Accessible Artistic: La Jolla Music Society Composes 70 Free Educational Events Alongside SummerFest 2022

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As it gears up for its annual 20-concert SummerFest, the La Jolla Music Society is set to repeat its accompanying educational program, featuring 70 free events meant to draw people of all ages and backgrounds to Conrad Prebys Performing. Arts Center.

SummerFest 2022 runs from Friday, July 29 through Friday, August 26 at The Conrad, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla.

The first free educational event is a public rehearsal at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27.

“Community engagement is really a key pillar of the festival,” said Allison Boles, director of education and community engagement for the Music Society. “It’s something that makes SummerFest so special because it’s beyond concerts” and gives people who can’t afford tickets or don’t know if they like the music of room “an easy access point”.

The 70 free events cover a wide range of activities, including five open rehearsals that reveal the creative process and offer insight into performers wearing street clothes and communicating on stage, Boles said.

There are also coaching workshops, part of LJMS’s companion artist program, in which young rising stars are coached by more experienced festival artists as they prepare for performances.

“We also have ‘encounters,’ which are extended lectures, free daytime performances, informal conversations with the artists, a panel discussion, and a dance for Parkinson’s disease,” Boles said.

Free events accompanying the La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest include “get-togethers” like this in 2019.

(Courtesy of La Jolla Music Society)

The program also includes preludes or pre-concert events.

Activities take place during the day, mostly on weekdays, Boles said, with some streaming online for people who can’t attend in person.

People of all ages are invited, though Boles said music students might find the events particularly valuable.

“To actually see artists who are maybe a few years older than them or a few steps beyond them in their careers actually at work can be really, really interesting and educational,” Boles said.

The education program was established when SummerFest was established in 1986, evolving from the Artist Fellowship Program, LJMS’s oldest tradition, she said.

“You need artists who are transitioning from their academic careers and entering the professional classical world and [helps] they improve their interpretation of chamber music and performance” while expanding their network of fellow musicians, Boles said.

Access to artists is also a great benefit for local residents, she said, with the opportunity to rub shoulders with world-class musicians and other creators in an intimate setting.

“I don’t think you can get that anywhere else,” Boles said.

“Community engagement is really a key pillar of the festival. It’s something that makes SummerFest so special because it’s more than concerts.

— Allison Boles, Director of Education and Community Engagement, La Jolla Music Society

Boles said she was particularly excited about “The Wagner Effect” at 2 p.m. Thursday, August 11, during which songwriter and music critic Alex Ross will discuss the life and music of composer Richard Wagner.

She said she was also looking forward to “Weekend in Paris” at 2 p.m. on Thursday, August 4, during which Jennifer Walker, professor of musicology at West Virginia University, will examine the salons of Paris during the Belle Époque. .

Some events require registration. For the full schedule of events, including SummerFest performances, and more information, visit ljms.org/summerfest.

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