Spreckels Organ Society, a non-profit organization curating concerts and performances in the heart of Balboa Park, will host a special performance in support of Ukraine, called “A Music Tribute to Peace, Dignity & Democracy” on Saturday, March 19 at 5:30 p.m. at Spreckels Organ Pavilion. Event is free & open to the public Other organizations supporting the event include the San Diego Diplomacy Council. All donations received at the concert will be used to provide humanitarian relief for Ukraine. Guest artists include Soprano Laynee Dell Woodward, Mezzo-Soprano Sarah-Nicole Carter, Baritone Michael Sokol and the Organ Pavilion Rock Band with Chloe Lou, Lauren Leigh Martin, Kenseth Thibideau, Richard “T-Bone” Larson, and Ben Zinn. The band will perform classic rock songs from The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC. “This concert is a call for peace with no political affiliation,” said Raúl Prieto Ramírez, San Diego Civic Organist. “We see the current events as an opportunity to call for human dignity and peace. When JD Spreckels donated the organ to the City of San Diego, it was meant to be not just an entertainment tool, but a tool to feed every human soul with deeper and more delicate emotions to grow our human values.” The Spreckels Organ Society – as the cultural organization – seeks ways to honor Spreckels’ philanthropic gift to the City by building upon its wish to support the uniqueness, value, and importance of the individual human soul, which is highlighted through music as an intimate experience of inner self. The Spreckels Organ Society’s trustees believe in that duty. The Society’s educational program constantly seeks to grow in that mission as well. The Spreckels Organ Pavilion hosts weekly concerts each Sunday at 2 p.m. Beginning last Sunday, and continuing until the crisis in Ukraine ends, each Sunday concert will start with the National Anthem of Ukraine. Prieto Ramirez will also dress in the Ukrainian colors to spread awareness and support for all of those affected. All concerts on the Spreckels Organ are free to the public in accordance with the 1915 Deed of Gift whereby the brothers John and Adolph Spreckels gave the organ and pavilion to the City of San Diego. For more information, visit www.balboaparkconcerts.org. Set in the beautiful backdrop of Balboa Park’s open-air venue, the Spreckels Organ is the largest open air musical instrument in the world, and its performances bring a one-of-a-kind experience for guests. The elevated music venue brings world-class musical artists for San Diegans and visitors to enjoy, for free. For more information about the Spreckels Organ Society, visit www.spreckelsorgan.org.
