Friday, September 27, 2024
7:30 PM

The series concludes Friday, September 27, with San Diego Music Hall of Fame inductee Fred Benedetti, Sandé Lollis, and Lisa Sanders and Brown Sugar. Benedetti studied classical guitar with Segovia and practices jazz, folk, rock, and flamenco styling. He is featured on over 200 records and numerous film and television soundtracks/ads. Singer-songwriter Lisa Sanders has a distinct country/bluesy/Americana sound; her genres include folk, pop, gospel, rock, and jazz. Sanders and Brown Sugar are a dynamic soulful, heartful singing duo with a gift for crafting wonderful songs and masterful storytelling. They have been together touring and recording as a duo for two decades, with Sanders singing lead and playing guitar, and Karen “Brown Sugar” Hayes, who is a nurse by day and a beautiful singing duo partner lending her gift of sweet harmonies to song by night. Sandé Lollis is an award-winning San Diego–based singer-songwriter known for her ability to weave captivating stories through her music. Drawing inspiration from personal experiences, conversations overheard in cafés, favorite books, and random thoughts, she crafts original melodies paired with introspective lyrics that explore the complexities of love, heartbreak, and life's twists and turns. Her voice and honest lyrics have struck a chord with listeners, with many praising her ability to connect on a deep emotional level. Lollis’s performance is soulful and wholly uplifting and earned her well-deserved San Diego Music Awards nominations for Best Country or Americana Album in 2022 and Best Country or Americana Artist in 2023.

Friday, September 6—Wax, Jesus Gonzalez, Rob Deez
Friday, September 13—Santiago Orozco, Bri Schillings, Sierra Marin
Friday, September 20—Walt Richards, Aaron Bowen, Stephen Bulman
Friday, September 27—Lisa Sanders and Brown Sugar, Fred Benedetti, Sandé Lollis
7:30 PM

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is pleased to present the 2024 Fall season of Acoustic Evenings concert series, beginning September 6, 2024. The Acoustic Evenings series at the Athenaeum showcases some of the finest acoustic musicians in San Diego. Three acts fill each program and attentive audiences delight in the intimacy of the unplugged storytelling format. Refreshments are available at the intermission reception and post-concert meet-and-greet. San Diego Music Hall of Fame founder Jefferson Jay organizes and hosts the series. The project advances the Athenaeum’s commitment to support diverse San Diego talent. Acoustic Evenings is an unforgettable and personal experience for San Diego music lovers. The series, continuing through September 27, 2024, is set in the Athenaeum’s Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room.

Friday, October 20, 2023
7:30 PM

Sue Palmer aka the Queen of Boogie Woogie, Sultana of Swing, and Lady Who Skates on the 88s, has amazed audiences all over the world with her unique style and phenomenal left hand for over 30 years.

Singer-guitarist-keyboardist Jack Tempchin is a legendary writer of  hit songs, including “Peaceful Easy Feeling” recorded by the Eagles.

Singer-songwriter Lisa Sanders has a musical style that can only be described as a soulful country blues; her genres include folk pop, gospel, rock and jazz.

Fridays, October 13, 20 & 27; November 10, 2023
7:30 PM

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, with Acoustic Evenings originator and presenter Jefferson Jay, will commemorate the 15th anniversary of Acoustic Evenings by recognizing the Athenaeum’s history of leadership by women with a series of concerts driven by women with world-class talent. We will also celebrate our special anniversary with some nods to highlights of our first 15 years, particularly our initial season in fall 2008.

Friday, April 29, 2022
7:30 PM

On Friday, April 29, sit back and listen to singer-songwriter Lisa Sanders, who was signed in 1998 by MCA Records and whose debut album Isn’t Life Fine was produced by Steve Poltz; violinist Yale Strom (with bassist Jeff Pekarek), a klezmer performer, who, in addition to recording 15 CDs of klezmer music, one of which (Shimmering Lights—X SH6.45) is in the Athenaeum circulating collection, is a documentary filmmaker and ethnographer; and singer-songwriter Sutton James, whose most recent efforts within the indie-folk/alt-country genres belie the spirit of rock ’n’ roll that will always be alive and well in his songwriting.

Fridays, April 1, 8 & 29, 2022
7:30 PM

The Acoustic Evenings series at the Athenaeum showcases some of the finest acoustic musicians in San Diego. Three acts fill each program and attentive audiences delight in the intimacy of the unplugged storytelling format. Refreshments are available at the intermission reception and post-concert meet-and-greet. San Diego Music Hall of Fame founder Jefferson Jay curates and hosts the concert series. The project advances the Athenaeum’s commitment to support diverse San Diego talent. Acoustic Evenings is an unforgettable and personal experience for San Diego music lovers.