The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, also known as The Conrad, is a
concert hall
A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats.
This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that m ...
located in
La Jolla
La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781.
La Jolla is surrounded on ...
, California. It was opened in April 2019 and serves as the permanent residence of the
La Jolla Music Society.
History
Since 1986, the La Jolla Music Society (LJMS) rented the
Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego's Sherwood Auditorium throughout their concert seasons and well as their ''SummerFest''. In 2012, the LJMS learned of the museum's plans to demolish Sherwood Auditorium.
In May 2014, the LJMS purchased a 30,760-square-foot parcel of land worth $10 million in
La Jolla Village
La Jolla Village is a mixed residential/business neighborhood in the coastal San Diego community of La Jolla. La Jolla Village Square and The Shops at La Jolla Village are in the center of the neighborhood and contain a variety of stores, resta ...
using $50 million in funds from eleven donors including $15 million from
Conrad Prebys.
With increased funds, construction of The Conrad began on February 1, 2017.
The opening concert on April 5, 2019, featured performances by
Hilary Hahn
Hilary Hahn (born November 27, 1979) is an American violinist. She has performed throughout the world as a soloist with leading orchestras and conductors and as a recitalist. She is an avid supporter of contemporary classical music, and several c ...
,
Jean-Yves Thibaudet,
Jake Shimabukuro
Jake Shimabukuro (born November 3, 1976) is a Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso and composer known for his fast and complex finger work. His music combines elements of jazz, blues, funk, rock, bluegrass, classical, folk, and flamenco. Shimabukuro has writt ...
,
Lil Buck, the
Miró Quartet
The Miró Quartet is an internationally performing professional classical string quartet based in Austin, Texas. The group is the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Texas and its members are on the faculty of the Butler School of Music. I ...
,
Inon Barnatan,
Heiichiro Ohyama
is a Japanese conductor and violist.
Biography
He has a long-established reputation as a remarkable conductor and one of the nation’s most renowned violists. In addition to his post as Music Director and Conductor of the Santa Barbara Chamb ...
,
Cho-liang Lin,
David Finckel, and
Wu Han.
Venue
The Conrad was built and designed by New England-based Epstein Joslin Architects Inc. and the hall acoustics were managed by
Yasuhisa Toyota, president of
Nagata Acoustics
is an international acoustical consultancy firm. In Japan they have been involved in the design of over seventy concert halls, including the Suntory Hall, Sapporo Concert Hall, Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, Kyoto Concert Hall and Hyogo Perform ...
.
Underneath the complex is a $1 million dollar "bathtub" which collects rainwater to prevent flooding.
Baker-Baum Concert Hall
The concert hall is named after Brenda Baker and Steve Baum who gifted $10 million to the La Jolla Music Society. The hall has a capacity of 513 with oak, eucalyptus, and cedar woods and the stage has many customization options including a pit.
[{{Cite news , last=Showley , first=Roger , date=2017-01-30 , title=The Conrad’s $76M music theater starts construction , work= San Diego Tribune , url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/growth-development/sd-fi-conrad-20170130-story.html , access-date=2022-03-22]
The JAI
The 140-seat theater is named after Joan and
Irwin M. Jacobs who also gifted $10 million.
If guests are seated at tables, the venue is estimated to have a capacity of 116 but if guests are left standing, the estimated capacity is around 300.
The space is used primarily for jazz, experimental music, and other amplified performances.
References
External links
La Jolla Music SocietyOfficial website
2019 establishments in California
Concert halls in California
Culture of San Diego
Buildings and structures in San Diego
Tourist attractions in San Diego County, California
Music venues completed in 2019
Performing arts centers in California
Music venues in California