Rendering of the San Diego Symphony’s renovated Jacobs Music Center, which opened as a movie palace in 1929.
In Tuesday’s (5/7) San Diego Union Tribune, George Varga writes, “The curtain is ready to rise again for the San Diego Symphony at Jacobs Music Center, the historic concert venue formerly known as Copley Symphony Hall. But it will do so on a somber note, following Tuesday’s announcement of the death of Joan Jacobs, who—with her husband, Irwin Jacobs—was the symphony’s biggest benefactor. The 114-year-old orchestra … will take the stage on Sept. 28 in its newly renamed downtown concert hall, following an extensive, top-to-bottom $125 million renovation that began in earnest in early 2021…. It will now boast significantly improved acoustics, state-of-the-art new audio, visual and lighting systems, new aisles and seats angled to face the stage—plus an array of other key new design elements—while retaining much of the hall’s historic essence…. [Music Director Rafael] Payare and the orchestra will kick off their 2024-25 Jacobs Masterwork season in their new/old hall with a star-studded Sept. 28 concert…. The opening-night repertoire will spotlight works by Ravel, Rossini, Rachmaninoff, Paganini, and the world premiere of Korean-born San Diego composer Texu Kim’s aptly titled ‘Welcome Home!!’” The article lists the entire programming and artists for the orchestra’s 2024-25 season.
