Please join us for an artist talk with the SDSU Art Council Scholarship Recipients. They will share a special presentation on their exhibition, 21st Annual SDSU Art Council Scholarship Exhibition, and discuss how the work connects to their practices and creative processes.
*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.
*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.
There will be no mini-concert on Monday, June 15 due to a private event. Thank you for understanding, and see you next Monday!
The Patron Dinner is held annually in June in honor of our members at the Patron level and above. The celebration includes a cocktail hour and dinner, where the signature Patron Gift and Order of the Olive members are presented. In 1994, the tradition of a Patron Gift was begun. Each year, an artist who has exhibited at the Athenaeum is commissioned to create a limited-edition artwork, often reflecting the character of the organization. The first reproduction becomes part of the Athenaeum's permanent collection. The others are given as gifts to donors who support the Athenaeum at the Patron level or higher. For more information on Patron membership, please visit our membership section.
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The Athenaeum is closed on Friday, June 19, 2026 in observance of Juneteenth. Thank you for understanding!
Get a gift for a friend or yourself at the Athenaeum's quarterly book sale on our patio! As usual, we will have a large selection of gently used books, CDs, vinyl LPs, and sheet music. Hundreds of recordings of classical, jazz, and popular music are just $1 per disc, making this a music lover’s paradise.
Members' Open Print Studio is private time for those who hold a current membership with the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. This members-only opportunity provides members a private open studio session without the busy nature of regular open studio. Light demonstrations are available and certain members' open studio dates will include workshops.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
*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.
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.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Walking tours leave from the Athenaeum at 5:30 p.m. Tours are free and registration is required. Tours are limited to a maximum of 35 guests and last for approximately 90 minutes.
Open Print Studio at the Athenaeum Art Center invites local printmakers and artists to utilize the equipment and space in the printmaking studio. Prior knowledge in printmaking and equipment familiarity is required as open studio time is not for learning a new printmaking process or one on one lessons. The Athenaeum Art Center offers printmaking courses throughout the year for those wanting to learn a new craft or wanting to enhance their art practice. Open Studio is free for everyone.
Members' Open Print Studio is private time for those who hold a current membership with the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. This members-only opportunity provides members a private open studio session without the busy nature of regular open studio. Light demonstrations are available and certain members' open studio dates will include workshops.
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.
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is thrilled to announce its newest offering for young families: Creative Storytime with Ms. Katia. This new program, held on the first Wednesday of each month at 10:30 AM, is designed to introduce children to the magic of storytelling while fostering an early love for music, art, and literature.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The Athenaeum is closed on Saturday, July 4, 2026 in observance of Independence Day. Thank you for understanding!
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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.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
We are pleased to announce our Faculty & Staff Exhibition in the Palmer Gallery at the Athenaeum Art Center. The heart of the Athenaeum’s School of the Arts is our faculty, whose knowledge and expertise embrace all aspects of fine art. In this exhibition of our teaching artists’ current work, viewers will enjoy the broad range of mediums and techniques that characterize our faculty’s versatility, from painting to book arts, printmaking, ceramics, illustration, painting, and beyond. Their dedication to lifelong learning and exploration continues to inspire students who take classes in both our Logan Heights and La Jolla studios. The Faculty Exhibition reflects the Athenaeum’s ongoing commitment to fine arts education and its role as a vibrant cultural hub in San Diego’s art community.
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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).
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Walking tours leave from the Athenaeum at 5:30 p.m. Tours are free and registration is required. Tours are limited to a maximum of 35 guests and last for approximately 90 minutes.
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.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
*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).
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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.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
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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.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Walking tours leave from the Athenaeum at 5:30 p.m. Tours are free and registration is required. Tours are limited to a maximum of 35 guests and last for approximately 90 minutes.
One of the most prestigious juried shows in San Diego, selected artists will exhibit their work in our galleries, receive excellent exposure, and mingle with both artists and art lovers at an opening reception. Prize winners, including the recipient of the Leslie Von Kolb Memorial Award, will be announced at the opening reception. Free and open to the public.
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.
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is thrilled to announce its newest offering for young families: Creative Storytime with Ms. Katia. This new program, held on the first Wednesday of each month at 10:30 AM, is designed to introduce children to the magic of storytelling while fostering an early love for music, art, and literature.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
An unassuming greeting card poet from a small town in Vermont heads to New York City upon inheriting a massive fortune and is immediately hounded by those who wish to take advantage of him.
Cast: starring Gary Cooper, Jean Arthur, George Bancroft; director, Frank Capra
Runtime: 1 hr. 55 min.
Tagline: Everybody's Goin' to Town with "Mr. Deeds!"
Academy Awards, USA: Best Director, Frank Capra (Winner); Best Picture (Nominee); Best Actor in a Leading Role, Gary Cooper (Nominee); Best Writing, Screenplay (Nominee); Best Sound, Recording (Nominee)
The Athenaeum's outdoor movie series, Flicks on the Bricks, invites you to enjoy classic movies on our patio during beautiful summer nights. In August, KPBS film critic, arts reporter, and Cinema Junkie podcast host Beth Accomando returns to host the 20th annual Flicks on the Bricks series. This year, she has chosen four classic films by director Frank Capra, viewing the American Dream through the eyes of an immigrant.
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.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Walking tours leave from the Athenaeum at 5:30 p.m. Tours are free and registration is required. Tours are limited to a maximum of 35 guests and last for approximately 90 minutes.
A naive youth leader is appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. His idealistic plans promptly collide with corruption at home and subterfuge from his hero in Washington, but he tries to forge ahead despite attacks on his character.
Cast: starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains; director, Frank Capra
Runtime: 2 hr. 9 min.
Tagline: The Picture that Caused a Furore in Washington!
Academy Awards, USA: Best Writing, Original Story (Winner); Best Picture (Nominee); Best Actor in a Leading Role, James Stewart (Nominee); Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Harry Carey (Nominee); Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Claude Rains (Nominee); Best Director, Frank Capra (Nominee); Best Writing, Screenplay (Nominee); Best Art Direction (Nominee); Best Sound, Recording (Nominee); Best Film Editing (Nominee); Best Music, Scoring (Nominee)
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
A penniless drifter is recruited by an ambitious columnist to impersonate a non-existent person who said he'd be committing suicide as a protest, and a social movement begins.
Cast: starring Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward Arnold; director, Frank Capra
Runtime: 2 hr. 2 min.
Tagline: ALL AMERICA WANTS TO MEET THE "MR. DEEDS" OF 1941!
Academy Awards, USA: Best Writing, Original Story (Nominee)
*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.
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.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Walking tours leave from the Athenaeum at 5:30 p.m. Tours are free and registration is required. Tours are limited to a maximum of 35 guests and last for approximately 90 minutes.
An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman see the value of his own life.
Cast: starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore; director, Frank Capra
Runtime: 2 hr. 10 min.
Tagline: Wonderful news...about wonderful people!...in a wonderful picture! It's a wonderful love! It's a wonderful laugh!
Academy Awards, USA: Best Picture (Nominee); Best Actor in a Leading Role, James Stewart (Nominee); Best Director, Frank Capra (Nominee); Best Sound, Recording (Nominee); Best Film Editing (Nominee)
Open Print Studio at the Athenaeum Art Center invites local printmakers and artists to utilize the equipment and space in the printmaking studio. Prior knowledge in printmaking and equipment familiarity is required as open studio time is not for learning a new printmaking process or one on one lessons. The Athenaeum Art Center offers printmaking courses throughout the year for those wanting to learn a new craft or wanting to enhance their art practice. Open Studio is free for everyone.
Called one of the premier artists of the Baroque Age, paradoxically Velázquez was not a Baroque painter. He was the only artist permitted to paint the king, but his finest, most deeply felt canvases portray the poor and marginalized of society. A Spaniard in the land of the Inquisition, he rarely paints religious subjects. We will analyze his magisterial canvas, Las Meninas, to understand how radical it was.
Walking tours leave from the Athenaeum at 5:30 p.m. Tours are free and registration is required. Tours are limited to a maximum of 35 guests and last for approximately 90 minutes.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Acclaimed for his “powerful and eloquent” performances (New York Times), by the Washington Post for his “expert performance, sensitivity, virtuosity, and imagination,” pianist John Blacklow has been presented as a soloist and chamber musician in venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.; Carnegie's Zankel Hall; in Amsterdam at the Concertgebouw; in Paris at Salle Gaveau, Louvre Auditorium and Cité de la Musique; the Konzerthaus in Berlin; in London at Royal Albert Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Wigmore Hall; in Vienna at the Musikverein and Konzerthaus; in Brussels at the Palais des Beaux Arts and Royal Conservatoire; and the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Recently Albany Records released a disc of the complete Schumann sonatas for violin and piano with violinist Jennifer Frautschi, as well as an American Duos album consisting of five works by living American composers. Cellist Jonathan Karoly is a native of Chicago, where he began studying the cello at the age of three. He has been a prize-winning cellist, pianist, and composer from an early age.
Members' Open Print Studio is private time for those who hold a current membership with the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. This members-only opportunity provides members a private open studio session without the busy nature of regular open studio. Light demonstrations are available and certain members' open studio dates will include workshops.
Open Print Studio at the Athenaeum Art Center invites local printmakers and artists to utilize the equipment and space in the printmaking studio. Prior knowledge in printmaking and equipment familiarity is required as open studio time is not for learning a new printmaking process or one on one lessons. The Athenaeum Art Center offers printmaking courses throughout the year for those wanting to learn a new craft or wanting to enhance their art practice. Open Studio is free for everyone.
The art of Caravaggio, accused murderer, is tough to experience—its psychological realism too gritty, too bloody—yet his impact on subsequent artists, from Rembrandt to Delacroix, is profound.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is thrilled to announce its newest offering for young families: Creative Storytime with Ms. Katia. This new program, held on the first Wednesday of each month at 10:30 AM, is designed to introduce children to the magic of storytelling while fostering an early love for music, art, and literature.
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Sheer passion for chamber music drives Aviara Trio. Comprised of pianist Ines Irawati, violinist Robert Schumitzky, and cellist Erin Breene, this exciting ensemble has been making an indelible impression on the musical landscape of Southern California for the past ten years. Most recently, the trio was invited to perform on Celebrate LA, Los Angeles Philharmonic's 100-year anniversary celebration, at the Hollywood Bowl. With performance degrees from the Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music, Yale University, and Rice University, Ms. Irawati, Ms. Breene, and Mr. Schumitzky have studied and performed with some of the world’s finest musical pedagogues including Paul Katz, Claude Frank, Timothy Eddy, Fred Sherry, Joseph Silverstein, Jacques Israelievitch, Sally Thomas, Miriam Fried, Peter Oundjian, and the Juilliard, Miró, American, Tokyo, Cleveland, Borromeo, and Alexander Quartets.
Members' Open Print Studio is private time for those who hold a current membership with the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. This members-only opportunity provides members a private open studio session without the busy nature of regular open studio. Light demonstrations are available and certain members' open studio dates will include workshops.
Open Print Studio at the Athenaeum Art Center invites local printmakers and artists to utilize the equipment and space in the printmaking studio. Prior knowledge in printmaking and equipment familiarity is required as open studio time is not for learning a new printmaking process or one on one lessons. The Athenaeum Art Center offers printmaking courses throughout the year for those wanting to learn a new craft or wanting to enhance their art practice. Open Studio is free for everyone.
While Bernini’s genius was realized in marble, Peter Paul Rubens’ artistry with brush and pigment was unmatched. Following an exploration of Rubens’ greatest works, we will turn to the artistic force and tragic life of Caravaggio.
*AT THE ATHENAEUM MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY*
Wednesday, May 27, brings the return of drummer Peter Erskine, with his new stellar trio featuring longtime artistic partner Alan Pasqua on piano and the celebrated bassist Scott Colley. One of the leading drummers in jazz, Erskine appears on 700 albums and film scores and has won two Grammy Awards and an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee School of Music. Fifty albums have been released under his own name or as co-leader. He has played with Stan Kenton’s and Maynard Ferguson’s big bands, Weather Report, Steps Ahead, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Diana Krall, Kenny Wheeler, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Brecker Brothers, The Yellowjackets, Pat Metheny and Gary Burton, and John Scofield, among others. He has appeared as a soloist with the London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Oslo, and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Walking tours leave from the Athenaeum at 5:30 p.m. Tours are free and registration is required. Tours are limited to a maximum of 35 guests and last for approximately 90 minutes.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Levi Hammer’s solo piano album Gershwin in Vienna brings together his American roots and his current life in Europe, where he has lived for the last decade. The historical and musical connections between Gershwin, Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern are fascinating but rarely explored beyond a tantalizing footnote. At the Athenaeum, Hammer will play much of the album and speak about the musical parallels between Gershwin and the Viennese modernist masters. Paintings by Gershwin and Schoenberg—both accomplished painters!—will accompany Hammer’s performance of their music. In addition, the composers’ Californian connection will be highlighted in a short film shot on Gershwin’s own tennis court in Los Angeles in the 1930s—right where their legendary tennis matches took place. This program is also an artistic and personal self-portrait of Hammer himself as he describes growing from a child of the Great American Songbook to a conductor and pianist wrestling with the rigorous beauties of the Second Viennese School.
There will be no mini-concert on Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day. Thank you for understanding, and see you next Monday!
Members' Open Print Studio is private time for those who hold a current membership with the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. This members-only opportunity provides members a private open studio session without the busy nature of regular open studio. Light demonstrations are available and certain members' open studio dates will include workshops.
Open Print Studio at the Athenaeum Art Center invites local printmakers and artists to utilize the equipment and space in the printmaking studio. Prior knowledge in printmaking and equipment familiarity is required as open studio time is not for learning a new printmaking process or one on one lessons. The Athenaeum Art Center offers printmaking courses throughout the year for those wanting to learn a new craft or wanting to enhance their art practice. Open Studio is free for everyone.
The most glorious European art has often been born during times of tragedy and dislocation, reflecting the puzzling paradox between destruction and creativity, brutality and beauty. The 17th century is among the cruelest in European history, brutalized by constant wars, yet it produced majestic art. We shall explore this dynamic era through the lens of its greatest artists, such as Caravaggio and Velazquez.
We begin in Rome, vortex of Catholic Europe and home of Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a sculptor-architect who fashioned our dream images of Rome, along with embellishments to St. Peter's Basilica. Bernini’s work adds to the paradox of the age: he was so pious he attended Mass every morning, yet he sculpted one of the most shocking works in all European art.
San Diego New Music joins in the celebrations of the 100th birthday of experimental composer Morton Feldman with a performance of his 1985 ensemble work Piano and String Quartet featuring pianist Vicky Ray and the Eclipse Quartet.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Folias Duo is the celebrated pairing of flutist Carmen Maret and guitarist Andrew Bergeron—a composer-performer ensemble two decades in the making. Renowned for their seamless fusion of classical, jazz, world music, and improvisation, they have developed a singular artistic voice through over 70 original compositions for their instrumentation, more than any duo of their kind worldwide. Inspired by life on the road and the beauty of the natural world, their music transports audiences with vivid storytelling.
The Athenaeum Art Center is proud to present an exhibition of artwork by graduate and upper-division undergraduate students of the School of Art and Design at San Diego State University. Since 2002, the SDSU Art Council has awarded scholarships to a select number of students who, in addition to the Council's financial support, receive the opportunity to present their artwork at the Athenaeum.
