Community Calendar

The Heart of Texas Concert Band presents
"America at 250!"
Patriotic Favorites & Americana
JULY 4, 2026 3PM

Heart of Texas Singers
River City Ringers

Trinity Baptist Church
319 E Mulberry Ave.
San Antonio, Texas 78212

Free Parking
No ticket required
You can register at Eventbrite for information

A $10 donation is appreciated to support the performing arts in San Antonio.

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An evening of elegance, reflection, and transcendence—where music invites us not only to listen, but to move, to feel, and to step beyond the ordinary:

Henri Vieuxtemps — Élégie, Op. 30
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-flat Major, K. 449
Olivier Messiaen — Quartet for the End of Time

The season opens in Blanco with a program that traces a journey from intimacy to the infinite. Vieuxtemps’ Élégie offers a deeply personal opening—lyrical, searching, and suffused with quiet longing. Mozart’s radiant concerto, heard here in its chamber form, brings clarity, grace, and a sense of poised conversation among equals.

After intermission, the atmosphere transforms. Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, composed in a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II, transcends its origins to create a sound world of astonishing stillness, color, and spiritual intensity. Time seems to dissolve; what remains is something luminous, eternal.

In this opening night, “Invitation to the Dance” becomes something larger: an invitation to cross a threshold—into the season, into new sound worlds, and into the boundless horizon beyond.

A program of renewal and fresh beginnings:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-flat Major, K. 449
Aram Khachaturian — Trio for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano
Ernest Bloch — Piano Quintet No. 1

Mozart’s luminous concerto—presented here in its intimate chamber form—marks a new chapter in his creative life. Khachaturian’s vibrant trio blends folk influence with rhythmic vitality, full of color and energy. Bloch’s powerful quintet, written in the aftermath of World War I, wrestles with turmoil while reaching toward renewal. Together, these works trace a path from clarity and invention through intensity to hard-won rebirth.

The orchestra is back!
Come out for an evening of energetic, charming, and patriotic pieces by American composers.

Selections include:
- Plink, Plank, Plunk! by Leroy Anderson
- Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber
- Hoe Down by Aaron Copland
- Lullaby by George Gershwin
- Rhythmic Variations on Two Ancient Hymns by Howard Hanson
- Wildwood by David Michael Hyde
- Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin

July 11 at 7pm at Woodlawn Pointe Community Center
702 Donaldson Ave

Admission is FREE; donations are welcomed

Endings transformed into something larger—music that reaches beyond:

Henri Vieuxtemps — Élégie, Op. 30
Johannes Brahms — Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60
Olivier Messiaen — Quartet for the End of Time

From the intimate lyricism of Vieuxtemps’ Élégie to the stormy, searching intensity of Brahms’s C minor Piano Quartet, the program unfolds toward Messiaen’s transcendent masterpiece. Composed under unimaginable circumstances during World War II, the Quartet for the End of Time offers a vision of stillness, radiance, and eternity—music that seems to suspend time itself.

Cactus Pear Music Festival's Young Artist Program takes center stage in a program that looks toward the future of music-making. Featuring outstanding young musicians from the San Antonio community, this concert celebrates curiosity, growth, and the thrill of discovery—offering a glimpse of the artistry and imagination that will shape the musical world in the years ahead.

Looking ahead to what is to come, the festival now turns to the roots of an American musical voice—and the traditions that continue to shape it.

Classical music encounters new sounds, new rhythms, and new possibilities:

Darius Milhaud — La création du monde, Op. 81
William Grant Still — Suite for Violin and Piano
Ragtime (with members of the New England Ragtime Ensemble)

Milhaud’s La création du monde draws on jazz and African musical traditions to create something entirely new—one of the earliest and most compelling fusions of classical and jazz idioms. William Grant Still’s music brings lyricism, elegance, and a distinctly American voice to the program. The second half turns to ragtime itself, with works by Scott Joplin, James Scott, and others, performed by members of the legendary New England Ragtime Ensemble alongside festival artists.

*This production is not a presentation of the Carver Community Cultural Center or the Carver Development Board.

A playful and illuminating dialogue between refinement and revolution:

Igor Stravinsky — Suite from L’histoire du soldat
Maurice Ravel — Violin Sonata in G Major
Ragtime (with members of the New England Ragtime Ensemble)

Stravinsky’s L’histoire du soldat blends classical precision with popular dance rhythms in a sharply etched theatrical score. Ravel’s Violin Sonata—especially its iconic “Blues” movement—reveals a composer fascinated by American jazz. The festival concludes with a vibrant set of ragtime, tracing the roots of jazz and celebrating the composers who shaped an enduring American sound.

*This production is not a presentation of the Carver Community Cultural Center or the Carver Development Board.

The Children's Chorus of San Antonio invites the community to our "Sounds of Summer" Concert on Friday, July 24th at 6:00 pm at Covenant Presbyterian Church. This concert marks the culmination of a week-long summer music camp (July 20–24), where young singers spent their days learning new music, building vocal skills, and discovering the joy of singing together.

Come celebrate these hardworking campers as they take the stage to share everything they've learned — the concert is free and open to the public. A nonprofit community arts organization serving youth and families through choral music since 1983, CCSA is proud to nurture the next generation of singers right here in San Antonio.

Step into the festive atmosphere of the holidays through the music of Mariachi Sol de Mexico! The iconic mariachi band will once again make their way into Texas this holiday season to offer music lovers the most joyful and vibrant way to celebrate Christmas through authentic Mexican music. Led by the Los Angeles-based globetrotting mariachi maestro Jose Hernandez, the Mariachi Sol de Mexico will present their annual Merry Achi Christmas Concert. Immerse yourself in the traditional Mexican carols of the holiday played by an incredible mariachi band. Feel the goosebumps as the band's 13-piece ensemble's blazing sounds breathe life into this festive and joyous holiday celebration. Whether you are a fan of mariachi music or just recently discovered this music genre, prepare to be awed by the fusion of Mexican and American Christmas songs presented in the most passionate and creative way!