Prime Attraction: San Diego Symphony Summer Pops

What it is: The San Diego Symphony Summer Pops is the orchestra’s popular outdoor series at downtown’s Embarcadero Marina Park South. A total of 27 performances of 15 programs will be presented this year (not including the “Tux ‘n Tennies” gala that was held June 27).

Upcoming concerts feature everything from patriotic fare (”Star Spangled Pops,” led by principal Pops conductor Marvin Hamlisch July 3-5) to artful acrobatics (”Cirque de la Symphonie,” July 31 and August 1).

Also slated are such visiting stars as Dionne Warwick (July 10-11) and Burt Bacharach (August 16) as well as “Video Games Live” (July 23, to coincide with Comic-Con International) and the “1812 Overture Spectacular (Tchaikovsky & Friends),” which closes the series September 4-6.

Why it’s special: It’s not simply a matter of quality entertainment. Or a combination of music, food and fireworks, as enjoyable as they are. (You’ll never go hungry at the Pops. Snacks along with tasty meals await you.)

What makes the Symphony’s Summer Pops so distinctive is the setting. If you’ve ever been to a Pops concert at Embarcadero Marina Park South, a 10.8-acre park, you understand the appeal.

It’s an astonishingly scenic outdoor music site that is surely one of the most beautiful in the nation. Take it from someone who has visited the summer homes of a variety of leading U.S. orchestras.

The grassy, tree-studded peninsula holds a large concert shell, with video screens on either side and speakers for electronic amplification. There’s seating for nearly 3,000 audience members at cabaret tables, in bleachers, or on the lawn. Wherever you sit, you can savor the atmosphere.

You can watch the sunset and see the lights of the city skyline and Coronado. Boats sometimes pass close enough to hear the programs, many of which are hosted and led by principal Summer Pops conductor Matthew Garbutt.

It all contributes to a communal pleasure, a shared experience that makes you feel part of something that is quintessentially San Diego’s.

Here’s a little advice: Take along a sweater or jacket. Evenings on the bay can be a bit nippy. (I always bring a pair of socks, just in case.)

History: If you’ve followed the Symphony’s Pops concerts, you know they have been held in various locations. After years at Mission Bay’s Hospitality Point, the orchestra moved to the easier-to-find Embarcadero, where summer performances were slated from 1991-1995.

Following its financial crisis and two-year shutdown, the Symphony moved the outdoor events to downtown’s Navy Pier from 1998-2003. But when it became clear that the historic carrier USS Midway was destined to become Navy Pier’s major attraction, the Pops returned to the Embarcadero.

That was in 2004. The summer series has been presented there ever since.

Quotable: “I absolutely love the Summer Pops,” says symphony executive director Edward B. “Ward” Gill. “There’s no other place in the country that has 10 straight weeks of light classical music outdoors with this kind of great experience. It’s where the entire San Diego community can enjoy themselves. And without the Summer Pops, the symphony cannot survive as a full-time orchestra. The summer season supports itself. We’re hoping for $1.8 million in Pops tickets sales this year.”

Multimedia: Watch a video montage of the Summer Pops at the Embarcadero.

Know and go: Embarcadero Marina Park South is located at 206 Marina Park Way, downtown (behind the San Diego Convention Center).

Tickets/information: (619) 235-0804; www.sandiegosymphony.org/summerpops

Click here to see a map, directions and parking information.

Here’s this year’s Summer Pops lineup:

July 3-5: Star Spangled Pops with Marvin Hamlisch

July 10-11: Dionne Warwick

July 17-18: Motown’s Greatest Hits with Spectrum

July 19: John Pizzarelli

July 23: Video Games Live

July 24-25: Up, Up and Away! Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.

July 31 and Aug. 1: Cirque de la Symphonie

August 7-8: Bravo Broadway Now!

August 9: Pops Goes Classical - Passport to the World: A Night in Italy

August 14-15: The Classical Mystery Tour

August 16: Burt Bacharach

August 21-22: José Feliciano

August 27: The Music of the Doors: A Rock Symphony

August 28-29: Melissa Manchester

September 4-6: 1812 Overture Spectacular (Tchaikovsky & Friends)

Valerie Scher is the SDNN Arts & Entertainment editor. You can reach her at valerie.scher(at)sdnn.com

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