Agarita Launches Exciting 2025-26 Season

 

Agarita, San Antonio’s innovative chamber ensemble, is proud to announce its 2025–2026 season.

It will feature seven community concerts, its Humble Hall mobile concert series (reaching all ten San Antonio City Council districts and four Bexar County precincts}, and the recording of a debut album along with internationally acclaimed guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas.

This season expands Agarita’s groundbreaking blend of music, community engagement, visual art, and education. It also marks a major milestone with the debut of the newly expanded Agarita Loft — now equipped to host the Loft Concert Series, Community Concert Lecture Series, and CASA Loft Concerts, creating a flexible, intimate space for performances, dialogue, and community connection.

The newly expanded space, created by joining the adjacent suite, adds 1,642 square feet, doubling gallery capacity, and increasing seating to comfortably accommodate up to 100 guests. Outfitted with two Steinway pianos, the enhanced Loft will debut with the Places in South Texas concert on August 29 and a gallery opening on August 20, inviting the community to experience its intimate, art-filled setting.

The Loft will also house the Agarita Loft Gallery’s 2025–2026 exhibition season, curated by Jon Hinojosa, It will spotlight artists exploring themes of heritage, identity, and creative expression through exhibitions, artist talks, and family workshops.

“This season is our most ambitious yet,” said Marisa Bushman, violist, executive director, and co-founder of Agarita. “We’re recording our first album with international guitar sensation Pablo Saínz Villegas, expanding our community reach and growing into new artistic collaborations. The decision to expand the Agarita Loft just after opening its doors in 2024 as our headquarters and gathering space speaks to the deep resonance we’ve had with our community. We’re pushing boundaries, honoring heritage, and continuing to redefine what classical music and the arts can mean in San Antonio.”

“Recording our first album is a milestone we’ve dreamed of since Agarita began,” said Bushman. “To collaborate with Pablo Saínz Villegas—an international guitar virtuoso who shares our passion for connection and storytelling—makes this project even more meaningful. These newly commissioned works will celebrate the diversity of our sound and spirit, and we can’t wait to share them with the world,” she added.

Season Highlights

Debut Album Announcement
Recording May 2026 in collaboration with Pablo Saínz Villegas, the album will feature original commissioned works by Andrea Casarrubios, Clarice Assad, Javier Farias, Ethan Wickman, and Chris Rogerson.

Free Community Concerts (seven total)

Agarita’s Community Concerts bring bold programming to stunning venues across San Antonio. All are free and open to the public.

• Sept. 6, 2025, 7:30 p.m. – Chapel of the Incarnate Word
  The Four Seasons Reimagined
  In 2012, Max Richter recomposed The Four Seasons in his own voice, imbuing Vivaldi’s famous Baroque motives with a contemporary poignancy that brought worldwide acclaim. Experience the power of this monumental work live inside the breathtaking Chapel of the Incarnate Word, with special guests and Agarita’s own twists.
• Oct. 19, 2025, 3:00 p.m. – Betty Kelso Center at San Antonio Botanical Garden
  Rhapsody in Blue
  George Gershwin is one of the only composers who truly integrated jazz in all its style, harmony, and soul into larger-scale classical forms. Come share the experience of hearing this unique arrangement of his iconic 20th-century work Rhapsody in Blue for piano, strings, and clarinets, along with other Gershwin gems and complementary works, at the beautiful San Antonio Botanical Garden.
• Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 6, 3:00 p.m. – SAY Sí
  Agarita + Azul Barrientos and SAY Sí
  Join Agarita and singer-songwriter Azul Barrientos as they reunite for a special collaboration with SAY Sí and its students, inspired by change and transformation. In addition to new arrangements and songs by Azul and works that complement the program’s theme, these two shows will feature art from different disciplines by SAY Sí’s talented students. The Friday evening show (indoors) will be a more intimate concert, and the Saturday afternoon event (outdoors) will be a community celebration that includes vendors and other multimedia, culminating in a musical performance.
• Jan. 17, 2026, 7:30 p.m. – Agarita Loft
  One in Four, One in Eight
  There is often an unfortunate and unnecessary taboo surrounding topics of infertility and pregnancy loss. The physical, psychological, and emotional journeys for women, if shared and understood, can lead to incredible personal growth, community-wide empowerment, and positive systemic change. In her new work One in Four, One in Eight for Agarita, Katherine Pukinskis explores four emotional chapters during her own journey, from anticipation to disorientation, loss, and ultimately strength.
• March 22, 2026, 3:00 p.m. – Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, H-E-B Hall
  Agarita + Pablo Sáinz Villegas
  World-famous Spanish guitarist Pablo Sainz Villegas returns to The Tobin Center for an innovative show with Agarita that features several world-premiere performances and highlights a year-long, collaborative musical project. Don’t miss this exciting next development of their musical relationship, and celebrate this diverse program of emerging musical voices.
• April 4, 2026, 7:30 p.m. – Stable Hall
  Agarita + Caroline Shaw
  Grammy-winning composer, singer and violinist Caroline Shaw comes to San Antonio to join Agarita for a show at Stable Hall that features her acclaimed works. Take part in this musical journey of Shaw’s unique voice, along with works that speak to her aesthetic and musical inspirations.
• June 27, 2026, 7:30pm – Location TBD
  Agarita + Nilgun Derman of Niche Clothing Co
  Niche Clothing Company teams up with Agarita for a show featuring music through the ages, with original clothing designs fitted to the program. Feast your eyes on unique performing outfits by designer Nilgun Derman that illustrate the aesthetic and period of the program’s eclectic musical selections, and enjoy a concert of exceptional range, from the Renaissance to modern America.

Loft Concert Series

COMPOSERS ALLIANCE OF SAN ANTONIO (CASA) LOFT CONCERTS

Agarita is partnering with the Composers Alliance of San Antonio (CASA) on a series of newly commissioned musical compositions celebrating inspirational locations in and around San Antonio. Titled Places in South Texas, the project commemorates CASA’s silver anniversary and is supported through individual commissions and by the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts and Culture. The pieces will be premiered on two Loft Concerts, and then a “video postcard” of each will be released on CASA’s YouTube channel. Subscribe to keep up with the project’s progress!

Composers: Brian Bondari, Timothy Kramer, Juan Luis de Pablo Enriquez Rohen, S. Beth May, and others.
Premiere Dates: 8/29/25 and 11/5/25

Watch online: CASA YouTube Channel »

Agarita’s intimate Loft Concerts continue with premieres and classical favorites, including:

• Works by Brahms (Sextet No. 2, Piano Quintet), Beethoven (String Quartets), and Amy Beach (Piano Quintet)
• Dates include: 9/17/25, 9/18/25, 9/26/25, 12/16/25, 12/17/25, 1/24/26, 2/6/26, 4/22/26, 4/23/26, 5/6/26, 5/7/26

LOFT COMMUNITY LECTURE SERIES

Daniel’s Loft Lecture Series (5)
Thought-provoking discussions with Daniel Anastasio.
Dates: 10/8/25, 12/10/25, 1/7/26, 2/11/26, 4/15/26

New: Community Concert Lecture Series (4)
Free public talks aligned with Community Concert themes.
Dates: 9/3/25, 12/2/25, 1/14/26, 6/24/26

AGARITA INSPIRES!

40 Agarita Inspires! in-school and library performances are planned for the 2025–2026 season, reaching thousands of students across San Antonio with high-quality arts education.

AGARITA HUMBLE HALL

Agarita will return to all 10 districts and 4 precincts of San Antonio with accessible concerts with our mobile concert hall, the Humble Hall. Collaborations include San Antonio musicians Azul Barrientos and Dr. Aaron Prado.

This past season, Agarita’s reach has grown exponentially—from serving just over 1,200 people in its inaugural 2019–2020 season to nearly 25,000 in 2024–2025, including: 14,031 students across 51 educational shows through its Agarita Inspires! program. It also served the community through its Humble Hall mobile performances in all 10 districts and 4 precincts. All performances are offered free of charge.

AGARITA LOFT GALLERY: 2025–2026 EXHIBITIONS

Curated by Jon Hinojosa, the Agarita Loft Gallery presents a powerful season of exhibitions focused on heritage, identity, and creative expression. All exhibits will include panel discussions or artist talks, and hands-on workshops for families.

“This gallery is more than a place to show art—it’s a space to build community and reflect collective memory,” said Jon Hinojosa, curator of the Agarita Loft Gallery. “We’re curating artists who challenge narratives and celebrate heritage, and we’re inviting audiences to engage in dialogue and imagination.”

Featured Exhibitions:

• Thursday, August 21, 2025 – Thursday, October 23, 2025: Raíces y Recuerdos – San Antonio Stories Exhibit
• Thursday, November 6, 2025 – Thursday, January 22, 2026: Mark | Trace | Gesture, Non-Narrative Painting Exhibit
• Thursday, February 5, 2026 – Thursday, April 2, 2026: The Shape of Memory – Mixed Media Exhibit
• Thursday, April 16, 2026 – Thursday, June 18, 2026: Contemporary Craft with Co Curator Katy Silva
• Thursday, July 2, 2026 – Thursday, August 20, 2026: Reclaimed Realities – Assemblage
• Thursday, August 27, 2026 – Thursday, September 24, 2026: Frontextos, Art Exhibit and Poetry with Octavio Quintanilla.

Programming is subject to change.

Feature photo: Agarita (photo by Josh Huskin).