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The Spreckels Organ Society presents the 37th Annual San Diego International Summer Organ Festival, the largest organ festival in the United States, featuring the Spreckels Organ, the largest open-air musical instrument in the world! The summer-long festival – directed by Raúl Prieto Ramírez, Spreckels Organ Society’s Artistic Director and San Diego’s Civic Organist – takes place in the heart of Balboa Park, from July 7 through Sept. 1. The Society brings these special 90-minute concerts to the Spreckels Organ Pavilion for free each Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. This season’s line-up includes acclaimed international organists and competition winners. Highlights are: - Soprano Alisa Jordheim, who recently performed with San Diego Opera as Despina in "Così fan tutte" and Gilda in "Rigoletto." - An organ & orchestra celebration with concertos by Poulenc, Parker and Bach, plus a premier by Civic Organist Prieto Ramírez. Conducted by Alejandro Gómez Guillén with Raúl Prieto Ramírez (soloist), and Jeff Thayer (concertmaster). - The Not-So-Silent Movie Night, featuring Laurel & Hardy films with Russ Peck, organist. - And an all-Beatles Labor Day Classic Rock Concert to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the San Diego Beatles concert. For the full Festival program, visit www.spreckelsorgan.org/summer-organ-festival. The Spreckels Organ Society on Facebook / Instagram

Songwriter Sanctuary, an intimate monthly series that platforms premiere local songwriters in a Nashville-style round, will host its third annual Pride event on Friday, June 27 at Normal Heights United. Featuring performances by LGBTQ-identifying artists Anna Ballew, Kimiko, and In Mazes, the event is hosted by the legendary Jeff Berkley in partnership with Normal Heights United. (4650 Mansfield St. Suggested Donation $10. All ages. Doors 6:30pm, Music 7pm.) “I book all kinds of artists no matter the observance, but I have to say that working with an affirming church to spotlight queer artists during Pride month gives me a little pep in my step,” said Lindsay White, who curates the series and is herself a LGBTQ+ artist and activist. In a time where many institutions appear to be backing away from inclusive policies and practices that help reduce harm for marginalized populations, Normal Heights United (NHU) is vocal about welcoming everyone in the community to participate in their activities. They even have a page on their website entitled “All Are Welcome” dedicated to stating as much that reads: “We recognize and are saddened by the knowledge that many churches, including our own denomination of the United Methodist Church, have and do exclude people from the fullness of participation in the church community and have therefore wounded God’s beloved. At Normal Heights United Methodist Church, we work to include rather than exclude, so that all are actively welcomed and valued at worship, meals, spaces, events and especially in our sacred celebrations including communion, baptism and marriage. The fullness of our community is open to all ages, races, ethnicities, political affiliations, gender identities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic status, faith histories, marital status and mental or physical abilities. We welcome all to come as they are to participate, lead, love, be loved, challenge, edify, push, question, and belong.” While Songwriter Sanctuary is not religiously affiliated, they are dedicated to partnering with a venue who stands firm in these principles, not just in word but in action. “Artists and audiences alike always feel welcome and safe in the sanctuary,” said White. “And thanks to their generous support, we are able to provide 100% of door and pre-sale donations directly to artists, while also remaining committed to not turning anyone away for lack of funds. For this year’s Pride event, Songwriter Sanctuary will be welcoming three talented up-and-coming artists to the round: Anna Ballew (she/her), whose rich, sultry voice and introspective writing make her one of San Diego's most sought-after performers. Kimiko (she/her), a Japanese-American indie artist whose songs feel like a diary entry in a coming of age story. In Mazes (they), a San Diego-based indie moon gaze. Past Pride editions of Songwriter Sanctuary have featured a who’s who of talented LGBTQIA+ artists with San Diego ties, including Billboard-charting Flamy Grant, Joy Fuliga, Kori Gillis, Ben Parks, Virr, and Rhthmx. Other out and proud artists to grace the Songwriter Sanctuary stage include The Lovebirds, Tori Roze, Mariela, Angel René, Julianna Zachariou, and more. But you don’t have to wait for next summer to roll around to see your favorite queer artists get a turn at the mic. “Throw a dart at our music schedule, and you’ll find a lot of queer representation,” said White, joking, “As an elder queer with loads of religious trauma, it’s basically my field of dreams to be building up gay stuff in a church.” Event Details: Location: Normal Heights United Church 4650 Mansfield St, San Diego, CA 92116. Thank you to our generous venue partner for sharing this beautiful space with the local music community! Time: Doors 6:30 p.m., Show 7-9p.m. ish. Suggested Donation: $10, but please be generous in your support of these top tier talents whose creative work is their livelihood. 100% donations go to artists. No one turned away for lack of funds. All Ages: Bear in mind we do not censor our artists so please make sure to check out the lineup and make the best decision for your family. Parking: Street parking Food/Drink: Beverages for small purchase, thanks to our sponsors! Duck Foot Brewing Company. Guests are welcome to bring food into the venue (please eat and dispose of waste respectfully) Accessibility: Please direct any venue accessibility requests to Molly mollyrose@nhunited.org. Remaining 2025 Season Schedule: *subject to change Jul 25 - The Bella Lunas - Espi - Miranda Ramos Aug 29 - Claire King - Hailey Wetzel - Lexi Pulido Sep 26 - Joe Summers - Grainne Hunt - Helena Holleran Oct 24 - Shea Givens - Kevin Cooper - Anthony Cullins Dec 5 - Holiday Edition! - JT Moring - Cara Cormier - David Beldock and Peggy Watson For inquiries, media comps, or further information, please contact: Lindsay White lindsaywhite.music@gmail.com Songwriter Sanctuary on Instagram

Artistic Director, Christian Tordahl takes the stage again leading the talented Hillcrest Wind Ensemble for what promises to be a night of fun and excitement. The ensemble presents “Summer Fun” a collection of light wind ensemble music and music from movies and the Broadway stage, on Saturday, June 28, at Linder Hall at the First United Methodist Church of San Diego, 2111 Camino del Rio South, in Mission Valley. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at hillcrestwindensemble.com or at the door. Join us for complimentary hors d'oeuvres at 6 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and concert begins at 7 p.m. The band’s lineup includes Aaron Copland’s, “An Outdoor Overture” and the more contemporary, “Metroplex” by Robert Sheldon. Music from the movies includes, “The Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Music Man”. A Broadway medley and music from “My Fair Lady” are also featured. The 45 piece Hillcrest Wind Ensemble is in its 39th. year of performing and is proud to be a musical ambassador for the community as a whole. For more information look us up online at www.hillcrestwindensemble.com. Hillcrest Wind Ensemble on Facebook

The Coronado Library was founded in 1890. The original library was built as a classical building that architect Harrison Albright designed in 1909. The building still stands at 640 Orange Avenue located in the heart of the Coronado community. This original building serves as the Spreckels Reading Room within the 40,000 square feet remodeled and expanded library building. The library includes study space at tables and carrels, lounge seating, wireless Internet access, a large public meeting room, conference room, study rooms, separate Children's Library and Teen area, public-access computers, and collections in various subjects and formats. The library also has several large exhibit spaces where we display curated art from the local Coronado and San Diego community and museum-like curated cultural exhibits. This summer, the library will host "Alice: Illustrating Wonderland," a special exhibit celebrating 160 years of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In honor of this milestone, we invite artists of all ages to reimagine the whimsy and wonder of Lewis Carroll’s timeless tale. Choose a character or scene that inspires you—from the Mad Hatter’s tea party to Alice’s encounter with the Queen of Hearts—and craft your own two-dimensional masterpiece. Winners will receive prizes, and at least 10 pieces from each age category will be featured in the exhibit alongside 160 beautifully illustrated editions of the book. Don’t miss this chance to showcase your creativity and become part of Wonderland’s artistic legacy! Coronado Public Library on Facebook / Instagram

Trump appears expressionless in the new presidential portrait, depicted against a dark, blank background.

Local author Emily Greenberg’s debut collection of experimental short stories explores blurred lines between truth and fiction, with settings ranging from Kellyanne Conway's perspective on inauguration night to a chance meeting between Paris Hilton and Thomas Pynchon.

Dr. Gideon Rappaport will discuss his book "Shakespeare's Rhetorical Figures: An Outline." When Shakespeare began writing for the stage, he had already mastered over two hundred rhetorical figures inherited from the long tradition of the language arts--grammar, logic, and rhetoric--stretching from Aristotle to his own time. These figures, which to us may appear merely decorative, were for Shakespeare the very medium of speech, and as his art developed, his figures became more and more subtly expressive of meaning. Visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shakespeares-rhetorical-figures-tickets-1263154702719?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Alcocer is a semifinalist in this year's James Beard Awards, which is one of the most prestigious culinary honors in the country. Plus, this month's Midday Movies takes us to the shadowy world of film noir.

On Thursday's arts and culture show, we take a look at how San Diego’s Chinese community celebrates Lunar New Year. Then, Ira Glass brings his storytelling to San Diego in a new live show. And finally, a look ahead to Black Comix Day in our weekend arts preview.

Over the past decade, artist Math Bass has developed a lexicon of symbols in the series Newz!—letters, bodily forms, architectural fragments, animals, bones—arranged in a variety of scores, each symbol an empty space of meaning, filled in by the context in which it finds itself. Repetition of these symbols, rather than codifying them into one solid signification, exposes the difference at the heart of each iteration; there is always a gap in meaning, something unnamable left out of and left over in the viewer’s reading—a jouissance. It is this gap in the symbolic where Lee Edelman states queerness lies—not as an easily categorized liberal identity but as a process of unmaking and undoing that leaves (gendered) subjectivity as we know it in question. That these symbols are familiar only heightens our unsettling; the negative space of these compositions, a major player in Bass’s practice, adds further to the gap. Visit: https://mcasd.ticketapp.org/portal/product/250/event/1cb10d96-4a87-4377-b9ba-31ee5ff70842 MCASD on Instagram and Facebook