Five Jewish teens recorded their experiences in diaries as their world descended into World War II. These memoirs are a testament to the human spirit during a period in history that must never be forgotten. Five songwriting teams and Tony Award-winning writer Robert L. Freedman have crafted this world premiere theatrical event to bring their words to life and tell a story with stunning contemporary relevance.

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WITNESSES

California Center for the Arts

Florence. Summer 1953. American Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara take in the wonder and awe of Florence. A fateful gust of wind whisks Clara’s hat into the hands of a local dreamer Fabrizio Naccarelli… and it’s amore at first sight. But Clara isn’t quite what she appears, and soon they must all confront a secret kept in the shadows for far too long. With a book by Craig Lucas and music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, the Broadway musical, The Light in the Piazza won six Tony Awards, including Best Original Score.

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA

TINA CHONG…concert pianist, is an artist with passion, infectious energy, and excitingprogramming. She has appeared as a guest soloist with orchestras all over the world andis a sough-after recitalist and chamber musician in North America. A native of Banff,Canada…she has been hailed as “a deity of elegance” (New Brunswick Beacon)

TINA CHONG

Pianist Wynona Wang was selected as First Prize winner of the 2018 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, which is just the latest in a series of impressive first prize performances, along with the 2017 Wideman International Piano Competition in Louisiana. Wynona was also awarded the 2019 “Charlotte White” Career Grant awarded by the Salon de Virtuosi in New York City.

Wynona Wang

The Villalobos Brothers have been acclaimed as one of today’s leading contemporary Mexican ensembles. Their original compositions and arrangements masterfully fuse and celebrate the richness of Mexican folk music with the intricate harmonies of jazz and classical music. The ensemble’s virtuosic performances delivered with brilliance, combined with a message of love, brotherhood and social justice, have delighted audiences around the world.

VILLALOBOS BROTHERS

They sing everything…Americana, patriotic, movie and Broadway tunes, plus popular songs to make your experience “a joy beyond all expectations”. The AABC is world-famous celebrating over 50 years of presenting concerts for all occasions plus performances for five Presidents!

All-American Boys Chorus

City Ballet of San Diego closes the season with Elizabeth Wistrich’s full-length ballet of Don Quixote – a lavish production based on Miguel de Cervantes epic novel. Follow the adventures of the errant knight, Don Quixote, and his squire, Sancho Panza, on their travels to find the beautiful Dulcinea whom Don Quixote has only seen in his dreams. This is ballet storytelling at its best. This three-act story ballet sensation with its opulent scenery and costumes, complete with moving windmills, is family oriented and filled with humor and magic.

CITY BALLET OF SAN DIEGO PRESENTS DON QUIXOTE

Soka Performing Arts Center

Rising-star violinist Aubree Oliverson plays Felix Mendelssohn’s astonishing masterpiece, one of the best-loved violin concertos of all time, with its heart-tugging melodies and virtuoso fireworks. Edo de Waart leads the Orchestra in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s dark and dramatic Prague Symphony, and the concert begins with Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 93, the first of the set of 12 that he created for London audiences at the end of his career.

SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY: HAYDN, MENDELSSOHN, MOZART

“Glorious and inspiring” (Time Out New York), “fun and heartfelt” (The New Yorker), ONCE is the story of a guy who gave up on love and music, and the girl who inspired him to dream again. On the streets of Dublin, an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant are drawn together by their shared love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, an unexpected friendship and collaboration quickly evolves into a powerful but complicated love story, underscored by emotionally charged music. From the very first note, ONCE draws you in and never lets go. This emotionally captivating musical is the only show to have won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Olivier Award and a Tony Award.

ONCE

Conductor Ankush Kumar Bahl takes us on a musical voyage to the immortal “land where the lemon-trees bloom, and the gold orange glows…” in Felix Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, inspired by his year-long trip to that country in 1830. Principal bass Jeremy Kurtz-Harris performs music by Tijuana-based composer Andrés Martín, whose concerto draws on the rhythms of tango from his native Argentina.

SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY: MENDELSSOHN’S “ITALIAN”

Join us for our 8th Annual Mariachi Festival with featured artists, Mariachi Champaña Nevin, regarded as one of the leading proponents of “classical mariachi music” in the world. As well as performances from Monica Abrego, one of Mexico’s most outstanding sopranos. Tierra Caliente Academy will also be playing a part in this year’s concert.

8th Annual Mariachi Festival

The ultimate celebration of the sweet sound of Motown is returning to Escondido! This extraordinary live show combines first class music together with outstanding performers and an amazing band featuring the D. Ben-jamin’ Band under the direction of Duane Benjamin. You’ll hear the hits of Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes and more.

California Center for the Arts, Escondido

Jul 15, 2022

WITNESSES

17 - 25 Jun, 2022

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA

California Center for the Arts, Escondido