San Diego Symphony Media Coverage: Feb. 12 through Mar. 8

ARTS

T R AV E L

GRIEF AND GRACE

SHOT ON LOCATION

Old Globe’s ‘The Blameless’ deals with compassion after tragedy E3

ARTS

HOT TICKETS

From Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles to Jimmy’s Eastside Diner in Miami, you can visit many places where this year’s Oscar-nominated movies were filmed E10

What the San Diego Symphony has planned for its outdoor summer series E3

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SUNDAY • FEBRUARY 19, 2017

Promoter Bonnie Wright’s concert series turns 20, sounding just as bold and adventurous as it did in 1997

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HAYNE PALMOUR IV U-T

BY GEORGE VARGA

f a national award is ever created to honor the hippest, most visionary concert promoter of cutting-edge music in the United States, it’s difficult to think of a more worthy candidate than Bonnie Wright. Or a more unlikely one.

The fact that she also happens to be a greatgrandmother is also notable, if only because Wright is a proud champion of intensely daring music that would challenge most millennials and their parents alike.

On Friday at Bread & Salt, this tireless San Diego native will celebrate the 20th anniversary of her

Fresh Sound concerts. The Logan Heights venue is at least the fourth home for her labor-of-love series, which over the past two decades has showcased a stunning array of internationally acclaimed music mavericks.

“It’s not just a labor of love. It’s a labor that takes courage and vision. And it’s extraordinary!” said acclaimed percussionist, composer and University of California San Diego music professor Steven Schick.

Also the director of the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus, Schick performed the very first Fresh Sound concert in 1997 with Australian percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson. She was SEE WRIGHT • E5

San Diego music promoter Bonnie Wright outside the Bread & Salt building.

Fresh Sound 20th anniversary concert series

When: Friday: Steven Schick and Vanessa Tomlinson; March 15; Chris Speed Quartet; April 13: Kjell Nordeson & Øyvind Brandtsegg; May 18: Lukas Ligeti’s Notebook (All concerts are at 7:30 p.m. and open to all ages.) Where: Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights Tickets: $10 students; $20 nonstudents Phone: (619) 987-6214 Online: freshsoundmusic.com

FEBRUARY 10–26, 2017 THE SPRECKELS THEATRE

858- 560- 574 0 | s d m t . o r g

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THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

SUNDAY • FEBRUARY 19, 2017

ARTS

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Anne McCue 7:30 p.m. Friday. Brick15, 915 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. $22. (858) 225-1315 or brick15.com Sydney native Anne McCue already had a degree in film studies and production before she joined the hard-rocking Australian band Girl Monster back in the 1990s. Since 2000, this Lilith Fair tour veteran has released at least six solo albums. While she can easily burn through Jimi Hendrix classics on electric guitar, her most recent album, 2015’s tastefully understated “Blue Sky Thinkin’,” features jazzy torch ballads, light swing, svelte blues and the rockabilly romp “Little White Cat.” A gifted singer-songwriter, McCue counts Lucinda Williams and Dave Alvin (who guests on “Blue Sky Thinkin’ ”) among her fans. Del Mar’s Brick15 should be a suitably intimate setting to enjoy her music up close.

FEB.

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GEORGE VARGA • U-T

FEB.

The San Diego Symphony presents The Chieftains 55th anniversary tour

Seth Lerer reading and signing 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Free; reserved seating available. (858) 454-0347 or warwicks.com Seth Lerer is a literature professor at the University of California San Diego whose specialties include the history of the book. His latest, “Tradition,” is an exploration of the meaning and value of reading. What does literature do to and for us? What does it mean to have a “literary canon” when cultural norms are shifting? Lerer discusses writers old (Dickens) and new (Rushdie) and shows how their ability to read — closely, critically— shaped them. Born in Brooklyn, Lerer has taught at Princeton and Stanford in addition to UC San Diego. His 2008 book “Children’s Literature: A Reader’s History From Aesop to Harry Potter” won the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism. He’s also the author of “Prospero’s Son,” a searing memoir about his family published in 2013.

JOHN WILKENS • U-T

8 p.m. Saturday. Jacobs Music Center’s Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., downtown. $20-$80.

(619) 235-0804 or sandiegosymphony.org The Chieftains and the Rolling Stones both started in 1962, in Dublin and London, respectively. Both were determined to earn a wider audience for their respective genres, although The Chieftains’ Celtic music was a much harder sell, commercially speaking. Both survived the deaths of key band members. And both and are still going strong today. Of course, no one would mistake Paddy Moloney, The Chieftains’ 78-year-old leader, for Mick Jagger, 73, although the two are friends. But both are magnetic frontmen who bring a tireless zeal to their bands and music. The latest edition of The Chieftains performs here Saturday, augmented by three step-dancers. Expect a memorable night of jigs, reels, airs and laments, plus plenty of Moloney’s infectious banter.

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GEORGE VARGA • U-T

How to reach us

“Perfect Arrangement” 7:30 p.m. Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 4 and 8 p.m.

Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through March 5. Intrepid Theatre at the Horton Grand Theatre, 444 Fourth Ave., downtown. $29-$58. (888) 718-4253 or intrepidtheatre.org

MARCH

PHONE: (619) 299-3131 FAX: (619) 260-5083 EMAIL: arts@sduniontribune.com ADDRESS: Arts, Union-Tribune, P.O.Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191

Playwright Topher Payne’s story of closeted government employees in McCarthy-era America starts out like a bubbly sitcom and turns into something more like a fierce social statement. That transition doesn’t come without its hitches, but “Perfect Arrangement” is still a funny and provocative work, one that’s getting a stylish and savvy San Diego premiere at Intrepid. The setup — with two conventional married couples sharing a secret passageway between apartments to facilitate same-sex romance — is tailor-made for laughs. But the play also pays tribute to real-life Americans whose loyalty to country wasn’t enough to spare them persecution.

Michael Rocha, Arts & Entertainment editor EMAIL: michael.rocha@sduniontribune.com • (619) 293-1724

Chris Ross, Travel editor EMAIL: chris.ross@sduniontribune.com • (619) 293-1295

Reporters, critics

JAMES HEBERT • U-T

James Hebert

George Varga

EMAIL: jim.hebert @sduniontribune.com TWITTER: @jimhebert

EMAIL: george.varga @sduniontribune.com TWITTER: @georgevarga

The California Center for the Arts, Escondido Presents

Hope, Compassion, Love.

The Garcias will need them all tonight.

International Guitar Night Wednesday, February 22

Starts Thursday!

Buy Tickets: Artcenter.org | 800.988.4253

By Nick Gandiello Directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch

CRITIC’S CHOICE! “New and authentic...FUN TO WATCH!”

February 23 – March 26 Tickets Start at $29

– San Diego Union-Tribune

Emma Hunton and Heidi Blickenstaff in FREAKY FRIDAY; photo by Jim Carmody.

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THROUGH

UNION-TRIBUNE ARTS + CULTURE

(619) 23-GLOBE (234-5623)

www.TheOldGlobe.org

From top: Frank Pando, Antoinette LaVecchia, Nataysha Rey, and Stephen Barker Turner. Photos by Jim Cox.

EXTENDED AGAIN! NOW – MARCH 19.

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SUNDAY • FEBRUARY 19, 2017

‘Blameless’ hits the Old Globe

Gandiello’s surprising play grapples with grief while flowing with empathy, grace and humor EDUARDO CONTRERAS U-T

Director Gaye Taylor Upchurch (left) and writer Nick Gandiello teamed up for “The Blameless” at the Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre in Balboa Park.

BY JAMES HEBERT

“The Blameless”

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here’s a specific — and sadly familiar — kind of tragedy at the heart of Nick Gandiello’s play “The Blameless,” which is about to receive its world premiere at the Old Globe Theatre.

And yet to hear Gandiello tell it, the piece is not about the meanings and motives behind a still-reverberating act of violence — of a type that has spawned ceaseless headlines and fierce debate.

Instead, it’s about the surprising empathy and grace that can flow from such suffering.

“I don’t think it’s an issue play, actually,” says Gandiello. “I think those plays are really important, but I think this play is more about — and this is a phrase that one of the actors used in rehears-

When: Previews begin Thursday.

Opens March 2. 7 p.m. TuesdaysWednesdays; 8 p.m. ThursdaysFridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through March 26.

Where: Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Balboa Park Tickets: $29 and up Phone: (619) 234-5623 Online: theoldglobe.org

al — compassionate witnessing.

“It’s more about the struggle to be compassionate toward someone you don’t initially have that feeling toward. It’s less about the issue and more about people having empathy for each other, and finding a way to listen to each other, across a pretty deep divide.”

In deference to the broader themes “The Blameless” embraces, Gandiello prefers not to talk in too much detail about what precipitates the play’s action. Suffice it to say its title derives from a makeshift plaque left several years ago at a memorial in Newtown, Conn.

But the playwright is candid about his abiding interest in the subject of grief, and how it springs from his own life experience: When the Long Island native was 17, his father, a police officer, SEE ‘BLAMELESS’ • E4

SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY LOOKS TO SUMMER Annual outdoor concert series mixes audience favorites with fresh faces and beloved movie scores

BY BETH WOOD

PIERRE MARIE ZIMMERMAN

The San Diego Symphony’s Bayside Summer Nights 2017 concert series promises such established stars as Tony Bennett and New Orleans legend Dr. John, as well as up-and-coming artists like Leslie Odom Jr., fresh from the Broadway smash musical “Hamilton.”

Megan Swan, the symphony’s associate director of artistic planning, also predicts Harry Potter sightings and whiffs of Aqua Net hair spray. But more on that later.

This is the first time Swan has coordinated Bayside Summer Nights, formerly known as Summer Pops. The Chicago native took the position last June, after moving here from Los Angeles.

While working in the L.A. Philharmonic’s education and orchestra departments, she helped stage events at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. She cofounded an organization to expose young musicians to a diversity of music.

“It has been a very exciting and

wild ride,” said Swan, 35, reflecting on her last few months. “In San Diego, and with the symphony, there’s an electricity that’s happening now. People are thirsty for music and the arts.”

Swan hopes to quench that thirst with this year’s Bayside Summer Nights.

As in previous years, “Star-Spangled Pops” and “1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular” will open and close the series, respectively. In between comes a sonic smorgasbord that ranges from Ravel’s “Bolero,” led by symphony associate conductor Sameer Patel, to 1980s pop hit maker Air Supply — the inspiration for Swan’s Aqua Net reference.

Hogwarts and World Music The orchestra will also perform the scores of two beloved movies, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.”

Swan observed that, in movie theaters, people tend to take soundtracks for granted. When played live by an orchestra, the importance of the score to the film becomes clear.

“Being outside makes it even SEE CONCERTS • E7

Dr. John (above) will lead the New Orleans jazz concert on July 27 at Bayside Summer Nights.

Angélique Kidjo (far left) will perform Aug. 13.

Leslie Odom Jr. of “Hamilton” fame will perform with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra July 7-8.

SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY PHOTOS

THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

CONCERTS FROM E3 more special,” she noted.

“You’re wrapped up in a blanket, watching the big screen, and the power of live music’s coming straight at you.

“I’m so excited for the Harry Potter movie! I would love to see an entire audience in costume. Hogwarts and Gryffindors — I haven’t decided which I’ll dress up as. It’s a unique experience.

People mingle ahead of time and it becomes a community.”

Staging the broad range of concerts offered by Bayside Summer Nights seems like a herculean task, but Swan said matching artists’ availability to the series’ schedule is the real challenge. In terms of booking artists, she believes the organization’s internal compass will lead it to a successful season.

“It’s less about attracting new crowds and more about people trying new things,” she said. “The audience wants different kinds of experiences. It helps that our orchestra is one of the greatest in nation. If we plan a season that we stand behind — if we can feel proud — people are going to feel that.”

Swan, who played trumpet in many different settings over the years, is also a devoted World Music aficionado.

She is particularly excited by this season’s Sunday concerts, which will include Brazil’s Sergio Mendes and Benin’s Angélique Kidjo.

Each artist is collaborating with the San Diego Symphony for the first time.

“Foremost in our minds is,” Swan said, “how can we give people something outside of what they’ve heard before? Our Sunday series is the newest look at that. And we’re giving the orchestra something to be proud of — the (World Music) rhythms are so different from their regular repertoire.

“When the orchestra is challenged and connects with artists they haven’t played with before, it’s magical. And that magic transfers out to the audience.”

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SUNDAY • FEBRUARY 19, 2017

Bayside Summer Nights 2017 When: All concerts at 7:30 p.m. The series runs June 30 through Sept. 3.

Where: Embarcadero Marina Park South, behind the San Diego Convention Center, downtown Tickets: $18 to $91; on sale April 23. A variety of subscription packages are on sale now.

Phone: (619) 235-0804 Online: sandiegosymphony.org

Performance highlights Leslie Odom Jr.: Expect excitement and variety when Odom, who won the 2016 Best Leading Actor Tony Award for playing Aaron Burr in the Broadway sensation “Hamilton,” performs with the symphony orchestra. July 7-8.

Thursday Night Jazz:* Because last year’s debut jazz series was such a success, it returns for another three-concert run.

Again curated by Gilbert Castellanos, who traveled in some of the same L.A. circles as Swan, the series will include a night with Latin Jazz Masters and a tribute to Thelonious Monk. It’s kicked off by a salute to New Orleans, anchored by Dr. John.

July 27, Aug. 10, Aug. 24.

Sergio Mendes: In the 1960s, Mendes helped introduce Brazil’s bossa nova to America and the world. His album “Brasileiro” won the 1992 Grammy for World Music album.

Aug. 6 Tony Bennett:* This perpetually young nonagenarian and winner of multiple Grammy Awards delivers Great American Songbook classics in his urbane style. Aug. 12.

Angélique Kidjo: Also a recipient of several Grammys, this dynamic Beninese singer has a wide-ranging repertoire, underpinned by propulsive African rhythms. Aug. 13. *San Diego Symphony does not appear on these programs.

For the full lineup, go to sandiegosymphony.org.

SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY

Sameer Patel conducts the orchestra at a Bayside Summer Nights concert last year at Embarcadero Marina Park South.

The California Center for the Arts, Escondido Presents

PERFORMING NEW ROCK OPERA

Buy Tickets: Artcenter.org | 800.988.4253

Wood is a freelance writer.

at Copley Symphony Hall

BEETHOVEN’S 7TH SYMPHONY WITH DAVID DANZMAYR

FEB 23 – 7:30pm The San Diego Symphony welcomes back Austrian conductor David Danzmayr for a rare full-orchestra concert in the Chamber Music Series. The concert concludes with Ludwig van Beethoven’s famously energetic 7th Symphony, including the Allegretto movement used so effectively in the 2010 film The King’s Speech starring Colin Firth.

An unforgettable musical soirée to benefit San Diego’s New Americans Museum

THE CHIEFTAINS*

FEB 25 – 8pm Six-time Grammy® Award-winners and “Ireland’s premier musical ambassadors” The Chieftains return to the Jacobs Music Center with a night of Irish song and Celtic charm, drawing on over 50 years of traditional Irish music-making.

Deborah Szekely invites you to enjoy a concert by five of the world’s most acclaimed musicians & recording artists:

*The San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

Julian Milkis, Clarinet & Artistic Director

BEETHOVEN’S 5TH SYMPHONY

Konstantin Lifschitz, Piano Alexander Rudin, Cello Polina Osetinskaya, Piano Mikhail Kopelman, Violin

Listen to, as though for the first time, Bach, Beethoven & Schubert Friday, February 24, 2017 Reception 6:30pm Concert 8:00pm The Abbey 2825 Fifth Avenue San Diego 92103 RSVP (619) 756-7707 Credit card processing – email rsvp@namuseum.org

TICK ET S TA R S T AT $2 0!

MAR 3 & 4 – 8pm | MAR 5 – 2pm Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is one of the most recognizable classical compositions in history. Join us as the San Diego Symphony Orchestra performs one of the most iconic masterworks—sure to be a night you won’t forget! Markus Stenz conducts.

LIMITED AVAILABILITY!

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE ™ MAR 11 – 8pm | MAR 12 – 2pm This concert will feature the San Diego Symphony Orchestra performing every note from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™. Audiences will be able to relive the magic of the film in high-definition on a giant screen (and two side screens) while hearing the orchestra perform John Williams’ unforgettable score.

MOZART UP CLOSE MAR 14 – 7:30pm

AUDITORIUM AT TSRI

A celebration of the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart written for great musicians in small spaces.

Featuring our special guest, pianist Orion Weiss, performing Mozart’s Piano Quartet No. 2.

Note: the date and time for this program are different in some previously published materials.

All proceeds after expenses will support New Americans Museum, programs of tolerance and education. A portion of your ticket(s) is a tax-deductible donation to the extent of the law.

N E WA M E R I C A N S M U S E U M . O R G

Tickets and Information | SANDIEGOSYMPHONY.ORG