Feel the beat and find your rhythm—the San Diego Symphony’s third annual festival, “It’s About Time,” is exploring all things rhythm, sound and place through percussion. The festival kicks off January 11 and runs for a whole month, through February 11.
The festival is a partnership with several other San Diego performing arts organizations and features over 25 events throughout the month, including performances, installations, conversations with musicians and artists. “The festival is about the rich world of rhythm and the way we hear musical time,” said Steven Schick, curator of the festival and percussionist, author, conductor and professor at UCSD. “It’s about listening to the sounds of the outside world, to our own heartbeats, to noises of contemporary life.”
A key theme of the festival is showcasing and exploring how sound conveys emotion and connects us to each other. Whether you’ve never been to a classical concert before or you hum Stravinsky on the regular, you’ll likely find something intriguing from the list of events and performances. The Symphony’s performance Percussion: A Listener’s Guide will feature UCSD’s percussion group red fish blue fish and lead the audience on a tour of rhythm, sound and energy. Places in Time will bring together the rhythms of different Italian composers. Stories in Time explores two different views of time: one in which we try to control it and one where we are controlled by the rhythms of nature.
It’s About Time is also leaving the concert hall on January 27 for an open-air, cross-border performance of John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit at International Friendship Park on the US/Mexico border. Percussionists from the US and Mexico will each perform on their side of the border. This event is free and open to the public. “At the heart of this festival is the expression of connectedness, so what an honor and opportunity it is to bring together so many of the performing arts organizations in San Diego,” said Martha Gilmer, San Diego Symphony CEO.
Events are taking place at 12 locations throughout San Diego, mostly at Copley Symphony Hall at Jacobs Music Center, on the UCSD campus and various venues downtown. Tickets for each event can be purchased individually. Visit sdsymphony.org/itsabouttime for more information about each event and to purchase tickets.