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Classical Music

Mendelssohn, Sibelius, and Schubert at San Diego Symphony Orchestra

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Mahler and Bruckner at San Diego Symphony

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I Pagliacci at San Diego Opera

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Dances with Death, The Golden Calf, and burning babies

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Classical Music

Mendelssohn, Sibelius, and Schubert at San Diego Symphony Orchestra

San Diego Symphony Orchestra music director Rafael Payare finished his slate of Fall concerts this last weekend. I attended the Friday, November 14th, concert at The Jacobs Music Center. It …

Classical Music

Mahler and Bruckner at San Diego Symphony

A dim, grey light filtered through the early morning mists as The Glacier Express chugged away from the station at St. Moritz. As the train climbed higher, the peak of …

Classical Music

I Pagliacci at San Diego Opera

Whenever I attend an opera, I enter the theater and find my seat full of trepidation. (To clarify: I am full of trepidation, not my seat.) It doesn’t matter where …

Classical Music

Dances with Death, The Golden Calf, and burning babies

'Tis the season of Halloween. Pumpkins are being carved, costume decisions are being debated, and a bountiful harvest of candy is being readied. Classical music stands ready to do its …

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Classical Music

Mendelssohn and Korngold at San Diego Symphony Orchestra

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra has wrapped up the first month of the 2025-2026 Jacobs Masterworks Series. Irwin Jacobs himself was at the Saturday, October 18 concert at The Jacobs Music Center, and it happened …

October 20, 2025

Classical Music

A weekend at The Athenaeum and The Symphony

My weekend started on Friday, October 10, with a concert and lecture by pianist Daniel Beliavsky at The La Jolla Athenaeum. The concert included music by Dimitri Shostakovich, Frédéric Chopin, Alexander Scriabin, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. The …

October 13, 2025

Classical Music

October 6, 2025

Opening night for the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

The San Diego Symphony’s 2025-2026 Jacobs Masterworks Series started with a triumph on Friday, October 3 at The Jacobs Music Center. San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare conducted an all-French concert that set a …

Classical Music

September 26, 2025

Classical concerts coming in October

October is nigh, and that means many things. Halloween is the new start of the holiday season, so we can begin looking forward to the holidays. The weather will relax, though there will be no …

Classical Music

September 19, 2025

Winter is coming, I hope

Technically, the dog days of summer run from July 3 through August 11. The term comes from ancient Greece. The star Sirius rises with the sun between these dates, adding to the heat, or so …

Classical Music

September 12, 2025

Fantasia football

I am currently trapped in the throes of a fantasy football fever. I never thought this would be the case, but as it turns out, I'm a micromanager. I have been poring over stats and …

Classical Music

September 5, 2025

Spectacular Sensory Overload at San Diego Symphony

On Saturday, August 30, I went to my first Tchaikovsky Spectacular at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. The concert is the traditional conclusion of the San Diego Symphony’s summer pops season. I have eschewed this …

Classical Music

August 29, 2025

Maligned Netrebko returns to Covent Garden

After a six-year hiatus, renowned Russian soprano Anna Netrebko is set to make a highly anticipated — and deeply divisive — return to London’s Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. The 53-year-old opera star will …

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Classical Music

The lack-buster motion picture score

Once upon a time, we went to the movies during the summer and enjoyed a blockbuster movie, the theater's AC, and some junk food. The AC and junk food are still a treat, but the …

August 22, 2025

Classical Music

Redwood music

I spent this week at The Big Sur Lodge in the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. My kids and I wandered along the scenic coastline, trekked through the redwoods, and skipped rocks in the river. How …

August 17, 2025

Classical Music

August 8, 2025

For want of a hero

Here we are, at the end of summer, for all intents and purposes. For me, that means pre-season NFL games. I’m like most NFL fans. I want a hero to arise, usually at the quarterback …

Classical Music

August 1, 2025

Great operas, basic stories

Opera, a vibrant fusion of music, drama, and visual spectacle, has entertained audiences for centuries. Its power lies in its ability to convey human emotions through profound music while employing basic storytelling. The basic storytelling …

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Classical Music

Mendelssohn, Sibelius, and Schubert at San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Mahler and Bruckner at San Diego Symphony

I Pagliacci at San Diego Opera

Dances with Death, The Golden Calf, and burning babies

Classical Music

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