Alamo City Performing Arts is preparing two holiday season performances that turn familiar COVID-19 restrictions into opportunities to share classic works in new ways.
If you don’t know Alamo City Performing Arts, President Cory McRae describes the non-profit this way.
“We have an umbrella where we have a ballet company that’s called Alamo City Dance Company, and we also have a symphony called Symphony Viva. Symphony Viva joined us about two years ago,” he said.
Next month the symphony will perform in a setting that truly embraces the arrival of fall. McRae said the garden’s new Betty Kelso Center will feature the performance on Nov. 8 at 3 p.m.
The building is designed to open up and let nature in.
“They actually open the partitions there and we will have indoor and outdoor (seating). But everything will be socially distanced and there will be limited seating in person,” McRae said.
He said the symphony will be playing music appropriate to the natural setting.
“We’ll have Handel and Strauss, and what better a way to go out and enjoy some music along with it?” he said.
Their December performance stars their ballet company doing The Nutcracker, but not in one place.
“Since we cannot do anything on the stage we have decided to go to certain areas across San Antonio and film them with our dancers,” he said.
The entire crew will be safely distanced, physically and technologically.
“And we have also asked all of our musicians to individually record themselves and we’re going to mix it all together and bring the magic of The Nutcracker to everyone who’s available for it,” he said. “We’re going to release that on December 12.”
And as a gift to those hospitalized, and the frontline medical staff, The Nutcracker performance will be made available to them for free.
