Riff: Starlight Symphony Orchestra
The SSO, under the direction of David Oertel, performed at the Hays CISD Performing Arts Center in Kyle last week. If you’ve never been to the PAC, it is a beautiful performance space with state-of-the-art acoustics and seating for 1,000. In the moments before the concertmaster tunes the orchestra and Dr. Oertel takes the podium, there is always a moment to appreciate the full marvel of the performers on stage. Dressed in black with the deep black of the backdrop behind them, the only things visible are the gleaming instruments each musician holds. And, once the house lights go down, the cocoon is set for the auditory stream that follows.
The concert opened with “Mein Vaterland No. 2” by the Czech composer Smetana. It is one of six symphonic poems from “Má vlast,” or in English, “My Fatherland,” that describes the course of a river in the Czech Republic. The piece is perhaps better known by its German name, “The Moldau.”
From the river’s beginning as a trickle that grows into a current and then into an expansive waterway flowing through Prague, the music carries us as surely as any visual journey could. The recognizable, wellloved main musical theme recurs throughout the composition.
The SSO’s next offering was “Blumine,” by Gustav Mahler, that often sends a ripple through musicians. Mahler’s music is difficult to learn and perform, Oertel told us, because it departs from the tonal colors of the Classic era and moves into the Romantic period. The Romantic period blurs the lines between feelings – I’m happy but a little sad, or I’m sad but I see hope – with music that challenges performers.
Guest soloist, Mark Cruz, took the stage next to perform Vivaldi’s Lute Concerto in D major. Professor of Guitar at TSU in San Marcos, Cruz composes, arranges and records music as a soloist. His was an elegant performance well-rewarded by the audience.
Brahms Symphony No. 4 in E Major, by Johannes Brahms wound up the short program, leaving the audience ready for more.
The orchestra will perform a Halloween Pops Concert on October 28 at 7 p.m. at the Wimberley Valley Winery. For more information go to starlightsymphony. org.
Roam: Sacred Springs Powwow in San Marcos Since 2006, the Institute of Indigenous Cultures in San Marcos has brought together people of indigenous ancestry for an annual powwow. San Marcos first experienced a powwow in 1995 when the Lucky Tomblin family brought Kiowa and other indigenous people to the area. The Sacred Springs Powwow is now conducted in honor of the Tomblin Family.
The festival, a giant family reunion and social event, gives space to the expression of Native American culture from bands and tribes from all over North America. Hundreds of participants and visitors, many from considerable distances, attend the two-day event which kicked off last weekend in time for Indigenous People Day on October 9.
Held on the grounds of the Meadows Center along the San Marcos River, a huge main tent is set up for performances. Well organized, with buses shuttling from the parking lots at Texas State’s Bobcat Stadium, the event cost a reasonable $6 to attend.
In the center of the main tent was a drum around which eight singers and drummers sat. During songs, dancers moved around the drum in a circle. Benches for performers and chairs for their families filled the tent along with additional seating for visitors. Along one side was a long table for organizers, elders and the emcee, “Uncle Gene” Randall.
While the performers may have had a few butterflies, the atmosphere inside the tent was warm, friendly and welcoming thanks, in part, to the easygoing patter provided by Uncle Gene.
The traditional clothing was astonishing. As a visitor to medicine wheels and powwows in Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma, there are moments when I’m thoroughly poleaxed at the artistry of the ceremonial regalia. Most impressive among some male dancers were ornate feathered and whorled headdresses, nape and waist feathers.
The singers had perhaps the most challenging job of all. They sang and drummed for every dance with a sustained vigor that made my throat hurt just listening to it.
A military color guard was present, and it turns out that native people volunteer for military service at the highest rate of any group. One of the songs we heard was written by Al Santos, Standing Rock of the Sioux Nation and dedicated to a young man named Kenyan Davila who is waiting to be deployed. Kenyan watched the performance via Facebook.
Next came the Tiny Tots dance for kids six years and under, then the youth dancers, male, from ages seven to 17, followed by young women of the same age. Proud parents, aunts, uncles and grands recorded the dances on their phones. Later performances featured head man and head woman dancers and people of the Golden Age. All registered dancers competed for money; first places rendered $600 in most categories. Nearly all performers came away with blankets and other giveaways for their participation. The Tiny Tot in front of my chair wore tiny arrows and dots drawn at the corners of her eyes, a beautifully beaded dress and moccasins and a very valuable turquoise and silver necklace carefully placed around her neck by her father for the dance. Her mother held on to a cedar box with other ceremonial treasures inside.
After a break, a large group of Aztec dancers – both female and male – came inside the tent for their turn around the circle, with copal incense wafting from handheld braziers and the muted rattle of their ankle bells made from “chachayote” seeds singing as they moved.
Aside from the social side of the powwow, a blessing is held in the morning at the headwaters of the San Marcos River. Elders are asked to say prayers in their Native languages and to request the healing for all people on Mother Earth. A second blessing is held in the afternoon at the Reburial Grounds established by the city of San Marcos in 2016. In 2017 the Miakan-Garza tribe reburied the remains of an ancestor found near the Meadows boat-ride ticket booth there. The Reburial Grounds are located at the Spring Lake Preserve Park on Lime Kiln Road.
Rave: Outstanding Restaurants In June, the James Beard Foundation awarded its 2023 “Best Chef” in Texas to Houston chef, Jabthong Painter. Known by her nickname “Chef G,” her Thai restaurant, Street to Kitchen, beat out four other Texas finalists: Reyna Duong of Dallas’ Sandwich Hag; Emiliano Marentes of El Paso’s ELEMI; John Russ of San Antonio’s Clementine; and Ernest Servantes and David Kirkland of Seguin’s Burnt Bean Co.
