Electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick to play San Antonio concerts

Morton Subotnick — an electronic music pioneer credited with inspiring artists ranging from Daft Punk to Kraftwerk — will perform four concerts Nov. 10-12 at San Antonio arts nonprofit Urban-15.

The Urban-15 shows are expected to be among the 90-year-old Subotnick’s final shows before he steps back from live performances. San Antonio is one of just six cities included in his As I Live and Breathe Tour, which also includes Berlin, Vienna, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.

The inclusion of the Alamo City dates stems from a longstanding collaborative friendship with Urban-15 head George Cisneros.    

Subotnick is widely regarded as one of the fathers of modern electronic music. His 1967 album Silver Apples of the Moon, released by Nonesuch Records, is recognized as the first electronic piece specifically commissioned for the LP format. The release had a seismic effect on the global music scene and has since been entered into the Library of Congress’ National Register of Recorded Works.

Prior to recording Silver Apples, Subotnick worked with Ramon Sender and Pauline Oliveros to establish the San Francisco Tape Music Center. That entity, along with pioneering musician Don Buchla, played a pivotal role in transforming synthesizers — once an expensive institutional obscurity — into instruments in widespread use.

This won’t be Subotnick’s first San Antonio concert. He’s performed here, starting in the ’80s, as part of Cisneros’ ambitious 3rd Coast New Music Festival. In 2013, he performed Silver Apples of the Moon in its entirety. Video from that 2013 performance is available below.

Projections by German video artist Lillevan will accompany Subotnick’s San Antonio performances. The concerts also will feature an “open conversation” during which the composer will field questions from audience members.

Tickets, which run $40 general admission or $20 for students, are available online.  

$20-$40, Friday, 8 p.m. Nov. 10, 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sat., Nov. 11 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, Urban-15, 2500 S. Presa, (210) 736-1500, urban15.org.

Related Stories

For decades, Philip Krumm served as the living embodiment of San Antonio’s avant garde

In addition to performing with 20th-century masters and having his own music catalogued in multiple releases, the composer has been a decades-long creative catalyst for the Alamo City.

Inside Project Y: The mind-expanding history of Hemisfair’s Youth Pavilion

While Hemisfair was viewed as a win for the city’s business establishment, a now-forgotten pavilion operating under the World’s Fair banner that was anything but establishment — especially for the time.

URBAN-15’s Holiday Laser Show brings festive optics to San Antonio’s Lila Cockrell Theatre

URBAN-15 will present two performances of the free show on Tuesday, Dec. 20.

Heavy metal band Iron Maiden is rocking into San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center next year

The band’s first appearance in the Alamo City since 2019 is part of the ‘The Future Past Tour.’

Guitar-fueled indie group Ratboys is hitting San Antonio on the heels of its best album yet

After a series of increasingly assured releases, Ratboys this year dropped The Window.

Tickets for Marc Anthony’s San Antonio show go on sale this week

The salsa singer’s stop at the Frost Bank Center is part of his Viviendo Tour.

San Antonio’s Urban-15 presenting Summer Solstice dance on Thursday

Created and performed by Urban-15’sCatherine Cisneros, the solo dance will evoke rituals from ancient cultures including the Aztecs, the Celts and more.

This article appears in Oct 18-30, 2023.