Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
We invite you to stop by the Athenaeum’s booth at the La Jolla Open Aire Market held on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! There you will find, in addition to Athenaeum publications and artists’ notecards for sale, friendly staff and volunteers ready to chat with you and to tell you about the Athenaeum’s latest news and upcoming events. The market is located at the La Jolla Elementary School, 7335 Girard Avenue. We look forward to seeing you there!
Raised in the Golden Triangle, on the border of Texas and Louisiana, Billy Lee and the GulfCoasters share upbeat music described as “gumbo jazz” and “vintage swing.”
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
As an example of experimental archaeology, in 2009, Dr. Schwab and six students collaborated with a professional hairstylist to test whether or not the six Caryatids’ hairstyles could be recreated with a positive result. Tools and hair products, just like today, were important in the domestic sphere. The arrangement of hair became a clear signal of rites of passage and status within the community. Locks of hair were often dedicated in temples or cut before warriors left for battle. Together we will explore a range of ancient Greek hairstyles and their meanings for both individual and society.
Please join us for an artist talk with Julian Tan. He will share a special presentation on his Athenaeum show, End Trances, and how it connects to his career and process. A members-only reception will take place from 5:30–6:00 p.m. The reception for all ticketholders will take place at 6:00 p.m., followed by a lecture at 6:30 p.m.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Experience an intimate evening with Ana María Herrera, the renowned multidisciplinary artist behind Layered Memories, currently on exhibit at the Athenaeum Art Center. In her artist talk, Herrera will discuss her history and creative process, sharing how her identity as a Mexican-born American artist and community advocate informs her assemblages and creative process.
We invite you to stop by the Athenaeum’s booth at the La Jolla Open Aire Market held on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! There you will find, in addition to Athenaeum publications and artists’ notecards for sale, friendly staff and volunteers ready to chat with you and to tell you about the Athenaeum’s latest news and upcoming events. The market is located at the La Jolla Elementary School, 7335 Girard Avenue. We look forward to seeing you there!
Classical guitarist Aaron Larget-Caplan has premiered over 110 compositions, directs the New Lullaby Project and Spanish classical music & flamenco dance ensemble ¡Con Fuego! His groundbreaking arrangements and recording of the music of John Cage are the first to be sanctioned by the estate and issued by Edition Peters and the UK label Stone Records. He has eight acclaimed solo albums and multiple publications with the American Composers Alliance. He has awards from the Société Académique Arts-Sciences-Lettres of Paris, France for his trailblazing work in music, and was Musician in Residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Canada. His first album of compositions ‘honey cadence’ was released in April 2022.
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is thrilled to announce its newest offering for young families: Creative Storytime with Ms. Katia. This new program, held on the first Wednesday of each month at 10:30 AM, is designed to introduce children to the magic of storytelling while fostering an early love for music, art, and literature.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
The series continues Friday, March 7, with a San Diego debut by Allison, Cardenas & Nash, a collective trio of top New York City–based artists bassist Ben Allison, guitarist Steve Cardenas, and saxophonist Ted Nash. The trio weave musical conversations that are full of subtlety and surprise. They have released four albums including their latest, Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The Music of Herbie Nichols, which features previously unknown music by Nichols, an underpraised pianist-composer often compared to Thelonious Monk.
Colin McAllister is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, where he is a 2021–2022 Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Fellow. His performances as a guitarist and conductor have been hailed as “sparkling…delivered superbly” (San Francisco Chronicle), “ravishing” (San Diego Union-Tribune) and “an amazing tour de force” (San Diego Story), and he has recorded on the Summit, Innova, Centaur, Naxos, Albany, Old King Cole, Vienna Modern Masters, Carrier and Tzadik labels. His research interests include contemporary music performance and pedagogy, musical modernism, and the apocalyptic paradigm as manifested in varying phenomena—literature, music, and art. Wayne Wilkinson is a headliner guitarist that performs and tours across the country and internationally. Throughout his over four decade career, Wayne has shared the stage with iconic jazz musicians, world class performers and a President of the United States.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Next up, on Wednesday, March 12, is a return visit by the remarkable Sullivan Fortner Trio, featuring Fortner on piano, Tyrone Allen on bass, and Kayvon Gordon on drums. New Orleans–native Sullivan Fortner has gained wide recognition as one of the most accomplished jazz musicians of his generation. His accolades include the 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship, the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the 2016 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists and, in 2020, the Shifting Foundation Grant for artistic career development. A Grammy Award–winner, he has earned recognition in multiple DownBeat Critics Polls, winning first place as both Rising Star Pianist and Rising Star Jazz Artist. His broad range of musical associations includes artists such as Roy Hargrove, Stefon Harris, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Wynton Marsalis.
Savor the Eternal City’s history and culture paired with Italian wines. We hear tales of good and evil set among Rome’s monuments, fountains, aqueducts, and sculpture—heroes and villains paired with vino Italiano.
Join wine whiz Barbara Baxter, who trained at Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Napa and studied in Italy and France, on a delightful romp through cultural history paired with harmonious wines. The Art of Wine will focus on three iconic winemaking regions which also emerged as cultural epicenters throughout history: the city of Rome, pairing outstanding Italian wines with architecture from the classical epoch; wines of Provence paired with the Impressionist artists; and the arrival of both the wine world and art world in innovative postwar Southern California. An entertaining dive: culture and viniculture!
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
We invite you to stop by the Athenaeum’s booth at the La Jolla Open Aire Market held on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! There you will find, in addition to Athenaeum publications and artists’ notecards for sale, friendly staff and volunteers ready to chat with you and to tell you about the Athenaeum’s latest news and upcoming events. The market is located at the La Jolla Elementary School, 7335 Girard Avenue. We look forward to seeing you there!
David Mehalko, fiddle, and Wili Fleming, vocals/mandolin/banjo, will perform a mix of Irish songs and instrumental tunes in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.
“How far can we enter into a single moment, such that for that brief speck of time, for an instant, unison is registered?” This is the question that Charles Curtis poses in his liner notes for Tashi Wada’s Duets (2006–2008). Duets, starkly singular in focus and scope, centers around the concept of unison, complicated by issues of very gradual glissando, of descent—a process through which rich acoustical phenomena emerge, inviting the performers and listeners to deepen their perception ever further into a single moment.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The series concludes on Wednesday, March 19, with the local debut of the Avishai Cohen Quartet, featuring Cohen on trumpet, Yonathan Avishai on piano, Barak Mori on bass, and Ziv Ravitz on drums. Cohen is globally recognized as a player-composer open to multiple strains of jazz and active as a leader, co-leader, and sideman. Aside from the acclaimed work with his quartet, he has also recorded and toured as part of the Mark Turner Quartet, the SFJAZZ Collective, and the 3 Cohens Sextet—with his sister, clarinetist-saxophonist Anat, and brother, saxophonist Yuval.
Light and love are served up in the art and wines of Southern France. Rounded and golden, soft and opulent—are we talking about wines from Provence or Impressionist art? We will explore this rewarding land and its culture.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Get a gift for a friend or yourself at the Athenaeum's quarterly book sale on our patio! As usual, we will have a large selection of gently used books, CDs, vinyl LPs, and sheet music. Hundreds of recordings of classical, jazz, and popular music are just $1 per disc, making this a music lover’s paradise.
Yang Jiang is a San Diego–based artist and therapist whose tactile and dreamlike creations celebrate the resilience of the human spirit. Embodying both emotional liberation and spiritual freedom, her work offers a testament to the beauty and complexity of inner healing. I Thought I’d Be Braver, Jiang’s debut solo exhibition, is a decade-long chronicle of her personal and artistic journey of confronting fear and cultivating emotional courage. Shimmering like artifacts from a fairy tale, the pieces in the exhibition reflect a profound transformation: from resentment and fear to the compassionate heart of a wounded healer who has embraced self-acceptance.
Mike Wofford has recorded and performed with a long list of major artists, including Sonny Stitt, Stan Getz, Joe Pass, Quincy Jones, Benny Carter, Ray Brown, Lee Konitz, Chet Baker, Art Pepper, Joe Henderson, Benny Golson, and James Moody. He was also conductor and pianist for both Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald. With this extraordinary career, it is no wonder that DownBeat recognized him as “one of the outstanding pianists of our time.” Joshua White is one of the music scene’s most creative and technically accomplished pianists. Praised by legendary musicians like Herbie Hancock as having “immense talent” and lauded for his “daring and courageous approach to improvisation … on the cutting edge of innovation,” Joshua has distinguished himself as a formidable leader of distinct voice among his peers.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Walking tours leave from the Athenaeum at 5:30 p.m. Tours are free and registration is required. Tours are limited to a maximum of 35 guests and last for approximately 90 minutes.
Southern California’s outrageous and fun art scene exploded in the postwar years parallel with California’s wine-world arrival. Join us for a dive into the era when Southern California art and wine became oh so cool.
*AT SCRIPPS RESEARCH AUDITORIUM*
The spring series opens on Thursday, March 27, at Scripps Research with a long-anticipated local debut as a leader of acclaimed Cuban composer-pianist-bandleader Omar Sosa and his Quarteto Americanos, featuring Josh Jones on drums, Ernesto Mazar Kindelán on bass, and Sheldon Brown on sax, clarinet, and flute. Sosa is widely celebrated as one of the most versatile jazz artists on the scene today. His musical trajectory traces the African diaspora from Cuba to Brazil; from Central America to Ecuador’s African-descent communities; from San Francisco and New York to his current home base in Barcelona. True to his Afro-Cuban origins, Sosa fashions a spirited vision of uncompromising artistic generosity that embraces humanity at large. Nominated for seven Grammy awards and twice for the BBC World Music Awards, Sosa received a lifetime achievement award from the Smithsonian Associates in Washington, D.C., for his contribution to the development of Latin jazz in the United States.
We are pleased to announce the return of the Athenaeum Jazz series to the Scripps Research Auditorium (10620 John Jay Hopkins Drive, north of Genesee Avenue in Torrey Pines Mesa) for two out of three concerts in our annual spring series. Seating is limited for all three evenings, so early reservations are advised. Please join us for these three special performances featuring internationally acclaimed jazz artists Omar Sosa, Bill Frisell, and Ben Wendel.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Violinst Kenneth Liao will perform with his San Diego Symphony violin colleague Igor Pandurski, who will join him on piano. Violinist Kenneth Liao joined the San Diego Symphony in 2019 after spending two seasons as a Fellow with the New World Symphony. Born in Maryland, Mr. Liao received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California, where he studied with Midori Goto, and subsequently completed a Master of Music degree at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of David Chan.
Meet Victor Horta, Paul Hankar, and Henri van de Velde who originated the Art Nouveau style in Brussels. The movement elevated “craft” to an “art” and unified all art forms. In using modern materials and construction techniques, it eliminated historicism while emphasizing nature and movement through use of the whiplash line. Open floor plans and expansive use of glass, mirrors, and electricity brought transparency and spatial fluidity to once dark and constricted interiors.
The international art movement known as Art Nouveau flourished from the early 1890s to 1914. Rejecting historical references and traditional geometric forms, it featured florid vegetation, sinuous lines, and asymmetry. Although the design approach encompassed all visual art forms, it was most prevalent in architecture and the decorative arts. Furniture, mirrors, metalwork, art glass, carved plaster, and intricate paneling all featured the signature “whiplash” lines of Art Nouveau. Originating in Brussels, and highlighted in the Exposition Universelle of 1900 (better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition), the style is strongly associated with the wealthy and fashionable.
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is thrilled to announce its newest offering for young families: Creative Storytime with Ms. Katia. This new program, held on the first Wednesday of each month at 10:30 AM, is designed to introduce children to the magic of storytelling while fostering an early love for music, art, and literature.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
We invite you to stop by the Athenaeum’s booth at the La Jolla Open Aire Market held on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! There you will find, in addition to Athenaeum publications and artists’ notecards for sale, friendly staff and volunteers ready to chat with you and to tell you about the Athenaeum’s latest news and upcoming events. The market is located at the La Jolla Elementary School, 7335 Girard Avenue. We look forward to seeing you there!
Peter Sprague started playing guitar when he was 12 and attended a year of study at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. Over the past decade, jazz pianist and Origin Records recording artist Danny Green has earned recognition as a bandleader and as a composer with a gift for spinning supple, absorbing narratives. Green’s growing portfolio of vibrant sounds—an enchanting mix of jazz, classical, and Brazilian rhythms—has captured the attention of critics around the world, including DownBeat Magazine, Jazziz, San Diego Union Tribune, the Boston Globe, and Public Radio International. It’s no small wonder that Green has earned two San Diego Music awards for Best Jazz Album and an additional award for Best Jazz Artist. Bassist Mackenzie Leighton is a bass player specializing in jazz and theater.
The style gained popularity through exposure at the Paris Exposition. French architects Hector Guimard, Jules Lavirotte, and Frantz Jourdain experimented with optics, transparency, motion, and point of view. Decorative artists, like Louis Majorelle, Emile Gallé, and Georges de Feure, contributed furniture, glass, and metalwork that integrated into the overall design, while jewelry, paintings, and poster design continued to use Art Nouveau techniques independent of architecture.
The series continues Tuesday, April 8, with the Great Wall String Quartet performing a program of Mendelssohn, Schulhoff, and Beethoven. Its members share a vision to connect with more immediacy to audiences and to give guidance to the next generation of chamber musicians. In his role at the Deutsches Symphony Orchester Berlin, violinist Wei Lu is one of the youngest concertmasters in a major orchestra. Violinist Qi Zhou is a member of the prestigious chamber orchestra Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Muenchen. Xu Wenbo is the current viola and chamber music instructor at the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra Academy in Hamburg. Hailed in New York Concert Review as “a superb cellist with intense and sensuous sound,” Yao Zhao performs with a dynamism that has secured him a successful career as the principal cello of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
*AT SCRIPPS RESEARCH AUDITORIUM*
The series continues on Wednesday, April 9, at Scripps Research with the Bill Frisell Trio, featuring Frisell on guitar, Thomas Morgan on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings. Recognized as one of America’s most vital and productive performing artists, Frisell has contributed to the work of a staggering array of collaborators, including Paul Motian, John Zorn, Elvis Costello, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rickie Lee Jones, Vinicius Cantuária, Marianne Faithfull, John Scofield, Bono, and Brian Eno, to name only a few. This work has established Frisell as one of the most sought-after guitar voices in contemporary music.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Seaside Quartetis a virtuoso ensemble comprised of pianist Brenda Martin, violinist Philip Tyler, violinist/violist Päivikki Nykter and cellist Cecilia Kim. They are friends on and off stage, which is apparent in their seamless and graceful ensemble playing. Their deep love and desire to play chamber music was the main reason to form this quartet and take time from their busy schedules to make beautiful music together. Their collaboration and exquisite musical taste has produced highly acclaimed performances in San Diego area. Brenda and Phil serve as professors at the Point Loma University Music Department and Päivikki and Cecilia and freelance musicians.
The waning days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire coincided with a flourishing of Belle Époque artistic expressions in Eastern Europe. By the mid-1890s, the experimental Vienna Secession advocated for integrated design, while the “Wagner School” (named after Otto Koloman Wagner) supported a modern architecture where form followed function. Rebuilding, due to modernization, of Vienna led to entire sections of the city built in the Art Nouveau style. Artisans of the Wiener Werkstätte (Viennese Workshops) influenced the later Bauhaus, American Art Deco, Scandinavian Modernism, and Italian Craft and Design.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Katina Mitchell's musical work pairs an adventurous curiosity with historical specialization. As a soprano she has performed with organizations such as Monday Evening Concerts, Da Camera Society of Los Angeles, The Getty, and Bach Collegium San Diego. This program will feature original arrangements for harp and voice, spanning medieval music, folk music of oral tradition, and new music.
Architect Antonio Gaudí was the greatest exponent of Catalan modernism. Influenced by neo-Gothic techniques and orientalism, he forged a unique organic style inspired by the complex geometry of natural forms. Although his very long career predates and postdates Art Nouveau’s heyday, his most original works coincide with the 1890–1915 period of this lecture series. His experimental work with hyperboloid and paraboloid arches influenced mid-century modernism, High Tech, postmodernism, and Deconstructivism.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
*AT THE ATHENAEUM MUSIC & ARTS LIBRARY*
The series concludes on Thursday, April 24, at the Athenaeum with the Ben Wendel Quartet, featuring Wendel on saxophone with an all-star rhythm section of Gerald Clayton on piano, Luca Alemanno on bass, and Jonathan Pinson on drums. Grammy-nominated saxophonist Ben Wendel was born in Vancouver and raised in Los Angeles. Currently living in Brooklyn, he has enjoyed a varied career as a performer, composer, and producer. Highlights include tours, performances, and/or recordings with artists such as Terence Blanchard, Bill Frisell, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Tigran Hamasyan, Antonio Sanchez, Eric Harland, Taylor Eigsti, Linda May Han Oh, Moonchild, Louis Cole, Daedelus, Snoop Dogg, and Prince. Wendel is a founding member of the Grammy-nominated group Kneebody. His 2023 record, All One, was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category. His latest release, Understory: Live at the Village Vanguard (October 2024), features his longtime colleague, Gerald Clayton.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Check back soon for more information!
We invite you to stop by the Athenaeum’s booth at the La Jolla Open Aire Market held on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! There you will find, in addition to Athenaeum publications and artists’ notecards for sale, friendly staff and volunteers ready to chat with you and to tell you about the Athenaeum’s latest news and upcoming events. The market is located at the La Jolla Elementary School, 7335 Girard Avenue. We look forward to seeing you there!
Yale Strom is a pioneer among revivalists in conducting extensive field research in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans among the Jewish and Roma communities. Initially, his work focused primarily on the use and performance of klezmer music among these two groups. Gradually, his focus increased to examining all aspects of their culture, from post-World War II to the present. From more than 3 decades and 75 such research expeditions, Strom has become the world’s leading ethnographer-artist of klezmer music and history.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Walking tours leave from the Athenaeum at 5:30 p.m. Tours are free and registration is required. Tours are limited to a maximum of 35 guests and last for approximately 90 minutes.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Sheer passion for chamber music drives Aviara Trio. Comprised of pianist Ines Irawati, violinist Robert Schumitzky, and cellist Erin Breene, this exciting ensemble has been making an indelible impression on the musical landscape of Southern California for the past ten years. Most recently, the trio was invited to perform on Celebrate LA, Los Angeles Philharmonic's 100-year anniversary celebration, at the Hollywood Bowl. With performance degrees from the Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music, Yale University, and Rice University, Ms. Irawati, Ms. Breene, and Mr. Schumitzky have studied and performed with some of the world’s finest musical pedagogues including Paul Katz, Claude Frank, Timothy Eddy, Fred Sherry, Joseph Silverstein, Jacques Israelievitch, Sally Thomas, Miriam Fried, Peter Oundjian, and the Juilliard, Miró, American, Tokyo, Cleveland, Borromeo, and Alexander Quartets.
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is thrilled to announce its newest offering for young families: Creative Storytime with Ms. Katia. This new program, held on the first Wednesday of each month at 10:30 AM, is designed to introduce children to the magic of storytelling while fostering an early love for music, art, and literature.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, walk into the Athenaeum’s Talk of the Town: Casablanca, Annual Benefit Celebration.
Check back soon for more info!
The series concludes Monday, May 12, with the New Orford String Quartet presenting works by Mozart, Dinuk Wijeratne, and Schubert (Death and the Maiden). Violinists Andrew Wan and Jonathan Crow, violist Sharon Wei, and cellist Brian Manke formed their ensemble with the goal of developing a new model for a touring string quartet: bringing four elite orchestral leaders and soloists together on a regular basis over many years to perform chamber music at the highest level. The Toronto Star has described this outcome as “nothing short of electrifying.” They have seen astonishing success, giving annual concerts for national CBC broadcast and receiving two Opus Awards for Concert of the Year and a 2017 JUNO Award for Best Classical Album. Recent seasons have featured return engagements in Chicago, Montreal, and Toronto, as well as their New York City debut on Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Brightfeather is a dynamic and immersive violin-piano duo founded by violinist Benjamin Hoffman and pianist Irene Kim. Through deeply personal performances, Brightfeather is committed to bringing the light, hope, and strength of music to audiences across the globe. The duo has performed throughout the United States as well as in Europe, Asia, and Oceania, and presents repertoire spanning an extensive range of time periods and musical languages.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
There will be no mini-concert on Monday, May 26 in observance of Memorial Day. Thank you for understanding, and see you Monday, June 9!
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Walking tours leave from the Athenaeum at 5:30 p.m. Tours are free and registration is required. Tours are limited to a maximum of 35 guests and last for approximately 90 minutes.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
There will be no mini-concert on Monday, June 2 due to a private event. Thank you for understanding, and see you next Monday!
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Join us for a captivating concert with Folias Duo, the celebrated pairing of flutist Carmen Maret and guitarist Andrew Bergeron. With over two decades of collaboration, they are renowned for their seamless fusion of classical, jazz, world music, and improvisation. Their original compositions, inspired by life on the road and the beauty of the natural world, transport audiences with vivid storytelling through music. This performance will feature highlights from their newest works, including pieces inspired by the Great Lakes.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Fred Benedetti was born in Sasebo, Japan, and began playing the guitar at the age of 9. In 1986 he was one of the 12 guitarists chosen worldwide to perform in the Master Class of Andres Segovia at USC. Erica Erenyi completed a Master’s degree and Performance Residency Program in cello performance at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, as a student of Anne Martindale Williams. She received her Bachelor of Music from Biola University in La Mirada, California, as a student of Marlin Owen. More recently, she undertook a course of intensive study with Peter Thiemann in Barcelona, Spain. Erica has performed with International Opera Theater in Italy, Academia Internacional de Música de Solsona, Spain, and the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles. She is active as a freelance musician in San Diego, playing in a variety of genres including theatre productions (with The Old Globe, La Jolla Playhouse, and Broadway San Diego), California Chamber Orchestra, recording projects, and with jazz pianist Danny Green.
New Member Tours are given by the librarian on the third Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. Members and nonmembers alike are welcome to attend. The librarian will give a tour of the library's space, collections, and a brief history. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Ancient Greek gold jewelry is renowned for its intricate designs and goldsmithing techniques, such as granulation. Adornment applied to both men and women, even to statues and other objects. Gold jewelry accompanied an individual throughout a lifetime to the grave. Statues could be adorned with wreaths or earrings, and vases could be adorned with painted gold necklaces. Women dedicated jewelry to a goddess in her temple. Royal families amassed extraordinary examples of goldwork, all of it ornate and substantial in size and weight. Numerous gold wreaths with leaves and acorns or berries have been discovered in royal tombs. Today some of the finest jewelers in Greece have found inspiration from these artifacts when developing their own jewelry for the public. In this lecture we will explore some of the finest examples of ancient Greek gold jewelry.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a playful and creative twist! Join artist Tarrah Aroonsakool for Build-a-Soft Boi, a hands-on workshop inspired by her satirical 2024 collection, Soft Boi. This event humorously explores relationships, identity, and modern masculinity while encouraging self-expression and community through upcycled materials.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
On Monday, February 10, the Grammy-nominated ensemble AGAVE returns to the Athenaeum with Reginald Mobley, a countertenor noted for his “shimmering voice” (BachTrack) and renowned for his interpretation of baroque, classical, and modern repertoire. AGAVE will present American Originals, a program based on their album of the same name that features music by brilliant yet underrepresented composers and explores how the blending of European, African, and indigenous styles created uniquely American sounds. The ensemble will include Mobley, Co-Director Aaron Westman on violin and viola, Anna Washburn on violin and viola, Kevin Cooper on guitar and theorbo, Katherine Kyme on violin and viola, William Skeen on viola da gamba and violoncello, and Co-Director Henry Lebedinsky on harpsichord and piano.
Adam Wolff has been playing the piano for most of his life. Starting at the age of 8, he spent ten years studying classical piano performance, music theory, and creative music expression. Raised in New York and Chicago, he returned to New York City in the 80s and spent many years playing music full-time in Manhattan. While living in New York, Wolff studied with several great pianists: Barry Harris (Keeper of the Bebop Flame), Mike Longo (Musical Director for Dizzy Gillespie), and Kenny Werner (Author of Effortless Mastery and a global music legend).
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Several customs, traditions, and events in today’s modern Olympics can be traced back to the ancient competitions held at Olympia. Today’s victors are celebrated for their athletic prowess, as they were in ancient Greece. This lecture will focus on the important role of athletics in ancient Greece, the four Panhellenic sites, and the unique Panathenaic Games celebrated in Athens. As they are today, athletics were popular in ancient Greece, where boys and young men devoted time to working out in the palaestra (gymnasium) to maintain fitness and ultimately to be ready for combat. Even the passage of time was organized around the four-year interval between Olympic Games known as the Olympiad, and specific Olympiads were numbered as markers of the events and political developments associated with those times.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is thrilled to announce its newest offering for young families: Creative Storytime with Ms. Katia. This new program, held on the first Wednesday of each month at 10:30 AM, is designed to introduce children to the magic of storytelling while fostering an early love for music, art, and literature.
Dmitry Kirichenko began his musical education under a Soviet system that selected only the best, most talented students for artistic study. At the age of 7, he was accepted into the Stolyarsky School of Music. Upon graduation he was accepted to the Moscow Conservatory for college level studies under Professor Zemliansky. One of the leading educational institutions in the world, the Moscow Conservatory is reserved for the most talented music students.
We invite you to stop by the Athenaeum’s booth at the La Jolla Open Aire Market held on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! There you will find, in addition to Athenaeum publications and artists’ notecards for sale, friendly staff and volunteers ready to chat with you and to tell you about the Athenaeum’s latest news and upcoming events. The market is located at the La Jolla Elementary School, 7335 Girard Avenue. We look forward to seeing you there!
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
We carry pocket change as currency. The idea for these coins or coinage came from the ancient Greek world. The earliest coins, made of electrum at Sardis, rapidly evolved into silver coins of different weights and values. One drachma (the Greek monetary unit at the time) equaled a day’s wage. Both the front and back of the coin displayed designs, resembling miniature relief sculptures. Artists sometimes added their signature to the coins. Cities and islands developed unique images, an early form of advertising and branding. Once in circulation, Greek coins traveled great distances throughout the Mediterranean region and beyond. Even today, many of these ancient coins are admired in museums and sought by collectors for their beauty and rarity.
The Athenaeum will close early at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 29 for a private event. Thank you for understanding!
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
Gregory Page is an eclectic, prolific, genre-bending performing songwriter, balladeer, recording artist, film maker, art activist, music producer, and published poet with an extensive discography. With endearing stage presence, evocative lyrics, masterful guitar work and warm voice, the London-born artist seamlessly draws from imagination and experience transcending traditions of folk, Celtic, Armenian, American Roots, ragtime, blues, swing and French Romanticism into his own signature idiom that has been described as “Americeltic.”
Jazz returns to the Athenaeum for our annual series of winter concerts in the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room (at 1008 Wall Street in La Jolla). This series features both Athenaeum favorites and debuts by internationally acclaimed artists. Seating is limited so order soon!
The winter series opens on Sunday, January 26, with the return of celebrated Venezuelan pianist-composer-arranger Edward Simon, joined by his longtime trio members bassist Reuben Rogers (also known for his work with Charles Lloyd) and drummer Adam Cruz (also known for his work with Danilo Pérez). Simon’s last Athenaeum performance as a leader was with his project Femeninas: Songs of Latin American Women, which featured vocalist Magos Herrera. He returns to the library to celebrate the release of a new trio album, Latin American Songbook, vol. 2, which has a special focus on the Afro-Caribbean musical traditions of his native Venezuela.
We invite you to stop by the Athenaeum’s booth at the La Jolla Open Aire Market held on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.! There you will find, in addition to Athenaeum publications and artists’ notecards for sale, friendly staff and volunteers ready to chat with you and to tell you about the Athenaeum’s latest news and upcoming events. The market is located at the La Jolla Elementary School, 7335 Girard Avenue. We look forward to seeing you there!
Free Art Classes for Teens (13–18 years old)
Free Teen Art, the Athenaeum’s free program for teens offers a rotation of multidisciplinary art instructors and curricular activities involving the use of the Athenaeum library resources and art exhibitions as starting points for projects.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
In this four-part lecture series Dr. Katherine Schwab will explore topics that help us discover a deeper understanding of the people and times in Ancient Greece. Using hairstyles, coinage, athletics, and jewelry, she will highlight objects to consider how a society over two millennia ago thought about adornment, objects, and activities that are quite familiar to us in our own lives today.
Bring your children or grandchildren to the Athenaeum's free Children's Storytime at 3 and 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. Great for children ages 1 through 9. This is a free event. Reservations are not necessary.
