The San Diego Symphony’s winter and spring season includes nine concerts in La Jolla

The San Diego Symphony will present nine concerts in La Jolla during the orchestra’s ambitious and expansive winter and spring 2022 season.

Between its Jan. 15 opening concert at the downtown San Diego Civic Theater and its conclusion on May 27 by the Bay at Rady Shell in Jacobs Park, the orchestra will perform over 30 concerts at nine venues across County. San Diego, large, small and medium.

A mask and proof of full COVID-19 vaccination will be required from all guests at each non-intermission concert, as well as performers and staff.

The season – aptly titled “Hear Us Here” – will also include a performance at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert.

“This is not a reinvention,” said Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Martha Gilmer. “It’s an invention.”

The program features the most venues in any season by the orchestra, which is California’s oldest and will celebrate its 112th anniversary next year. The season features such distinguished soloists as cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Yefim Bronfman.

“It’s very exciting and ambitious,” said Rafael Payare, the musical director of the Venezuelan-born symphony. “But after last year, it’s not this hard. Over the past 18 months, the pandemic has changed everything we do – and our mission has changed. “

From COVID to the resounding renaissance

Gilmer was instrumental in navigating change.

Last year, she guided the orchestra through the shutdown of all live events brought on by the pandemic. The symphony’s spring, fall and winter seasons have been canceled, musicians’ salaries have been cut, and at least 19 of the symphony’s 57 staff have been put on leave.

Gilmer then helped the nonprofit arts organization turn to streaming performances by smaller ensembles of largely masked and socially distant symphony members. Their online concerts were filmed progressively, without an audience, in the otherwise empty Copley Symphony Hall. The horn players, who could not play with masks, performed high up in the hall’s mezzanine to ensure that safety protocols were followed.

Most notably, Gilmer was instrumental in fundraising, building and opening in August the orchestra’s new outdoor venue of $ 85 million, The Rady Shell in Jacobs Park.

“We’re not bored, that’s for sure,” said Gilmer, who was hired as the CEO of the Symphony Orchestra in 2014. She now oversees the ongoing renovation of the house in downtown Montreal. orchestra, the Copley Symphony Hall of the Jacobs Music Center, which doesn’t reopen in time for the upcoming winter and spring season.

“Somewhere around the spring of this year we started looking at what we wanted to do in this kind of transition season,” said Gilmer. “We shaped the idea of ​​appearing throughout the region. We scouted and took Rafael to several performance venues in San Diego. “

The move to nine locations in San Diego County reflects the organization’s desire to broaden its reach and broaden its appeal.

“Ever since I arrived seven years ago, I really wanted the symphony to be part of the fabric of San Diego,” Gilmer said. “And this new season will bring the orchestra to perform where people live. We hope to connect with new listeners in their community and bring our existing audiences to these different places and destinations. “

How obvious the difference is when you hover over the schedule for the upcoming season.

In February, 30-year-old guest conductor Christopher Dragon will lead the orchestra and solo violinist Elena Urioste in four concerts in as many days, starting with a performance on February 3 at the Baker-Baum Concert Hall. from La Jolla Music Society to Conrad. Prebys Performing Arts Center. The symphony will perform the same concert of music by Vivaldi, Piazzolla and Golijov on February 4 at The Village Church in Rancho Santa Fe, February 5 at Southwestern College Performing Arts Center in Chula Vista, and February 6 at The Conrad in La Jolla.

“We tailor our repertoire and the size of the orchestra for each venue,” said Payare, who considers the dimensions of each stage to determine how many musicians can play at each concert.

“For Mozart’s ‘Gran Partita’ at Conrad, we will have 13 players,” he said. “For our concerts at the Civic Theater, we will have the full orchestra.”

San Diego Symphony in La Jolla, 2022

Here are concerts in La Jolla featured on the San Diego Symphony Winter and Spring 2022 program in the Jacobs Masterworks Series.

Thursday February 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday February 6 at 2:00 p.m .: “Last tour” by Golijov, “The four seasons, op. 8, RV 269 “and” The four seasons of Buenos Aires “by Piazzolla, with the conductor Christopher Dragon and the violinist Elena Urioste. Baker-Baum Concert Hall at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave.

Saturday March 5 8 p.m. and Sunday March 6 2 p.m. and 7 p.m .: Schnittke’s “Moz-Art à la Haydn”, “Violin Concerto No. 9 in G major, op. 8 “and” Serenade No. 10 in B flat major, K. 361 (370a), Gran Partita “by Mozart, with Rafael Payare and violinist Jeff Thayer. Baker-Baum Concert Hall.

CHAMBER CONCERTS
A LA JOLLA

(Not part of the Jacobs Masterworks series)

Tuesday January 11 7:30 p.m .: “String Quartet in E minor” by Verdi Boccherini’s “Fandango Quintet in D Major” and works for solo guitar by Albeniz, Tarrega and others, with guitarist Jason Vieaux. Baker-Baum Concert Hall.

Tuesday March 1st 7:30 p.m .: Music for solo trumpet by Paquito D’Rivera, Efrain Oscher, Pacho Flores and others, with Flores on the trumpet. Baker-Baum Concert Hall.

Wednesday March 30, 8 p.m .: Upcoming program, featuring Wu Man on the pipa (Chinese lute). Baker-Baum Concert Hall.

Sunday May 1st 2 p.m .: “Quintet in F minor” by Brahms with pianist Benjamin Hochman. Baker-Baum Concert Hall.

For the full season schedule, visit SanDiegoSymphony.org.

Ticket information

The four new San Diego Symphony subscription options are on sale and include: a three-concert package at the San Diego Civic Theater or the California Center for the Arts in Escondido ($ 66 and up); a package of four concerts at the Rady Shell in Jacobs Park ($ 88 to $ 388); a “Downtown Tour” package of seven concerts ($ 210 – $ 631) and a “Grand Tour” package of 12 concerts ($ 388 – $ 947).

Single tickets: Prices will vary by location, but will start at $ 25 and go on sale Sunday, December 5.

In line: SanDiegoSymphony.org

Telephone: (619) 235-0804

– La Jolla Light staff contributed to this report. ??