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| Photo courtesy "Travelscope" |
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| Beethoven Maennerchor Garten during Fiesta 2015 |
So it's no surprise that host Joseph Rosendo and his producer-wife Julie, found their way to Beethoven Maennerchor during one of San Antonio's most colorful and celebrated time of year - Fiesta.
Travelscope and its crew of camera people featured the garten during its liveliest, capturing snippets of El Rey Feo, the “Ugly King," the Beethoven Maennerchor, and the cheerful throngs of party people.
Both of the traveling partners, Joseph and Julie, have been to Beethoven before, but never during Fiesta. Julie explained the show during a phone conversation from her California studio.
"The show talks about German heritage. It's a wonderful element to highlight," she said.
Beethoven plays one part in the 26-minute long feature. The show will also take viewers to the satirically funny Fiesta Cornyation, the decorated Battle of Flowers Parade, the traditional NIOSA event, and King William Fair.
It's not unusual a nationally syndicated program would visit San Antonio. The city is a cultural magnet for people all over the world. Though, San Antonio did have one more thing going for it: Julie Rosendo used to call the Alamo City home.
"I was the vice president of development for the local PBS station," she said. That's right. She worked for KLRN and coincidentally met her future husband on the job. "He came to San Antonio to cover a wine tasting event for a radio show he was doing," Julie said.
During that visit, Joseph gave Julie a DVD prototype of a travel show he'd dreamed of doing. That turned into Travelscope. "The rest, as they say, was history," she added.
During Beethoven's spotlight on the upcoming episode, Julie recalled one of the funnier moments. It took place with King Rey Feo, Jon Herrera, who joked that even Dos Equis tastes good in a German stein," Julie said. Beethoven, of course, is known for its variety of authentic German beers on tap.
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| Beethoven Maennerchor and Damenchor on stage during Fiesta 2015. Travelscope's crew is near the stage. |
No show would be complete without a rendition of Ein Prosit, sung by Maennerchor dirigent (director) David Nelson, the Maennerchor and Damenchor, and the crowd.
Travelscope's Season 8 will begin in September. The earliest the feature on San Antonio's Fiesta and Beethoven Maennerchor will air is December. Air times will depend on local listings. It will run for many years to come, "literally thousands of times," Julie said.
Currently, the episode is in post-production, where audio and color will be fine-tuned. It'll also be available on DVD. More information is available on the Travelscope website for the San Antonio’s Fiesta - Olé! episode.
