Splendors of the Guelaguetza / Sergio Hernández
Dance, Visual art, Music
This is a new event for the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA), celebrating the indigenous Guelaguetza Festival held annually in Oaxaca, Mexico, where there is a significant indigenous population. The event is held in conjunction with Sergio Hernández's current exhibition, "Embers of Oaxaca," which is on view at SDMA through Feb. 12, 2023. The festival and performances are free to the public and, throughout the duration of the event, museum admission is also free.
While you're there, be sure to check out the new contemporary art exhibitions inside the galleries, including Hernández's beautiful work, "Embers of Oaxaca," on view just for a few more weeks. Also on view is Justin Sterling's "Chapel of the Rocks," which also closes Feb. 12 and — in the always-free gallery 14/15 near Panama 66 — Lisa Ross' "Elegy to a Uyghur Homeland."
Details: 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28. San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Free.
Intersections Event Series: '6 & 88' Feat. Irving Flores, Tina Chong and Joshua White
Music
This weekend marks the launch of the "Intersections" concert and lecture series, held at the new Guggenheim Theatre at UC San Diego Park & Market, hosted by Yale Strom. Three pianists — Irving Flores, Tina Chong and Joshua White — will showcase their instrument in their respective Latin jazz, classical and jazz styles.
Notably, these musicians have never performed together before. It's not often there are opportunities for a three-piano concert, but it's still exciting to see these names together, and a concert dedicated to such a versatile instrument.
The series continues with monthly programs through April. The Samir Chatterjee Trio performs on Feb. 16; flamenco and classical guitarist Adam Del Monte is March 10; and the Gilbert Castellanos Quintet is April 12.
Details: 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27. UC San Diego Park & Market, 1100 Market St., East Village. $20-$30.
Justin A. McHugh: 'A Loss for Words'
Visual art
This solo exhibition at Good Faith Gallery by artist Justin A. McHugh is a collection of collage works — found objects and found images with lines of text. Flowers are scattered on the gallery floor as well as installed on the walls. The writing suggests intimacy and vulnerability, and combined with the images, there's something more detached, something darker, something arid and aching.
Details: On view through Feb. 5, 2023. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Good Faith, 566 19th St., Sherman Heights. Free.
Kevin Maloney at The Book Catapult
Books
I'll be moderating a discussion with Portland-based author Kevin Maloney at The Book Catapult, in celebration of his delightful new book, "The Red-Headed Pilgrim." It's somewhere between a wild novel and raw, hilarious memoir, as we follow our protagonist (curiously named Kevin Maloney) as he comes of age, seeks transcendence by working as little as possible while getting as inebriated as possible, and struggles with new fatherhood.
Details: 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. The Book Catapult, 3010-B Juniper St., South Park. Free.
'The Ferryman'
Theater
New Village Art's latest production, Jez Butterworth's play "The Ferryman," begins previews this weekend. It's the first production of the play in the United States since it was on Broadway. The play is a thriller, set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles in 1981, and weaves together multiple storylines revolving around the annual harvest at a farm. It's directed by Kristianne Kurner, and the sizable cast includes Joy Yvonne Jones as Caitlin Carney and Tom Daugherty as Quinn Carney. The theater warns that the adult content in this play is not suitable for youth under the age of 15.
Low-cost previews run Friday through Feb. 3, with official opening night on Feb. 4. The Feb. 4 opening is also the official debut of the newly named Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center.
Details: On stage through Mar. 5, 2022. This weekend's shows are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan 27-29. New Village Arts Theatre, 2787 State St., Carlsbad. $30+.
Scandinavian Winter
Music
The Greater San Diego Music Coterie have curated a concert of Scandinavian music for the cozy season, conducted by Dr. Angela Yeung. Alongside the orchestra, Irene Marie Patton (soprano) and Andrew Garrett (baritone) will also perform. The concert is free, and the venue has both indoor and outdoor seating options.
The pieces include Sibelius' sweeping "Karelia Suite" (Finland), Niels Gade's triumphant "Efterklange af Ossian (Echoes of Ossian)" (Denmark), Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt" (Norway) and Johan Helmich Roman's "Einer Taffel-Music" (Sweden).
Details: 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29. All Saint's Episcopal Church, 625 Pennsylvania Ave., Hillcrest. Free.
'Frozen'
Theater, Music, Kids
I have a seventh grade daughter who was four when the "Frozen" movie skyrocketed to popularity (25% of her class dressed as Elsa for Halloween the next year, including her). Last week, she and I saw the Broadway tour of the "Frozen" musical currently on stage at the Civic Theatre. Now that she's an ultra-cool teenager, I joked that it could be a "hate watch," but as showtime approached, we both began to genuinely look forward to it.
Enough time has passed since I cursed that soundtrack's invention, so now I can re-appreciate what I liked about the movie: Anna's welcome awkwardness and lion-hearted silliness; the triumph of sisterly love over anything that boys have to offer; and yes, even those songs. And the stage production has even more! Though they're unlikely to turn into hits, the extra songs are also penned by the original songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. These also serve to fill in a stronger backstory for the family, and let us dwell a little more in some of the moments between the sisters before the ice takes over.
There's also one absurd new song, about the concept of "hygge," that stars the mountain shopkeeper. One theater insider friend assured me that this, the "plotless" act two opening number, is a musical theater tradition.
Details: Remaining performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown. $42.50+.
Find more arts events, or submit your own, at the KPBS/Arts Calendar. And be sure to sign up for my weekly KPBS/Arts newsletter.
