For 16 years MBAW has been producing one-of-a-kind multicultural performances by the finest musicians from around the globe. Our mission is to unite, educate and inspire through culturally diverse programming. Cornerstones of our programs include:
- Providing free admission to the public, making art accessible to all
- Targeting youth – particularly at-risk, to develop audiences of tomorrow
- Partnering with the City and other organizations to foster San Antonio’s reputation as a cosmopolitan cultural center
MBAW was founded in 1998 by Russian-born pianist, Dr. Anya Grokhovski and a group of avid music lovers. Anya’s fiery passion for music, commitment to San Antonio, and connections to world-class musicians, provided a platform for the creation of an exciting new musical experience for the community.
MBAW’s programming includes: Musical Evenings at San Fernando Cathedral: A concert series held on select Sunday evenings in the heart of downtown San Antonio; International Music Festival, featuring 10 days of world-class artists in cross-cultural pairings; Kids to Concerts (KtC), a free educational outreach program for San Antonio Title One schools; and a new pilot summer series of 5 concerts, Musica Caliente, at the Mexican Cultural Institute.
MBAW produces artistic collaborations creating unique, critically acclaimed fusions. MBAW’s 2014 MWB Festival was focused on geographic regions currently experiencing political turmoil. As Americans, we are often only exposed to certain cultures through negative news in the media. Some artists at MWB 2014 included Israeli-Palestinian Piano Duo Amal, Syrian Clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, Ukrainian born soprano Uliana Alexyuk, and the St. Petersburg String Quartet from Russia. Participation of these artists forged new community relationships and attracted unfamiliar audiences to our concerts, showcasing the talent of stereotypically violent regions.
In May 2015, the second annual International Music Festival will be held at the new Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. The spectacular artistic line-up will include members of YoYo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble featuring: Cristina Pato from Spain, Sandeep Das from India, Kayhan Kalhor from Iran as well as artists from Argentina and Colombia. In addition to their festival appearances, these artists will present free master classes and workshops at local colleges and universities during their stay in San Antonio.
As a part of the International Music Festival, Music Without Borders, in February 2014, MBAW launched a new educational outreach program, the Kids World Music Festival. Nearly 2,000 children were bussed to Trinity University to learn about Russian Folk Music, Spanish Flamenco and American Jazz. Teachers awarded high praise to the live performance, and due to popular demand we will expand this series to six dates at the Tobin Center in 2015. These concerts will collectively reach over 10,000 students who will engage the same world renown artists featured as part of the International Music Festival. This program will be available to ALL children including homeschoolers and families with children.
MBAW’s vehicle for educational outreach programming, KtC, is an interactive, multicultural concert series for students in grades K-12, bringing the inimitable experience of live performing arts directly into economically disadvantaged San Antonio schools, at no charge to schools visited. This year MBAW introduced children from 35 San Antonio schools to Russia, Senegal, Spain, Syria and India. Due to popular demand, MBAW will take children from 50 schools on a musical journey through the Mediterranean, Spain, Israel, Argentina, and Peru in the next season. Click here for KtC Season 17 artists.
Musical Evenings at San Fernando Cathedral 2014-2015 will showcase guest artists of the highest caliber from Cuba, Italy, Korea, Greece, et al., in 5 free public offerings over the course of our 17th Season.