La Jolla Music Society SummerFest

À propos

Formed in 1969 and located in the gorgeous seaside community of La Jolla in San Diego County, La Jolla Music Society is one of the West Coast’s leading presenters of premier performing arts. At its state-of-the-art performing arts center, The Conrad, La Jolla Music Society contributes to the region’s cultural vitality year-round through a rich variety of presentations, including classical, jazz, global roots, contemporary music, and dance. Artists presented range from global superstars like Lang Lang, Wynton Marsalis, Zakir Hussain, Yo-Yo Ma, and the Martha Graham Dance Company to rising stars like Samara Joy and Yunchan Lim. La Jolla Music Society also produces SummerFest, a four-week chamber music festival featuring over 80 world-class artists and ensembles performing eclectic concerts and programs. 

Now in its 39th year, La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest brings the world’s finest classical music artists to La Jolla, performing numerous premieres and commissioned works as well as lesser-known gems and the masterworks of the chamber music repertoire. Since 2019, the Music Director of SummerFest has been internationally acclaimed pianist Inon Barnatan, who welcomes artists including Augustin Hadelich, James Ehnes, Joyce Yang, Anthony McGill, Conrad Tao, and dozens more to perform in artfully curated programming. 

La Jolla Music Society owns and operates The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, opened in 2019, which includes the 481-seat Baker-Baum Concert Hall and the smaller cabaret-style space The JAI. The Conrad was designed by Epstein Joslin Architects, Inc. and San Diego firm JWDA. The Conrad’s acoustics were directed by Yasuhisa Toyota of Nagata Acoustics, whose long list of credits include Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Hamburg’s Elbephilharmonie and Paris’ Philharmonie de Paris. Every detail was considered to ensure that The Baker-Baum Concert Hall provided a top experience for both the artists and the audience. Called “a lovely jewel box” by Wynton Marsalis and “one of the most beautiful halls we have played” by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Quartet, The Baker-Baum Concert Hall has become known for its flawless acoustic and warm, lovely wood grid inner construction. 

La Jolla Music Society’s extensive Learning and Engagement efforts produce dozens of free events each year both at The Conrad and offsite in the community, including open houses and free outdoor concerts. For more than 25 years La Jolla Music Society has operated the Community Music Center, providing free La Jolla Music Society’s extensive Learning and Engagement efforts produce dozens of free events each year both at The Conrad and offsite in the community, including open houses and free outdoor concerts.