Art of Elan presented four events in November of 2023, as part of the inaugural California Festival, a statewide music initiative showcasing the most compelling and forward-looking voices in performances of works written in the past five years. Created as a collaboration between the San Diego Symphony, LA Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony, the festival had over 100 participating organizations across the state of California. The festival featured orchestras and musical organizations throughout California and a collection of new music from around the world, showcasing today’s most compelling and forward-looking voices in performances of works written within the past five years. To learn more, visit cafestival.org.
Art of Elan featured the following concerts for the 2023 California Festival:
In The Here & Now
Sunday | November 5, 2023
Art of Elan performed at the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park for a community day event called ‘In the Hear and Now’ in collaboration with the San Diego Symphony, featuring a wide variety of composers whose new works collectively shape the soundtrack of our lives. From the spellbinding sounds of Juhi Bansal to the whirling folk melodies of Erberk Eryilmaz, and a world premiere of “Crossroads” by Nahre Sol, this colorful program reminded us of our diversity, our shared humanity, and our ability to celebrate both.
Downtown Sounds
Wednesday | November 15, 2023
Art of Elan’s popular downtown series returned to the Luce Loft with Downtown Sounds, an evening of thought-provoking new music that featured the world premiere of works by Jory Herman (LA Phil bassist and composer) and Mason Bynes (multimedia composer), along with new music by trumpeter Steph Richards, drummer Andrew Munsey and others.
Saturday | November 18, 2023
On November 18th, the Young Artists in Harmony program had its culminating concert for Fall 2023 participants at A Reason to Survive (ARTS) in National City, with world premiere works by student composers, performed by Art of Elan musicians.
Young Artists in Harmony
Art of Elan “Creating Sound” with Artist Danielle Dean
Saturday | November 18, 2023
In Encinitas, Art of Elan musicians workshopped Mason Bynes ‘Black Goo’, a newly commissioned piece by Art of Elan, as a film score for ICA San Diego artist-in-residence Danielle Dean, whose work draws from her multinational and multiracial heritage to explore colonization, consumption and our shared humanity.
