San Diego Bayside Summer Nights 2017

The San Diego Symphony announced their massive lineup of incredible artist for their 2017 Bayside Summer Nights, which will include the legendary Tony Bennett, Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr., acclaimed international artist Sergio Mendes, country singer Wynonna Judd, and Beninese Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo. Films that will viewed and accompanied by a live orchestra include Academy Award-winning La La Land, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial. San Diego Symphony’s popular and highly successful summer series truly has something for everyone!

"We call it Bayside Summer Nights because it's a collected mix of programs, not just pop music. It's jazz, it's film," sa Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer. "This year we are doing ET with the orchestra playing the soundtrack and we have La La Land. We have this hooray for Hollywood, which is a lot of fun. It’s film clips which tells the story of music in movies and how critical it is to the overall effect of the movie."

The San Diego Symphony’s long-running summer concert series will be located on the Embarcadero Marina Park South, which will provide the audience with an incredible experience of live concert music in one of the most beautiful settings in America. Formerly known as Summer Pops, Bayside Summer Nights provides a variety of musical contributions, from popular tunes to light classical music to movie-viewing entertainment fun for the entire family.

This year, the San Diego Symphony has packed a wide range of concerts into a 10-week season. The series begins with the patriotic Star Spangled Pops on June 30th, July 1st and 2nd. "Star Spangled Pops is the concert the Symphony has traditionally opened the summer season with," says MeadsDurket Vice President Carrie Jones. "Since tradition and contracts have dictated a June break for our musicians over the decades, July is normally the earliest we can get them back for new concerts. Combine that with the general proximity of July 4th to our opening weekend, and the very deep military traditions of San Diego, and a "Star Spangled Pops" American salute concert is a natural for the first week of July." The 1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular will end the event with a bang on September 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

"Last year’s Bayside Summer Nights was our most successful summer season on record and proved we had a perfect combination of vibrant performances and engaged audiences; we look forward to 2017 being an equally incredible season," says Gilmer. "Bringing some of the greatest artists of today to perform with our extraordinary orchestra musicians makes this a unique musical festival here in San Diego. We are also especially excited to bring back two very important community concerts. On Sunday, July 16th we will be presenting our second annual Community Day, a day of music featuring our region’s very best musicians and culminating in a free performance by the San Diego Symphony. And on Thursday, August 31st, the Symphony will perform our annual free concert for military families. This has always been a crowd-pleasing concert which not only brings military families together, but also allows us to express our thanks and admiration for their service."

Enhancing the guest experience, attendees are allowed to bring in picnics to enjoy from the lawn seating, or they can take advantage of the convenient tableside food service. New for this summer’s extravagant event will be an expanded microbrewery offering in partnership with Stone Brewing Co.

Thursday Night Jazz is the Symphony’s popular Jazz Series, and it is back for a second year with a wide range of styles. This three-concert series will begin July 27th with New Orleans Jazz and a salute to the birthplace of American jazz. On August 10th, guests will enjoy a party onstage with some of the country’s most talented Latin jazz musicians who come together to perform for one night in Latin Jazz Masters. The series ends on Thursday, August 24th, when John Beasley presents MONK’estra, the killer contemporary big band that pays tribute to the music of Thelonious Monk.

The San Diego Symphony’s Movies by the Bay is an amazing experience, especially with the incredible Harry Potter Film Concerts project that allows audiences to relive the magic of the phenomenal Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on Saturday, July 29th and Sunday, July 30th on a giant screen while the orchestra performs John Williams’ unforgettable score during the movie. On Friday, August 11th, Steven Spielberg’s timeless classic E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial will be shown on the big screen while the orchestra performs the entire Academy Award-winning score live. Then, on Saturday, August 12th, the winner of six Academy Awards––including Best Original Score and Best Original Song––La La Land will be screened with the orchestra and jazz musicians performing live.

Sunday Classic and World Celebration Series is a new three-concert series offered this year, and it’s perfect for those who love hearing the classics or want to sample sounds from around the world. The Sunday Classic Series includes the Star Spangled Pops on July 2nd, Boléro By the Bay on August 20th – showcasing the melodies of Beethoven’s famous Symphony No. 5 – and on September 3rd, the 1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular. The Sunday World Celebration Series will explore the 1960s bossa-nova master Sergio Mendes on August 6th, Benin’s Angélique Kidjo on August 13th and Ozomatli on August 27th. 

All of the Bayside Summer Nights concerts will begin at 7:30pm and the gates will open at 6pm. The fireworks will start at the end of all Friday and Saturday night concerts, and on Sunday nights at the Star Spangled Pops and 1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular.

Single ticket prices will range from $18 to $91, and Special concert prices will range from $25 to $100. Pre-paid parking is $25, and subscribers will reserve first with their orders.

"Attending a concert under the stars next to the beautiful San Diego Bay and the lights of the downtown skyline, is truly a unique and must-do San Diego experience," said Jones

For more information and events calendar go to San Diego Symphony. 

For Related Articles Try:

San Diego Symphony Announces the 3rd Annual January Festival

San Diego Symphony's Wine and Wears 2017 Event

Jahja Ling's Swan Song with the Symphony