Programs

Albert Lee, David Lindley, Muriel Anderson, Gilbert Castellanos, Mimi Fox, Victor Wooten, Glen Phillips... Should we keep going? Those are just a few of the tremendous musicians who performed in the Museum’s intimate, 150-seat space during 2016. There were more—many more—but we only have two pages here for programs!

In 2016, the concert presentations were grouped into four distinct series, or themes. The Annual Series (we might need to work on that name!), which brings performers of national and international stature to the Museum, included African Guitar Summit, Cello Drive, David Lindley, Diego Figueiredo, Glen Phillips, Kamau Kenyatta, Kruger Brothers, Noam Pikelny, Omar Sosa, Otis Taylor, Sean Watkins, Sue Palmer, and many more!

The Summer Sounds series, presented on Sunday afternoons at 2pm and designed to engage a diverse audience, especially seniors, included the Miller Sounds Orchestra, The Hutchins Consort, Jamie Laval, and Gilbert Castellanos and the New Latin Jazz Quintet. A Community Arts Grant from the Carlsbad Cultural Arts Office helped make this series possible.

Also in 2016, we launched a new series called MIX—programs that aim to engage visitors with activities beyond the concert hall. The first event, MIX Acoustic Brunch, paired local musicians Jesse Daniel Edwards, Cassie B, and The Bad Carls with an assortment of local food and beverage options on a sunny Sunday morning. The more recent MIX SoundLounge transformed the Museum galleries into an installation of music, food, DJs, and holiday-themed cocktails.

And then there are the concerts we present related to our special exhibitions. In the first part of 2016, low register instruments were front and center on our stage, with performers such as Alphonso Johnson, Victor Wooten, Bert Turetzky, John Clayton, and Katie Thiroux bringing that bass sound to life. We also hosted a “Learn about...Didgeridoo” lecture and a “Learn to Taiko” workshop. Some of the exciting concerts related to the Dreadnought special exhibition, which opened in November, are listed in the 2017 Preview on pages 10 and 11.

That’s quite a list. And one of the facts that makes us very proud here is that musicians who perform here once, love to come back here to perform again! We think it’s the intimate performing space, the Museum setting, our great audiences...and working with our terrific staff, led by Carolyn Grant, Executive Director, and Jillian Harrington, Associate Director for Public Programs.