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Chad Goodman, conductor San Diego Symphony Orchestra NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: “Flight of the Bumblebee” from 1"Tale of the Tsar Saltan" GIOACHINO ROSSINI: Overture to "William Tell" FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN: "Allegro spiritoso" from Symphony No. 83 in G minor, "The Hen" DMITRI KABALEVSKY: "Galop" from "The Comedians," Op. 26 FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN: "Vivace" from Symphony No. 82 in C Major, "The Bear" CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS: "Carnival of the Animals" Get ready for a musical safari! From buzzing bumblebees and clucking hens to proud lions, hopping kangaroos, and graceful swans, the San Diego Symphony brings the animal kingdom to life through color, rhythm, and imagination. Families will hear how music paints pictures – how strings can flutter like wings, how pianos can trot like donkeys, and how melodies can dive, leap, strut, and soar. Join us for hands-on activities, animal-themed crafts, and a joyful orchestra adventure where every creature has a musical voice, and every family belongs in the wonder of live music. San Diego Symphony on Facebook / Instagram

Friday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. Edward Gardner, conductor Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano MENDELSSOHN: "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage," Op. 27 TCHAIKOVSKY: "The Tempest Fantasy-Overture," Op. 18 RAVEL: "Shéhérazade" DEBUSSY: "La mer" British conductor Edward Gardner leads a vivid, ocean themed program exploring humanity’s eternal fascination with the sea – its stillness, storms, and mystery. Mendelssohn’s youthful concert overture "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage," inspired by Goethe’s poem, captures the peril of a ship becalmed with no wind to move it – an image of both physical and spiritual stagnation. A breath of air stirs, the sails fill, and the music surges with joyful momentum toward open waters. Tchaikovsky’s "The Tempest," after Shakespeare, transforms Prospero’s magical island into a world of tempest and tenderness, combining tempestuous storms with luminous love music for Miranda and Ferdinand before peace is restored. Ravel’s sumptuous "Shéhérazade," based on orientalist poems, evokes exotic voyages and sensual dreamscapes through glowing orchestral color and the voice’s seductive allure. Debussy’s "La mer," perhaps the most famous musical portrait of the sea, closes the program. Its three movements – "From Dawn to Noon on the Sea," "Play of the Waves," and "Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea" – trace the ocean’s transformations from calm to tempest and serenity again. For Debussy, the sea becomes both natural and human – vast, unpredictable, and deeply emotional. San Diego Symphony on Facebook / Instagram

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. Bernard Labadie, conductor Benedetto Lupo, piano MOZART: "Chaconne" from Idomeneo MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488 MOZART: Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551, “Jupiter” An evening devoted to Mozart, led by renowned 18th century specialist Bernard Labadie, celebrates the composer’s genius for drama, beauty, and invention. The concert opens with the ballet music from Idomeneo, Mozart’s first mature opera, written at age 24 for a grand Munich celebration. Its Chaconne – composed in a creative burst just before the premiere – combines elegance and vitality, recalling the glittering court ballets of Versailles. Benedetto Lupo performs the Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, completed in 1786 alongside "The Marriage of Figaro." Often described as Mozart’s most perfect concerto, it blends radiant lyricism with delicate melancholy, sunlight touched by shadow. Both works capture his uncanny gift for expressing the full range of human emotion through music of clarity and grace. The concert concludes with Symphony No. 41 in C Major, “Jupiter,” Mozart’s final symphony and one of the greatest achievements in Western music. Composed – alongside two companion works – in the miraculous summer of 1788, it unites brilliance and grandeur in a dazzling finale of contrapuntal mastery that anticipates Beethoven while recalling Bach. Together, these pieces reveal Mozart at his height: a composer of boundless imagination and emotional truth whose music continues to astonish with its vitality, balance, and transcendence. San Diego Symphony on Facebook / Instagram

Saturday, 10 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. Tap, shake, rattle and roll! This interactive, sensory-friendly concert invites little listeners to explore the rhythms of drums, shakers, tambourines and chimes. Children will hear how music can count, bounce, whisper and roar – all starting with a familiar nursery rhyme. Designed especially for ages 0–5, this experience welcomes wiggles, claps and joyful noise. A magical first step into the world of percussion. These 30-minute interactive concerts are sensory-friendly and designed with little ones in mind. Sing-alongs, rhymes, dances and musical games will engage your child while introducing them to the instruments of the orchestra. San Diego Symphony on Facebook / Instagram

Experience an Unforgettable Evening with Leslie Odom, Jr. Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning artist Leslie Odom, Jr. brings his extraordinary voice, magnetic stage presence, and genre-spanning artistry to the stage for an evening of music that is soulful, sophisticated, and deeply moving. This captivating concert features selections from the American Songbook, reimagined pop favorites, and beloved musical theater classics – including special performances of songs from "Hamilton," the Broadway phenomenon that earned Odom a Tony Award for his iconic portrayal of Aaron Burr. With his signature charm, stunning vocals, and heartfelt storytelling, Leslie Odom, Jr. creates a live experience that is intimate, inspiring, and unforgettable. Join us for a night of timeless music, powerful emotion, and the unmatched artistry of one of today’s most celebrated performers. Please note: The San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this concert. Leslie Odom, Jr. on Facebook / Instagram

Michelle Di Russo, conductor San Diego Symphony Orchestra LI HUANZHI: Spring Festival Overture CLAUDE DEBUSSY(orch. ARTHUR LUCK): Clair de lune LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: "Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arrival in the Country" from Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68, "Pastorale" DAI WEI: Awakening Lion VIET CUONG: Across the Bridge AN-LUN HUANG: Saibei Dance Celebrate the Lunar New Year with the San Diego Symphony in a joyful concert filled with color, rhythm, and new beginnings. You’ll hear festive dances, the peaceful glow of Clair de lune, and the playful spirit of the Spring Festival Overture. This program blends tradition, imagination, and music that rings in The Year of the Goat! Come early for hands-on crafts, cultural activities, and family photo spots that make this celebration a Symphony tradition for all. San Diego Symphony on Facebook/Instagram

Gilbert Castellanos and a lineup of stellar jazz musicians will play Billie Holiday’s "All or Nothing at All," paying homage to “Lady Day’s” sound. Released in 1958, "All of Nothing at All" is made up of 12 songs previously recorded in 1956 and 1957. The album has some of her most well-known songs, including “April in Paris”, “Cheek to Cheek”, and "Our Love Is Here to Stay". A perfect concert to celebrate Valentine’s Day with your special someone. Please note: The San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this Jazz @ The Jacobs concert.

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. Matthias Pintscher, conductor Blake Pouliot, violin PINTSCHER: "Assonanza" for Violin and Chamber Orchestra RAVEL: Tzigane, "rapsodie de concert" for Violin and Orchestra COPLAND: Symphony No. 3 German-born conductor and composer Matthias Pintscher returns to the San Diego Symphony with a program of striking contrasts – opening with his own shimmering "Assonanza" and closing with Aaron Copland’s monumental Symphony No. 3, the most iconic American symphony ever written. Pintscher, who has lived in the United States for nearly two decades, is celebrated for music of luminous texture and refined color. Assonanza – the Italian term for assonance – plays with echoes and patterns of sound, much as poets shape rhymes and rhythms that linger on the ear. Originally written for solo violin, the piece evolved into a miniature concerto in which the orchestra serves as an echo chamber, reflecting and transforming the violin’s phrases. Canadian soloist Blake Pouliot brings its intricate brilliance to life. Ravel’s sparkling Tzigane, inspired by the Hungarian Jewish violinist Jelly d’Arányi, follows – a virtuosic homage to the Romani violin tradition that enchanted European audiences in the 1920s. The program concludes with Copland’s Symphony No. 3, written at the close of World War II. Majestic, optimistic, and quintessentially American, it weaves noble lyricism with the triumphant “Fanfare for the Common Man,” affirming a nation’s spirit at peace. San Diego Symphony on Facebook / Instagram

Friday, 11 a.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Andreas Ottensamer, conductor Julie Phillips, harp RAVEL: "Rigaudon" from "Le Tombeau de Couperin" ROTA: Concerto for Harp SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 Immerse yourself in an evening of luminous melodies and emotional depth as the orchestra presents a program that celebrates elegance, imagination, and resilience. The concert opens with Maurice Ravel’s “Rigaudon” from "Le Tombeau de Couperin," a brilliant tribute to 18th century French dance. Its crisp rhythms and buoyant energy capture Ravel’s unmatched craftsmanship and grace. The mood turns tender and poetic with Nino Rota’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra, performed by our own Julie Phillips, a rarely heard gem by the beloved composer of film scores such as The Godfather. In this work, Rota’s distinctive lyricism and cinematic color take center stage, as the solo harp shimmers over a tapestry of orchestral warmth – by turns playful, nostalgic, and dreamlike. The evening concludes with the monumental Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovich. Written under intense political scrutiny, the symphony moves through haunting introspection, defiant struggle, and ultimately, a cathartic triumph. It remains one of the most powerful and emotionally charged works of the 20th century – an unforgettable testament to music’s ability to speak truth and transcend hardship. San Diego Symphony on Facebook / Instagram

METALLICA IS COMING TO SAN DIEGO! Metallica’s legendary M72 World Tour is coming to Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on Thursday, May 13, 2027, and they’re bringing Limp Bizkit and Avatar along for an unforgettable night of live rock. After nearly a decade away from San Diego, Metallica is returning to the city for what promises to be a massive stadium show packed with iconic songs, huge production, and the unmistakable energy of a Metallica concert. Ticket resales begin Monday, September 21 at 10 AM PDT Tickets officially go on sale Friday, September 25. Get ready, San Diego because Metallica is back! Metallica on Facebook/Instagram