The series concludes Monday, May 12, with the New Orford String Quartet presenting works by Mozart, Dinuk Wijeratne, and Beethoven. Violinists Andrew Wan and Jonathan Crow, violist Sharon Wei, and cellist Brian Manker 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.
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is pleased to present the 2025 spring season of the Acoustic Evenings concert series, beginning May 16. The Acoustic Evenings series at the Athenaeum showcases some of the finest acoustic musicians in San Diego. Multiple acts fill each program, and attentive audiences delight in the intimacy of the unplugged storytelling format. 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 June 6, is set in the Athenaeum’s Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room.
The series opens on Friday, May 16, with Wax, Cindy Lee Berryhill, and Gayle Skidmore. Gold-record recipient Wax is mostly known as a rapper with millions of views on YouTube to show for it. He is also a producer, songwriter, singer, and comedian. A founding member of the New York City Anti-folk movement, Cindy Lee Berryhill emerged as a distinctive voice in alternative music in the late 1980s. With a legacy of critically acclaimed albums, she continues to inspire with her signature mix of folk, rock, and social commentary. Seven-time San Diego Music Award nominee Gayle Skidmore has written over 2,500 songs since she began composing at age 8. A multi-instrumentalist trained in classical piano, Skidmore has mastered over 20 instruments and blends folk, pop, and classical influences into her award-winning songwriting.
On Friday, May 23, the series continues with Jimmy and Enrique, Sue Palmer and Liz Ajuzie, and Walt Richards. Guitarist Jimmy Patton and percussionist Enrique Platas blend flamenco, Middle Eastern, salsa, calypso, Brazilian, and other world rhythms into their fiery, virtuosic performances. Their unique world-music style captivates audiences with intricate guitar passages and exotic percussive rhythms. Known as the Queen of Boogie Woogie, Sue Palmer has been a force in the San Diego music scene for over 30 years. Inducted into the San Diego Music Hall of Fame, Palmer teams up with powerhouse vocalist Liz Ajuzie, whose dynamic voice perfectly complements Palmer’s electrifying piano playing. An expert in guitar and banjo, Walt Richards has been performing and teaching music for over 50 years. He has worked with numerous musical groups, participated in live theater productions, and even won an Emmy for his television work.
in^set is a flexible chamber ensemble founded in 2018 by David Aguila (trumpet), Teresa Díaz de Cossio (flute), and Ilana Waniuk (violin), dedicated to creation, improvisation, and experimentation. Committed to expanding instrumental practice beyond the confines of contemporary classical music, in^set explores the sonic and visual possibilities of everyday objects, hacked electronics, graphic notation, and hybrid media.
The series continues Friday, May 30, with Tim Flannery, Jeff Berkley, and Ashley Norton. A celebrated singer-songwriter with 14 albums to his name, Tim Flannery blends bluegrass, country, and rock into heartfelt narratives about love, travel, and life on the road. A three-time World Series champion coach with the San Francisco Giants, he and his wife also founded the Love Harder Project, a nonprofit with an anti-bullying focus. Jeff Berkley is a San Diego-based songwriter, musician, and producer known for his soulful style and collaborations with major artists like Jackson Browne and Ben Harper. A multi–San Diego Music Award winner and Hall of Fame inductee, he continues to create and produce across genres. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Ashley Norton is the leader of the all-female Americana band Lady Psychiatrist’s Booth and creator of the popular all-female songwriter showcase Songbirds. Her performances feature original compositions and unique renditions of beloved classics.
The series concludes Friday, June 6, and we are expanding from our traditional three songwriters’ format for the first time ever for a special celebration of music and love. There are so many great talents in and around San Diego. For one night only, explore an array of excellent artists all assembled to deliver songs of love to you. Enjoy Acoustic Evenings exemplified, featuring Lee Coulter, Julia Sage, Dave Booda, Monette Marino, Santiago Orozco, Jesus Gonzalez, Jefferson Jay, Bri Schillings, and Michelle Lerach. One night only—and leave with a few new favorite artists.
Born in 1886 in Illinois, Alice Barnett pursued advanced musical training in both Chicago and Berlin. Her diaries, correspondence, and surviving manuscripts from this formative period reveal a spirited and determined young musician whose talent was evident from an early stage. This lecture explores Barnett’s educational experiences, her travels throughout Europe, and the broader musical and cultural contexts that shaped her development. Selected performances of her early compositions—many unpublished and indicative of her evolving voice as a composer—offer insight into the foundations of her later, more mature work.
Within the classical tradition, even the most sophisticated female musicians receive less enduring celebration than their male contemporaries, and Alice Barnett (1886–1975), later known as Alice Barnett Stevenson, a renowned female art song composer who spent her life in San Diego, deserves rediscovery. Despite national praise during her lifetime—when her works were performed from local schools to New York stages—her name has faded into obscurity.
When Alice Barnett returned from Europe and settled in early-20th-century San Diego, the city was a modestly sized but rapidly growing community of approximately 40,000 residents. Amid this evolving cultural landscape, she quickly emerged as a prominent composer, performer, and advocate for the arts. During this time, she divorced and became a single mother and sustained herself and her family through her musical endeavors before remarrying. Her influence was far-reaching: in addition to co-founding the San Diego Symphony Association, she taught at San Diego High School, delivered public lectures, authored program notes, and actively collaborated with fellow musicians and civic leaders. This lecture features performances of Alice Barnett’s compositions from this chapter of her life (some published by G. Schirmer, others preserved only in manuscript), offering a glimpse into the musical and professional world she helped to shape.
Alice Barnett’s most mature and substantial work is her song cycle In a Gondola, published by G. Schirmer. This lecture explores the artistic and historical contexts that shaped the composition, examining both its poetic inspiration and its musical innovations. Drawing on contemporary sources, including letters, newspaper reviews, and journal accounts, the lecture also traces the early reception of and critical response to her song cycle. The program concludes with a complete performance of In a Gondola, offering audiences the opportunity to experience Alice Barnett’s distinctive compositional voice in its fullest expression.
We are pleased to announce the dates for the 26th Athenaeum Summer Festival, a series of four concerts that will feature virtuoso pianist Gustavo Romero. Continuing a beloved tradition, this summer Gustavo Romero will celebrate and focus on the piano music of Sergei Rachmaninoff, including his preludes, etude-tableaux variations, and sonatas, accompanied by select pieces by his Russian contemporaries. For 25 years, the Athenaeum has presented unforgettable festivals featuring Gustavo Romero performing the complete piano repertoire of a specific composer. Whether you have been with us all 25 years or have yet to experience the wonder of this artist—who plays from memory—you will not want to miss our upcoming 26th Summer Festival.
We are pleased to announce the dates for the 26th Athenaeum Summer Festival, a series of four concerts that will feature virtuoso pianist Gustavo Romero. Continuing a beloved tradition, this summer Gustavo Romero will celebrate and focus on the piano music of Sergei Rachmaninoff, including his preludes, etude-tableaux variations, and sonatas, accompanied by select pieces by his Russian contemporaries. For 25 years, the Athenaeum has presented unforgettable festivals featuring Gustavo Romero performing the complete piano repertoire of a specific composer. Whether you have been with us all 25 years or have yet to experience the wonder of this artist—who plays from memory—you will not want to miss our upcoming 26th Summer Festival.
We are pleased to announce the dates for the 26th Athenaeum Summer Festival, a series of four concerts that will feature virtuoso pianist Gustavo Romero. Continuing a beloved tradition, this summer Gustavo Romero will celebrate and focus on the piano music of Sergei Rachmaninoff, including his preludes, etude-tableaux variations, and sonatas, accompanied by select pieces by his Russian contemporaries. For 25 years, the Athenaeum has presented unforgettable festivals featuring Gustavo Romero performing the complete piano repertoire of a specific composer. Whether you have been with us all 25 years or have yet to experience the wonder of this artist—who plays from memory—you will not want to miss our upcoming 26th Summer Festival.
We are pleased to announce the dates for the 26th Athenaeum Summer Festival, a series of four concerts that will feature virtuoso pianist Gustavo Romero. Continuing a beloved tradition, this summer Gustavo Romero will celebrate and focus on the piano music of Sergei Rachmaninoff, including his preludes, etude-tableaux variations, and sonatas, accompanied by select pieces by his Russian contemporaries. For 25 years, the Athenaeum has presented unforgettable festivals featuring Gustavo Romero performing the complete piano repertoire of a specific composer. Whether you have been with us all 25 years or have yet to experience the wonder of this artist—who plays from memory—you will not want to miss our upcoming 26th Summer Festival.
We are pleased to announce the dates for the 26th Athenaeum Summer Festival, a series of four concerts that will feature virtuoso pianist Gustavo Romero. Continuing a beloved tradition, this summer Gustavo Romero will celebrate and focus on the piano music of Sergei Rachmaninoff, including his preludes, etude-tableaux variations, and sonatas, accompanied by select pieces by his Russian contemporaries. For 25 years, the Athenaeum has presented unforgettable festivals featuring Gustavo Romero performing the complete piano repertoire of a specific composer. Whether you have been with us all 25 years or have yet to experience the wonder of this artist—who plays from memory—you will not want to miss our upcoming 26th Summer Festival.
