By Lily Josefsberg, third flute/piccolo
For the past few years, my colleagues and I at the San Diego Symphony have been performing outdoors at the Rady Shell and various other venues across Southern California while we await the reopening of our indoor home, Copley Symphony Hall. On November 2nd, the San Diego Symphony traveled 30 minutes south of the border to Tijuana, Mexico, to perform at the Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT). The concert was part of the California Festival, a two-week statewide artistic showcase in which arts organizations program and perform works of new music written within the past five years. Our program included Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari, dances by David Chesky and José Moncayo, and ended with Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra.
Upon arrival, I had some time before our soundcheck to explore the CECUT plaza, which was decorated for the Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) annual holiday. This festival reunites the living and dead with ofrendas (offerings), inviting the spirits to join the multi day celebrations. Between the uplifting music, bright marigolds, and colorful artisan stalls, the people of Tijuana were full of welcoming smiles.
There was a lot of excitement and anticipation about this concert, as the Symphony has not performed in Tijuana in over 20 years. That night, the audience energized our music. The overwhelming support from the concertgoers was palpable— lines out the door and multiple standing ovations. The sold-out concert was so highly anticipated that the performance was simulcast on the outside of the building so that audience members without tickets could enjoy the music. The musicians were also adorned with beautiful handmade headpieces and lapels from the Tijuana festival workers.
Having rehearsed many recent concert programs outdoors at the Rady Shell, performing repertoire for the first time indoors can sometimes come as a shock since acoustics vary greatly from venue to venue. However, we have learned how music adapts to different spaces, giving new insight into each piece. This held true at CECUT, an intimate space that held about 1,000 people. Our ability to quickly adjust to new environments has been a silver lining for us during our time away from Copley.
Reaching new audiences is imperative to the growth of our orchestra, and having a world class orchestra grows San Diego’s cultural landscape. This concert was in celebration of the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Mexico, and the Symphony recognizes the importance of maintaining this relationship. We strive to use our shared experiences to engage a wider audience as we look toward our return to Copley Symphony Hall and a bright future ahead.