Concerts

Sunday, June 14, 2026
7:30 PM

*AT THE ATHENAEUM MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY*

The series opens on Sunday, June 14, with a local debut by the Rodriguez Brothers Quintet, who will play their own Afro-Cuban jazz in honor of Miles Davis’s 100th birthday. Davis constantly pushed boundaries and absorbed global traditions. In this heartfelt tribute, the Rodriguez Brothers carry the tradition forward, reinterpreting the legend’s iconic works through today’s Afro-Cuban jazz language—blending Havana’s rhythmic fire with the spirit of innovation that Davis embodied. The band features brothers Michael Rodriguez on trumpet and Robert Rodriguez on piano, Carlitos Del Puerto on bass, Jimmy MacBride on drums, and Luis Conte on percussion.

Sunday, June 14, 7:30 PM » Rodriguez Brothers Quintet—Miles 100: A Celebration in Afro-Cuban Jazz

Sunday, June 21, 7:30 PM » Emilio Solla and Antonio Lizana

Friday, August 21, 7:30 PM » Sean Jones/Billy Childs/Ben Williams

*AT THE ATHENAEUM MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY*

The Athenaeum is pleased to announce this three-concert series featuring local debuts and return visits by internationally acclaimed jazz artists. All performances take place in the library’s intimate Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room (at 1008 Wall Street in La Jolla). Seating is limited—so, order soon! For tickets and information, click below or call (858) 454-5872.

Sunday, June 21, 2026
7:30 PM

*AT THE ATHENAEUM MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY*

The series continues Sunday, June 21, at the Athenaeum with a local debut by the duo of Emilio Solla and Antonio Lizana. Latin Grammy–winner and six-time Grammy nominee, Argentina-born and New York–based pianist, composer, and arranger Solla teams up for his 15th album with rising-star Spanish flamenco-jazz vocalist and saxophonist Lizana. Together they have created a highly original album, El Siempre Mar, where old Argentine folk songs by foundational composers, such as Atahualpa Yupanqui and Astor Piazzolla, live together with original compositions from both Solla and Lizano. In this new take on the cantes de ida y vuelta (“roundtrip songs”), these two artists have managed to find a unique and contemporary meeting point between the music of Argentina, the south of Spain, and jazz.

Monday, June 22, 2026
12 PM

Dr. Yana (Zixuan) Yan is a passionate performer and educator who has given numerous concerts as a soloist and chamber musician in the United States and in China. Yana taught at Augustana College and Black Hawk College, IL as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Flute, and she was a Flute Instructor at Quad City Symphony. She was recognized as a successful director of the Augustana Flute Choir and recruited highly qualified flute students to the college. She has worked closely with K–12 school music directors and local youth orchestras and has given frequent master classes to high schools and colleges. She has appeared as a presenter at National Flute Association, Upper Midwest Flute Association, San Diego Flute Guild, and Florida Flute Association. She has also served as a judge in major competitions including Charleston International Music Competition, Young Artist Competition of Upper Midwest Flute Convention, LVMTA Bushell Competition, and major competitions in Illinois and Iowa. Her students have received academic and music scholarships and various accolades for their accomplishments. One of her college students recently won the annual Augustana Concerto Competition. Her pre-collegiate students have served as principal players in youth orchestras, youth bands, and have been selected to play with All-State Honor Orchestras. Ming-Jui Liu is a Taiwanese guitarist and composer whose work spans performance, composition, and pedagogy. His performances and compositions have been featured in Taiwan, the United States, and internationally across South America, Europe, and Asia.

Monday, June 29, 2026
12 PM

From the city where they sun shines through the mist, Temecula, California, comes the jazzy folk duo Nathan & Jessie. Born of the individuals, Nathan Rivera and Jessie Andra Smith, this duo is a unique blend of jazzy folk and blues on resonator guitars and accordion, along with interesting interplay between male and female vocals. Often joined on tour and on recordings by their friends, Trevor Mulvey on Upright Bass, and Blake Armstrong on Drums.

Sunday, July 5, 2026
4 PM

Program:

TBA

Sundays, July 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2026
4 PM

Program:

TBA

Monday, July 6, 2026
12 PM

Known for her expressivity, virtuosity, and versatility, Indonesian-born pianist Ines Irawati is in demand both as a solo recitalist and a collaborative pianist. Ms. Irawati is currently serving as the music and artistic director of San Diego Opera's Young Artist Training Program, as well as its community outreach concert series, Opera Exposed! Concerts. She has served as a vocal coach and pianist at the Institute for Young Dramatic Voices, and she was the head vocal coach and collaborative piano faculty at Point Loma Nazarene University from 2004–2017.

Sunday, July 12, 2026
4 PM

Program:

TBA

Monday, July 13, 2026
12 PM

Adam Wolff has been playing the piano for most of his life. Starting at the age of 8, he spent ten years studying classical piano performance, music theory, and creative music expression. Raised in New York and Chicago, he returned to New York City in the 80s and spent many years playing music full-time in Manhattan. While living in New York, Wolff studied with several great pianists: Barry Harris (Keeper of the Bebop Flame), Mike Longo (Musical Director for Dizzy Gillespie), and Kenny Werner (Author of Effortless Mastery and a global music legend).

Friday, July 17, 2026
7:30 PM

Each year, the Emerging Composers Competition (hosted by San Diego New Music) solicits musical scores from college-age composition students across the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. They select the most promising young composers to write brand-new works for the annual concert, which in turn features five premieres by these up-and-coming composers.

Saturday, July 18, 2026
7:30 PM

*AT THE ATHENAEUM MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY*

Don’t miss this late-breaking addition to the Athenaeum’s summer jazz schedule, a special opportunity to experience the artistry of acclaimed jazz vocalist Roberta Gambarini in an intimate duo setting with one of the West Coast’s finest pianists, Tamir Hendelman. A multi-Grammy–nominated singer, lyricist, arranger, and educator, Gambarini has been called “a true successor to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and Carmen McRae” (Boston Globe).

Sunday, July 19, 2026
4 PM

Program:

TBA

Monday, July 20, 2026
12 PM

The Stanton Street Duo is a chromatic harmonica and 7-string guitar ensemble based in San Francisco. Since their participation as finalists in the CAG Elmaleh Competition in NYC, the duo has performed across the US and Mexico. Praised for their virtuosity, intensity, and musicality, the Stanton Street Duo continues to attract a diverse range of audiences through their dynamic and electrifying live performances. Beyond their focus on elevating and reimagining traditional Latin American music styles, the Stanton Street Duo demonstrates their versatility and range in their performance of classical and film composers as well as their own original compositions. 

Sunday, July 26, 2026
4 PM

Program:

TBA

Monday, July 27, 2026
12 PM

Long ago four people used to meet every year under a tree on top of Mount Palomar to sing madrigals. In 2003, it suddenly occurred to them that they could meet more frequently outside the context of the San Diego Early Music Society Workshop, and so they arranged to get together "down the mountain". They were joined by two more friends, and Courtly Noyse was born. This lively mix of personalities soon developed the blend of humor, imagination and versatility in the performance of Renaissance music that has become their trademark.

Monday, August 3, 2026
12 PM

Award-winning pianist Dr. Xiao Chen is actively engaged as both a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, China, and Europe. Her performances have been praised internationally; New York Concert Review praised her, stating that “she has a strong interest in communicating, and that urge is apparent in performances of expressiveness and purposefulness,” while Shanghai Youth Daily said, “her energetic and breathtaking performance impressed the audience.” Her concerts have been frequently broadcast live on radio stations, including Classical KUSC FM 91.5 and Classical KING FM 98.1. She has regularly appeared as a soloist with orchestras and performed solo recitals in major concert series.

Monday, August 10, 2026
12 PM

Joanne Stohs is a freelance violist who play in chamber groups and orchestras in the San Diego area. She is also a piano teacher and accompanist. She has a bachelor's degree in piano and viola performance from BYU and a master's degree in piano performance from Washington University in St. Louis. Robert Zelickman, clarinetist, has been teaching and performing in San Diego since 1982. He is a member of the bass clarinet quartet JAMB and co-director of Second Avenue Klezmer Ensemble. Robert was a member of Orchestra Nova for 23 seasons and has performed with the San Diego Symphony and the San Diego Opera. Alyze Dreiling is an award-winning conductor, and accomplished violinist and violist in San Diego.She is the conductor of the New City Sinfonia, the CYO (Civic Youth Orchestra) Symphonic Orchestra, the North Coast Strings and the Grossmont College String Ensemble where she is an adjunct faculty member. In addition to her title as Conductor Emeritus of  the YPO Soloists Ensemble, Festival Orchestra and Sinfonietta, she was also the founding Artistic Director and Conductor of Classics for Kids, a fully professional orchestra performing specialty youth concerts in the San Diego area. Ms. Dreiling maintains a private teaching studio and is a member of the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC) the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), and the National Piano Guild. She also serves as an adjudicator for the MTAC Certificate of Merit program.

Friday, August 21, 2026
7:30 PM

*AT THE ATHENAEUM MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY*

The series concludes on Friday, August 21, with a special collective of three of today’s most celebrated jazz artists: Sean Jones on trumpet, Billy Childs on piano, and Ben Williams on bass. Childs and Williams are known to Athenaeum audiences from many past performances; Jones makes his Athenaeum debut in this concert.

Monday, August 24, 2026
12 PM

Throughout his baseball career, Tim Flannery had his guitar in hand. Flan writes songs about his family roots, love, and the surrender that comes when you understand some things are out of your control. He writes about baseball and being on the road, the call of the highway, and the beacon of home. He has an ace band, the Lunatic Fringe, that bring his songs roaring to life in various musical genres like bluegrass, country, and rock.