Tag: musicians

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!

…

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.

…

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!

…

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.

…

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!

Stimulating your senses at Park Opera!

Park Opera was enjoyed by visitors to San Diego’s beautiful Balboa Park this evening. People on foot, following a map and at times using their smartphones, partook of unique outdoor performances that stimulated the senses in often unusual ways.

Park Opera was composed by Wojtek Blecharz, and produced in San Diego by arts organization PROJECT [BLANK]. As the event website explains: PARK OPERA was commissioned in 2016 by Theater Powszechny in Warsaw, Poland. In 2020, it was reimagined in a forest near Basel, Switzerland as part of the Rümlingen Festival, and was performed again in Austria in 2024 on a tiny island in the middle of a turquoise alpine lake at Carinthischer Sommer Festival.

How does one describe each quiet “Act” encountered while walking through Balboa Park? Subdued. Subtle. Somehow elemental. Stimulating–if you wish it.

Those who follow the map from one Act to the next are considered the protagonists of a personal story. It’s a story that involves concentrated listening and being in the moment. The park’s ambient noise combines with soft instruments and voices, and we become more sensitive and aware of the amazing world that is all around us.

I photographed some of the eleven Acts.

ACT 2: Overture for 4 instruments

ACT 4: Ballet

This was a ballet of sound. Dancing performers whirled small speakers around those passing by. The changing tones seemed natural, perhaps like strange sounds in a wilderness, or dream . . . and weirdly cosmic. One must hear to understand.

ACT 6: Duet

ACT 7: Binoculars for Sound

Different hollow objects act like seashells when held to the ear…

ACT 8: Recitativo

ACT 11: The Gong

Most visitors struck the gong very softly to hear its subtle, resonating sound.

One person struck it with all of their might. Now that was stimulating!

…

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!

…

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!

Fun photos of 2025 East Village Block Party!

This morning, before the East Village Block Party officially began, I walked down J Street just north of Petco Park and checked out a bunch of very cool lowrider cars. You can see those photographs by clicking here.

I returned to the block party in the mid-afternoon as it was in full swing!

The huge crowd wasn’t surprising. The San Diego Padres seem more popular than ever. The East Village Block Party celebrates the beginning of a promising 2025 baseball season.

Enjoy some fun photos!

Mariachi Internacional was performing on the stage at the east end of the block party. As you’ll see, they’d later walk down J Street playing their instruments with big smiles.

The pitching game must be tough. I didn’t see a single person succeed.

Lots of Padres fans had their pets along…

Cody Carter and Quartet were performing country music live on another block party stage.

A fun street performer makes passersby smile…

People (mostly kids) were trying their hand at climbing…

A street artist who said his name is James created this cool graffiti East Village art. A dog with a swag chain gets ready for a photo in front of it!

A sign explains how fans helped to replace a vandalized Padres mural in North Park. (You can see the mural that was replaced here.)

Here come the mariachis!

Will the Padres make the MLB Postseason again in 2025? We hope so!

Firefighters at San Diego Fire Station No. 4 give my camera a thumbs up!

…

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!

Photos of San Diego Symphony’s Picnic at the Park!

Thousands of music lovers enjoyed food, fun and a free concert today at the San Diego Symphony’s Picnic at the Park!

The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park was jammed with families as you can see from the following photographs. The community event was an early March preview of the 2025 Conrad Prebys 5th Anniversary Summer Season at this most amazing San Diego bayfront venue. If you’ve never had a chance to attend a concert at the Rady Shell, you are truly missing out.

When I came by, San Diego band Cassie B was up on the stage covering favorite songs from different decades and singing original compositions, too. I heard the music of Queen, Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift… Many in the audience were dancing, swaying, singing along!

During the big event other performers would include San Diego Symphony musicians and local band The Farmers. It was the perfect afternoon for an outdoor picnic!

Anyway, I was totally impressed by another San Diego Symphony production, as I always am. I couldn’t believe the massive crowd!

…

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 this!

Dancing to Boot Scootin’ Boogie at Seaport Village!

One reason I like to walk through Seaport Village on a weekend is the live music. There’s always a great local band performing on stage in the Lighthouse District. Today it was The Tradesmen.

The best thing is how random people descend onto the outdoor “dance floor” and completely let loose: moving to the music, swaying, arms lifted skyward, prancing about dizzily without inhibition. What a blast!

I paused for a while during my Embarcadero walk, to tap my toes to Boot Scootin’ Boogie.

No, you couldn’t make me dance like that in front of everybody. I’m chicken.

…

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 this!

Spreckels Organ’s historic 110th Anniversary Concert!

The famous Spreckels Organ in Balboa Park celebrated its “birthday” today with a special anniversary concert. The organ debuted in 1915 on New Year’s Day for the Panama-California Exposition. Officially the world’s largest outdoor musical instrument, the Spreckels Organ has provided free weekly concerts in San Diego for–can you believe it–the last 110 years!

San Diego Civic Organist extraordinaire Raúl Prieto Ramírez is in Spain visiting his family for the holidays, so concert-goers today enjoyed music performed by well-known organist Russ Peck–another San Diego favorite! It’s the New Year, so he chose several traditional pieces by Johann Strauss Jr., including Wine, Women, and Song and, of course, The Blue Danube.

During the special concert, the public was invited to enter the organ building and see (and really hear!) the King of Instruments with its over 5000 pipes in action. Experiencing the organ this way is typically a once-every-year opportunity.

I didn’t venture inside the organ building this time–I’ve posted photographs in the past. You can see the photos I shared 10 years ago by clicking here.

…

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.

Thank you for sharing!