"Music Under the Stars" at the Mission

Last Friday (the 12th) I enjoyed one of the most pleasant concerts -- if not THE most pleasant -- I've ever attended. It was a "Night Under the Stars" at Mission San Jose. EVERYTHING was perfect! The evening sky was clear, with a steady light breeze, low humidity and temperatures in the 70s. Well over a thousand people, young, old and middle-aged spread out in couples, families or solo, with lawn chirs and blankets festival-style on the green grassy expanse of the mission enclosure, around and under the wispy-leaved mesquite trees. Some partook of picnic meals they brought from home.

Indeed, what better venue for an outdoor concert than the "Queen of the Missions"? The Spanish-frontier Baroque church building provided a most impressive backdrop for the performing groups.

The performers were all very talented volunteer musicians and/or singers from a large, San Antonio-headquartered insurance and banking firm begun by military officers for military and their dependents. (And USAA just happens to be my bank!) These were: the USAA Jazz Band, "Lift Every Voice" gospel choir, and the USAA Concert Band & Chorus. The music these USAA folks freely provided was very, very delightful!

As the gospel choir sang their inspiring spiritual songs, while swaying rhythmically in the traditional Afro-American manner, two insights came to me. First: here was a gospel choir, which one associates with Protestant Christianity and sometimes fundamentalist Protestantism, with an ancient Catholic church building still housing an active parish behind them -- what a terrific picture of the wonderful life of unity amid variety that animates this eighth largest city of the USA! And second, as the musicians played and singers sang they simply were carrying forward the heritage of the earliest inhabitants of this ancient mission compound. For years ago I had read in one of the relaciones (reports) written by a visiting Spanish Franciscan inspector, that the Coahuiltecan converts here at Mission San Jose sang and played musical instruments beautifully!

To top it all off, in its segment of the program the Concert Band and Chorus did a"A Scottish Tribute" using a number of songs from my ancestral land (some of my ancestors, anyway). They commenced with "Scotland the Brave" -- my very favorite tune to hear on the bagpipes, and the Chorus sang words to it when I hadn't known before that it had lyrics -- and including such other songs as "The Campbells Are Coming" and "Loch Lomond". (Too bad they didn't have a piper.) I had come directly from work and so still wore a necktie. I turned to the couple beside me, with whom I carried on intermittent conversation, and remarked that had I known they were going to do this tribute to Scotland, I'd have worn my Graham tartan necktie instead!

The couple beside me was from Ohio, and now that the husband's military training here was finished, were about to return to the Midwest. I am confident that they took with them at least one cherished memory of this city: this incomparable, musical, "Night Under the Stars" at Mission San Jose!