FEBRUARY 26, 2025 — As the UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) prepares for its new home in the Frost Tower later this year, the museum’s staff is developing new strategies to connect with the community and tell the story of Texas’ rich cultural heritage. One new initiative is Texas Sounds, a monthly digital playlist celebrating the musicians who have shaped the state’s cultural landscape. The January playlist paid tribute to artists who exited the stage in 2024, and the February list honors the early pioneers of San Antonio jazz and swing music.
Residing on ITC’s YouTube channel, Texas Sounds is a collaboration with Jason Longoria ’11, a San Antonio native, Texas music history expert and UTSA alumnus. In this feature, Longoria shares untold stories, rare insights and historical perspectives about the artists who helped define the Texas soundscape.
“Jason brings critical insight to Texas’s unique music history and culture,” said Bianca Alvarez, the ITC’s head curator. “His contributions will highlight the incredible diversity of musical traditions in Texas and their lasting influence on today’s sounds.”
“I am excited to work with the ITC to highlight the voices and stories that make our city’s music scene so unique.”
Longoria is dedicated to preserving local music history and has served on the boards of the Conjunto Heritage Taller and the South Texas Museum of Popular Culture, where he helped organize events and exhibits celebrating Texas’s musical heritage.
“I love sharing and learning about all things related to local music,” said Longoria. “I am excited to work with the ITC to highlight the voices and stories that make our city’s music scene so unique.”
Alvarez explained that objects and exhibits are a good starting point, but online platforms like social media can take those objects to another level of storytelling that reaches broader audiences and explores why these items are significant.
“Museums’ roles have changed over the years,” said Alvarez. “We can explore a wide breadth of ideas in a digital space and expand each of those ideas with extraordinary depth, creating new ways for people to interact with and absorb information. A first pressing of a classic album is a fantastic museum artifact. When we link to a digital space where visitors can listen to that classic album, it changes from an object to an experience.”
Alvarez continued, “Digital spaces change how we look at the world around us. The goal is to spark curiosity. When we see something that catches our attention and we want more information, we look it up online. This leads us down the rabbit hole of learning more about the things that fascinate us and—hopefully—draw points of connectivity to each other.”
The future ITC space at the Frost Tower will feature expanded digital components and interactive experiences designed to engage the public in new ways. To stay up to date, visit TexanCultures.utsa.edu or follow @TexanCultures on social media.
