Congratulations go to the Scripps Ranch High School Orchestra! World-renowned musician, San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez offered high praise for their performance this afternoon at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.
The students excited a large audience with their booming rendition of the Camille Saint-Saëns composition Finale, from Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Opus 78 “With Organ.” Raul was surprised that such a challenging piece could be conquered by young musicians!
Russell Shedd, Conductor of the Scripps Ranch High School Orchestra was thrilled, and visibly moved. He’d dreamed of performing this amazing piece of music for twenty years!
Bravo!
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Walk along San Diego’s Embarcadero near the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park and there’s a chance you’ll make a wonderful, unexpected discovery.
You might arrive during a concert and listen freely from many points nearby.
You might arrive during a rehearsal. The San Diego Symphony’s open public rehearsals allow you to quietly sit very close to the stage!
You might arrive during a special event before an evening concert. That’s what happened to me today.
San Diego Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer and the symphony’s Creative Consultant, renowned composer, writer, and director Gerard McBurney, were talking about the previous night’s Wagner “Die Walküre” performance, a collaborative presentation by San Diego Opera and the symphony. The two were telling stories, providing a fascinating discussion of the music and a look behind the scenes.
Gerard McBurney talked about an upcoming concert, which will feature The Firebird by Stravinsky. The history of the famous, bejeweled composition was colorfully related. We learned how an animated film will simultaneously play on Rady Shell’s video screen above the orchestra. There’s a very interesting interview of Gerard that you can read here.
Most exciting however, was the news that the San Diego Symphony’s major remodel of Copley Symphony Hall is almost completed! (One construction worker affirmed to me that it’s glorious.)
The (newly named) Jacobs Music Center Opening Night Concert will be on September 28, 2024. It promises to be A Triumphant Return!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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.
All sorts of creative fun can be experienced during the annual San Diego International Fringe Festival. I found some of that fun today on a patch of grass in Balboa Park!
When I happened to walk by, a puppet show was being enjoyed on this particular patch of grass near the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater. Artists who aren’t officially part of the festival are encouraged to “bring your own venue” and that’s what I had stumbled upon!
Steve Sanders with his The Wandering Umbrella’s puppet was reciting powerful poetry. Steve would later break out two additional dancing puppets, delighting surprised kids.
When I arrived, his audience was composed of other Fringe Festival performers: those folks with the furry, colorful hats. They are the theatre group GUMBO. They’ve come all the way to San Diego from Japan! Later this week they’ll be performing Forest of Truth at the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park.
Rob Hutsel, President and CEO of the San Diego River Park Foundation, provided a guided walking tour this morning that I and several others thoroughly enjoyed. He explained how in the next 6 to 8 weeks the River Center will really be taking shape, with many of its features finally completed.
He explained how the center will be an active outdoor classroom for thousands of San Diego school children–particularly Title 1 schools within a 15 minute drive, serving urban, less affluent communities.
The River Center is designed to welcome city kids who might have no real experience out in nature. They will be eased into the experience from the moment school buses arrive, enjoying presentations in a 100-seat amphitheater by the entry courtyard. I learned there will be animal encounters hosted by Joan Embery!
Kids will then walk past a waterfall, separate into smaller groups, and walk down nature trails, where they will learn about the environment and the San Diego River: its geology, history, flora and fauna.
If you’d like to go on one of these preview tours, you have the chance tomorrow–Sunday, May 19–between 9:30 am and 11:30 am. Check out the San Diego River Days website for more information here!
In September there will be a big Grand Opening celebration! Stay tuned!
Construction gate at the future entrance to the River Center at Grant Park in Mission Valley. The area beyond used to be an abandoned sand mining site.Early visitors have arrived for the first tour that would preview the new River Center.The public can support the project by buying personalized pavers at the River Center’s entrance.Kids stepping off school buses will encounter wild animal tracks in a concrete walkway.Almost time to start our early Saturday morning tour!A rendering of the entry courtyard, showing The Den pavilion structure with restrooms and a sheltered sitting area that faces a stage and river trees. Famous animal educator Joan Embery is partnering with the River Center and will provide animal presentations (perhaps a hawk) for young students!This is where the 100-seat outdoor amphitheater with stage will be built.Much of the dirt area in the 17-acre River Center will soon be transformed into a beautiful park space. A gateway garden and expanse of grass (Grant Park) will be open to the public! Just beyond Rob will be an artificial waterfall!A walkway will wind toward the south side of the San Diego River. There will be lighting along the path. The environmentally friendly River Center will be powered mostly by solar.Where the walkway turns there will be a beautiful arbor–an acoustic shade structure.Just beyond the arbor, a dirt trail will lead into nature. Kids in small groups will be led by trained educators into the native river environment.Here we go! The irrigation pipes you see will eventually be removed.Kids can learn about how buckwheat seeds spread, and learn about plants and trees like prickly pear and lemonade berry, and willows and oaks.Gazing down toward the San Diego River in mid-May, when water levels are low. That’s Interstate 805 in the distance. I saw birds flitting about in the lush greenery.Now we’re back on the curving concrete walkway, looking at the visionary River Center at Grant Park project. Some big boulders were donated, adding beauty to the park space.Rendering shows families enjoying the grass of Grant Park when it’s finally completed.Master gardeners will be adding their expertise to the public park. The California Garden Clubs will also be contributing. The River Center and park will be alive with birds. As our tour concluded, a swallow flew overhead.Join the effort to open the River Center at Grant Park! Donations for this amazing (but expensive) project are appreciated!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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.
The extensive student art exhibit opened recently in the large makerspace room on the museum’s second floor. Excellent works on display include paintings, drawings, photography, graphic design, mixed media, multimedia and more. Dozens of unique creations reflect a diversity of viewpoints, and absolutely boundless human imagination.
I could see how these students, as the future unfolds, will be using their unique talents to add life to our dynamic, ever evolving culture!
All of these works were worthy of a photograph, but I’ll share just a few from my visit…
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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.
The amazing tall ship Cuauhtémoc is visiting San Diego and you are invited to step aboard her!
Those who walk along San Diego’s Embarcadero during the next few days will undoubtedly see the three high masts and many furled sails of Mexican Navy training vessel Cuauhtémoc.
ARM Cuauhtémoc, built in Spain in 1982, is extraordinarily beautiful. It’s now docked at the B Street Pier, across from the Cruise Ship Terminal, and the public is welcome to walk down the pier and come aboard. I was told by a friendly officer that the ship will be open to the public from 8 am to 8 pm through next Monday.
If you love tall ships (who doesn’t?) you’ve got to take advantage of this rare opportunity. (It’s been ten years since I last saw her in San Diego.)
The following photographs that I took this evening provide an idea of what you’ll find, but they really don’t do justice to the experience of being on the deck of an immense, truly spectacular tall ship!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Today is Bike Anywhere Day in San Diego! The event, promoted by SANDAG, occurs smack dab in the middle of May, which is National Bike Month.
The sun broke through the “May gray” this afternoon, and more than a few people took advantage of the mild weather as they rode bicycles around the city. Bike Anywhere Day encourages people to enjoy the outdoors on two wheels–whether they are going to work or simply having some healthy fun.
Early in the morning I walked around downtown to visit some of the many Bike Anywhere Day pit stops. The one I found, at the foot of the Broadway Pier, was just getting set up. Some bikes were already present, and I received a big smile from a friendly gentleman representing the Port of San Diego!
In the late afternoon, as I walked home from work, I spotted more bicycles on the move!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
The public has a special opportunity to tour the new River Center at Grant Park this Saturday. The amazing nature center beside the San Diego River in Mission Valley is currently under construction. Completion is scheduled for this summer. The goal is to have 10,000 students connecting with nature each year in the River Center’s unique outdoor classroom!
Saturday’s family tour is one activity of many during the San Diego River Park Foundation’s annual River Days event. Other activities along the river through this weekend include gardening, clean ups, wildlife hikes and bird walks.
To view a listing of all the free River Days activities in 2024, click here!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
The annual Fringe Festival returns this week to San Diego!
For a stretch of 11 days, unusual, innovative, sometimes bizarre performances by relative unknowns will be enjoyed at venues in Balboa Park and across San Diego!
Bad Behavior. Messes Solo Circus. I Need a Beer. Puppet Bash. Kid Goblin. Taptastic. Spiked Punch. Pirates of Hamlet. These are some of the numerous theatrical acts that you’ll be able to enjoy with the purchase of affordable tickets. Proceeds go entirely to the artists!
The two main venues for the Fringe Festival in 2024 are the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater and the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park. Tickets can be purchased outside each show or online.
I’ve randomly bought tickets to several shows in the past, not knowing what to expect. I noted the actors are all striving hard to achieve success. The performances can be a bit unpolished or crazy or unconventional, but they’re super creative and fun!
To see the full lineup and schedule, and detailed information about this wonderful festival, click here!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
A new binational art exhibit opened last week at San Diego’s Comic-Con Museum. Three notable Mexican artists–Charles Glaubitz, Alejandra Yépiz Portillo, and Urbano Mata–have contributed large walls full of comic art in a collaboration between the Consulate General of Mexico in San Diego and the Comic-Con Museum in Balboa Park. The exhibition is titled Border Blitz: Artistas del Cómic de Tijuana.
San Diego and Tijuana share unique qualities, including dynamic cultural cross-pollination between two nations. Border Blitz: Artistas del Cómic de Tijuana celebrates the selection of San Diego/Tijuana as World Design Capital 2024!
During my visit to the museum last weekend, I really enjoyed all the great, super creative artwork on display. I took the following photos as I explored the extensive upstairs gallery. To experience everything, make sure to visit the museum yourself!
The first group of photos represents the artwork of Charles Glaubitz. The artist’s work includes zines, graphic novels and animation, and transcends traditional visual arts. He intersects vibrant psychedelic imagery with ancient myths, quantum physics and spirituality! Pretty wild, right? Check it out…
The second artist is Alejandra Yépiz Portillo, who was born in Ensenada, Mexico. The pieces chosen for this exhibition represent the beginning of her work in professional comics. Her fun art is ever-evolving. She focuses on coming of age, comedy and drama with digitally drawn comics and panels imitating manga…
Finally, the third artist who lives in Tijuana is Urbano Mata. He asks: what is it like to live and love in a city divided by a border? He is noted for his comedic, cynical and carefree cartoon style. His characters are usually based on real people–affectionate portraits of people he knows closely…
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
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 (formerly known as Twitter)!
Cool San Diego Sights! 