San Diego’s performing arts scene is gathering under one roof. Resident Companies @ The Conrad returns for a second season, welcoming Art of Elan, Bach Collegium San Diego, Camarada, and Mainly Mozart to downtown La Jolla.

Together, they’re bringing a 2026-27 lineup of chamber, classical, early music, jazz, and tango, with a dozen performances already on the calendar.

A Home for San Diego’s Arts Community

Resident Companies @ The Conrad was created by LJMS Artistic Director Leah Rosenthal and Director of Artistic Rentals and Partnerships Juliet Zimmer to make The Conrad a true community hub and give local organizations a world-class stage.

“The Conrad’s Resident Company program has exceeded my expectations in every way,” said Rosenthal. “I am thrilled to be able to share our home with such extraordinary arts organizations.”

The 2026-27 Performances

From this fall through next spring, here’s what’s coming to The Conrad. Whether you’re drawn to a Brooklyn string quartet, a holiday Messiah, or an evening of tango, there’s a night out here for you. Scroll through to find the performances you’ll want to put on your calendar.

Art of Elan at The JAI Featuring Brooklyn Rider String Quartet

Acclaimed string quartet Brooklyn Rider performs its celebrated “Citizenship Notes” program in the intimate space of The JAI.

Co-commissioned by Art of Elan and Carnegie Hall, it explores civic engagement, belonging, and shared responsibility through music by Haydn, Beethoven, and more contemporary voices.

📆 Tuesday, October 6, 2026 | 7 PM – 8 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here

Bach Collegium San Diego: Salzburg Connections

Mozart’s Vespers, best known for the luminous Laudate Dominum, glows with devotional radiance, while Michael Haydn’s Requiem brings expressive intensity.

Together, Bach Collegium San Diego presents a compelling contrast of elegance and emotional gravity.

📆 Saturday, October 17, 2026 | 7 PM – 8:35 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here

Camarada: Time Traveler

All music, in some way, alters time. In this solo concert with narrative, lights, and amplification, double bassist Andrés Martín explores what has been lived, what can never be repeated, and what remains through a program of his own works.

It builds to the premiere of Time Traveler, which uses composition, layering, and real-time improvisation to bring music already written, music unfolding now, and music yet to be created into conversation.

📆 Saturday, November 14, 2026 | 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here

Bach Collegium San Diego: Messiah

Messiah comes to life in both English and Spanish, showcasing Handel’s gift for theatrical drama from the opening “Comfort ye” to the culminating choral Amen.

Soloists include Estelí Gomez, Jay Carter, Cecilia Duarte, Jacob Perry, Enrico Lagasca, and Fredy Bonilla.

📆 Saturday, December 12, 2026 | 7 PM – 10 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here

Camarada: Charlie Brown Jingles & JAZZ

Let your yuletide spirits soar as San Diego icon Peter Sprague turns his compositional expertise to A Charlie Brown Christmas, Vince Guaraldi’s 1965 jazz score for the Peanuts holiday special.

Expect favorites like Linus and Lucy, Christmas Time Is Here, The Christmas Song, Winter Wonderland, and Feliz Navidad, performed with Allison Adams Tucker on voice, Beth Ross Buckley on flute, and a full jazz lineup.

📆 Saturday, December 19 – Sunday, December 20, 2026 | 7:30 PM – 9 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here: Saturday | Sunday

Art of Elan: Sounds & Swells

Art of Elan’s popular Sounds & Swells series returns with newly commissioned surfing footage from McCracken Films, showcasing the California coastline and the epic swells that draw visitors from around the world.

The Hausmann Quartet plays live, synced to the footage, with works by California composers Lou Harrison and others.

📆 Sunday, January 17, 2027 | 6 PM – 7 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here

Camarada: Where Beauty Persists

Beauty takes many forms, from serenity and joy to elegance and passion, and this program explores them all.

It ranges from Rebecca Clarke’s Comodo et Amabile and Telemann’s Flute Concerto to Arensky’s Piano Trio and Kenji Bunch’s Chamber Concerto, and builds to the world premiere of Texu Kim’s Camarada Composer’s Circle commission.

📆 Saturday, January 23, 2027 | 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here

Camarada: The Art of Tango III

Part of the International Art of Tango Festival III, this powerhouse performance pairs the Camarada Tango Quartet with guest bandoneonist Pablo Jaurena, tango historian Ignacio Varchausky, and world-class dancers.

The program journeys through tango masters like Troilo, Pugliese, Maffia, Mores, and Piazzolla, alongside a new commission by Andrés Martín and original works with a bold, post-Piazzolla approach and a rock ‘n’ roll edge.

📆 Saturday, February 27, 2027 | 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here

Bach Collegium San Diego: Agony & Ecstasy

Purcell’s Welcome to All the Pleasures bursts with exuberant energy and sensuous lyricism, while Charpentier’s Le reniement de saint Pierre plunges into anguish, capturing Peter’s denial of Christ with gripping force.

Fun fact: Purcell was so admired in his own time that he was buried next to the organ in Westminster Abbey.

📆 Saturday, March 20, 2027 | 7 PM – 8:45 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here

Camarada: The Wild Blue

Guitarist and composer Peter Sprague brings together an eight-piece ensemble featuring a classical string trio, a jazz quartet, and flutist Beth Ross Buckley, blending Brazilian rhythms, jazz improvisation, and the influence of Bach.

The group’s 2009 debut recording, The Wild Blue, earned widespread acclaim and led to a 2010 Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant, which inspired Sprague’s Dr. Einstein’s Spin.

📆 Sunday, April 25, 2027 | 4 PM – 6 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here

Bach Collegium San Diego: Bound for Bachfest 2

Bach’s cantatas BWV 32 and BWV 49 unfold as intimate, dialogue-driven meditations of striking virtuosity, joined by motets from Johann Hermann Schein’s Israelsbrünnlein.

With soloists Clara Rottsolk and Enrico Lagasca, the program traces an arc from early German Baroque devotion to the drama of the high Baroque.

📆 Sunday, May 9, 2027 | 4 PM – 5:25 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here

Art of Elan: An Evening With Caroline Shaw at The JAI

One of the most celebrated composers of her generation, Caroline Shaw joins Art of Elan musicians for an intimate evening of selections from her groundbreaking body of work.

Set in the cozy space of The JAI, it’s a rare chance to experience her music up close.

📆 Wednesday, May 19, 2027 | 7 PM – 8 PM
🎟️ Grab your tickets here

Mainly Mozart: All-Star Orchestra Festival

For nearly 40 years, Mainly Mozart has brought San Diego the finest in orchestral music, intimate concerts, and music education for young people.

Its annual All-Star Orchestra Festival is the largest gathering of concertmasters and principal players in the United States.

📆 Dates to be announced in spring 2027

See you there!

With four companies, a dozen performances, and a venue built for great music, The Conrad’s second Resident Companies season is not to be missed.

📍 7600 Fay Ave, La Jolla
ℹ️ Check out more upcoming events here

See you there, San Diego!