Advent series features elite local talent from UTSA music department

John Silantien


Matthew Dunne

Linda Poetschke

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(Dec. 4, 2015) -- The First Fine Arts Series at First Baptist Church San Antonio is celebrating the holiday season with the 2015 Advent Series, a weekly musical offering at noon on Tuesdays of Advent that began on December 1st with the UTSA Chamber Singers, directed by John Silantien, UTSA Director of Choral Activities. The performances will continue on December 8th with Matthew Dunne, UTSA guitar studies coordinator, and with Linda Poetschke, UTSA professor of voice on December 15th.

Admissions to the performances are free and open to the public. Lunch will be available after the concert for $5. All performances will take place at Unity Hall at First Baptist Church San Antonio at 515 McCullough St.

“This Advent Series provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the season,” said Aaron Hufty, Associate Pastor for Worship and Music at First Baptist Church San Antonio. “These concerts are intended to bring the best music and musicians from our community to an atmosphere free from the hustle and bustle of the world. Beautiful venue, beautiful music, the Advent series will be a respite for your hectic soul.”

The UTSA Chamber Singers are a 16-member group selected from the membership of the UTSA Concert Choir. They specialize in music of the Renaissance and chamber music of other periods. In the past the group has toured to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2012, the Singers were invited to perform at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, as part of the American Choral Directors Association National Symposium on American Choral Music. In San Antonio, they frequently sing at local high schools and perform various community outreach concerts.

Dunne will perform on December 8th. The guitarist and composer has performed and taught throughout the United States and Mexico in both the classical and jazz genres. He received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in guitar performance, jazz emphasis, from The University of Texas at Austin, and was the first guitarist to receive this degree.

Dunne has been a part of the faculty of the University of Texas at San Antonio since 1992. He is a frequent collaborator with The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, having composed music for their last three albums, including the Grammy-winning Guitar Heroes, and has recorded three albums of his own.

The December 15th performance will feature soprano Poetschke with accompanist Jennifer Zaccagni, UTSA staff accompanist. Poetschke is a native Texan and a resident of San Antonio since 1981. She has performed numerous opera roles and has sung with many orchestras across the United States. Along with her professional singing, Linda has been a member of the UTSA Department of Music since 1984 and is also a part of church music ministries at Castle Hills Baptist Church and Oak Hills Church.

Zaccagni has been a choral and collaborative musician in San Antonio for over 25 years. She has served frequently as accompanist for region and Texas All-State choirs. Additionally, Jennifer was a part of the Children’s Chorus of San Antonio for 17 seasons as their principal accompanist. She currently maintains a private piano studio and serves in her church music ministry.

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