Just musing out loud quite topiclessly

Whew, what seriously wet (and literally electrifying) weather we had last weekend! When the local meteorologists mentioned that we might get a visit from remnant of Hurricane Dolores, I thought we might get some rain and cloud for maybe a day (or maybe just half a day). Instead, Coconut the English bulldog, and I were dodging lightning bolts during his visits to the doggies potty yard.

Took Coconut out for a walk after the first set of thunderstorms on Saturday.

Don't get me wrong, though, I'm really stoked that we got really good amount of rainfall over the weekend. We need quite a bit more just to raise the water levels in our local reservoirs to a more respectable level. As of last week, many of them were looking too much like dried up bush bowls than they did lakes.

El Capitan Reservoir a month ago. All the cars would have been submerged same time last year.

The east bit of Lake Hodges has been dry for so long it's now bush land rather than even dried lake.

In the meanwhile, I got to roll into Downtown for a bit yesterday. The place looks so different every time I drop in! There's a new park with some rather cool water features off 14th St in East Village that is still fenced off. The Callan Hotel on Island St in the Gaslamp no longer looks like an ill-maintained public toilet, and most of the restaurants along 4th and 5th are different from a year ago.

The new park off 14th at Island in East Village... looking amazingly lush and equipped with water display in the midst of the drought.

It's still there!

Guess what, that little tucked away Philippine Library and Museum on 5th Ave is still there... and mostly not-open as usual! I wonder how the place survives in such a prime location when it's closed for business most of the time...

Guest Announcement: San Diego Opera 2016 events

San Diego Opera Announces Opera Exposed 2016 Roster and Event

 

Audience Engagement Ensemble from the Company’s University Partnership Program to Present Free Community Concerts

 

San Diego, CA - San Diego Opera is pleased to announce the 2015-2016 Opera Exposed artists and events. Opera Exposed is a touring opera ensemble comprised of students from San Diego Opera’s University Partnership Program which currently includes vocal arts students from SDSU and Point Loma Nazarene University. All of the participants have auditioned into the program and represent San Diego Opera in recitals throughout the communities and neighborhoods of San Diego County, with a focus on underserved neighborhoods. In return, the students receive master classes with principal artists from San Diego Opera mainstage productions, meetings with senior staff, internships to bolster their resumés, in-and-out privileges for staging rehearsals and complimentary tickets to performances. This partnership offers young singers ample opportunities to hone their performance skills, while at the same time giving them a better idea of the processes of producing opera on a professional level.

 

“Last year, in the first season of Opera Exposed, we performed in neighborhoods and venues where San Diego Opera had not been before, like City Heights and Barrio Logan,” shares Dr. Nicolas Reveles, San Diego Opera’s Director of Education and Community Engagement. “This year will bring our first foray into the Diamond Neighborhood, the Malcolm X Library, as well as return visits to some of the venues where we performed last year. It’s tremendously exciting to bring opera to communities that haven’t yet experienced it, especially with these wonderful, enthusiastic young singers!”

 

All Opera Exposed recitals are free and are open to the public. Performance selections will vary from recital to recital but will include a selection of familiar opera arias, duets and ensembles from composers such as Puccini, Gounod, Mozart, Rossini, Leoncavallo, and Copland, among others.

 

The 2015-2016 Opera Exposed artists are:

 

San Diego State University

Alvin Almazan, tenor

Rachel Rothman, soprano

Lisa Parente, soprano

Ivan Ochoa, tenor

Amanda Olea, soprano

Nicholas Newton, baritone

Radames Gil, baritone

 

Point Loma Nazarene University

Kiana Bell, mezzo soprano

Carina Kazmierowicz, soprano

Jack French, baritone

Krista Wilford, soprano

Jonathan Lacayo, tenor

McKenna Slack, soprano

Kelsey Kammeraad, soprano

 

A list of currently scheduled Opera Exposed recitals is below. As recitals are added they can be found online at http://www.sdopera.com/Education/SDOU

 

August 15, 3:00pm                 Malcolm X Library

                                                5148 Market Street

                                                San Diego, CA 92114

                       

August 30, 3:30pm                 Carlsbad Music Festival

                                                Magee Park, 258 Beech Street

                                                Carlsbad, CA 92008

                                               

September 30, 6:00pm          Weingart/City Heights Performance Annex

                                                3795 Fairmount Avenue

                                                San Diego, CA 92105

 

October 10, 7:00pm               Hillcrest Wind Ensemble Concert    

                                                First Unitarian Universalist Church

                                                4190 Front Street

                                                San Diego, CA 92103

 

October 18, 2:00pm               Central Library Downtown

                                                330 Park Boulevard

                                                San Diego, CA 92101

 

October 25, 2:00pm               Hope United Methodist Church

                                                16550 Bernardo Heights Parkway

                                                Rancho Bernardo, CA 92128

 

November 22, 2:00pm           El Cajon Public Library

                                                201 E. Douglas

                                                El Cajon, CA 92020

 

January 20, 11:30am             LGBT Center

                                                3909 Centre Street

                                                San Diego, CA 92103

 

The 2015-2016 International Season

René Barbera in Recital                                                                    September 19, 2015

Patricia Racette “Diva on Detour”                                                   November 14, 2015

Tosca                                                   Giacomo Puccini                  February 13, 16, 19 and 21 (mat), 2016

Ferruccio Furlanetto in Concert                                                       March 5, 2016

Madama Butterfly                                Giacomo Puccini                  April 16, 19, 22 and 24 (mat), 2016

Great Scott                                          Jake Heggie                          May 7, 10, 15 and 15 (mat), 2016