Cervantino: State Auditorium tickets now available

at the ticket office on the side of the Teatro Juarez.  Tickets for individual events at the Auditorio are available, with discounts for city residents and holders of INAPAM cards. The only tickets not on sale yet are the abonos (undiscounted season tickets, about 500 pesos) for the Auditorio del Estado. The abonos, for five events, can be shared for any event the purchaser is not attending. If that's not clear, ask at the ticket office.

More organ concerts

during the little publicized Baroque Festival:

Friday, May 25, Templo de Belen (almost across from the Mercado Hidalgo), 9:45am, free. I went to a similar concert there this morning. Although many people came and went, I was probably the only person who came for the music, so I felt as if the marvelous music was just for me.

Wednesday, May 30, 8pm, in The Compania church beside the main University building. 10 pesos admission.

Pre-concert chat before each OSUG concert

Conductor Juan Trigos, often with the night's soloist, delves into the music. Upstairs in the Principal from 7:3-8pm.

Leading the Literary LIfe in Guanajuato & Leon

Donkey Jote Bookshop on Pocitos across from the Diego Rivera house/museum will host its monthly reading by local poets and writers, mainly in English.
Wednesday May 16 at 7pm.

Saturday, May 19 in the Plaza de la Reforma along Avenida Juarez a poetry reading for peace will take place from 11-1, part of an annual event. This year it began with planting "poetry trees." For people who understand Spanish.

Last Saturday, I went with a friend to the next-to-last day of The Feria Nacional del Libro in Leon. An unexpected treat was hearing Thelma Nava, an outstanding Mexican poet, read from her work. The publisher Fondo de Cultura Economica (CfE, not to be confused with the electric company) generously offered close to a hundred book titles at deep discounts. I came home with three for a total of 54 pesos, a rare experience in Mexico. And at the multi-day fair, there's an almost steady stream of puppet shows and short theatre works onstage, along with readings, book presentations and academic papers for specialists.

Today is Mother's Day in Mexico

Already last night, men were along the streets selling bouquets of red and white  roses. On the day itself, mothers customarily go to their children's schools to watch a program (what they do if they have several school-age children, I don't know.

I will be eating lunch with two friends in a hotel patio filled with greenery and flowering plants. The three of us have children living in other places. [update: at lunch my friend told me that the mothers only go to the primary school so now there's no problem. In the old days, though, boys and girls went to separate schools.]

You've probably heard Arvo Part's best known work

as it has been used for many movies. Whether or not you know its name Spiegel im Spiegel, you can listen by clicking the link. The composer will be in Guanajuato  when Estonian musicians perform works by Part for chorus and orchestra at the Juarez  Friday, October 19, 9pm. The International Cervantino Festival will be honoring him, of course.

International Cervantino Festival program presented early

Tuesday just before dusk, eager Guanajuatenses filled the main floor and lower balconies of Teatro Juarez, where they sat through a half dozen official speeches, watched the projected names of events followed by a supersonic video of the performers, and at the end rushed outside to eat the succulent seafood snacks provided by the invited state, Mazatlan. Our mayor, perhaps for fear of mispronouncing the name of Mme. Polish Ambassador to Mexico, skipped mentioning her entirely, but otherwise the affair went off without a hitch. The other honored countries Switzerland and Austria. I give top marks for oratory to our own governor's planned and impromptu remarks and the governor of the honored state, Sinaloa (think Mazatlan), who spiced his talk with vigor and humor, waking everyone up.

Tickets are already on sale daily at the ticket office on the left side of Teatro Juarez.

Later, I'll be posting my take on selected Cervantino events (October 3-21), will mention for now that you can see the complete program including updates by clicking FIC. This year's 40th anniversary will offer an almost overwhelming array of performers, etc. with something for every taste and monedero. 

Word has it that season tickets for the Alhondiga have been eliminated this year but there may be offers for tickets to the Minas / Salon de Consejo (chamber music).

Puppeteers from Santa Rosa send up rocket

As part of the XV Children's Ecological Fair yesterday, young puppeteers directed by Guadalupe Santos, presented  the show Brave Warriors of the Sierra de Santa Rosa. The days theme was Water, the giveaway of the day small pine trees, popular related activities, lotto and painting. Organized by the Consejo Ecologista Guanajuatense A.C., supported by a half-dozen local institutions. This year's theme: WATER.

Too late for this year but

The 2nd Andar de Paella Festival had everything going for it: location under a marquee in front of the San Diego Church, price (60 pesos for a generous helping of paella and a glass of Spanish wine) and nearly a dozen local restaurants presenting their best fork forward. A tip for next year: look over the offerings before it's time to choose your portion. I dined on an oyster, clams, shrimp, octopus, chorizo, pork and peppers of several colors, all in well-seasoned rice as prepared by Casa Valadez.
This year, the last Saturday in April, I arrived without my camera, but the memory lingers on.

Tonight at 7pm, The Magic Flute at the Cervantes Theater

Mozart's magical story as you've heard it, this time performed by puppets worked by rods. Heie Boles is the gifted creator of the puppets, with several of the puppeteers her descendants. Accompanying music will be performed by three of our finest Guanajuato musicians, Cuauhtemoc Trejo playing the flute, Djamilia Rovinskaia,viola and Jose Suarez, harpsichord.. La Flauta Magica as Die Zauberflote is called in Spanish begins at 7pm but you don't need to know the language to enjoy this latest version of the beloved work. Tickets on sale a bit before 7pm, 50 pesos at the ticket window of the theater. See you there!