S1: It's time for KPBS Midday Edition on today's show. We're talking about the arts and culture shaping San Diego. I'm Jade Hindman with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. Tijuana's opera company , La Opera de Tijuana , turns 25.
S2: You can feel the tension. You can feel the release. You can feel the joy. You can feel the anger. You can feel that in the music. We're just parts that just complement that music.
S1: Hear how they're celebrating. Then Christopher Ashley reflects back on his tenure as La Jolla Playhouse artistic director. Plus your weekend preview. That's ahead on Midday Edition. Can you hear it ? Well , you're listening to the powerful voices behind Tijuana's opera company , La Opera de Tijuana. This year , they're celebrating 25 years of music and community.
S3: Life and loving God.
S1: This Friday , they'll be taking part in a free community performance at the Casa de Cultura in Playas de Tijuana. And this October , they'll be performing the one act opera Cavalleria Rusticana. Joining me to talk about it is artistic director Jose Medina. He helped found the opera in 2000. Welcome , Jose.
S4: Thank you. Thank you for having us.
S1: So great to have you here. also Gerardo Gaitan. He's a tenor in the opera. Gerardo , welcome.
S5: Thank you so much. Thank you for having us. And hello to everybody.
S1: Well , we're so glad to have you both here. Jose , you co-founded the opera 25 years ago.
S4: So on in the year 2000 , we decided to do something more , you know , a step or two forward. And thanks to many people like the government and the cultural Center , even San Diego Opera cooperated with us. And we did our first , our first performances at the Cultural Center , which was Boheme and Elixir of Love. And that was the beginning of this very , very long experience with you. It's been a roller coaster. But but you know , something that brings to Tijuana Something special that I think Tijuana needed so much. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S4: So we're happy to to say now that after 25 years , we're here. We're still here.
S1: That's excellent. Gerardo.
S5: Afterwards I was introduced to opera and I just fell in love with it , uh , you know , and Opera Tijuana , I was I was born in Tijuana. Tijuana , you know , it's my city and I my love for it is is is immense. So when , when I was invited for the first time to sing with Opera Tijuana , I was honored and enjoyed. You know , so , so much joy for me to actually give back to my city the talent that I was , you know , that that I was got. It was God given. And to be able to share that with my town , my city was just a joy. So it started later in life. But once I heard and it started singing opera , I just fell in love with it and it and it's taken me to , you know , all places all around the world. And I'm just so blessed to to have sing opera.
S1: That's great. Well , you know , you kind of you're kind of like an opera superhero because you're a lawyer by day , a tenor by night.
S5: And , you know , at the end of the day , it's it's all about passion. And it's it's all about what brings your heart , you know , for me is once I started again falling in love with opera. And not only that , then singing a full opera with all these moving parts , with all this dedicated chorus with , you know , with an amazing orchestra. It you. You just can't feel more energy on stage than when you do in a full opera. So for me , I would I would sacrifice any time that I can. In order for me to to chase that and be able to do that and do it correctly , how it's meant to be and how it's supposed to be. And opera , the Tijuana is actually you know , they've been so , you know , such strong advocates for taking classical music into Tijuana and being able to do productions the right way. You know that that anytime I'm invited to sing with them , I'm more than happy to do so. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Jose , I'm curious to know what's unique about performing opera in Tijuana.
S4: Well , actually , uh , I was born and raised in Tijuana , too , and my all my father's family were musicians. I started with being a pianist , and I went to school. Music school. I finished piano , I said to my father , I want to see and I want to. I want to be an opera singer. And see ? You're crazy. You're a pianist ? No. And he got into me. So I got to do a nice career in the 90s. So I came back to Tijuana , and I thought that it's something that I could inject to the city somehow. You know , we already had some great talents , like Marco La Bastida , Monica Abrego and Armando Pescara , the conductor. So I got together with them and and then later on Teresa. So we did this company , and I think it's been a great surprise how people. Geraldo was talking about passion. That's why that's the word. It's a it's a passion once you're getting involved into it. So that's what what are we trying to do in the city ? The the years go by and the audiences come more interested and more. I love to to hear them talk about certain titles and certain stories of of of opera. So anyway. And of course , Placido Domingo , Carreras , Pavarotti , Sarah Brightman , Andrea Bocelli helps that a lot because they they make this a little more popular and accessible to the audiences. So anyway , that's that's the story.
S1: Well , because I was going to ask , I mean , you know , it sounds like each year there's there's more exposure and more interest in it. But I also imagine there's been plenty of challenges to keep the opera going all these years.
S4: You know the the fundraising , uh , sometimes to put certain things that are interesting in , um , that that's , that's the , that's the , the most difficult thing because it's a , a manifestation of art that is so full of , you know , people. Orchestra , chorus. Soloist , the supernumerary and in , you know , scenery and lighting. So the fans are being tough. But , you know , some some seasons we're really fortunate to have wonderful sponsors and people who cooperate with us. And so that's the challenge. The the money as always.
S1: That's everything. Right. And Gerardo , just like in terms of keeping the audience engaged and wanting to participate.
S5: Right ? There's , there's there's this idea that opera is , is fancy and and it's , it's only for , for the very rich or very wealthy people. But you know , it obviously it's not you know , it's it's it's meant to be for everybody. It's meant for me. For. For the world. And you know. That's one of the missions. And that's one of the very big accomplishment. Accomplishments that Tijuana has done. Uh , you know , and and that that words is like , no , it's for the people. And here it is , you know , their their advocacy and their their efforts to bring it to everybody is just so evident. You can see it in their , you know , their great , uh , esta festival de la opera in la casa , which means , you know , in the streets , there's a festival in opera , and they do it every year. And , and it's a free , free show. Everybody is able to come in and come and go. And not only that , but , you know , they can they can taste , you know , great beverages or great , great meals and still enjoy opera at the same time. And so that's one of their main events. Then , uh , you know , they're able to do also these small events in smaller parts of the city of Tijuana was this outreach program where it's taken to all corners of Tijuana , and they're exposed to this classical music , opera music , and it's beautiful. So I think that's the big the biggest thing for everybody to see. It's for everybody. It's not about being , you know , just for the rich or just for the wealthy. It's meant to be shared for everybody. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , Jose , so all of that said , you all are turning 25 this year. It's your 25th anniversary celebration for the opera.
S4: Because before Cavalleria is a short opera , it's a one act opera. It lasts one hour and 15 minutes. But before that , we're doing some kind of a fair and An Italian verbena so people can come and enjoy like they do at the Festival de opera and have some Italian restaurants that are exposing them. They're their foods and , you know , have some drinks and they come and see the opera. And , um , implies that iguana the 4th of October , we're doing that with a magnificent. I , I can , I can I mean , it's difficult for me to say how proud I am of this cast because they're all Baja Californians. People who started here then went out of out many places in the world in very important theaters like Geraldo and , uh , and they come to Tijuana and collaborate with us to do it. So this is a very special occasion , a very special occasion , not just for for the people who who makes this , but for the for the audience who follows. And you people , wonderful people , that gives us this time to promote culture in Tijuana , which is a is needed.
S1: Well , Gerardo , you'll be playing one of the leads in that opera in October. Tell me about your role in that. Absolutely.
S5: Absolutely. Toledo , which is the main tenor in that opera. You know , his his this character is just so full of dynamics because he , you know , unfortunately , he's actually being unfaithful to his not , not wife at that point. But , you know , he's being unfaithful to his partner. Um , but , you know , there's. This.
S2: This.
S5: There's there's.
S2: Always this energy.
S5: Between him. Being.
S2: Being.
S5: Caught and then him being denying the fact that he's he's actually cheating on her. And then , uh , but he's also torn because he loves this person. He , he he actually does feel this connection with this person that even though he , she , he's cheating on her , but he still feels this connection with her. So he it's it's this struggle that he's going back and forth , back and forth. But you see that energy on stage and you see that that pull between him and Santuzza. Um , you know , between the saying like , no , no , no , no , you're you're wrong , you know , and , and , and you feel that energy and you feel it in the music. That's the beauty of opera. Because ultimately us as as opera singers , we do our part. But the reality is the composers just write it in the music. You can feel the tension , you can feel the release. You can feel the joy. You can feel the the anger. You can feel that in the music , we're just parts that just complement that music and , and , you know , be able to portray it so that when you're in the audience you'll see like , oh yeah , you know , he's he's mad. For example , my , you know , my my character in many times he gets upset trying to deny he's cheating even though , you know , the audience has already known that he's he's really cheating on her. So , so it's I mean , I think it's it's one of the , you know , one of the few times. Well , not a few times a tenor in most of the operas , he's always the , the guy that who's cheating and he's , he's , you know , he's the macho guy. So , I mean , I think we get away with it on stage , and that's the only point we can actually get away with anything like that. So. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , you know , I don't know if if a lot of people , like , realize the kind of training and effort that goes into playing a part like that. So , I mean , how are you preparing for that ? Absolutely.
S5: You know , you really have to get into it. And , you know , it's it's it's a lot about also who's who's there on stage with you. Um , you know , you you have to be able to create that chemistry , you have to be able to create that tension on stage for it to be believable for the people that are watching it. You really can't , um , fake it. So it takes a lot and it has to be a team effort. It has to be everybody on stage. As Jose mentioned , you know , we have a great cast. If the if the cast is dedicated to it and they make it real , they make it feel real. We make sure that the audience is going to believe it , and they're going to feel it. And and they're going to go home and say , oh , wow , you know , that I really felt it. And for us as opera singers , I think the best , the , the , the best compliment I could have is they would say like , oh , you know , you made my , my , my , my skin , you know , curl or you made me feel something that is , is God given. And because ultimately that's what we want. We want to give you an emotion that you will take home with you and say like , oh , I enjoyed that because it's it's something different. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S4: That's that's the the the biggest one. But next to that , I think to have the funds to have , um , a regular season , you know , a regular season with 2 or 3 , 2 or 3 titles besides the festival on the street. And that would be the next one. But it's , it's we're getting there , I think with little by little is being slow , especially with the changing of governments and ideas about culture. But I think it's getting there because people is getting more convinced , uh , that this is this is bringing something positive to to the audiences in Tijuana. So that's those are the dreams of the company. I wanted to mention about the cast , uh , again , because in , you know , Norma Navarette , who's doing Santuzza , a fabulous soprano a and Javier Carrillo's doing the baritone. And I work with them since they were , you know , very , very young when they started. So I'm so , so proud of them , too. In Anna , Laura Rojas or Samantha Garcia , who are doing the other leading ladies. Everyone I know I directed a Gerardo in I remember in a suite of IL trovatore. It was so much fun in Pagliacci. And I've seen him , you know , performing all over. And my God , I'm I'm I'm the like. Like the grandpa. Now , I used to be like like like the father. Now I'm the grandfather. That makes us so happy. And convinced people. You know , it really reassured that , uh , this is going in the right direction. That's what. That's what I wanted to say. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , you know , Gerardo , I , um , I don't know if you're warmed up , but I gotta ask if you'll give us. You.
S4: You. Know.
S1: Know. If you stay ready , that's great.
S5: There's always going to be like , hey , can you sing something for us ? So. So don't. Don't worry , don't worry. I'm used to it. You know , I definitely am. I'm always warmed up and I'm always ready to sing , so I may I may not sing something from from Cavalleria. It's just. It's just , um. It's. I wouldn't do it.
S1: Just whatever's on your heart to sing.
S5: Because of the music. But , you know , something popular , which , obviously , I'm sure every listener , you know , has heard , you know , at least once or twice , but , you know , something like , oh , surely , mio , everybody loves us , so let me know. And so , yeah , more than happy to are you ? Can I just I'm ready. Start singing. All right. Good.
S6: Good. But I close on or not. I saw Nadia Sorana on a tempesta Bologna fresca para Gianna Festa cabella Gonzales and I , you know , I saw.
S1: Oh , my gosh , that was so wonderful. We appreciate it.
S4: Unbelievable voice. My voice.
S7: Is alive. If it got cut off. But. Yeah.
S1: Hey , we. We heard enough to know that it was absolutely beautiful. And what a treat for our listeners. Okay , great. Oh my goodness. Well , I've been speaking with Jose Medina , artistic director of La Opera de Tijuana. Jose , thank you so much.
S4: Thank you so much for having us again. And what can I say ? Come and see us. You'll enjoy on the 4th of October. Cavalleria rusticana.
S1: Sounds like a great time. Also Gerardo Gaitan , he's a tenor in opera de Tijuana. Gerardo , thank you so much.
S5: Thank you for having us. And yes , please come and see us October 4th.
S1: Coming up , Christopher Ashley reflects back on his tenure as La Jolla Playhouse's artistic director.
S8: I think everybody here takes really seriously the idea of creating a safe harbor for artists to do their very best and boldest work , and to feel really like the that the the Playhouse has. Yeah.
S1: We'll also discuss his world premiere musical , The Heart. Welcome back to Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. La Jolla Playhouse has extended the run of the heart to September 28th. The world premiere musical is the project of the Playhouse's artistic director , Christopher Ashley , who will be taking on the role of artistic director at New York's Roundabout Theatre Company next year. KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando spoke to Ashley about the heart and his tenure at the Playhouse.
S9: Chris , you are about to present a new play , The Heart. And literally , we have a heart as a character.
S8: Yes , this is a world premiere musical which takes place during 24 hours in the life of a heart and all the characters and people who touch it and are impacted by it in that day.
S9: What were your first thoughts about this.
S10:
S8: Like most world premiere musicals , I would say most of them take 10 or 15 years to to reach their first production. But we started out the two composers in an an , and I started out about a decade ago working on a musical about a heart transplant based on different source material kind of underlying story , and that didn't quite come into focus. So when our book writer Kate Kerrigan came on board , she found a French novel called Mend the Living , or sometimes translated as The Heart , about a transplant. And it's this beautiful , warm , deep , extraordinary , moody , electric story about 24 hours in the life of a heart. So we found , once we found the source material , then the musical has come into focus over the last five years or so.
S9: So what was the.
S10:
S8: But there's also something about like the idea of when someone's been injured , the generosity of donating your organs so that other people can have further and better lives. That seems like it. So many people have experience with that in their family. And there's something about , for this moment , pondering the question of what do we owe each other and how do we take care of each other , even people we've never met ? It's a great moment to tell a story about about taking care of each other.
S9: And so how does this translate to the.
S10:
S8: So it's a completely electronic score. If you're a fan of EDM. This is the show for you. And it's a score that's made up of the sounds of the hospital , of the sounds of the club , where the young surfer who's injured his girlfriend works as a DJ.
S11: Your heart beats well , I'd say it's kind of fast right now. Most people are really like 65 or 70 , but you're 60.
S12: And this beat is 120. VPN don't blow your heart rate.
S8: The sounds of the ocean. It's really where it starts with catching the first , surfing the first wave of the day , and the sounds of the human heart. So it's this very unexpected set of sounds that come together to make this score. And amazing. Designers , including video designer , have created this kind of world where you're in hospitals , you're kind of pivoting on a dime. You can go anywhere in the course of this production , but the whole thing happens sort of in dipping in and out of the experience of the heart itself.
S13: You don't stop with the wound. Stay with him with a single stay on top , and it's all in the way that you learn how to flow through the carnage and the chaos of the stop. Lets go. Keep up , don't stop , keep up. See your time.
S8: So sometimes you're inside the human body. Sometimes you're surfing. Sometimes you're in the hospital. Very exciting to stage because you sort of look at the script and say , how would you stage that ? But I have a great partner , Mandy Moore , choreographer , who is just an incredible , innovative , interesting creator of stage picture and really unexpected movement.
S9: And so in terms of following this heart , are you following characters that are interacting with it or how does that play out ? Yeah.
S8: So it's one day , it's 24 hours and there's nine cast members who play 30 or 40 different characters. So you basically meet almost anybody who is impacted by that heart that day.
S9: And if you only have nine actors , then you're going to be doubling up people.
S8: I mean , the authors have created nine kind of arcs through the show that are kind of the accumulation of all the different people that they play. And it's also because it's sort of based on a novel. They also sort of tell us the story. So when the show starts , nine actors come out and begin to narrate it for us , and then it kind of activates and they sort of step into the story.
S9: So does this have a little bit of the feel of like La Ronde , where you're like following something in a circle or kind of going around.
S8: There certainly is some aspects of circular ness like that , that , like that , that idea. But definitely it's got a time clock on it.
S14: 7 a.m.. shift. Change the handoff. Then I go to bed. I'm not late. I'm not , like 704. My mom wouldn't get off the phone. Huddle up. Good morning everyone. 19 year old male. A car accident near Tourmaline Beach. Unconscious on arrival.
S13: Here's the details. It is precision.
S14: Vitals , blood pressure and heart rate are stabilized.
S13: It's the weight of each decision.
S14: Have the parents been contacted ? Not yet. Cordelia. Right away.
S8: We have to get this this transplant accomplished in a given amount of time. So the pressure on the parents to decide whether or not to donate their son's organs. Literally moments after they discover that he's in a coma. The whole thing is under the pressure of that clock , which is great for a musical , really. It really , like organizes the time in a beautiful , beautiful way. And then you also , because we only meet Simon in the very , very first scene after that. Simon the young surfer is really a memory of all the different people who who knew him. So you kind of dip in and out of his mother's memory and his father's memories of him and his girlfriend , and it ends up being , I think , a surprisingly hopeful story because it sort of ends with new life.
S9: Now , you were talking about the music and that there's like electronic music. Normally that's not something what you think of as driving a theatrical musical.
S8: Who's cueing the whole thing together with the actors. So you can sort of see the the cueing and the sequencing of it happen in front of you. It's the theatrical work of the show is very exposed , and it's sort of part of , I think , the fun and the interest of it.
S12: You're my heart.
S15: You're my.
S16: Son's heart.
S17: Here are Simon's things. The final cerebral angiogram will take place in two hours. Take some time to think about it.
S16: Time is ticking. Where will they last ? Start by sinking. Quicksand.
S8: Most musicals start on a piano. Write that in rehearsals. You're a piano player who's doing it , and then you bring in a band later and you add all the orchestrations. This one. We've had the entire depth and complication of the music with us in every moment of rehearsal , which really allows you to stage very specifically to what the music is doing , like where there's a specific exciting sound or where it kind of gentles out. All of that is very worked into the choreography in a way that's been really , really exciting and gratifying to work with.
S18: Juliette , Juliette , this work.
S9: And you mentioned that you've been working on this for a long time , but this is now turning out to be your penultimate play here at the La Jolla Playhouse.
S8: Um , the last two shows at the Playhouse are new musicals that's feeling great , and there's nowhere more fun to direct a new musical than La Jolla Playhouse. Just the staff is so incredible here. They take such extraordinary care of the artists who come to work here. But also , I'm incredibly nostalgic right now. I just like I've been here for at the Playhouse for 18 years and , you know , it's an amazing theater town , San Diego. It's an amazing organization , the Playhouse , and it's very hard to leave.
S9: And we're sitting here in the library , which has on its wall a statement that says Safe Harbor for the unsafe and surprising is that one of the things that you're kind of feeling nostalgic about or close to.
S8: Yeah , I love that that part of the mission statement actually love our whole mission statement. But definitely the I think everybody here takes really seriously the idea of creating a safe harbor for artists to do their very best and boldest work , and to feel really like the that the the Playhouse has. Yeah. Like we're , we're going to we're a place where what you will provide everything that we can that you need and create the best , most supportive , boldest environment possible.
S9:
S8: Um , it has this electronic score that I've never heard before. There's no villain in it except for maybe mortality. Um , there's no lead character. All nine nine actors play powerful parts of an ensemble. So you're really watching humanity play out instead of just following the the life of one lead character ? It's 80 minutes , so it is a high energy straight shot through. And there's something about it that feels very human , very emotional and super modern.
S9:
S8:
S9: And talk a little bit about the collaboration you had with the writers.
S8: Early days , it was like , oh , we think we knew what the main five characters are , and we wrote it in a more conventional way. And all of that started to seem kind of beside the point. Like the musical kept telling us , don't use the old rules. Try to find new ones that suit this exact story. So what we kept finding is we needed to cut away any story that didn't directly attach to the heart and sort of the life of that heart in these 24 hours. It's also everybody is a perfectionist , so there's nothing in that show that hasn't been kind of questioned , tested. A lot has been thrown out in the last four weeks. I think we've cut two songs and added two totally new ones. So it's really gone through substantial changes in this rehearsal process. Also , the actors , the company of actors are such a great part of the discovery of it. Yeah.
S18: Yeah. Yeah.
S8: Yeah. This company has been so pivotal in discovering this piece. 5 or 6 of the nine have been with it through many , many readings. They just every time they ask a question , it opens a door to some great new possibility. They're super smart. They're deeply invested in their characters , and they've been a great part of this process.
S9: Because this is following the heart. It sounds like it's a medical thing , you know , like it's it has this very realistic sort of angle to it.
S8: We've been really trying to get that right. We have amazing doctors and nurses and medical consultants who have , you know , tried to keep us on a path connected to what actually happens in transplant medicine. But also , yeah , the whole thing has a kind of theatrical ness and imaginative quality. The play happens in a 22 foot square of all the. The real time action. But there's a kind of waiting room around the sides where the rest of the cast watches the scenes that they're not in , and also where they kind of do bits of narration , kind of inspired by the novel about what's happening in the lives of these people.
S1: That was KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando , speaking with La Jolla Playhouse artistic director Christopher Ashley. The world premiere musical The Heart , which Ashley directed , will be playing until September 28th. Still to come , Julia Dixon Evans joins us with your weekend preview. KPBS Midday Edition is back after the break. Hey , thanks for sticking with KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. this weekend you can find art about civic gardens , jazz , queer comedy and more. Joining me with all the details is KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest podcast , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , welcome.
S19: Hey , Jade. Thanks for having me.
S1: You know , it's always great to have you here. Okay , so a dual exhibit opens in La Jolla , which explores public art and civic gardens.
S19: I think of it as like really this community thing as well as nature.
S1: Oh very nice. Okay. So.
S19: It's called visions for Civic Gardens. And it's going to be at Two Rooms Gallery , which is an independent art space in La Jolla. Um , the artists are Esteban Cabeza de Vaca , who was born in San Isidro , and Heidi Howard. And so the pieces in this exhibit are intended to reimagine public spaces and then landscape , specifically in San Diego from the past and the current day. And they're going to be using portraits , landscape paintings and sculpture to kind of like , spin on these ideas of civic gardens. And I did read that they're both inspired by Nikki Samuel , one of the great public artists of San Diego. So that's cool. And there's an artist talk at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Museum of Contemporary Art , San Diego. It's nearby. And then after that , the reception starts at two rooms at 7 p.m. this is on Friday , and then the exhibit will be up through October 4th.
S1: Also in visual art , the Chicano Park Museum opens a new exhibit this week to celebrate a pioneering Chicano artist , Ramses Noriega. What do you know ? Yeah.
S19: So it's called Fragmenta del barrio. And it opens Friday with a reception from 5 to 8. And Ramses Noriega is such a prominent voice from the Chicano art movement. Um , he has a history of involvement in activism , art and scholarship , kind of stretching all the way back to the 1960s and 1970s. And this exhibit is a great chance to see work from his entire career and learn more about the Chicano art movements , which is founded on resistance and a fight for equality. So it's the 60 year retrospective of his work. There's paintings , political posters , and more. And if you can't make the opening , it'll be up through February.
S1: All right , well , one more artist exhibit at the Free Timken Museum in Balboa Park. What's on view there ? Yeah.
S19: So this is the. It's actually a culmination of an artist residency from Marisol Rendon. She was there studying some of the artworks there in the Tomkins collection and and working on her own works , and she was focusing on this portrayal of what she's referring to as glory. The Timken has a ton of devotional images. There's a lot of halos at the Timken , and she used this kind of this process of mezzotint , which it's this really intricate printmaking process. You start with copper and then this rocking tool that goes back and forth over and over and over again to etch into the copper. And then you apply ink into the scratches and make your print. And these works that she has made are just , they're really beautiful. They're really stunning. And I just love the whole process of it. This was supposed to actually be the closing weekend , but they are extending it through September and the Timken is free , always free and open 10 to 5 Wednesdays through Sundays.
S1: Wow , really does sound like some beautiful artwork there. Okay , there's also a variety show at New Village Arts on Sunday called Serving Laughs. So tell us about this event.
S19: So this is a showcase of some San Diegan queer performers. There's stand up comedy with Taylor Spencer. There's improv performances from drag Grace improv. So they'll have sketch comedy , drag performances and more. And I really love that we're seeing a lot more of these variety shows. It's great to see creatives come together to put on a show , and I love that we're seeing more of it at these theatre spaces. They're leading the charge with with this kind of like bringing the community together. And this is 7:00 on Sunday at New Village Arts in Carlsbad. Lovely.
S1: Lovely. All right. And the Barona Band of Mission Indians will hold their 53rd annual Verona Powwow this weekend. Tell me about that. Yeah.
S19: Yeah. So the annual powwow , it's a three day event. They're holding it at the Barona Resort and Casino there. Sports complex there. This is in Lakeside and it features Native American dance. There's hand drumming , contests , music , singing , food. One of the things that they mentioned on social media is an Indian fry bread taco , which sounds really interesting. And they also have a market with art and handmade jewelry. It all kicks off on Friday with gourd dancing and then a grand entry of other dancers. This all begins at 6 p.m. Friday , and then it runs every day , ending 11:00 on Sunday. And it's all free with free parking.
S1: All right , well , let's switch gears to music. A couple of great jazz suggestions , starting with jazz at the Creek. Yeah.
S19: Yeah. So this is the 14th annual jazz at the Creek Festival. It's two days of jazz , soul , R&B , gospel , and this is all performed at the lawn at the Educational Cultural Complex in Mountain View and on Saturday. Performers will include an R&B tribute act , Dirty Rice , featuring Darren. Also Daryl William , David , P Stevens and Arissa Nicole. And then on Sunday , saxophonist Gerald Albright. Headlines. Rebecca Jade will perform the group Fire and Brittany Spaulding , and the festival runs from 1 to 7 each day. And right now they're even offering a buy one get one ticket option. So if you look fast , you may catch that.
S1: And the San Diego Tijuana Jazz Festival is in early October , but you can start celebrating now with the festival's pre-party concert. Good time there. Tell us about this performance. Yeah.
S19: Yeah. So this is a free concert. It's a courtyard , and it features Charlie Chavez , Yusuf Franco , and he's bringing his band to perform his his blend of Afro-Caribbean jazz and Latin soul music. And you'll also get a preview for some of the performances that you can find at the San Diego Tijuana Jazz Festival. It's going to be three days , three cities , two countries at courtyard downtown Escondido , California Center for the Arts and then also in Tijuana. And that is coming up October 2nd through fifth.
S1: On Friday , legendary local band the B-side Players will perform a free show in Escondido. They've been around for decades but just released new music this year , so let's listen to make it through.
S20: I believe the day will come. All the people live as one.
S1: That's new music from the B-side players.
S19: They're doing their Musica and the Plaza performances. They're free shows. They're outdoors at the Lyric Courtyard. And yeah , beside players , they were they first started in 1993 and they're still releasing new music. There are 10,000 of music. Is is coming out soon. And their sound is this blend of Rock , funk , Latin jazz , and hip hop. The show is a seven on Friday and general admission is free. First come , first served , but you can reserve bistro seating if you're willing to pay for a ticket. Those are just 30 bucks.
S1: All right. Well , the San Diego Symphony performs their annual end of summer tradition at the Shell on Saturday.
S19: But the Tchaikovsky pieces include some of his most famous compositions , including the overture from Romeo and Juliet , which you've definitely heard before. And then during the finale performance of their iconic 1812 overture , which is a piece that the symphony performs most years in this performance , they'll punctuate the piece at the end with fireworks above the shelf. This is Saturday at 730 and there are still lawn tickets available , which isn't always the case for big shows like that. The lawn seats tend to fill up , sell out fast , and this is also a good chance to just go down there without tickets to the Embarcadero area and kind of see what you can hear nearby. There's a public walking path that goes around the shell with some benches , so you can maybe find a spot to post up and see some fireworks.
S1: Sounds like a great time. You can find details on these and more arts events at our website , KPBS. Org. I've been speaking with KPBS arts reporter and host of the finest , Julia Dixon Evans. Julia. Thank you.
S19: Thank you. Jade.
S1: Thanks for joining us today. If you missed anything , you can download KPBS Midday Edition on all podcast apps. Don't forget to watch Evening Edition tonight at 5:00 for in-depth reporting on San Diego issues. Also , you can always share your feedback or segment ideas at midday at KPBS. Or give us a call. That number is 619520228. Before we go , I'd like to thank the Midday Edition team producers Ashley Rush , Juliana Domingo and Andrew Bracken , senior producer Brooke Ruth , art segment contributors Beth Accomando and Julia Dixon Evans. Our technical producer is Brandon Truffaut , and the midday edition theme music you hear is from San Diego's own surefire Soul ensemble. The roundtable is here tomorrow. I'm Jade Hindman. We'll talk again Monday , but until then , have a great day on purpose , everyone.
