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New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary. For more member information, please visit: ljathenaeum.org/join-renew Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Facebook / Instagram

San Diego Ballet’s residency begins with a program honoring SDMA’s ongoing "Art of the Americas" exhibition. The performance features Aaron Copland’s "Appalachian Spring," reimagined by Velasco, along with "Three Latin American Sketches." October 24 @ 7 p.m. October 25 @ 8 p.m. October 26 @ 2 p.m. San Diego Ballet on Facebook / Instagram

Books can be life-changing for people who are incarcerated. When Cherish Burtson went to federal prison, books became her source of survival. Her story – and the volunteers fighting censorship to get books past prison walls – reveals how access to reading can mean survival, connection and hope.

The San Diego Children’s Choir (SDCC), a community-based nonprofit dedicated to inspiring young singers through high quality choral music education and performance, is bringing the joy of the holidays to San Diego with festive concerts. 35th Anniversary Celebration Holiday Sing-Along and Winter Concert Teaser FREE! Hosted by the Spreckels Organ Society, members of SDCC will perform Holiday Sing-Along songs. Adam Ferrara, SDCC principal collaborative pianist, will play the organ. Friday, November 28, 2025 | 1 p.m. Spreckels Organ Pavillion | 2125 Pan American East Road, San Diego, CA, 92101 36th Annual Winter Concert & Sing-Along on December 6, 2025 Saturday, December 6, 2025 | 1:30 p.m. & 5 p.m. First United Methodist Church Mission Valley | 2111 Camino del Rio S., San Diego, CA 92108 Tickets: https://www.sdcchoir.org/calendar/2025/12/6/sdcc-36th-annual-winter-concert These concerts will feature more than 300 talented young voices, ages 6 to 18, performing a dynamic repertoire, from classic to contemporary works, in a variety of languages. SDCC expects over 900 family and friends, along with hundreds of community members, to attend and join in singing holiday classics with SDCC’s young choristers. “Each year, our winter program brings together hundreds of young voices in a joyful celebration of music and community,” said SDCC Executive Director Carrie Musick Cottriall. “We invite everyone to join us in celebrating the magic of the season through song.” Founded in 1990, the San Diego Children's Choir is the area's oldest and largest choral training program serving children ages 1–18 at locations throughout San Diego County. Over the past 35 years, SDCC has served more than 15,000 children across countywide, becoming a cornerstone of youth arts education in the region. In addition to its advanced ensemble program, SDCC offers early childhood music classes, provides school outreach in Title I schools, and regularly collaborates with leading arts organizations such as the San Diego Symphony and San Diego Opera. The Choir also performs on tour, most recently at Carnegie Hall last summer. San Diego Children's Choir on Facebook / Instagram

World-Renowned Belly Dance Pioneer Suhaila Salimpour Returns to San Diego for a Weekend of Dance, Culture, and Celebration San Diego, CA — Suhaila Salimpour, visionary artist and one of the most influential figures in the world of belly dance, will headline a weekend of dance and performance in San Diego, featuring a 6-hour belly dance intensive and the dazzling Suhaila Super Star Gala. A trailblazer in Middle Eastern dance, Suhaila brings her signature fusion of deep cultural knowledge, precise technique, and dynamic performance to this unique event designed to inspire dancers of all levels and uplift the local arts community. ________________________________________ Featuring: Live performance by Fadi Islambouli and Suhaila Salimpour With special guest performers from across Southern California! ________________________________________ About Suhaila Salimpour Suhaila Salimpour is a first-generation Kurdish-American of Sicilian-Greek descent and a second-generation belly dancer, continuing the legacy of her mother, Jamila Salimpour. She is the creator of the first structured certification program and pedagogical system in belly dance, transforming how the dance is studied, taught, and preserved globally. Suhaila has toured internationally, performed in top venues across the Middle East and beyond, choreographed three full-length theatrical productions, and recorded over 23 albums with renowned Arabic musicians. Her contributions have earned prestigious accolades, including the 2024 Gerbode Foundation Special Award for Dance and Movement, and the 2023/24 Isadora Duncan Special Award for Outstanding Production. She currently serves on the boards of Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, World Arts West, and the Mahea Uchiyama Center for International Dance, while co-producing the YALLAH Arts Festival in the Bay Area. She is also pursuing her MFA in Dance at Saint Mary’s College of California. ________________________________________ A Celebration of Culture and Community Rooted in the traditions of the SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) region, this weekend of programming is more than just dance—it's a powerful gathering of community, heritage, and cultural expression. In support of children and families in the Middle East, $1 from every Gala ticket will be donated to the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA). Attendees are also encouraged to make additional contributions online: Click here to donate directly Visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/suhaila-super-star-gala-tickets-1415940719809?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl Suhaila Salimpour on Instagram and Facebook

The holiday travel period consists of 18 days, beginning Friday and lasting through Monday, Jan. 5. The busiest travel days are anticipated to be Dec. 23 and 28, and Jan. 4.

6 p.m. » Piano Concert “A French Emotional Journey” starring Aleck Karis 7 p.m. » Closing Reception After the concert, mingle with festival guests and participants in a welcoming and elegant setting. Join the Alliance Française of San Diego (AFSD) and the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library from October 2 to 4, 2025, for the inaugural San Diego French Literature and Arts Festival—a vibrant three-day celebration of Francophone literature, film, and the arts. Organized by the Alliance Française San Diego in collaboration with esteemed partners including Gallimard, Villa Albertine, and the Athenaeum, this cultural event promises inspiration and discovery. Open to all, the festival brings together Francophone authors, educators, artists, and students for a rich, immersive experience across San Diego. We are proud to welcome acclaimed author Éric Fottorino as our Literary Guest of Honor, and Ann Craig as our Honorary Patron alongside a distinguished lineup of local and international voices. On October 4, Aleck Karis will perform “A French Emotional Journey,” a piano concert in the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, which will be followed by a reception. Aleck Karis has performed recitals, chamber music, and concertos across the Americas, Europe, Japan, and China. As the pianist of the new music ensemble Speculum Musicae he has participated in over a hundred premieres and performed at major American and European festivals. His appearances with orchestra have ranged from concertos by Beethoven and Chopin to those of Stravinsky and Carter. His ten solo discs cover repertoire from Mozart to the present, most recently Debussy’s Études and Children’s Corner suite on Bridge, and Beethoven’s sonatas Opus 2, no. 1 and Opus 106 (Hammerklavier), on Roméo. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the UC San Diego music department. His newest recording is available on Romeo Records, featuring Beethoven’s sonatas Opus 2, no. 1 and Opus 106. Tickets include the concert and the reception. Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Facebook / Instagram

Saturday, October 25, 2025 2–7 p.m. Catherine and Robert Palmer Gallery Helena Westra: "Lying Fallow" On view: August 9–October 25, 2025 Mark the final day of Helena Westra’s installation "Lying Fallow" with an afternoon of creative celebration at the Athenaeum Art Center. Drop in anytime between 2 and 7 p.m. for this free, all-ages gathering. Harvest the golden meadow grass from the installation and transform it into autumn treasures—wreaths, straw dolls, bundles, and other imaginative creations. Take home a piece of the artwork, enjoy time with friends and neighbors, and embrace the spirit of the season. Celebra el último día de la instalación "Lying Fallow" de Helena Westra con una tarde creativa en el Athenaeum Art Center. Llega en cualquier momento entre las 2 y las 7 p.m. a este encuentro gratuito y abierto a todas las edades. Cosecha el pasto dorado del prado de la instalación y transfórmalo en tesoros otoñales—coronas, muñecas de paja, atados y otras creaciones imaginativas. Llévate a casa una pieza de la obra, disfruta con amigos y vecinos, y abraza el espíritu de la temporada. "Lying Fallow" is a golden meadow brought indoors and an invitation to rest. In this installation of hand-gathered California grasses, artist Helena Westra creates a space shaped by slowness, reflection, and return. The title comes from the agricultural term “lying fallow,” used when a field is left unplanted for a season so the soil can restore its strength. For Westra, this idea becomes a metaphor for creative and personal renewal. Westra's installation draws from her own search for balance in a world that constantly demands effort and productivity. Elevated here instead is her deep reverence for the land, a connection between the cycles of her own body and the seasons, and the quiet, in-between moments we often overlook. This exhibition straddles late summer into fall, inviting visitors into a space that feels both grounded and dreamlike, where time slows down and the border between the external world and the inner self begins to blur. This is a show about pausing. About listening. About what can only grow after a period of stillness. "Lying Fallow" offers a soft-landing place for memory, for imagination, and for whatever may come next. "Lying Fallow" es una pradera dorada llevada al interior y una invitación al descanso. En esta instalación de hierbas de California recogidas a mano, la artista Helena Westra crea un espacio moldeado por la lentitud, la reflexión y el retorno. El título procede del término agrícola "lying fallow”, utilizado cuando se deja un campo sin plantar durante una temporada para que el suelo recupere su fuerza. Para Westra, esta idea se convierte en una metáfora de la renovación creativa y personal. La instalación de Westra se inspira en su propia búsqueda de equilibrio en un mundo que exige constantemente esfuerzo y productividad. En cambio, aquí se eleva su profunda reverencia por la tierra, una conexión entre los ciclos de su propio cuerpo y las estaciones, y los momentos entre cosas que muchas veces no notamos. Esta exposición, a medio camino entre el final del verano y el otoño, invita a los visitantes a un espacio que se siente a la vez conectado a la tierra y onírico, donde el tiempo se ralentiza y la frontera entre el mundo exterior y el interior empieza a difuminarse. Es una exposición sobre la pausa. Sobre escuchar. Sobre lo que sólo puede crecer tras un periodo de quietud. "Lying "Fallow ofrece un lugar de aterrizaje suave para la memoria, para la imaginación y para lo que pueda venir después. The exhibition can be viewed in the Catherine and Robert Palmer Gallery at the Athenaeum Art Center (1955 Julian Avenue, San Diego, CA 92113) during open gallery hours, Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and every second Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m., during the Barrio Art Crawl, and by appointment. Athenaeum Art Center on Instagram

Audy McAfee is an arts and culture reporter at KPBS and a 2025 California Local News fellow. She covers topics ranging from the history of drag to incarcerated peoples rights.

Fright for Future is a haunted attraction with a social conscience, scaring you with real-world horrors. Plus, here are other Halloween events to explore.