For three decades, Cactus Pear Music Festival has brought world-class chamber music to San Antonio—cultivating a deep love for the art form through accessible performances, imaginative programming, and meaningful educational initiatives. Founded in 1997 by Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio, CPMF has grown into a vibrant cultural presence, sustained by a devoted audience and a shared belief that great music should be available to all.

As we celebrate our 30th anniversary season, we look forward with The Infinite Horizon—a season devoted to transformation, renewal, and boundless possibility. Across two weeks, each program explores moments of change: beginnings and endings, tradition and reinvention, loss and transcendence, elegance and exuberance.

A playful and illuminating dialogue between refinement and revolution:

Igor Stravinsky — Suite from L’histoire du soldat
Maurice Ravel — Violin Sonata in G Major
Ragtime (with members of the New England Ragtime Ensemble)

Stravinsky’s L’histoire du soldat blends classical precision with popular dance rhythms in a sharply etched theatrical score. Ravel’s Violin Sonata—especially its iconic “Blues” movement—reveals a composer fascinated by American jazz. The festival concludes with a vibrant set of ragtime, tracing the roots of jazz and celebrating the composers who shaped an enduring American sound.

Tickets are FREE — reserve your seat!