Mark Black History Month in San Diego as it closes out this weekend or shift your attention to classical music and performances of short stories inspired by the pandemic.
A group of faculty, staff and students at MiraCosta College hosts the virtual Black Nerds Expo at 10 a.m. Friday. Meet creators and connect with other fans, while learning about Black comics, art, anime, manga, media and pop culture and more. There are chances for drawings and announcements of winners in cosplay and art contests too.
The Point Loma Playhouse premieres a stream of “The Meeting,” depicting “the supposed meeting of two of the most important men of modern times: Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” on Friday. The play, featuring Rhys Green and Julian Monroe, will be available through Sunday, and again from March 5-6. Tickets cost $10 each or $25 for groups.
Patchwork Theatre Company, collaborates with the San Diego Black LGBTQ Coalition, to host the virtual Almeda Fest, at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission for the featured plays – “Adored You,” on Friday and “The Final Frame,” on Saturday – is pay-what-you-can, with free tickets available.
It’s been a sobering week, and at 7 p.m. Friday San Diego Symphony shares the apt “Elegy and Seranades,” The “meditation on the unjust loss of life and the power of commemoration and hope” features works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Carlos Simon. The stream costs $20.
Hard times often beget art, which inspires hope. Knowing that, four local groups – the San Diego Public Library, Write Out Loud, San Diego Writers Ink and the La Jolla Historical Society – set up the San Diego Decameron Project in response to the pandemic. Inspired by The Decameron, produced during the Black Death in the middle ages, they asked writers to create stories about their COVID-19 experiences. At 7 p.m. Friday, hear actors perform the 10 best. One takeaway – “We’ve been here before and survived.” Register for access.
At 11 a.m. Saturday, the Oceanside Public Library and North County African American Women’s Association will celebrate the “History of Black Music and Dance: Past, Present, and Future.” Local artists Alyssa Junious and BJ Robinson highlight Black artists who have influenced their work. They’ll also premiere a collaborative work inspired by the writings of Langston Hughes. The event is open to adults and teens, but sign-up is required for access.
At 4 p.m. Sunday, the Hausmann Quartet launches the new season of “Haydn Voyages,” a concert series aboard the San Diego Maritime Museum’s bayfront Berkeley ferry. It’s virtual Sunday, but organizers hope to return to in-person shows of the composer’s works by the spring. Another plus – this show is pay-what-you-can.