: Free

Also on Sunday, Music Director Ronnie Sanders said the South Texas Symphonic Orchestra will play music from British composers.

"One of the composers we're featuring is Sir William Walton. Now, Walton wrote a piece called ‘Crown Imperial,’ which was commissioned in 1937 for the coronation of King George,” Sanders said. “And it was used for his coronation. And then it was used for Queen Elizabeth II, the current reigning queen.  And so this music is so wonderful. It's a stately march, but at the same time you can hear the fanfare and the pageantry of the royal family in this march."

Another British composer will be featured in the second half. 

"John Rutter is known for his choral music throughout the world but we're doing an orchestration that he wrote for the London Youth Orchestra in 1976, called ‘Partida,’ " he said.

The Sunday afternoon concert is at a historic place to hear music.

“Thomas Jefferson High School here in San Antonio is a national historic landmark,” Sanders said. “The school was built in 1932, and the auditorium is very similar to the Majestic Theatre.”  

IF YOU GO WHAT: What: South Texas Symphonic Orchestra concert WHERE: Jefferson High School WHEN: 3 p.m. Sunday COST: Free

Jack Morgan can be reached at Jack@TPR.org and on Twitter at @JackMorganii.

Jack Morgan can be reached at jack@tpr.org and on Twitter at @JackMorganii