Top picks
Tarrah Aroonsakool: 'Through The Maze'
For more arts events or to submit your own, visit the KPBS/Arts Calendar. If you want more time to plan, get the KPBS/Arts Newsletter in your inbox every Thursday to see event picks for the weeks ahead.
Visual art | San Diego artist Tarrah Aroonsakool will install an interactive, immersive maze in the Athenaeum Art Center space in Bread and Salt, using textiles and found objects woven and scrambled into a mass of nearly-sheer white tissue. It's a comment on assimilation among Asian Americans — with themes of interconnectedness, the American Dream, racism and more. Aroonsakool's work is beautiful, layered and rich with meaning and visual complexity. The exhibit's opening reception will be 5-8 p.m. next Saturday, Mar. 9, as part of the Barrio Art Crawl festivities at Bread and Salt, but the show officially opens this weekend.
Details: Event link. On view March 2 through May 3. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with extended hours every second Saturday. Athenaeum Art Center, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Free.
San Diego Theatre Month
Theater, Dance, Comedy, Music | The San Diego Performing Arts League launched what is now San Diego Theatre Month in 2016. It began as just a week, but now it lasts March 1-31, with discount tickets available for dozens of performances.
"We looked at this robust theater scene that San Diego has and thought, OK, how can we get more people to discover what's in their backyard," said Jay Henslee, board president for the San Diego Performing Arts League. "It really is a way to highlight that, and also to create accessibility, because we don't want the price of theater to be a hindrance for people to experience that magic of live performance."
Available shows include comedy at Mockingbird Improv and National Comedy Theatre; "Puffs" at San Diego Junior Theatre; "Clyde's" at Moxie Theatre; "How I Learned To Drive" by Backyard Renaissance Theatre; "Motown: The Groove That Changed America" at CCAE Theatricals; "Tartuffe" at North Coast Repertory Theatre; "An American in Paris" by City Ballet; "Disney's Aladdin" at Broadway San Diego (April dates); "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812" at Cygnet Theatre (April dates) and more.
Henslee said that the last four years have been rough for the performing arts, and the biggest "elephant in the room" is getting audiences back into performance halls and event spaces.
"There's something really special about live performance — and whether you're going to see ballet, you're going to see a stand-up comedian, or you're going to the theater, you can't replicate that experience of being there live," Henslee said.
San Diego Theatre Month discounts are available for certain shows by entering the provided discount code. Some shows are free, including select options at Mockingbird Improv and Coronado Theatre's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
Details: Performance dates, times and venues vary. Find the list of participating shows here, then use the code SDTM24 when checking out. $0-$45.
Daniel Hicks: 'Process/Material'
Visual art | Artist Daniel Hicks' work is sparse and architectural, with wall-hung works created as assemblages of found materials. The color palate in the series features light wood, white, and thin, linear pops of red and yellow. Geometric and sharp at first glance, a softness comes through in the grainy, blurred gray designs partially visible in the frames.
Details: Event link. Opens with a reception 4-9 p.m. Friday, March 1. On view through Mar. 30. Gallery hours are 12-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Thumbprint Gallery, 920 Kline St., La Jolla. Free.
Las Migas
Music, Dance | The all-female Latin quartet Las Migas formed in Barcelona in 2004. Since then, membership has changed throughout the years, but the essence of Las Migas is vibrant, skillful performances of rich, traditional flamenco sounds.
Performances combine Latin, flamenco and crossover pop elements in the music with dance — thanks to the talents of lead singer Carolina Fernández "La Chispa."
Details: Event link. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2. Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9500 Gilman Dr., UC San Diego. $33-$38.
Fallon Ballard: 'Right on Cue' Book Launch
Books, Romance | Southern California romance author Fallon Ballard is out with a new book, "Right on Cue," which is about a former actress faced with revisiting both her old career and the one man she credits with ruining it in the first place. Ballard will be joined at Meet Cute by author Susan Lee.
Details: Event link. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2. Meet Cute Bookshop, 4048 30th St., North Park. Free (RSVP suggested).
Greater San Diego Music Coterie: 'For Youth'
Music, Classical, Family | This performance features kid-friendly favorites like Kabalevsky's "Violin Concerto," Brahms' "Lullaby" and Ravel's "Mother Goose Suite." The Greater San Diego Music Coterie is an organization of several volunteer-based orchestra and choral groups, founded and directed by Dr. Angela Yeung.
Details: Event link. 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 3. St. Bart's Episcopal Church, 16275 Pomerado Rd., Poway. Free (donation-based).
Lauren Lee McCarthy: Bodily Autonomy and Graduate Open Studios
Visual art, Performance art | Artist Lauren Lee McCarthy's two-part installation explores ideas of biosurveillance in curious, unsettling ways. First is a performance video work that imagines a remote-controlled surrogate mother, and the second is a "saliva bar." My scrolling screeched to a halt when I first saw that title. It's a deeply thoughtful look at biological data privacy, and yes, it involves making saliva donations and exchanges. Read the FAQ here.
The exhibition opening coincides with the UC San Diego Graduate Open Studios, a short walk across campus.
Details: Event link. Reception is 2-6 p.m. Saturday, March 2. ("Saliva Bar" is activated by the artist from 2-4 p.m.) Mandeville Art Gallery, 9390 Mandeville Ln., UC San Diego. Free.
Live music picks
* indicates local act
Thursday: Arlo Parks and Chloe George at Observatory (indie/pop); Judy Collins at Belly Up (folk); The Rocket Summer and Hellogoodbye at Soda Bar (indie/emo); Kontravoid, Buzz Kull and more at Casbah (goth/industrial/darkwave); Sitting on Stacy*, Saint Luna* and Band of Gringos* at Music Box (alt/rock); City Soul Collective* at Til Two Club (soul/DJ).
Friday: Jer, Devon Kay and the Solutions, Suzie True and 12 Gauge Trixie* at Che Cafe (ska, rock); The Undercover Dream Lovers and Pink Skies at Soda Bar (indie, pop); Trash Panda and Early Eyes at Casbah (indie); Matte Blvck*, Snakes of Russia and more at Music Box (electronic/pop/dance); Les Lullies, Scary Pierre* and more at Til Two Club (rock/garage); The Ocean and The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, and Shy, Low at Brick by Brick (metal, emo).
Saturday: Zack Oakley* album release, Wild Wild Wets*, Fresh Veggies Micro Brass* and Operation Mindblow* at Casbah (rock); Kevin Devine and Mansions at Soda Bar (indie); The California Honeydrops at The Sound (soul/rock); FNGRS CRSSD at Music Box (EDM); Teenage Dads at House of Blues (indie); GrampaDrew's Flim Flam Revue* (local) at Whistle Stop (roots, Americana); Endo Sol*, The Macks, Pancho and the Wizards and Saguaro at Pour House (indie).
Sunday: Griffin House at House of Blues (singer/songwriter, folk); K Street Kreative Flood Recovery Benefit* at Casbah (rock); G. Love & Special Sauce and Jakobs Castle at Belly Up (alt/rock); The Macks, Cardboard Boxer*, Pancho and the Wizards and more at Soda Bar (rock/punk); FNGRS CRSSD at Music Box (EDM) (night two); Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real and Lily Meola at The Sound (country/alt/soul/Americana, pop); Public Memory and Chasms at Whistle Stop (trip-hop/pop/goth, electronic/dance).
More arts and culture events this weekend
'The Crow Show' | Visual art
The 10th annual "The Crow Show" is the result of a nationwide call for artistic creations of or relating to the simultaneously mythical, mysterious and mundane crow. Event link. On view Mar. 1-30. The Studio Door, 3867 4th Ave., Hillcrest. Free.
Lawrence Brownlee| Music
Tenor Lawrence Brownlee performs an extensive set of contemporary and classical vocal works at La Jolla Music Society in a co-production with San Diego Opera. Composers include Carlos Simon, Jasmine Barnes, Verdi, Marx and more. Event link. 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 2. The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $56+.
Le Salon de Musiques: 'Masterpieces by Grieg, Moszkowski' | Music, Classical
This intimate chamber music experience combines a musicologist lecture, a high tea buffet and a performance of small ensemble works: Moszkowski's "Suite for Two Violins and Piano in G," and Grieg's "String Quartet No. 1 in G Minor" and "Piano Concerto in A Minor." Event link. 4 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 3. La Jolla Woman's Club, 7791 Draper Ave., La Jolla. $45+.
Cardiff Farmer's Market First Anniversary: Ada Harris Wildcat Band | Music, Food, Family
The Ada Harris Wildcat Band sounds like an old-timey swing group, but — even better? — it's local 4th-6th graders playing band favorites. The wholesome crew will perform throughout the day to celebrate the first anniversary of the Cardiff Farmer's Market. Event link. MiraCosta College San Elijo Campus, 3333 Manchester Ave., Cardiff. Free.
First Sunday Concert with Peter Sprague Trio | Music, Jazz, Blues
This free performance features guitarist Peter Sprague, pianist Danny Green and bassist Mack Leighton performing jazz, pop, Latin, blues and more. Event link. 2 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 3. Encinitas Library. 540 Cornish Dr., Encinitas. Free.
Music Connects: East County | Music, Classical
The San Diego Symphony's free performance series travels to Sycuan Casino to perform works by Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, conducted by Norman Huynh. Note that the performance is on the Sycuan Casino campus, which is 21+. Event link. Heritage Event Center at Sycuan Casino, 5469 Casino Way, El Cajon. Free (RSVP required).
