The Agarita chamber ensemble, a music group known for innovative collaborations and an itinerant concert schedule, has found a permanent home in Southtown.
In January, the new Agarita Loft at 724 S. Alamo St. will become the group’s headquarters, furnishing a room for cozy concerts that will also function as an events venue and rehearsal space.
The coincidence of the 1,200 square-foot space becoming available and receiving a major grant from the Nancy Smith Hurd Foundation spurred Agarita to make the move, adding a home venue to its growing schedule of formal concerts at venues such as art museums, concert halls and the San Antonio Botanical Garden, the informal free public concerts of the group’s roving Humble Hall mobile concert venue, and the Agarita Inspires series of educational concerts.
Violist Marisa Bushman said the Agarita Loft will provide an intimate living room-like environment, which hearkens back to the origins of chamber music.
“Our concerts have just gotten bigger and bigger, which is really exciting for us,” Bushman said. “But we want to make sure that we’re able to maintain that intimate connection, where people sit around and listen and discuss afterwards. The idea of having a smaller space to activate those kinds of dreams is really exciting.”
The announcement arrives in time for Giving Tuesday, which the nonprofit group’s members hope will help raise funds for a new grand piano for the space.
The Agarita Loft will also play host to fundraising events to bolster the group’s activities, a lecture series to promote musical education, and exhibitions by local artists.
Bushman said she is personally excited to undertake curation of a visual art program in the space, as her parents, Andrea Guttman and Joseph Bushman, are artists. Both will be featured in a Dec. 8 pop-up show to help raise funds for Agarita.
The group will also perform a free 2 p.m. Humble Hall concert Sunday at the Witte Museum, followed by a sold-out afternoon show at the Echo Bridge. A full season of formal concerts continues through June.
With over 60 concerts on its growing annual schedule, finding a home that can conglomerate the need for office space for administrative staff, rehearsal space, special events, artistic collaborations and free, intimate concerts for 40-50 attendees fit Agarita’s evolution, Bushman said.
“It felt like the natural path for us to go forward and find a space that we could call home and curate to feel like a really welcome environment,” she said. “It’s a very Agarita thing that we’re trying to be in every part of the community and create this accessibility and openness, where people can come and find art for free in a meaningful way.”
The Agarita Loft welcomes guests for an open house featuring live music on Feb. 27, from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
