Start your summer weekends off right with an eight-concert Friday night A series. You'll enjoy a satisfying mix of classical music (Opening Night, Tchaikovsky Spectacular) and Broadway masterpieces (Rent in Concert, Sondheim Tonight!) spiced up with an intriguing evening of Symphonic reggae (Ziggy Marley with the San Diego Symphony) and a pure blast of '80s nostalgia (Totally '80s).
Summer 2024 Opening Night with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Friday, June 28, 7:30pm
Celebrate the opening of the Conrad Prebys 2024 Summer Season at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, conductor Gemma New and pianist Olga Kern. The concert features Kern performing the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, as well as Copland’s Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo (including the well-known “Hoe-down” movement) and Rimsky-Korsakov's fiery Capriccio espagnol, which is based on Spanish folk melodies.
Gemma New, conductor
Olga Kern, piano
John ADAMS: Short Ride in a Fast Machine
RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30
COPLAND: "Four Dance Episodes" from Rodeo
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Capriccio espagnole, Op. 34
ZIGGY MARLEY with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Friday, July 5, 7:30pm
Ziggy Marley joins the San Diego Symphony Orchestra for an evening of music by the eight-time Grammy® winner, Emmy winner, musician, producer, activist and humanitarian who has cultivated a legendary career for close to 40 years.
The eldest son of Bob and Rita Marley, Ziggy has hewed his own path as a musical pioneer, infusing the reggae genre with funk, blues, rock and other elements through mindful songcraft. Equal parts master storyteller and motivational guide, he deftly explores issues from environmental awareness to self-empowerment, social injustice to political inequity, while returning again and again to the transformative power of love.
Ziggy Marley, guitar and vocals
Christopher Dragon, conductor
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Beethoven by the Bay
Friday, July 12, 7:30pm
The San Diego Symphony’s annual Beethoven by the Bay all-Beethoven concert features violinist Geneva Lewis performing his Violin Concerto. Nicolas Ellis leads the orchestra in the indominable Symphony No. 5.
Nicolas Ellis, conductor
Geneva Lewis, violin
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
BEETHOVEN: Overture to Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43
BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
FIELD OF DREAMS in Concert (World Premiere)
Friday, July 19, 7:30pm
“If you build it, he will come.”
Considered one of the most inspirational movies of all time, Field of Dreams is a heartwarming story that has moved critics and audiences like no other film of its generation.
Haunted by a mysterious voice he can’t ignore, Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) confounds his neighbors by transforming his cornfield into a place where dreams can come true, and where he can finally come to terms with his own unsettled past. The all-star cast also features Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta and Hollywood legend Burt Lancaster in his final film role.
Nominated for three Academy Awards® including Best Picture and Best Original Score, audiences now can experience James Horner’s magnificent musical score adapted for the first time for live performance by a full symphony orchestra. Field of Dreams in Concert is an unforgettable and glowing tribute to all who dare to dream.
© 2024 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Nicholas Buc, conductor
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
RENT in Concert
Friday, August 2, 7:30pm
Experience the iconic music of RENT like never before: live with stellar vocalists and the raw power of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra! At this symphonic experience, the San Diego Symphony performs the complete score—featuring favorites like “Seasons of Love,” “La Vie Bohème,” and “Take Me or Leave Me”.
Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Rent has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.
Sean O’Loughlin, conductor
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
"RENT in Concert" is directed by Broadway’s Sammi Cannold
Original Symphonic Orchestrations by Sean O’Loughlin
Produced by AMP Worldwide
Totally '80s with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Friday, August 16, 7:30pm
We’re like totally crankin’ up the Tears for Fears and celebrating one of the most decadent decades of music – the '80s! Relive rock, R & B, and new wave hits from icons like George Michael, Phil Collins, Blondie, Huey Lewis & The News, Robert Palmer, Cyndi Lauper, Journey, Michael Jackson, Mr. Mister, Cher, Kool & The Gang, Tommy Tutone and more with Stuart Chafetz and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. It’s the perfect reason to break out your Swatch watch, tease up your hair, and enjoy some bodacious music!
Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Aaron Finley, vocalis
Nicole Parker, vocalist
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Sondheim Tonight! A Celebration of Genius
Friday, August 23, 7:30pm
Over several decades, Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) transformed the course of American musical theater with innovation and intelligence, creating beloved shows like Sweeney Todd, Company, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods and many others.
The San Diego Symphony is presenting a tribute to this genius, featuring essential Broadway singers admired by Sondheim, whose lives and careers have been transformed by performing his work. From the joyous and silly to the rapturous and heartfelt, this special performance, assembled and led by Broadway veteran Rob Fisher, will showcase Sondheim's phenomenal ability to musicalize the deepest human emotions.
Rob Fisher, music director and conductor
Gary Griffin, director
Emily Skinner, vocalist
Jason Danieley, vocalist
Evan Roider, piano
(Other vocalists to be announced)
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Tchaikovsky Spectacular
Friday, August 30, 7:30pm
The last classical concert of the 2024 Summer Season features Rafael Payare conducting the San Deigo Symphony Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, with soloist Blake Pouliot. The iconic 1812 Overture closes the evening with The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park’s signature pyrotechnics.
Note: this concert will end with a pyrotechnic/firework display accompaniment to the 1812 Overture. It will be short, colorful and loud.
Rafael Payare, conductor
Blake Pouliot, violin
San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Program to include:
TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35
TCHAIKOVSKY: 1812 Overture, Op. 49