By Ashley Mackin Solomon
The La Jolla Music Society’s annual SummerFest concert series is known for bringing a diverse group of performers to the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center. But this year, the Music Society will be offering more free bonus events than ever to complement the concerts, providing a new level of access to the participating artists.
The 2025 SummerFest, themed “Milestones,” will feature 20 ticketed performances from Friday, July 25, to Saturday, Aug. 23, at The Conrad, 7600 Fay Ave.
Its 50 supplementary activities — the most LJMS has offered during SummerFest — include open rehearsals, Artist Lounges, Encounters, coaching workshops and musical preludes, all free and open to the public.
“It’s about access to the artists, which makes us truly unique,” said Allison Boles, the Music Society’s director of learning and engagement. “You can see how artists work together, how they get feedback and how it affects the outcome of the final performance. It’s thrilling.”
“It’s been a slow grow the last few years, but as the programming advances, we want to support that with these activities for guests to join in and participate,” Boles said. “Studying and learning about the arts matters, so the free events encourage learning and create a sense of belonging and let people know there is something for everyone.”
Open rehearsals are held not only in person but also are livestreamed for at-home viewing.
“It’s like a sneak peek of life as an artist,” Boles said. “It’s the preparation for each concert in a real rehearsal. It’s unscripted, sometimes there are deep conversations with the artists and collaborative conversations as to how they want to interpret or balance the piece.”
The musical preludes feature pre-concert performances, lectures and interviews with experts and artists to provide context for a piece — such as what was happening in the world or in the composer’s life when it was written — and what to listen for in the actual concert.
Musical preludes are limited to concert ticket holders but are recorded and placed on the LJMS website for general viewing.
Covering a broader range, the Encounters program includes lectures, discussions, performances and diverse perspectives of the ways music is created, influenced, interpreted and performed. Those events will be held in the afternoon on varying days.
The first Encounter, and the first free event of SummerFest, will feature Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, contributing classical music critic for The New York Times, discussing composer Philip Glass’ Piano Etudes at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 24, at The JAI, The Conrad’s 144-seat cabaret-style venue. It will precede a ticketed performance of Glass’ complete Piano Etudes on Saturday, July 26, in The Conrad’s 481-seat Baker-Baum Concert Hall.
Also as part of the Encounters series, singer Renée Fleming, an advocate for the role of the arts in health, will present “Music and Mind” with a panel discussion at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 4, in the Baker-Baum Concert Hall featuring local scientists, physicians and others. They will offer their views and share the latest findings about the growing field of arts and health.
For those who want a deeper understanding of the artists and the pieces they perform, the Artist Lounges at 1 p.m. Mondays during the festival provide a chance to hear one-on-one interviews with performers and Music Society Artistic Director Leah Rosenthal.
“This year’s SummerFest theme is ‘Milestones,’ so these interviews will focus on pivotal moments in these artists’ lives,” Boles said. “Audience members get to know the artists, and that changes how you feel in the concert hall.”
A throughline among the free programs are the coaching workshops, which showcase select artists who are “on the cusp of transitioning from their academic careers to their professional careers,” Boles said.
The Hesper Quartet and the Larinae Ensemble, with eight artists between them, will be featured in the coaching workshops through a series of master classes conducted for them by seasoned performers from the SummerFest roster. The two ensembles also will participate in musical preludes and special performances.
The Hesper Quartet includes Valerie Kim and Yejin Yoon on violin, Sohui Yun on viola and Connor Kim on cello.
The Larinae Ensemble includes Stephanie Tang on piano, Jake Dongyoung Shim on violin, Joseph Skerik on viola and Jakob Giovanni Taylor on cello.
All the free programming is intended to provide a deeper understanding of the SummerFest concerts, Boles said.
“The theme of ‘Milestones’ is focusing on redefining and defining the pivotal moments of an artist’s career and even for listeners,” she said. “So it’s looking at the breakthroughs, turning points and reflective opportunities. It also looks forward — what is going to happen to chamber music and classical music.”
Though the events are free, space is limited and registration is required for Encounters and Artist Lounges. To register and to see the full schedule of free events, visit theconrad.org/summerfest-learning-and-engagement.
SummerFest 2025 concert schedule
Unless otherwise indicated, ticketed concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Baker-Baum Concert Hall at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. Some events will be in The JAI, the center’s smaller venue. Artists, concerts, dates and venues are subject to change.
Friday, July 25: Opening Night: “Great Expectations”: Music by Mozart, Ravel, Rachmaninoff and Enescu, featuring Yulianna Avdeeva, Inon Barnatan, Jennifer Frautschi, Clive Greensmith, Njioma Chineyere Grievious, Jeremy Kurtz-Harris, Yura Lee, Matthew Lipman, Nathan Meltzer, Steven Osborne, Jonathan Swensen, Jonathan Vincour and the SummerFest Chamber Orchestra.
Saturday, July 26: “The Glass Menagerie”: Philip Glass’ complete Piano Etudes, featuring Timo Andres, Matthew Aucoin, Yulianna Avdeeva, Inon Barnatan, David Kaplan, Melonie Grinnell, Conor Hanick, Ying Li, Steven Osborne and Juho Pohjonen.
Sunday, July 27, 3 p.m.: “Emergence”: Music by Mahler, Chopin, Clarke and Shostakovich.
Sunday, July 27, 7 p.m.: “New York Takeover @ The JAI,” an exploration of works by Timo Andres, Matthew Aucoin and Patrick Castillo.
Wednesday, July 30, 7 p.m.: Midweek Masterworks: “Youthful Passions”: Music by Beethoven, Jörg Widmann and Mendelssohn.
Friday, Aug. 1: “Northern Lights”: Music by Nielsen, Olli Mustonen and Sibelius.
Saturday, Aug. 2: “Prodigies”: Music by Handel, Mozart and Korngold.
Tuesday, Aug. 5, 7 p.m.: “For the End of Time”: Messiaen’s “Quatuor pour la fin du Temps” and Strauss’ “Four Last Songs,” featuring conductor Alan Gilbert, soprano Renée Fleming and pianist Inon Barnatan with the SummerFest Chamber Orchestra.
Thursday, Aug. 7, 7 p.m.: “Takeover @ The JAI,” curated by composer-in-residence Jessie Montgomery.
Friday, Aug. 8: “Strung Together”: Music by Jessie Montgomery, Ysaÿe and Dvorák.
Sunday, Aug. 10, 3 p.m.: “Homage”: Music by Purcell, Britten, Tchaikovsky and Arensky.
Wednesday, Aug. 13, 7 p.m.: Midweek Masterworks: “Looking Back, Looking Forward”: Music by Brahms, Koechlin and Glazunov.
Thursday, Aug. 14, 7 p.m.: Synergy: “Tasting Notes”: Dvorák’s “Piano Quartet in E-flat Major,” featuring chef J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, violinist Tessa Lark, violist Masumi Per Rostad, cellist Sterling Elliott, pianist Inon Barnatan and guest San Diego chefs.
Friday, Aug. 15: “Love Songs”: Music by Schubert, Schumann, Arvo Pärt and Britten.
Saturday, Aug. 16: Synergy: “Book of Ayres,” featuring vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, pianist Sullivan Fortner, flutist Emi Ferguson, theorbo and lute player Dusan Balarin, bassist Yasushi Nakamura and percussionist Keita Ogawa.
Sunday, Aug. 17, 3 and 6 p.m.: Synergy: “Dance @ The JAI,” featuring Caleb Teicher and Nic Gareiss.
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 7 p.m.” Midweek Masterworks: “Transcendence”: Penderecki’s “Clarinet Quartet” and Schubert’s “String Quintet in C Major.”
Friday, Aug. 22: “Profound Reflections”: Music by Ravel, Shostakovich and Beethoven.
Saturday, Aug. 23: SummerFest finale: “Starburst”: Music by Jessie Montgomery, Mendelssohn and Brahms.
Ticket information: 858-459-3728, theconrad.org/summerfest ♦