'C You Saturday'
Visual art, Music
"C You Saturday" is a new monthly party at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego's North campus, running on the third Saturday evening of each month.
This weekend is the inaugural event, and you'll be able to participate in printmaking activities inspired by the architectural work of Edra Soto's exhibition, "Graft."
Be sure to get there right at 4 p.m., when chamber music ensemble Art of Elan will perform compositions that are in conversation with Soto's art, ranging from Bach to Gabriela Lena Frank and Puerto Rican composer Angelica Negrón.
Later in the evening, catch a Q&A with Edra Soto and curator Guusje Sanders, a tour of Narsiso Martínez's exhibition with Martínez and executive director Andrew Utt.
Martínez's intricate and thoughtful work, pictured above, invites a closer look. Find a full schedule of programs here, and it's recommended to RSVP here — the tour of Martínez's exhibit has limited space.
Details: 4-8 p.m. on Saturday, March 18. ICA San Diego - North, 1550 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas. Free.
San Diego Latino Film Festival: 'Children of Las Brisas'
Film, Music
"Children of Las Brisas," a striking documentary about El Sistema, Venezuela's celebrated national music education program, screens at the San Diego Latino Film Festival on Sunday. El Sistema offers music classes, intensives and orchestras for poverty-stricken areas of Venezuela.
Did you know that San Diego Symphony's Rafael Payare got his start in the program? Payare played in El Sistema's Simon Bolivar Orchestra alongside his contemporary Gustavo Dudamel, which is where the two conductors developed their friendship.
The documentary takes place long after Dudamel and Payare, but gives a powerful glimpse into the lives of students in the orchestras. The filmmakers followed three musicians over the course of a decade as they grew up in the program, following their musical dreams as the country's turmoil surrounds them.
Closing weekend of the 30th annual San Diego Latino Film Festival is jam-packed with plenty of options. Check out KPBS' Beth Accomando's preview here, and the full schedule here.
Details: 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, March 19. AMC Mission Valley, 1640 Camino Del Rio N., Mission Valley. $10-$12.
'The XIXth (The Nineteenth)'
Theater
Previews begin on Friday for The Old Globe's latest world premiere, playwright Kemp Powers' "The XIXth (The Nineteenth)."
It's set at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, the 19th Olympic Games. On the medal podium, two Black American sprinters raised their fists as a form of protest. The play is directed by Carl Cofield, and runs through Apr. 23.
Details: Previews this weekend are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 17-18, and 7 p.m. Sunday, March 19. The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park. Lower-cost previews begin at $29+.
De La Torre Brothers: 'Post-Columbian Futurism'
Visual art
ICA San Diego's Balboa Park location will be taken over by the de la Torre Brothers, brothers Jamex and Einar de la Torre. The exhibition involves two of the brothers' signature lenticular works, rendered as Aztecan gods, as well as the astonishing 2002 moon lander-style sculpture, "Colonial Atmosphere," which was recently on view at The Cheech Museum's inaugural exhibition.
There's a comic critique at play in the de la Torre Brothers' work, and their works have a rare combination of intricate, historical and sociological detail and zoomed-out "wow" factor.
Details: Opens noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 19. On view through Aug. 20. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Free.
'Becoming, Always'
Dance, Contemporary
San Diego Dance Theater's company show takes place this weekend, with three performances at their home base, Light Box Theater. The company will perform original contemporary dance choreography by their fellow company members Matthew Armstrong, Cecily Holcombe, Mario Jaimes and artistic director Terry Wilson.
Here's a previous performance from the company to get a taste:
Details: 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 17-18, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 19. Light Box Theater, 2590 Truxtun Rd., Liberty Station. $20-$30.
'Music of the Spheres'
Music, Classical
This La Jolla Symphony and Chorus performance features Missy Mazzoli's mysterious "Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)" work, which was commissioned for the LA Philharmonic in 2014. Periodically, some musicians set down their instruments to instead send droning buzzes through harmonicas — somehow while also sounding refined and symphonic.
Also in the program are Brahms' "Ein Deutsches Requiem" with Tasha Koontz singing the soprano solo and Philip Lima as baritone; and Alex Stephenson's 2021 Nee Commission, "An Elemental Music." Michael Gerdes conducts.
Details: 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 18 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 19. Mandeville Auditorium, 9500 Gilman Dr., UC San Diego. $19-$41.
'The Outsiders'
Theater, Music
I interviewed "The Outsiders" director Danya Taymor exactly a month ago about the La Jolla Playhouse production of the world premiere musical adaptation — but I finally had a chance to see it last week. The Playhouse just announced they're extending the run through April 9, so you have one additional week to catch it.
The play is heart wrenching and beautifully stitched together (with an absolutely unforgettable rainy fight scene). For the performance I saw, Ponyboy understudy Trevor Wayne shone (there's a "stay gold" pun in here somewhere) in the lead role. It's been a week and I still have the "Great Expectations" song in my head. How long do we have to wait for a Broadway cast recording?
Details: Shows Wednesday through Sunday, plus some Tuesdays. Closes April 9. La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr., UC San Diego. $89-$120 or $25+ for military with ID.
More weekend arts events we're covering:
Celia Álvarez Muñoz and Griselda Rosas both open new exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla, and I had a chance to speak with both artists and see inside the exhibits.
For Álvarez Muñoz, it's the first career retrospective for the 86-year-old El Paso, TX artist.
San Diego-Tijuana artist Griselda Rosas' exhibit is her first museum solo exhibition.
For more arts events or to submit your own, visit the KPBS/Arts Calendar. And be sure to sign up for my weekly KPBS/Arts newsletter here.
