The San Diego Symphony will present its first orchestral performance in nearly seven months with a free, livestreamed concert from the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla on Friday.
The performance at 7 p.m. on Oct. 23 will be led by Music Director Rafael Payare and include solos by renowned cellist Alisa Weilerstein, who is Payare’s wife; pianist Inon Barnatan, the music director for La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest; and violinist Jeff Thayer, concertmaster for the symphony.
Titled “A Return To Music,” the program features two classical standards — Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for violin, cello and piano, and Mozart’s Divertimento in D major — and two modern pieces by Black American composers
Banner is a tribute to, and a rhapsody on, the Star-Spangled Banner by 21st century composer Jessie Montgomery. Lyric for Strings is an early composition by George Walker, the first Black composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
The one-hour and 20-minute performance is free to the San Diego community and will be streamed on the symphony‘s website and its Facebook and YouTube
“Members of the orchestra are coming together to capture their live experience at The Conrad, to commemorate what would have been the opening concerts of the 20-21 San Diego Symphony season,” said Martha Gilmer, CEO of the symphony. ‘We are committed to bring to you this performance to remind everyone of the power of live music, and to be able to have you experience it with all respect to the safety of our musicians and our audience. ”
Later in the month, the symphony will join the San Diego Opera at Pechanga Arena for drive-in opera with four performances of Puccini’s La Bohème.
Founded in 1910, the San Diego Symphony is the oldest orchestra in California and one of the largest and most significant cultural organizations in San Diego.