When plans for November’s California Festival: A Celebration of New Music were announced in January, it was billed as a wildly ambitious undertaking that would showcase dozens of music organizations across the state. Now, with Tuesday’s announcement of the full schedule of events — 95 in all — that ambition is set to become an even more heady reality.
To be held Nov. 3-19, the festival is the brainchild of the music directors of California state’s three leading orchestras — the San Diego Symphony’s Rafael Payare, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Gustavo Dudamel and the San Francisco Symphony’s Esa-Pekka Salonen.
It will feature more than 200 pieces of music, of which 172 are new works written since 2018 — by 110 composers — including 32 world premieres. A number of the pieces were inspired by, or reflect, California’s history and contemporary themes, including multiculturalism, climate change and emerging from the COVID pandemic.
The festvial will include 23 local concerts spotlighting a dozen San Diego-based arts organizations. They include the San Diego Symphony, La Jolla Music Society, San Diego Master Chorale, Art of Elan, Camarada, Project [BLANK], the San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir and more.
The opening weekend includes a Nov. 5 California Festival Family & Community Day, which offers free performances at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park by the San Diego Symphony, the San Diego Youth Symphony and Camarada.
In a joint statement, Payare, Dudamel and Salonen said: “California is an inexhaustible wellspring of creativity, openness and collaboration. We are so proud to be joined by more than 90 partner organizations located in every region of the state for the inaugural California Festival — their participation turns our celebration into a true statewide effort that reflects the full spectrum of ideas, voices and cultures that call California their home.
“Every one of these institutions will be presenting music that they believe in, representing their unique communities with total artistic freedom. We could not be more excited to join our friends in showcasing the ideas and talent that this extraordinary state has to offer.”
The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park at twilight
(Gary Payne / Courtesy San Diego Symphony)
California Festival’s San Diego performances
Concert information provided by California Festival and is subject to change. The statewide schedule is available at cafestival.org.
Saturday, Nov. 4
• San Diego Symphony performs Mozart, Strauss, Kim, the world premiere of Juan Colomer’s A Casual Walk to Extinction and the West Coast premiere of Billy Childs’ Saxophone Concerto. 7:30 p.m., The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. 222 Marina Park Way, downtown.
• San Diego Master Chorale performs Jennifer Lucy Cook’s They Are Mother and Saunder Choi’s The New Colossus. 7 p.m. The Village Community Presbyterian Church, 6225 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Fanta Fe
Sunday, Nov. 5
• San Diego Symphony performs Gershwin, Marquez and Jessie Montgomery’s Because, A Symphony of Serendipity. Noon. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park (free; tickets available online Aug. 15)
• San Diego Youth Symphony performs Gershwin, Valeria Pelka’s Memoris Argentinas and Dinuk Wijuratne’s Polyphonic Lively. 3 p.m. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park (free; tickets available online Aug. 15)
• San Diego Master Chorale performs Jennifer Lucy Cook’s They Are Mother and Saunder Choi’s The New Colossus. 4 p.m. The Village Community Presbyterian Church, 6225 Paseo Delicias, Rancho Fanta Fe
• Art of Elan performs In Here & Now, featuring Carlos Simon’s Between Worlds, Michael Oesterle’s Select Movements from Parlour Games, Juhi Bansal’s Trail of Stars, Paul Wiancko’s Cities of Air, Anna Clyne’s Red Nines and Erberk Eryilmaz’s Raki Havashi. 7 p.m. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park (free; tickets available online Aug. 15)
Thursday, Nov. 9
• San Diego New Music performs a newly commissioned work by Texu Kim and recent pieces by Ken Ueno, Christopher Adler, Vera Ivanova, Nicholas Deyoe and Francisco Eme. 7:30 p.m. Atheneaum, Athenaeum Music & Arts Library,1004 Wall Street, La Jolla
Rhiannon Giddens, a singer, banjo player and violinist, will perform Nov. 10 at the Balboa Theatre as part of the local concerts in the inaugural California Festival this fall.
(Rick Loomis / for the Los Angeles Times/Rick Loomis / for the Los Angeles Times)
Friday, Nov. 10
• La Jolla Music Society presents Silkroad Ensemble’s American Railroad, featuring Rhiannon Giddens. 5:30 p.m. Balboa Theater, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter
• San Diego Symphony performs Carlos Simon’s Wake Up: A Concerto for Orchestra (world premiere) and Wagner’s The Ring Without Words. 7:30 p.m. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
Saturday, Nov. 11
• San Diego Jewish Men’s Choir and San Diego Saint’s Choir’s Interfaith Veteran’s Day/Thanksgiving Concert. 7 p.m. 7474 Charmant Drive, San Diego
• San Diego Symphony performs Wagner’s The Ring Without Words and Carlos Simon’s Wake Up: A Concerto for Orchestra. 7:30 p.m. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.
Sunday, Nov. 12
• La Jolla Presbyterian Church Concert Series presents Camarada’s Música Nueva. 4 p.m. 7715 Draper Street, La Jolla
Wednesday, Nov. 15
• Art of Elan presents Downtown Sounds, featuring world premieres of works by Jory Herman and Mason Bynes, plus new music by Steph Richards, Andrew Munsey and others. 7 p.m. Luce Loft, 1037 J St., Gaslamp Quarter
Thursday, Nov. 16
• San Diego Symphony and La Jolla Music Society present Alisa Weilerstein’s Fragments II. 7:30 p.m. The Baker-Baum Concert Hall, Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla
Cellist Alisa Weilerstein will be featured Nov. 16 at the California Festival.
(Courtesy of La Jolla Music Society)
Friday, Nov. 17
• Project [BLANK] presents a concert of completely improvised music by in^set trio. 7:30 p.m. Bread & Salt, 1905 Julian Avenue, Logan Heights
• San Diego Symphony performs Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and works by Bartok, Villa-Lobos and Tarnopolski. 7:30 p.m. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
Saturday, Nov. 18
• Art of Elan presents Young Artists in Harmony. 11 a.m. (free). A Reason to Survive Arts Center, 200 East 12th St., National City
• Art of Elan presents Creating Sound, featuring interdisciplinary artist Danielle Dean. 4 p.m. Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego 1550 South El Camino Real, Encinitas
• Camarada presents Music She Wrote, featuring music by Valerie Colema, Libby Larsen, Carlisle Floyd, Gabriela Lena Frank, Amy Beach and others. 7:30 p.m. UC San Diego Park & Market, 1100 Market St., downtown
• Project [BLANK] presents a concert of new works by Laure Hiendl. 7:30 p.m. Bread & Salt, 1905 Julian Avenue, Logan Heights
• San Diego Symphony performs Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and works by Bartok, Villa-Lobos and Tarnopolski. 7:30 p.m. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park
The Hausmann Quartet, from left, cellist Alex Greenbaum, violist Angela Choong and violinists Bram Goldstein and Isaac Allen. They’ll perform Nov. 19 as part of the California Festival.
(Courtesy of Samantha Zauscher)
Nov. 19
• Hausmann Quartet performs Haydn Voyages: Patterns of Americana, featuring music by Haydn, Charles Ives, Lou Harrison and Inti Figgis-Vizueta. 2:30 p.m. Maritime Museum of San Diego, 1492 North Harbor Drive, downtown
• Project [BLANK] presents a concert of new works by Laure Hiendl. 7:30 p.m. Bread & Salt, 1905 Julian Avenue, Logan Heights