“Art is value, not value added.” I heard this poignant phrase on the cusp of the 2016 United Nations General Assembly  in New York City, where diplomats, philanthropists, artists, and arts leaders from around the globe gathered at the Lincoln Center Global Exchange. They agreed: Art is a universal language that transcends politics, religion, socioeconomics, and ethnic boundaries. San Antonio is a city of complex histories reflected in its art and in the constitution of its people. We live in what I consider the “crossroads of the Americas,” the intersection of Interstate 10 from California to Florida and Interstate 35 from Mexico to Canada....

Musical Bridges reaches over 50,000 students annually in Title I schools through Kids to Concerts, a free community educational outreach program. Many guest artists of the 5th International Music festival also performed for San Antonio school children as part of this initiative. During the festival we also had Pingtan artists from our Friendship City – Suzhou, China perform at two festival concerts, as well as for 2000 students during Kids To Concerts. The two beautiful Pipa players did not speak English. In order to accommodate them, Jason Tatman a Chinese translator from Seattle joined us and shared: When we went to Criwald Road...

Our annual fundraising event “D’s on Keys” took place on 26 January at the Empire Theatre and exceeded all expectations! We want to thank Honorary Chairs Francisco & Graciela Cigarroa for their leadership. We are also grateful to our brilliant board members Awilda Ramos and Jaime Waltman for their tireless effort as co-chairs. This event is a resurrection of a doctors’ recital we produced when Musical Bridges was just founded, 20 years ago. Many physicians, students of Anya and Valery came together to show their talents and raise funds for a young organization to produce school concerts. Many of the original doctors are still...

Last summer the San Antonio International Piano Competition merged with Musical Bridges Around the World. The competition was renamed after it’s longtime supporter Ruth Jean Gurwitz and will henceforth be known simply as “The Gurwitz.” In preparation for the next competition in 2020, Hexameron was the first performance highlighting the recent union between the two organizations. We are thrilled to make The Gurwitz one of the most prestigious competitions in the world! The San Antonio Symphony will include the final round of the 2020 Gurwitz into the Symphony’s Classics Season. We are also proud to announce that Maestro Sebastian...

Our 5th International Music Festival was held 27 January – 4 February 2018 with a lineup of amazing guest artists from 23 countries. The festival offered eight culturally diverse productions handcrafted into world-class masterpieces by Artistic Director, Anya Grokhovski and presented in the Empire Theatre and historic San Fernando Cathedral. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg delivered remarks during the festival highlighting the power of the arts to bring people together by building bridges of understanding and collaboration. The pièce de résistance of the festival was the International Sister City Ensemble. Jazz musicians from San...

Music Bridges Cultures Around The World Students at Kuentz ES were treated to not one but two Grammy Award Winning artists as part of Multicultural Day activities on campus. Thanks to the efforts of Musical Bridges Around the World, Christina Pato and Victor Prieto visited the campus as part of Kids to Concerts, a free educational outreach program. The program introduces San Antonio children to faraway cultures from all over the world through folk music and dance. Pato is an internationally-acclaimed Galician bagpiper master, classical pianist, and a member and educational advisor to Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble. Prieto is considered one...

TALES FROM THE EDGES OF SPAIN Galician bagpiper Cristina Pato and Galician accordionist Victor Prieto perform at the Musical Bridges International Music Festival to celebrate San Antonio’s Spanish heritage. As part of San Antonio’s Musical Bridges International Music Festival, Cristina Pato is joined by Grammy Award-Winner Victor Prieto, and their band Latina. CRISTINA PATO Internationally acclaimed Galician bagpiper master, classical pianist and passionate educator, Cristina Pato enjoys an active professional career devoted to cultural exchange and to creating new paths for her unique instrument. Her dual careers have led to performances...

International Music Festival Bridges Nations Through ‘Universal Language’   A new, multinational jazz group has assembled to celebrate three important birthdays: San Antonio’s Tricentennial, the 20th anniversary of local nonprofit Musical Bridges Around the World, and the fifth year of its signature event, the International Music Festival. The International Sister City Jazz Ensemble will perform a Saturday concert during the week-long festival, at 7:30 p.m. at the Empire Theatre. Members of the ensemble hail from San Antonio’s growing list of sister cities, including Chennai, India; Monterrey, Mexico; Darmstadt, Germany; and friendship...

Founded 20 years ago, Musical Bridges Around the World (MBAW) has been bringing international music and musicians to San Antonio through yearly series of mostly chamber concerts both ticketed and free.  Its International Music Festival was launched five years ago as a showcase for musicians from around the globe who perform in a broad range of styles, from the classical to culturally specific and innovative fusion genres. Concerts take place at the Charline McCombs Empire Theater and the San Fernando Cathedral through Feb. 4. Czech This Out, Jan. 31, 7:30 p.m., also at the Cathedral. The cleverly titled concert will feature...

In its fifth year, the International Music Festival, created by nonprofit performing arts organization Musical Bridges Around the World, has more to celebrate than in years’ past. The festival, which consists of eight free concerts Saturday through Feb. 4, is a 300 San Antonio-partnered event, and organizers have designed many of the performances to pay homage to the city’s culture and history. In a similar spirit, Musical Bridges is commemorating its 20th year of operations by kicking the festival off with a musical celebration. “We’re starting the festival with the Founders’ Concert, which involves musicians who were with us at the...

San Antonio is taking you on a musical journey where you can visit all four corners of the world! Find out where you can book your next music festival. Musical Bridges Around the World International Music Festival 2 Locations: Empire Theatre And San Fernando Cathedral January 27th- February 4th 210.464.1534 MBAW.org Click here to view the...