WANT TO SAVE MORE AS A RADY SHELL SUBSCRIBER?Start your summer weekends off right with a stellar set of eight Friday night concerts to enjoy on San Diego Bay. From our classy classical Opening Night concert to The Music of John Williams and The Gershwins in Hollywood, you'll hear some of the greatest popular music written for stage and film, as well as the guitar mastery of living legend Buddy Guy!
Opening Night with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Friday, June 26, 7:30 PM
Rafael Payare, conductor
Stefan Jackiw, violin
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
SHOSTAKOVICH: Festive Overture, Op. 96
PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 54
The San Diego Symphony launches its Summer 2026 season at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park with Music and Artistic Director Rafael Payare leading a program of sweeping drama and brilliant virtuosity. Dmitri Shostakovich’s electrifying Festive Overture sets a jubilant tone before Stefan Jackiw – one of America’s foremost violinists – takes center stage in Sergei Prokofiev’s lyrical and rhythmically incisive Violin Concerto No. 2. The evening culminates in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, a deeply expressive journey from brooding introspection to triumphant resolve. Brimming with color, passion, and orchestral brilliance, Opening Night promises an exhilarating start to the summer season on the San Diego waterfront.
Blockbuster Broadway!
Friday, July 3, 7:30 PM
Evan Roider, conductor
Jessica Hendy, vocals
Alex Getlin, vocals
Scott Coulter, vocals
John Boswell, vocals & piano
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Celebrate Broadway’s biggest songs from Broadway’s biggest blockbusters featuring Broadway’s biggest stars!
Come experience all the show-stopping tunes you love from Broadway’s biggest hits! Spend an evening with songs from Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Jersey Boys, The Sound of Music, Chicago, Cats, The Lion King, A Chorus Line and more, performed by some of New York’s top vocalists. It’s the ultimate show tune extravaganza!
Let The Sunshine In: The Music of ’69
Friday, July 10, 7:30 PM
Ted Sperling, conductor
Morgan James, vocals
Bryonha Marie, vocals
Noah J. Ricketts, vocals
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
One unforgettable summer. A movement that shaped a generation. Experience the spirit of 1969 as we celebrate the groundbreaking music of the Woodstock Festival and the Harlem Cultural Festival in a powerful concert that brings era-defining anthems back to life. Bold, rebellious, and deeply human, this music became the heartbeat of the nation. From soul-stirring ballads to electrifying guitar riffs – blending rock, funk, and soul – award-winning vocalists join the San Diego Symphony Orchestra for an evening that honors a time of peace, love, and seriously great music... tie-dye optional, good vibes guaranteed.
The Music of John Williams
Friday, July 31, 7:30 PM
David Newman, conductor
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Few composers have shaped our emotional memory like John Williams. From the wonder of Star Wars and the adventure of Indiana Jones to the soaring heroism of Superman and the tender, otherworldly beauty of E.T. , his music doesn’t just accompany stories; it is the story. Featuring some of the biggest hits and beloved classics of the silver screen, this all-Williams program puts the sound of the movies front and center, conducted by David Newman and performed by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. Whether you grew up with these films or are discovering them anew, this is a night to feel the music that made movies legendary.
Please Note: This concert features pyrotechnics.
The Gershwins in Hollywood with MICHAEL FEINSTEIN
Friday, August 14, 7:30 PM
Michael Feinstein, piano & vocals
Rob Fisher, conductor
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Step into Hollywood’s Golden Age with the irresistible sound of George and Ira Gershwin! From toe-tapping rhythms to swoon-worthy melodies, this concert brings the brothers’ iconic film music to life – the songs that lit up the silver screen and helped define American glamour. It’s big tunes, big charm, and pure Gershwin sparkle, where jazz meets cinema and every note feels like a standing ovation.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone™ in Concert
Friday, August 21, 7:00 PM
Justin Freer, conductor
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Learning on his 11th birthday that he is a wizard destined for greatness, Harry leaves for wizarding school for the first time in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™. This concert presents the first movie of the unforgettable series while the San Diego Symphony Orchestra performs John Williams’ enchanting score. Join us for an evening of music and magic.
WIZARDING WORLD and all related trademarks, characters, names, and indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s26)
BUDDY GUY 90
Friday, September 11, 7:30 PM
Buddy Guy brings his 90th birthday celebration to The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park! At nearly 90 years old, he stands as one of the most influential guitarists in American music. As a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a pioneer of Chicago’s explosive West Side sound, Buddy Guy remains a guiding force for generations of rock and blues legends. The nine-time Grammy winner has also earned a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, 38 Blues Music Awards, the Billboard Century Award, the Presidential National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honor. Rolling Stone ranks him #23 on its list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,” underscoring his unmatched impact on modern music.
Born in 1936 to a sharecropper’s family in rural Louisiana, Guy arrived in Chicago in 1957 and went on to reshape the sound of the electric guitar through groundbreaking work with Chess Records and influential recordings of his own. His recent achievements include a 2019 Grammy win for The Blues Is Alive and Well and the acclaimed PBS American Masters documentary Buddy Guy: The Blues Chase the Blues Away. Today, as he celebrates 90 years, Buddy Guy remains an American music icon – one of the last living architects of the electric blues tradition.
Please note: The San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this concert.
The Sixties Show
Friday, September 18, 7:30 PM
Craig O’Keefe, bass, vocals, guitar
Tom Licameli, guitar, vocals, bass
Jim Boggia, guitar, vocals, ukulele
Kevin Bents, keyboards, vocals, guitar, bass
Scott Devours, drums
Peter Chiusano, keyboards
From New York City comes the ultimate 1960s musical re-creation show on Earth. This popular, award-winning Off-Broadway production delivers a high-energy, multimedia immersive experience that transports audiences back in time – built around a thrilling, note-for-note live concert re-creation. The members of The Sixties Show were hand-picked to perform and record with The Who, Sir Paul McCartney, The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, The Bee Gees, The Rascals, Mick Jagger, John Fogerty, Bruce Springsteen, Walter Becker and Donald Fagen (Steely Dan).
What you’re about to experience isn’t nostalgia. Time travel is real. It just sounds different than you’d expect. You’re not watching the past. You’re moving through it. What happens on stage isn’t a reenactment. It’s a loop. A current. A feedback circuit of memory and energy. What happened then is happening again. Right now.
Please note: The San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this concert.
