Steven Brown

Steven Brown is a Houston writer who has been classical music critic of the Houston Chronicle, Charlotte (N.C.) Observer and Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel.

Steven Brown

Texas on Stage at the McNay

Steven Brown·
The Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts contains artifacts dating back centuries, and its exhibitions sometimes revel in that broad historical panorama. But The Great Stage of Texas, running through July 24 at San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum—the collection’s home—could hardly be more contemporary.
ArtDanceMusicSan AntonioTheater

An all-night vigil, fairytales and a DACAMERA performance: Houston Chamber Choir’s Big Spring Season

Steven Brown·
As he planned out the Houston Chamber Choir’s season, artistic director Robert Simpson figured on two must-haves: a return visit by guest conductor María Guinand, the Venezuelan he calls “a joy generator”; and a performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, the soulful a cappella work the choir was rehearsing when the covid-19 shutdown silenced it in March 2020.
HoustonMusic

Ars Lyrica

Steven Brown·
When the pandemic forced Ars Lyrica to cancel plans last season for its second opera staging, the group didn’t take it lying down.
HoustonMusic

Agarita Brings an Immersive Vibe to San Antonio

Steven Brown·
Bushman and three other San Antonio musicians—pianist Daniel Anastasio, cellist Ignacio Gallego and violinist Sarah Silver Manzke—joined forces in 2018. To symbolize their group’s roots in the city, they dubbed it Agarita, taking the name from a shrub that’s native to San Antonio and the Hill Country.
MusicSan Antonio

Sage Studio: Artists in Tandem

Steven Brown·
In the three years that Sage Studio has showcased artists with disabilities—helping its roster develop and sell their works, much as ordinary galleries do—Austin’s art scene has embraced it, co-founder Lucy Gross says.
ArtAustin

Stepping Out: DACAMERA Launches SUMMERJAZZ

Steven Brown·
DACAMERA will launch its season Aug. 20-22 with SUMMERJAZZ, a one-weekend festival at the Wortham Theater Center. Long focused mainly on individual concert programs scattered throughout the season, the group is taking its first stab at filling a weekend with music.
HoustonMusic