Writing 2024-12-31-music-san-diego-2024

Not ready for deployment. [ci skip]

_data/contact.yml

@@ -3,8 +3,13 @@
 - type: github
   icon: "fab fa-github"
 
-- type: twitter
-  icon: "fab fa-twitter"
+- type: linkedin
+  icon: 'fab fa-linkedin'   # icons powered by <https://fontawesome.com/>
+  url:  'https://www.linkedin.com/in/wuqiong-zhao/'
+
+# - type: stack-overflow
+#   icon: 'fab fa-stack-overflow'
+#   url:  'https://stackexchange.com/users/20546927/teddy-van-jerry?tab=accounts'
 
 - type: email
   icon: "fas fa-envelope"
@@ -13,16 +18,3 @@
 - type: rss
   icon: "fas fa-rss"
   noblank: true
-# Uncomment and complete the url below to enable more contact options
-#
-# - type: mastodon
-#   icon: 'fab fa-mastodon'   # icons powered by <https://fontawesome.com/>
-#   url:  ''                  # Fill with your Mastodon account page, rel="me" will be applied for verification
-#
-# - type: linkedin
-#   icon: 'fab fa-linkedin'   # icons powered by <https://fontawesome.com/>
-#   url:  ''                  # Fill with your Linkedin homepage
-#
-# - type: stack-overflow
-#   icon: 'fab fa-stack-overflow'
-#   url:  ''                  # Fill with your stackoverflow homepage

_posts/2023-08-20-call-for-papers.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ author: wqzhao
 date: 2023-08-20 00:50:00 -0700
 categories: [News]
 tags: [news]
-pin: true
+pin: false
 redirect_from:
   - /cfp
 ---

_posts/2024-10-15-back-to-us.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ author: wqzhao
 date: 2024-10-15 17:42:00 -0700
 categories: [News]
 tags: [news]
-pin: true
+pin: false
 ---
 
 ## Back to University of California San Diego

_posts/2024-12-31-music-san-diego-2024.md

@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+---
+title: Music in San Diego 2024
+author: wqzhao
+date: 2024-12-31 13:36:00 -0800
+categories: [Music]
+tags: [music, news]
+pin: false
+image:
+  path: /assets/img/2024-12-31-jacobs-music-center.jpeg
+  alt: View from the Balcony of Newly Renovated Jacobs Music Center at San Diego
+---
+
+It is great for a PhD student to enjoy music at weekends.
+In the summer of 2023 when I visited UC San Diego as a research intern,
+I have already got the chance to listen to some live music performances in San Diego,
+including the organ performance from the Spreckels Organ Society and dual pianos rehearsal from the La Jolla Music Society.
+Now, in the 2024--2025 season, I have explored more about the available concerts and operas in San Diego.
+
+## Resurrection
+> Time
+> : 2:00 PM PDT -- Sun, Oct 6, 2024
+>
+> Location
+> : Jacobs Music Center, San Diego
+
+After stepping the newly renovated Jocobs Music Center,
+I was amazed by the beauty of the hall blended with both lines and colors.
+The sensation of coolness and warmth was felt at the same time.
+The traditional and historical style of the hall was well preserved while new technologies were also integrated to enhance the acoustic experience.
+In the lecture prior to the performance, I know the great acoustics of the hall, claimed to be "the best in the west coast."
+Wow, I cannot wait to enjoy the performance.
+
+The first half of the concert was the performance of Thomas Larcher's *Time, Three Movements for Orchestra*,
+which shows the glamorous sound effect of this hall.
+
+The second half was the performance of Mahler's *Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection)*, which I was looking forward to.
+This symphony is one of my favorite pieces of Mahler.
+The piece is so powerful and touching, and I am almost into tears at the end of the performance.
+The words "I shall die, so as to live!" (Sterben werd' ich, um zu leben!) were so inspiring, along with the orchestral and choral performance.
+Yes, resurrection. I feel the resurrection of life and spirit. Arise from the dead!
+
+The performance directed by Rafael Payare was so great: energetic, passionate, and non-traditional.
+The speed was flexible in different places to express the emotions of the music,
+bringing a new perspective to me.
+
+After the performance, I talked to the person sitting next to me, a viola player from the La Jolla Symphony.
+She talked to me about her own experience of playing Mahler's symphonies.
+Wow, that was wonderful.
+
+![Jacobs Music Center view from the balcony. Applause at the end of performance of Mahler's Resurrection by San Diego Symphony and San Diego Festival Chorus.](/assets/img/2024-12-31-resurrection.jpeg)
+
+The great performance was also reported in 
+[A review from San Diego Story](https://sandiegostory.com/san-diego-symphonys-soaring-inspiring-mahler-second-symphony-resurrection/).
+
+## Schoenberg and Beethoven
+> Time
+> : 2:00 PM PDT -- Sun, Oct 13, 2024
+>
+> Location
+> : Jacobs Music Center, San Diego
+
+This time I chose a cheaper seat at the balcony, but the sound was still great, and the view was even broader.
+Though the music was great, [shock on the trolley](#shock-on-the-trolley) just made me uncomfortable and nervous that day.
+
+### Schoenberg: Pelléas und Mélisande, Op. 5
+I seldom listened to Schoenberg's music before,
+but this performance of *Pelléas und Mélisande* was so impressive,
+and presented me with a new perspective of Schoenberg's early music: romantic, passionate, and full of emotions.
+The story and fantasy of the story were so vividly expressed by the music.
+
+### Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
+The violinist Pinchas Zukerman jumps in for performance,
+and the piece was changed from the Brahms's to the Beethoven's Violin Concerto.
+I am kind of equal to both pieces, but I am still excited to listen to the Beethoven's,
+which has a great orchestration.
+Before entering the hall, I talked to someone who was a fan of Beethoven's music and said the change was a surprise.
+Pinchas Zukerman's performance was so great, and the orchestra was so supportive,
+so there was both details and passion in the performance.
+
+![Jacobs Music Center view from the balcony. Applause at the end of performance of "Schoenberg and Beethoven" by San Diego Symphony.](/assets/img/2024-12-31-schoenberg-and-beethoven.jpeg)
+
+## La Bohème
+> Time
+> : 2:00 PM PST -- Sun, Nov 3, 2024
+>
+> Location
+> : Civic Theatre, San Diego
+
+After the [shock on the trolley](#shock-on-the-trolley), I was still able to 
+
+![Civic Theatre at San Diego. Curtain call at the end of performance of Puccini's La Bohème by San Diego Opera.](/assets/img/2024-12-31-la-boheme.jpeg)
+
+## Shock on the Trolley
+
+As usual, I took the blue line trolley to the downtown, sitting near the window and enjoying the beautiful view and the great weather.
+Between Nobel Drive station and the Balboa Avenue station, a man in the black hoodie suddenly shouted and pushed the person (a UCSD student actually) sitting near him.
+Then what I saw was the man in black wielding a knife and punched the student.
+The student was pushed forward, standing, with blood watering down his neck.
+The trolley is still moving.
+In this car there were only a few people, including two girls behind me.
+I was so shocked to see this even though I have always been cautious on the public transit.
+Death seemed to be so close, but I did not have the mind to think about the wills.
+The man in black walked back and forth in the narrow aisle, and I was so nervous, holding my backpack in my arms, and avoiding any eye contact with the knife man.
+
+![Fifth Avenue Trolley Station at downtown San Diego.](/assets/img/2024-12-31-trolley.jpeg)
+
+Despite the danger, I still grabbed some delicious tacos at downtown near the 5th Avenue before going back home on the blue line trolley.
+
+![Taco at Tacos el Gordo.](/assets/img/2024-12-31-taco.jpeg)
+
+---
+
+[Read more about music from Wuqiong Zhao.](https://wqzhao.org/music)