Cathy Hendrie
PassPort to San Diego

The curtain has come down on another memorable Summer Pops season by the Bay. The fabulous lineup included a Beach Boys tribute, followed by a lightsaber-wielding, electrifying “Star Wars” fan concert during Comic-Con, and dazzling performances by LeAnn Rimes, Esperanza Spalding and Natalie Cole, among others. The rousing season-ending “1812 Overture” again wowed audiences.

My own experience, as Cole (or as her father, Nat King Cole) would say, proved “Unforgettable” too. A full moon and fireworks capped off a night of classic rock songs at the Pops in late August. Our staff and friends took a “Journey” through “Boston” and Kansas” and other great bands while taking in the beautiful waterfront and venue made possible by local community donors and the Port of San Diego.

Now the curtain goes up on the symphony’s downtown season, revealing a vibrant and robust 2015-2106 program with something for everyone. Performances begin the weekend of Oct. 9-11 with guest artist Yuja Wang, a world-class pianist set to take on Mozart’s 9th piano concerto. Other highlights in the classical Jacobs Masterworks Series include Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique” in November, Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” in December, Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” in January and Copland’s “Suite from Appalachian Spring” in May.

The Symphony’s also features exciting City Lights, Family Festival, Fox Theatre Film Series, International Passport, Chamber Music Series and a brand new at the Jacobs Music Center for 2015-16: Jazz @ The Jacobs!

City Lights concerts include Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” projected on the big screen accompanied by Danny Elfman’s enigmatic score performed live on Oct. 30-31; “A Tribute to the Music of Marvin Hamlisch” on March 4 and actor Jason Alexander, whose evenings with the symphony April 8-9, bring a hilarious re-telling of his journey to and on the Broadway stage and a program of great music from the theater.

Family Festival concerts are more fun than ever and feature, among others, “Holiday Pops” on Dec. 20. Sing along to popular holiday carols and hits including “Jingle Bells,” “Sleigh Ride” and many, many more in this one-hour afternoon version especially for families with young children.

Experience great American cinema and thrilling live organ music during the Symphony’s unique Fox Theatre Film Series bringing 1920s silent films once again to the silver screen. Films include:
“The Haunted House” (1921) and “The Cat and the Canary” (1927) on Nov. 1; “Cyrano de Bergerac” (1923) on Jan. 24 and “The Flesh and the Devil” (1926) on April 16.

International PassPort performances range from “Compañia Flamenco José Porcel” on Nov.15, a dazzling company of flamenco dancers and musicians, to Moscow Ballet on Feb. 9 to “globalFEST,” a multi-cultural musical tour on March 26.

The first jazz series in the orchestra’s 105-year history, “Jazz @ The Jacobs,” features Grammy Award-winning singers Dianne Reeves (Feb. 19) and Gregory Porter (May 7), along with some other leading names in the jazz world. First up are “Living Jazz Legends” on Nov. 21, featuring saxophonists Charles McPherson and Tom Scott, pianist Mike Wofford, singer Barbara Morrison, bassist Henry Franklin, drummer Roy McCurdy and trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos, who is curating the series.

The 2015-2016 season clearly brings many opportunities to hear the orchestra in a broad range of concerts. Buy your tickets today and experience the transformative power of great music at the San Diego Symphony! http://www.sandiegosymphony.org/