Nights in nature: free outdoor concerts at Quinta Mazatlán

UTRGV and Quinta Mazatlán are partnering to bring “Music in the Park,” a series of free outdoor concerts, to the Rio Grande Valley community with a $50,000 grant that UTRGV received.

Krista Jobson, an associate professor of flute, said UTRGV received the grant from the Rea Charitable Trust, which is based in the western Texas city of Midland.

“That organization was created in 2009 and its primary purpose is the promotion of the arts,” Jobson said. “Specifically, this grant for UTRGV was created with the intention of creating an outdoor music series for the community and, of course, the series is called ‘Music in the Park.’”

UTRGV has partnered with Quinta Mazatlán to bring a series of outdoor concerts so guests can enjoy a night off with music and also explore the beautiful nature trails, Jobson said.

“The musicians are a wide variety of artists,” she said. “Some of them are local, and some come from further away.”

Quinta Mazatlán is a World Birding Center under the stewardship of the City of McAllen. The urban sanctuary  offers public and private group tours on topics including birding, history and native landscaping, and hosts business meetings and celebrations, according to its website.

Jobson said the concert series kicked off Feb. 17, when the Valley String Quartet, a group of various local musicians, performed.

“The concertmaster of the Valley Symphony Orchestra was playing principal violin,” she said. “All the other members of the ensemble are musicians with the Valley Symphony Orchestra. So, they’re local from right here around the McAllen area.”

Jobson said the first concert of the “Music in the Park” series was a success.

“We had our first concert last Thursday, and it’s just been so wonderful to see it come to life,” she said. “We did have a really nice turnout for the first concert. We had a food vendor that came out [and] we are going to have more food vendors in all of the upcoming events.”

Jobson said the next concert will be from 6 to 7 p.m. March 10, when Mariachi Margaritas, an all-female group based in Brownsville, will perform.

The third concert, titled “Jazz/Classical Flute Crossover and Guitar,” will be from 6 to 7 p.m. March 31.

“It’s going to feature soloists [UTRGV Guitar Ensemble Director] Hector Rodriguez on guitar, and myself … on flute,” Jobson said. “We will also feature our string bass professor, Dr. George Amorim, as well as one of our piano professors, Dr. Juan Pablo Andrade, and [Lupe Barrera], percussion drum set player who is band director at Hidalgo High School.”

The fourth concert will be from 6 to 7 p.m. April 14, when Ensemble Radieuse will perform.

“It’s a flute-and-oboe duo that are coming from South Carolina,” Jobson said. “They’re going to do a concert with flute, oboe and electronics.”

Tish Hinojosa will be featured in the last concert of the series, which will be from 6 to 7 p.m. May 12.

“Tish is a Mexican American singer [and] songwriter,” Jobson said. “Her songs blend the genres of country folk and Hispanic music.”

Linette Castillo, an environmental education specialist at Quinta Mazatlán, said the community can register to receive a free ticket by scanning the QR code on the promotional flyers for the series or by visiting the sanctuary’s website.

“We have a very special opportunity here because we are still in these COVID times,” Castillo said. “So you get to enjoy these incredible concerts and in between the shows, the artists are going to be giving information about the pieces they are playing and the history of how these pieces came to be and you are going to be surrounded by all the native flora and fauna of South Texas.”

Jobson said she wants to break down the barriers between the audience and performers and make them feel connected to the music.

“They can bring the whole family as they want and, you know, they can just show up and enjoy the beautiful music and just really get the benefit of the comfort that live music provides,” she said. “It’s a wide variety of music and the artists are going to be speaking to the audience in both English and Spanish throughout every concert.”

Jobson invites the entire UTRGV and Rio Grande Valley community to attend the outdoor concert series.

“These are open to our community and their families,” she said. “They are welcome to bring food to enjoy

or they can bring a blanket and lay it out on the lawn if they want. These concerts are really for everyone

to enjoy.”

Quinta Mazatlán is located at 600 Sunset Drive in McAllen. For more information, call the sanctuary at 681-3370 or visit its website.