The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park Opening Celebration

The inaugural opening weekend of The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park set on the scenic San Diego Bay with sweeping views of the downtown skyline will be celebrated on August 6 - 8 in San Diego. This is the first bayside concert venue in the nation to be operated by a Symphony orchestra and the first permanent waterfront venue on the west coast.

The Rady Shell (the word shell being inspired by the venue’s dramatic shape and unique location) aims to be one of the most acoustically superior outdoor concert venues in the nation and has a top-notch culinary program from some of the best chefs around the city.

Opening August 6-8, the season will offer more than 40 concerts between August and November 2021, including eight concerts led by Music Director Rafael Payare. From classical music to Broadway, film, jazz, pop, Latin and classic rock, the season will showcase more than 50 featured artists who will perform as part of the Symphony’s expanded schedule of diverse outdoor concerts.

The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park will open on August 6 with Rafael Payare conducting the San Diego Symphony in the world premiere of Mason Bates’s Soundcheck in C Major, a commissioned work for orchestra and turntable; Aldemaro Romero’s Fuga con pajarillo; Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No. 1, featuring cellist Alisa Weilerstein; works by Gounod, Rossini, and Rodgers and Hammerstein featuring bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green; Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue featuring pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet; and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. The evening is directed by Gary Griffin and hosted by Vivian Scott Chew, and an inaugural gala event prior to the concert will include a spectacular dinner curated by celebrity chef Richard Blais.

The opening weekend will continue August 7 with “The Best of Broadway,” featuring the San Diego Symphony conducted by renowned musical theatre director Rob Fisher and showcasing Broadway luminaries Megan Hilty, Norm Lewis, Kelli O’Hara and Adrienne Warren. The opening weekend will be capped off on August 8 with seven-time GRAMMY Award-winner Gladys Knight with special guest Naturally 7—a renowned group of seven male vocalists who transform their voices into human instruments, effortlessly producing music of any genre—opening the concert.

For the full season of concerts, visit TheShell.org. 

The San Diego Symphony will offer subscription packages. To view or purchase subscription packages, visit TheShell.org or call the ticket office at 619.235.0804.