Photo: Andrew Chen/Wikimedia Commons

Here in San Diego, we’ve got more than a few world-class cultural institutions to be mighty proud of. One of the best of the best, without question, is the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, going strong for more than 100 years.

With a pampered perch at the Sofia Hotel—one of the finest San Diego Hotels Near Gaslamp Quarter—you’re mere blocks from the SDSO’s magnificent home base of Copley Symphony Hall. So why not spice up your stay here with a performance by one of the nation’s leading symphonies?

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra: The Lowdown

Having put on its first concert way back in December 1910, the SDSO is one of the oldest and most respected symphony orchestras  on the West Coast. For decades, the Copley Symphony Hall—the spectacular French Rococo-style venue opened in 1928 as the Fox Theatre cinema palace—has been its headquarters and primary performance space.

The SDSO—helmed since 2004 by Music Director Jahja Ling—stays busy with better than 140 concerts every year. These productions come spread between a variety of annual concert programs, including the Masterworks series of traditional classical fare; the all-ages Family Concerts series; and the Bayside Summer Nights outdoor concerts, which take place at the Embarcadero Marine Park South July through September.

In a nod to the Copley Symphony Hall’s Fox Theatre past, you can also catch popular films with live SDSO orchestral accompaniment: symphonic silver-screen goodness, every time!

Upcoming Performances

A glance at the SDSO’s forthcoming calendar sums up the sheer breadth of the orchestra’s offerings. On Saturday, April 15, you can savor a stone-cold Hollywood classic, The Wizard of Oz, with Richard Kaufman conducting the iconic score by Harold Arlen and Herbert Stothart.

On Saturday, April 29, trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos leads the Big Band Bash with the Jazz at the Jacobs Orchestra, a scintillating program featuring vocalist Barbara Morrison.

On May 5,6, and 7, meanwhile, Jahja Ling and the SDSO will present a truly titanic work of classical music: Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 in D minor. Helping to bring this epic piece to life will be mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford and singers from the San Diego Master Chorale and St. Paul’s Cathedral Choristers.

Meanwhile, the balmy (and fireworks-bolstered) riches of the Bayside Summer Nights will be upon us before you know it. This year, the SDSO has quite the summertime lineup of special guests, among them Wynonna Judd (July 4), Hamilton star Leslie Odom, Jr. (July 7-8), Tony Bennett (July 12), Dr. John (July 27), Sergio Mendes (August 6), Angélique Kidjo (August 13), and the Commodores (August 26), to name only a sampling.

Bayside Summer Nights also features screenings of some beloved movies made magical with the orchestra’s live scoring. Among those featured this summer are Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (July 29-30) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (August 11).

Catch Dinner at Currant Before the Show

Given how convenient the Sofia Hotel is to both the Copley Symphony Hall and the Embarcadero, it’s an absolute joy to kick off your SDSO evening with dinner at our onsite restaurant, Currant American Brasserie.

An exquisite meal and some exquisite live music at San Diego Hotels Near Gaslamp Quarter, a mere stroll from each other: Now that’s a San Diego-style twofer courtesy of the Sofia Hotel and the SDSO!