“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,’ ” writes Beth Wood in Sunday’s San Diego Union Tribune. “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 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.’ … [Megan Swan, the symphony’s associate director of artistic planning] 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? … When the orchestra is challenged and connects with artists they haven’t played with before, it’s magical.’ ”
Posted February 21, 2017
