The voice was bouncing off the back wall of the house and echoing back onto the stage. The goosebumps were making their rounds through the assembly. It was obvious that this was going to be a great night. And this was just a rehearsal.

The 50th anniversary of the San Diego Opera is being celebrated with a tremendous concert this weekend at Symphony Hall. When I say "tremendous," I mean that this concert will make you tremble based just on the music it contains.

There is music from Aida, Tosca, Turandot, Tristan und Isolde , The Magic Flute, The Daughter of the Regiment, Tannhauser, The Barber of Seville, Don Carlo, Nabucco, Die Tote Stadt, Candide, Ariadne auf Naxos, Samson and Dalila, The Pearl Fishers, Eugene Onegin, and La Forza del Destino.

The scale of the concert is HUGE. The singers are top shelf and they will be performing a program which makes no effort to be precious. Every piece on this list is a fastball right down the middle. There are a few that might feel like curve balls, such as Die Tote Stadt and Ariadne auf Naxos, but they are "hanging curve balls" which means they will be knocked out of the park.

If you don't go to this concert you will miss one of the best musical experiences of the decade. How can I make such a claim? When is the last time we got to hear the very best moments in opera performed by some of the very best singers all in one night? It just doesn't happen in San Diego.

The concerts are Saturday, April 18, at 7 p.m and Sunday, April 19, at 2 p.m. at Symphony Hall.