Symphony Brings Roadshow to Southeast

Although most members of the audience at the San Diego Symphony’s first performance in Southeast San Diego listened raptly and rose to their feet to offer a standing ovation when it was over, the music, which included selections by Tchaikovsky and Rossini, was not to everyone’s taste.

“I hate this music,” 4-year-old Jamie Broadway said.

Her cousin, Latte Jenkins, 10, was equally harsh in his criticism.

“I don’t like listening to music with nobody singing,” he said. “I’d rather listen to rap music or something.”

Sunday’s free concert had been advertised as an informal affair, an afternoon of “fun in the sun” on the lawn in front of the Educational Cultural Complex on Ocean View Boulevard, and attracted almost 300 people, including large numbers of parents who wanted to introduce their children to the joys of live music.

Weather Didn’t Cooperate

But when wet grounds and cloudy skies forced the event indoors, some youngsters, like Jamie, were unhappy with having to sit still and be quiet. Others were thrilled by the sight of a full orchestra on a real stage.

“I’m glad to see the parents brought their children,” said M’Lafi Thompson, who organized the event for the ECC. “We think it was a success even though Mother Nature was against it. We have a very good cross section of the community here, both from Southeast San Diego and from outside. It’s a really interesting audience in there.”

The music lovers included women in silk dresses and high heels, and teen-agers sporting jeans and high-top sneakers. The orchestra seemed prepared for the diversity of the crowd. In addition to the classical selections, it played “April in Paris” by Duke Ellington and the overture to “West Side Story,” complete with bongo drums and shouts of “mambo.”

Dancing to the Beat

Patricia Bennett, 38, of Chula Vista, brought her two children, ages 1 and 6, and spent much of the 90-minute performance chasing them around the lobby.

“I love it,” Bennett said. “I only wish (my children) would be still. My daughter was dancing to the music, but there was a very serious gentleman that didn’t like her clapping. She was clapping at the wrong moment.”

Bennett said that she personally preferred the classical selections but happily swung her baby in her arms as the orchestra launched into some ragtime by Scott Joplin .

“This is obviously more fun than (classical music),” she said. “This kind of music is what attracted us to come with the kids.”

Anissa Chambers, a 15-year-old student at the O’Farrell School of Creative and Performing Arts, said the music from “West Side Story” was her favorite part of the concert.

“I liked it a lot, it was good,” Chambers said.

At the end of the concert, Lisa Evans walked her 5-year-old son, Carl, down to the stage to get a closer look at the harp.

“He told me he wanted to see the instrument the angels play,” Evans said.

Leanna Thompson, 60, one of a handful of people who said she had seen the symphony perform before, was pleased to find so many children in the audience, something she said is not the case when the orchestra appears downtown. “The mothers brought their babies and the babies clapped,” Thompson said with a smile. “It was a wonderful thing for the community. It was the first time, but I hope it isn’t the last.”