Classical and Jazz Greats and More at The Conrad This May and June

La Jolla Music Society (LJMS)’s annual Community Arts Open House will return to The Conrad, along with shows and concerts by the Junction Trio, cellist Pablo Ferrández, guitar greats Kaki King and JIJI, and pianist Bruce Liu, as well as San Diego jazz royalty Charles McPherson and mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile.

These and much more will be presented in May and June.

The Conrad Shows This May and June

KAKI KING

Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 10 AM and 11:30 AM
The JAI
ConRAD Kids Series

A new LJMS commission sees one of the most acclaimed rock guitarists creating a show all about the wild and wonderful world of bugs!

Composer and musician Kaki King is considered one of the world’s greatest living guitarists, known both for her technical mastery and for her constant quest to push the boundaries of the instrument.

Hailed by Rolling Stone as “a genre unto herself,” she has released nine albums and toured extensively, performing in such prestigious arts centers as the Kennedy Center, MoMA, LACMA, The Met, and the Smithsonian Design Museum.

She has created music for numerous film and TV soundtracks, including August Rush and Into the Wild, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score.

JUNCTION TRIO: Conrad Tao, piano; Stefan Jackiw, violin; Jay Campbell, cello

Sunday, May 5, 2024, at 3 PM
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Revelle Chamber Music Series

Three renowned visionary artists of the next generation combine talents in this eclectic new piano trio, Junction. Violinist Stefan Jackiw, recognized for musicianship that combines poetry and purity with impeccable technique, returns with pianist Conrad Tao and cellist Jay Campbell.

Tao, who appears worldwide as a pianist and composer, has been dubbed a musician of “probing intellect and open-hearted vision” by the New York Times.

Approaching both old and new works with the same curiosity and emotional commitment, Campbell has been called “electrifying” by the New York Times. Recent concerts of the trio have included performances at Washington Performing Arts, Portland Ovations, and the Royal Conservatory in Toronto.

COMMUNITY ARTS OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 1 PM

The Conrad comes to life for this family-friendly community event! All are invited to join in a fun day of free classes, activities, and performances featuring some of San Diego’s finest musicians, dancers, and artists.

BALLETS JAZZ MONTRÉAL: DANCE ME—Music by Leonard Cohen

Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 7:30 PM
Civic Theatre
Dance Series

Under Louis Robitaille’s artistic direction, in collaboration with stage director Eric Jean and 14 dazzling dancers, Ballets Jazz Montréal brings us three international choreographers—Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Ihsan Rustem—evoking in “five seasons” the grand cycles of existence, as captured in the music and poems of Leonard Cohen.

The revered torch singer’s words find new expression through dance in this stylish, sexy, and innovative program, which received Cohen’s blessing before he passed.

PABLO FERRÁNDEZ, cello

Thursday, May 16, 2024, at 7:30 PM
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Recital Series

Prizewinner at the XV International Tchaikovsky Competition and SONY Classical exclusive artist Pablo Ferrández is hailed as a “new cello genius” (Le Figaro).

A captivating performer, “Ferrández has the lot: technique, mettle, spirit, authority as a soloist, expressivity and charm” (El Pais). He has turned into a cello phenomenon and one of the most in-demand instrumentalists of his generation.

CHARLES & FRIENDS: Featuring John Beasley and The Next Generation

Guest Curator Charles McPherson
Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 6 PM and 8:30 PM
Concerts @ The JAI

The inaugural Jazz @ The JAI Guest Curator, legendary award-winning saxophonist Charles McPherson, and John Beasley, two-time GRAMMY winner, pianist, and composer, curate a program from Duke Ellington through the eras of jazz up to what’s happening now, joined by a roster of rising star jazz artists.

John Beasley is a versatile pianist, composer, and arranger who began his career in his 20s, backing jazz icons Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard. Since then, he has performed with a wide range of artists, including Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride, John Patitucci, Chaka Khan, and Carly Simon, to name a few.

He was music director for international tours with Steely Dan, AR Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) and Queen Latifah and co-MD for Chucho Valdés La Creation tour. Beasley’s work as a composer-arranger-pianist extends beyond jazz with many credits in TV, film, and special events.

JIJI, guitar

Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 3 PM
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Discovery Series

A bold, compelling South Korean virtuoso at home on both classical and electric guitar, JIJI is a champion of cutting-edge composers worldwide.

Praised by the Washington Post for her “mesmerizing” and “stirring” performances, JIJI is an exciting guitarist known for her virtuosity and command of diverse repertoire. Her concert programs range from traditional and contemporary classical to free improvisation.

TERRY VIRTS: How to Astronaut

A Changemaker Production
Thursday, May 23, 2024, at 7 PM
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Speaker Series

Terry Virts served in the US Air Force as an F-16 fighter and test pilot, piloted the Space Shuttle Endeavour, served as Commander for the International Space Station, and conducted three spacewalks during a 200-day mission in 2014 and 2015.

During his seven months in space, he took more than 300,000 photographs and hours of video—the most of any space mission before or since. These images form the backbone of the IMAX film A Beautiful Planet.

He has written books about his experiences, is a compelling speaker, and is a regular contributing instructor at Harvard Business School.

BRUCE LIU, piano

Friday, May 31, 2024, at 7:30 PM
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Piano Series

Bruce Liu took the classical music world by storm in 2021 when he won the First Prize at the 18th Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw. Performances around the globe followed, as well as an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon.

Bruce Liu has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Royal Festival Hall with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Vienna Konzerthaus, BOZAR Brussels, Tokyo Opera City, and Sala São Paulo, among many other prestigious venues.

His LJMS debut brings us an exciting program showcasing his awe-inspiring technique.

LARRY & JOE

Saturday, June 1, 2024, at 6 PM and 8:30 PM
Concerts @ The JAI

Venezuelan joropo maestro Larry Bellorín and GRAMMY-nominated bluegrass and old time star Joe Troop from North Carolina are two virtuosic multi-instrumentalists who fuse their respective Venezuelan and Appalachian folk traditions on the harp, banjo, cuatro, fiddle, upright bass, guitar, and maracas to prove that music has no borders.

Their bilingual program in English and Spanish includes storytelling, humor, and singalongs for a unique evening you won’t soon forget.

CHRIS THILE

Friday, June 7, 2024, at 7:30 PM
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Global Roots Series

Called “the leading mandolin virtuoso of his generation” by the New York Times, MacArthur Fellow and GRAMMY Award-winning mandolinist, singer and songwriter Chris Thile is a San Diego native and a founding member of the critically acclaimed bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek.

For four years, Thile hosted public radio favorite Live from Here with Chris Thile (formerly known as A Prairie Home Companion).

With his broad outlook, Thile creates a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike, giving you “one joyous arc, with the linear melody and vertical harmony blurring into a single web of gossamer beauty” (New York Times).

THE CHARLES McPHERSON QUINTET

Guest Curator Charles McPherson
Sunday, June 9, 2024, at 5 PM and 7:30 PM
Concerts @ The JAI

San Diego debut! “The Best Working Quintet on the Scene”

Jazz Guest Curator Charles McPherson’s New York band performs all over the world and is acclaimed by audiences everywhere.

Now, the internationally renowned legend is bringing the best jazz musicians on the scene together for the first time in San Diego for two intimate shows in The JAI, celebrating their new CD release, Reverence.

Artists, concerts, dates, and venues are subject to change.