Visit the Balboa Theatre in San Diego
San Diego has a number of venues for theatrical entertainment - The Balboa Theatre, at 868 Fourth Street in the Gaslamp District, is well worth a visit.
I attended the Brazilian Guitar Festival last night at the Balboa, my first visit. The theatre has a historic background, and an interesting interior (the huge wall fountains in lit alcoves are a curious feature which, while intriguing, don't do much to add to the acoustics IMO). The theatre has just been restored to its former glory and certainly has some character.
But the real enjoyment was the guitar festival, which was extraordinary. The Assad Brothers, Sergio and Odair, have an international reputation in the music world, and seeing them perform in person was remarkable. Their equally talented sister, Badi Assad (herself an inventive, talented guitarist with an incredible voice and a penchant for incorporating intriguing sounds in her music - see a video below) was also featured, as were two other accomplished guitarists, Celso Machado and Romero Lubambo.
The music, almost half of which was original compositions, was wonderful, showcasing each performer's particular talents, artistry, and interests. While I would have preferred a more intimate venue for this sort of performance, it was a most enjoyable performance
You might note that the Balboa has some other terrific offerings that may be worth a visit:
Plan an evening at the theatre, and enjoy dinner at one of the many restaurants within a few minutes walk. Park at the Horton Plaza Garage adjacent to the theatre - you may want to make a purchase at the Plaza to get your parking ticket validated. The Balboa does not validate but they will provide a coupon for a reduction in the parking after 3 hours.
I attended the Brazilian Guitar Festival last night at the Balboa, my first visit. The theatre has a historic background, and an interesting interior (the huge wall fountains in lit alcoves are a curious feature which, while intriguing, don't do much to add to the acoustics IMO). The theatre has just been restored to its former glory and certainly has some character.
But the real enjoyment was the guitar festival, which was extraordinary. The Assad Brothers, Sergio and Odair, have an international reputation in the music world, and seeing them perform in person was remarkable. Their equally talented sister, Badi Assad (herself an inventive, talented guitarist with an incredible voice and a penchant for incorporating intriguing sounds in her music - see a video below) was also featured, as were two other accomplished guitarists, Celso Machado and Romero Lubambo.
The music, almost half of which was original compositions, was wonderful, showcasing each performer's particular talents, artistry, and interests. While I would have preferred a more intimate venue for this sort of performance, it was a most enjoyable performance
You might note that the Balboa has some other terrific offerings that may be worth a visit:
- The New Shanghai Circus - Sunday February 17 at 3 PM
- Bellydance Superstarts - Sunday February 24 at 3 PM
- Dublin's Irish Cabaret on March 7 and a series of other musical offerings.
Plan an evening at the theatre, and enjoy dinner at one of the many restaurants within a few minutes walk. Park at the Horton Plaza Garage adjacent to the theatre - you may want to make a purchase at the Plaza to get your parking ticket validated. The Balboa does not validate but they will provide a coupon for a reduction in the parking after 3 hours.
Labels: Assad Brothers, Badi Assad, Balboa Theatre, San Diego things to do
posted by Jeff Dowler | 9:04 PM
2 Comments:
Hi Jeff! What an incredibly talented young lady. I loved the video and it looks like you had a wonderful time. I heard a classical guitarist once and she made her guitar sound like bells. Amazing!
Note from Kay (the wife) -- Badi Assad is incredibly talented. And the Balboa Theatre was beautiful...so wonderful to find "old world charm" in San Diego. Badi has a great CD out called "Verdi" - worth checking out.
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