From the Asian Festival to opera to the blues--there's a lot going down this weekend. First off, tonight Sam's Burger Joint is gonna be rockin' with Ruben V.
"What I like about Sam's is it's a concert--you get the big PA, you get the lights, and you get to perform. I love to play there."
Ruben V. plays his own original music, and others' songs, too.
"The way I remember music in the '70s, you know. I'm just trying to re-create what I enjoyed about music, whether it be rock, blues or soul."
That's tonight at Sam's. Then tonight and tomorrow night for something completely different...
"It will be a rip-roaring good time for everybody."
Kristin Roach is talking about opera. No, really!
"It's a lot of fun. Rossini's music features the most intense vocal gymnastics in all the repertoire. Lots of fast notes. Extreme highs and extreme lows."
She's talking about the Alamo City Opera's adaptation ofCinderella.
"This production is set in the '50s so you'll see some nods to the Gregory Peck movie Roman Holiday."
A 28-piece orchestra and quite a few vocalists in the intimate Jo Long Theatre at the Carver.
"It is an absolute blast. Bring the kids," she said. "After the Saturday night performance there is a dessert reception. And you can meet the cast afterwards."
Then on Saturday only:
"It's the Chinese New Year, so it's time for the Asian Festival at the Institute of Texan Cultures."
The Asian Festival happens every year at this time, and it celebrates a multitude of cultures from the other side of the planet.
"We've added the Indian Subcontinent and Pakistan and Bangladesh, and the South China Sea, nations like Laos and Vietnam and Cambodia, the Pacific Nations, the Philippines, the Polynesian Islands. There are customs, cultures, dance, music..."
Benavides smiled. "The food is spectacular."
It all happens Saturday from 10a.m. to 5 p.m. over the spacious grounds and inside the Institute of Texan Cultures.
"It's absolutely phenomenal," he said.
Find more on Ruben V's performance here.
Find more on the Alamo City Opera's Performance here.
Find more on the Asian Festival here.
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