Agarita Announces Its 2024-2025 Season with 7 Community Concerts, Humble Hall Concerts in All 10 Districts & Agarita Inspires! Visits Plus, Agarita Inspires! Expands with Woodwind Quintet from Ut Austin
Agarita News — Agarita, an innovative chamber ensemble dedicated to producing bold, collaborative musical events, is excited to announce their 7th season with more than 90 concerts planned including seven large-scale community concerts, inspiring art and music through the collaboration of local and international artists. These performances are always bilingual, free and open to all.
Agarita kicks off its 2024-2025 season on August 23, 2024 with Me-Chicana songwriter Azul Barrientos in celebration of Xicanx Month followed by a collaboration with award-winning poet Jenny Browne at the San Antonio Botanical Garden on October 25, 2024. Agarita ends 2024 with an immersive experience at the McNay Art Museum on December 1.
On January 25, 2025, Agarita will celebrate the new year collaborating with Olmos Ensemble at the University of the Incarnate Word and bringing back internationally acclaimed Spanish guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas to the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts on March 9, 2025. Looking forward to May 3, 2025, Agarita will present a premiere of Ethan Wickman’s Shimmers of Byzantium, among other inspired works at The Chapel of the Incarnate Word. It will close out the season with GRAMMY-winning quintet, Imani Winds at the Carver in June 2025.
Continuing with their dedication to the community, Agarita will offer its free mobile, open air Humble Hall performances to all 10 council districts throughout San Antonio. This community initiative brings live, world-class, innovative musical performances to San Antonio while eliminating barriers including time and expense of traveling to a concert hall or venue.
Through Agarita Inspires!, Agarita visits dozens of schools and institutions such as the San Antonio Children’s Hospital, Haven for Hope, and public libraries to provide innovative music education to thousands of Bexar County students and residents. This past year, Agarita Inspires! expanded to include a graduate-level woodwind quintet from UT Austin in collaboration with their esteemed teacher and flute professor at UT Austin, Ebonee Thomas. This quintet impacted all middle school band students in SWISD and connected personally with them. They present a concert tied to what the student is learning in the classroom at the time, aligning with the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills). Agarita is continuing its partnership with UT Austin this season, expanding their educational reach further.
As of July 2024, Agarita has performed in front of more than 44,000 audience members, providing 217 concerts at 134 venues and collaborating with 45 artists and groups. Through Agarita Inspires!, Agarita is giving 50+ educational concerts for more than 12,000 young students, all free of charge.
“Agarita remains devoted to reaching new audiences by reinventing the concert experience and making a direct impact through artistic collaboration and education,” said Agarita Executive Director and Violist Marisa Bushman. “Our mission remains steadfast to present classical music in a free and accessible manner. We aspire to inspire others with our world-class, innovative performances, community engagement and adventurous programming.”
“We are immensely grateful for the generous donations received from our supporters and especially appreciative of the unwavering support of the San Antonio community. This allows us to continue providing high-quality performances to the community free of charge,” said Bushman.
These performances are generously supported by donors in the Agarita Family. New additions to the family are the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, Nancy Smith Hurd Foundation, Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992, San Antonio Symphony League, Impact San Antonio, as well as the San Antonio Area Foundation, which continues to support Agarita’s general operating expenses, with an average of $15,000 annually through 2025 as part of its 2023 Responsive Grant.
AGARITA’S 2024-2025 SEASON
All free tickets will be available 2 weeks prior to the show.
Agarita + Azul Barrientos
Stable Hall at the Pearl Brewery
Friday, August 23, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
In partnership with Me-Chicana songwriter Azul Barrientos, this program illuminates a profound personal journey that explores love as a profound truth. Join Azul and Agarita for an evening of musical arrangements blending original compositions with classical masterpieces, crafting a narrative of hope, isolation, reflection, acceptance, and celebration. This event is proudly part of Xicanx Month.
Agarita + Jenny Browne
Betty Kelso Center at the San Antonio Botanical Garden
Friday, October 25, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Agarita is excited to return to the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Kelso Center for a collaborative program featuring award-winning poet Jenny Browne. Weaving Browne’s poetry with musical selections, the show invites poetry to the dance of musical expression, delivering an intimate narrative and a powerful journey.
Agarita + the McNay
McNay Art Museum
Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.
For an especially immersive program at the McNay Art Museum, Agarita will perform throughout the museum among the galleries, providing the unique opportunity to understand the art collections in a new way. Visual themes will be paired organically with musical selections, offering an eye- and ear-opening experience.
Agarita + Olmos Ensemble
Diane Bennack Concert Hall at the University of the Incarnate Word
Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
In their first collaboration with San Antonio’s Olmos Ensemble, Agarita explores evocative works for mixed ensembles (winds, strings, and piano) that speak to our time and pack a punch. This program includes special arrangements by composer Michael Ippolito of Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, Adagio assai, and Camille Saint-Saens’ Dance Macabre.
Agarita + Pablo Sáinz-Villegas
Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, HEB Performance Hall
Sunday, March 9, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.
Don’t miss world-renowned guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas as he returns to San Antonio for a collaboration with Agarita at the Tobin Center for the Arts. His sheer virtuosity, combined with a natural ability to connect with his music and audiences, make him an unforgettable artist.
Shimmers of Byzantium
The Chapel of the Incarnate Word
Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Agarita collaborates with composer Ethan Wickman, singers Tynan Davis (mezzo soprano) and Megan Pachecano (soprano), and organist Andrew Lloyd for an exotic program in the iconic Chapel of the Incarnate Word, featuring the premiere of Wickman’s Shimmers of Byzantium, among other inspired works.
Agarita + Imani Winds
The Carver Center
Saturday, June 21, 2025 & Sunday, June 22, 2025 (Times: TBD)
The GRAMMY-winning quintet Imani Winds joins Agarita for a powerful collaborative evening featuring renowned poet Naomi Shihab Nye and contemporary dancer Tanesha Payne of sumRset dance company at the Carver Center. This assembly of artists promises to be an epic season finale.
*Performances and dates are subject to change.
Follow Agarita’s upcoming projects and future performances at www.agarita.org, on Facebook at @Agaritachamberplayers or on Instagram @Agarita_San_Antonio. For any questions, email agaritachamberplayers@gmail.com.
