Tag: concerts

Concert celebrates The Beatles’ visit to San Diego!

Do you love The Beatles? Would you like to go a free concert that celebrates the 60th anniversary of The Beatles making their one and only appearance in San Diego?

On September 1, 2025 (Labor Day) at 7:30 pm, the Spreckels Organ Pavilion’s Classic Rock Band will be playing a huge selection of favorite hits by The Beatles. Have you ever heard classic rock played with drums, guitars and a gigantic outdoor pipe organ? Here’s your chance!

San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez will be joined by the Pavilion Rock Band Members to create a very cool and memorable experience. I caught a bit of the band’s rehearsal this afternoon.

The concert is part of the 37th San Diego International Summer Organ Festival. You can see the concert schedule here. (Next Monday evening is Not-So-Silent Movie Night!)

To learn more about the upcoming The Beatles 60th San Diego Anniversary concert, click here!

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Song and butterflies in the Zoro Garden.

Did you miss the Zoro Garden Theater Festival today? No worries! The festival continues tomorrow, Sunday, August 17, from 2 pm to 5 pm. The free cultural event, produced by the City of San Diego, takes place at the Zoro Garden in Balboa Park.

The program today began with three powerful singers. They each sang about the journey of life.

Of struggle. Uncertainty. Freedom. Happiness.

I and others in the audience sat in the sunken stone grotto–what today is called the Zoro Butterfly Garden–and listened while butterflies flitted above and around us.

The butterflies seemed to move with the singing. I saw as many as six Monarchs at one time, dancing before us in the pleasant breeze, in the San Diego sunshine.

Later on there would be poetry readings and a play. I was told some of these same performers will return on Sunday.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Rehearsal of Chicago the Musical at Rady Shell!

I got super lucky today. I was walking near the Rady Shell on downtown San Diego’s waterfront when I heard singing voices. I turned toward the San Diego Symphony’s beautiful outdoor venue and discovered Chicago the Musical in Concert was rehearsing for tomorrow’s evening performance!

I sat for a while–one cool thing about rehearsals at The Shell is the public is free to watch politely up close and listen. All I can tell you, anyone going to Chicago the Musical in Concert on Friday is most likely in for a treat!

All That Jazz… Cell Block Tango… Mr. Cellophane… All of the jazzy voices are amazing. I seriously thought I was at a Broadway production.

When I looked at the vocalists’ bios just now, I see that, indeed, they’ve performed in many world-class productions in the most prestigious venues!

Learn all about Chicago the Musical in Concert, and perhaps purchase tickets, by visiting the Rady Shell’s website here!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Lightning, thunder, and a Spreckels return!

Were you one of the lucky few who experienced the organ concert of a lifetime four years ago? That was the night internationally renowned organist Ahreum Han played the Spreckels Organ with thunder booming and lightning flashing in the sky everywhere!

Well, you have the opportunity to hear Ahream Han again. And I suggest you don’t miss another sure-to-be amazing concert!

The 37rd San Diego International Organ Festival continues this evening, July 28, 2025 at 7:30 pm in Balboa Park.

The Spreckels Organ Pavilion will experience much better weather, but the thunder and lightning coming from the fingertips of one exceptional organist, native of Seoul, South Korea, will certainly dazzle. Ahream Han promises fireworks, from Johann Sebastian Bach to Scott Joplin.

My energy might be a bit drained from Comic-Con, but I’ll certainly be there.

Lovers of the finest music in the world–don’t miss this!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Fun in San Diego at Crunchyroll Anime FanFest!

The two day Crunchyroll Anime FanFest in San Diego began this afternoon. The huge event takes place during Comic-Con 2025.

Fun, sunshine and live entertainment can be freely enjoyed by all comers at the Rady Shell, on San Diego Bay behind the convention center!

I showed up today–Friday–shortly after the family-friendly Anime FanFest opened at 1 pm. Everyone was admitted into the spacious outdoor venue quickly. Fans of anime–particularly entertainment streamed on Crunchyroll–will love the photo ops, exclusive merchandise, food, free swag, and a fan-fueled happy atmosphere.

Later on during the festival, some super popular musical acts would take the stage. Big names include SPYAIR, yama, Denzel Curry and INIKO. To see the lineup and for more details, check out the Crunchyroll website here.

I must admit, I simply love hanging out at the Rady Shell on San Diego Bay, whatever the reason. To get away from it all, for relaxation, I love to walk out on the nearby pier. I’m an older guy, so I like that sort of thing.

The Crunchyroll Anime FanFest continues tomorrow, Saturday July 26. If you want to have a relaxed chill experience, or party it up, head on over to the Rady Shell!

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If you’d like to view my coverage of Comic-Con so far, which includes hundreds of cool photographs, click here!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

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Preparing for San Diego’s amazing International Organ Festival!

The 37th San Diego International Summer Organ Festival 2025 is just two days away!

Beginning next Monday, and continuing into September, some of the world’s finest organists will be performing in Balboa Park at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion!

Today, as I walked through Balboa Park, I caught the first outstanding organist, Joshua Stafford, as he rehearsed at the Spreckels Organ. Joshua is the Jacobsen Chair for the Organist of Chautauqua Institution, in New York. You might recall that our own beloved Jared Jacobsen served as San Diego Civic Organist from 1978 to 1984.

Joshua will be playing Bohemian Rhapsody, Carmen Fantasy and other all-time favorites! Yes, on the world’s largest outdoor instrument!

If you’ve never been to one of the free San Diego International Summer Organ Festival concerts, you’re missing out on something special. Not only is the music always first rate, but the late evening atmosphere, particularly when the organ pavilion’s many lights come on, is magical. How can it not be? It’s Balboa Park!

Click here to see the full lineup of performers during the 2025 summer festival. Bring your dinner or a snack if you’d like, then settle on one of the pavilion’s benches (or your lawn chair), and live it up!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

San Diego Beamers uplift hearts in Balboa Park!

According to their website, the San Diego Beamers are a group of family and friends dedicated to uplifting people’s hearts and souls through the power of music.

They were doing exactly that in Balboa Park this afternoon!

Up on the outdoor stage at the International Cottages, the San Diego Beamers were performing cool and classic hits, such as You Are My Sunshine, Tequila Sunrise, and Tin Man. The band members, most playing guitar, are all members of the House of Chamorros.

Their music is like a beam of sunshine. As you listen, you know that life is good. You can’t help smiling.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

High school organist wows in Balboa Park!

Jonah Molina, a Senior at Mission Bay High School, wowed an audience in Balboa Park this afternoon during the AGO-Spreckels Honors Concert. Jonah was the Honors Performer, as selected by the San Diego Chapter of the American Guild of Organists!

Jonah played two difficult pieces on the world-famous outdoor Spreckels Organ: Batalla de Torres (which he arranged) and Toccata, from Suite Gothique Opus 25. This wasn’t his first public performance. He has participated in different competitions and events around Southern California.

As one might expect, Jonah was exceptional!

After he completed the two pieces, Jonah received a trophy. He has been awarded the Advanced Division Scholarship by the Spreckels Organ Society!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

A special Mother’s Day concert in Balboa Park!

It was a very special Mother’s Day at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. Not only did an audience hear San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez playing beautiful music for the Sunday afternoon concert, but he was joined by an extraordinary vocalist.

Soprano Caroline Nelms graced our ears with her soaring notes as she sang half a dozen pieces created by female composers. Composers of her selections included Amy Beach, Fanny Mendelssohn and Lucy Simon.

Caroline Nelms has added her crystalline voice to musical theater, opera, classical performances and jazz. Perhaps you heard her when she accompanied the Spreckels Organ during a spooky Halloween concert!

In addition to her singing, and Raul playing Mother’s Day favorites (including Ave Maria and a Glenn Miller Medley), the concert concluded with Raul and Caroline together handing out red roses to mothers who were in attendance.

It was a special day, indeed.

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!

Taiko community comes together in Balboa Park!

Taiko groups from all around San Diego (and beyond!) came together in Balboa Park today for an epic taiko community performance and jam session! It was incredible!

Taiko is high-energy drumming, Japanese style, where drummers together shake the world all around with booming uninhibited joy!

The event was called Taiko 4.0. It celebrated the 40th birthday of Diana, founder of Naruwan Taiko.

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to experience a number of Naruwan Taiko performances, but today was something extraordinary. Dozens of members were joined by taiko drummers from groups (I hope I’m not missing anyone) San Diego Taiko, Buddhist Temple of San Diego Taiko, Asayake Taiko (UC San Diego students), Makoto Taiko from Pasadena, and even Rocky Mountain Taiko from Utah!

I counted about 50 taiko drums, many of them quite large. Now imagine the thunder!

The House of China of Balboa Park’s International Cottages helped to make this epic event possible. As the joyful, rhythmic drumming began, people from around the park heard and converged. By the time I departed mid-afternoon, a good crowd had gathered.

I hope my still photographs of this amazing event transmit the absolute joy. Taiko, like nothing else, can make one feel fully alive.

Before the start, getting ready…

Here’s Diana!

A group photo!

An introduction…

Drummers take their places…

Here we go!

Between pieces of music, the drums would be carefully lifted and reconfigured…

Here we go again!

A dancing percussive procession surprise!

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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!

I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X.

Feel free to share!