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The Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival returns to San Diego June 18 to June 28, 2025. The annual summer festival is a highlight of the classical music calendar and the country’s largest gathering of concertmasters and principal players from the nation’s top orchestras. Under the baton of Maestro Michael Francis, who returns for his 11th year as music director and conductor, the 2025 festival features six, unique performances at two venues, The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center and the UC San Diego Epstein Family Amphitheater. The festival, the largest Mozart celebration in North America, opens with a must-hear performance of Mozart’s newly discovered Serenade in C Major. Featuring musicians from top U.S. orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra and more, Mainly Mozart’s All-Star Orchestra is the only orchestra of its kind in the country. At The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla, each concert will be preceded by new Mozart-themed pre-concert talks or mini-concerts at 6 p.m. in The JAI, which will be included in the base ticket price. At the UC San Diego Epstein Family Amphitheater, attendees will now be able to bring in their own food and (non-alcoholic) beverages. Guests are also welcome to bring their own picnic spreads, with new grass-seating areas, and picnic music provided by Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra ensembles throughout the venue. Time: All concerts start at 7 p.m. Where: June 21 and 28: Epstein Family Amphitheater | 9500 Gilman Dr, San Diego, CA 92093 June 18, 20, 24 and 26: The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center | 7600 Fay Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037 Cost: boxoffice@mainlymozart.org Single tickets for individual concerts at The Conrad range from $65-$149. Single tickets for individual concerts at Epstein Family Amphitheater range from $25 -$149. Ticket Link: https://www.mainlymozart.org/allstar Box office phone: (619) 955-8273 or boxoffice@mainlymozart.org Mainly Mozart on Facebook / Instagram

South Korean composer Unsuk Chin has spent most of her working life in Germany where, as a young artist in Berlin, she absorbed many of the acoustic enthusiasms of European modernists in the late 20th century while swiftly building a distinctive language of her own. Her cello concerto, widely described as a triumph at its first appearance many years ago, has been taken up by many cellists and most recently by our own Alisa Weilerstein. Weilerstein’s mastery of drama and plangent lyricism is the perfect match for Unsuk Chin’s defiant and expressive music. Bruckner is one of the greatest one-offs in the history of music. The heir to Schubert and Wagner (but to hardly any other of the great composers!), he had a deep influence on Gustav Mahler, who loved and admired him passionately. But perhaps his deepest roots lay in the folk-music of the Austrian countryside where he grew up, and in the church music of centuries ago. He himself was an organist and church musician of great distinction, but – more than that – a man of deep religious feelings, and his music vividly reflects that. The Seventh, one of his later symphonies, often makes the orchestra sound like a colossal organ in an ancient medieval church. Indeed, this symphony has often been described as nothing short of a cathedral in sound. It would be hard to imagine music better suited to exploring the deepest resonances of our beautiful new hall, especially under the baton of music director Rafael Payare. Visit: https://www.sandiegosymphony.org/performances/weilerstein-and-payare-perform-chin-and-bruckner/ San Diego Symphony on Instagram and Facebook

Ruth Reinhardt returns to lead the Symphony in two delightful works by two Czech masters: the Overture and "Three Dances" from Smetana’s folk-inspired romantic comedy, "The Bartered Bride" and Dvořák’s infectiously joyous "Symphony No. 8", which was conceived and written in the gorgeous green landscape of fields and woods around the small community where Dvořák had his country home. Having grown-up as a country boy in a largely agricultural community, the composer was passionate about the beauties of the rural world, taking pleasure especially in the rich variety of the songs of wild birds, which he would listen to in the little wood at the bottom of his garden. Probably no other symphony in the established repertoire is so full of delicious suggestions of singing birds as this! And at the center of the concert, something else entirely! Having quickly established himself as one of the leading classical saxophonists today, Steven Banks returns to San Diego to take the Jacobs Music Center stage with famed Japanese composer Takashi Yoshimatsu’s Soprano Saxophone Concerto Albireo Mode. Written nearly 20 years ago, this accessible and gentle music, shot through with the sound of temple bells and the liquid traditions of American free jazz for which Yoshimatsu has a special admiration, takes its title from a famous double star in the Cygnus constellation, and is divided into two movements: the first – "Topaz" – after the precious stone which is often a pale-yellow color, and the second – "Sapphire" – after the familiar dark-blue stone. Visit: https://www.sandiegosymphony.org/performances/czech-masterpieces-and-a-saxophone-concerto/

Local leaders to speak out after ICE agents arrested several workers at a South Park restaurant Friday.

Celebrated harpsichordist Jean Rondeau returns to San Diego, this time with his ensemble Nevermind, to present their brand-new transcription of the Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, by Johann Sebastian Bach. With Anna Besson on flute, Louis Creac’h on violin, and Robin Pharo on viola da gamba, the ensemble worked extensively on the transcriptions, shining new light on Bach’s masterpiece and unveiling new possibilities within the music. The concert will be held at St. James by-the-Sea Episcopal Church on March 14th at 7:30 p.m. Tickets and additional information are available on the society’s website. Founded in 2013, Nevermind champions and transcends the quartet repertoire (flute, violin, viola da gamba and harpsichord) of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Nevermind have showcased their virtuosity at prestigious venues across Europe including the Auditorium of the Louvre, Wiener Konzerthaus, Wigmore Hall and the Barbican in London, Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Centra Nacional de Difusión Musical in Madrid, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Concertgebouw Brugge, and the Salle de Musique in la Chaux-de-Fonds. Their international tours have also taken them as far afield as the United States, Canada, Russia, Iceland, and the Far East; notable highlights include the Boston Early Music Festival, Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, Hong Kong City Hall, and a highly successful tour of Australia in 2019 with visits to Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Newcastle and Brisbane. A typical Summer season will also see them perform at numerous festivals, with past appearances at the Rheingau Musik Festival, Utrecht Early Music Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Prague Spring Festival, Festival Ravel, Festival of Saintes, Bel-Air Claviers Festival, and Gstaad Menuhin festival in Switzerland. (Harrison Parrott) Visit: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/sdems/876/event/1393074 San Diego Early Music Society on Instagram and Facebook

Show your school pride at School Spirit Day at Frontwave Arena on March 6. Wear your school colors to cheer on the Clippers! Visit: https://www.axs.com/events/675442/san-diego-clippers-vs-motor-city-tickets San Diego Clippers on Instagram

It's time for our annual gal's night out! Join us this Galentine’s Day for a spectacular Flower Crown Making Party. In addition to learning how to make your own flower crown, enjoy complimentary sips and some pampering self-care. Play in our Photo Booth, and have an afternoon to remember. Extra points for wearing pink! Where: The Lullabar; 7750 El Camino Real Suite 5145-5150, Carlsbad, CA 92009 What: 5th Annual Galentine's Day Flower Crown Workshop When: Thursday, February 6 from 6-9 p.m. Limited spots available! Included with ticket: All tools and supplies to make a fresh flower crown -Professional instruction from Native Poppy florists -Complimentary coffee, tea, matcha, or bubbles from Lullabar -Galentines-inspired nail art designs from Lullabar -Mini neck and shoulder massage from Lullabar -Hair tinsel station -Floral photo booth to show off your crown -The crown you make to take home!

In Support of the LAFD Foundation Join Orli La Jolla on January 18 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. for a meaningful Pilates session led by instructor Vanessa Mayer. All proceeds from this class will be matched by Orli and donated directly to the LAFD Foundation, which provides crucial assistance in response to the recent wildfires that have impacted the Los Angeles community. Tickets are available for $50, and with Orli matching every donation, your donation will go twice as far. Those unable to attend but who wish to contribute can donate directly at https://supportlafd.kindful.com/. After the session, we invite you to relax and connect with fellow participants while enjoying mimosas and juice in Orli’s serene private courtyard. Let’s come together as a community to support a meaningful cause.

At this year's 67th Grammys, wins for The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in a year when other genres showcased rising stars prompt questions about who votes for rock at the Grammys — and what needs to be done for the awards to recognize new blood.

Football fans can experience the ultimate Super Bowl LIX celebration at Brewery X Harbor Island on Sunday, February 9, from 11 a.m. to Midnight. Located within the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, this waterfront brewpub-inspired eatery combines an electric game-day atmosphere with award-winning craft beers and an innovative menu. With Big Game specials inspired by the rival teams, guests can huddle up with the perfect pour from Brewery X’s 13 beers on draft, featuring popular options like Halo Light Lager, Dictionary Roulette Hazy IPA, and seasonal brews. The menu features crave-worthy dishes such as the signature Crack Taco, creamy Craft Impasta mac n’ cheese, and brick oven pizzas like the Fit-Ish and Walter White. Creative cocktails, such as the Blackberry Jalapeño Smash with tequila and fresh lime, or the Peach You Out with bourbon and peach purée, along with a curated wine list and Champagne options, complete the lineup, ensuring something for everyone. Brewery X Harbor Island is open seven days a week, serving food from 11 a.m. to Midnight and the bar is open until 1 a.m. The restaurant is located at 1380 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego, CA, inside the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina. For more information or to book a table for Super Bowl Sunday, visit www.breweryxsd.com.