Will There Be 2021 Summer Concerts for the San Diego Symphony at 'The Shell'?

Will There Be 2021 Summer Concerts for the San Diego Symphony at ‘The Shell’?

The Shell is the newest addition to the San Diego Symphony, an $85 million bayside venue that the Symphony hoped to open in the summer of 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Symphony postponed those plans.

Fortunately, after putting the finishing touches on the outdoor arena, complete with open-air pavilions and a stage-side gourmet kitchen will open sometime, hopefully toward the beginning of summer 2021.

“We are preparing to open as soon as it’s clear the time is right,” said San Diego Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer.

The Shell can seat audiences of between 3,500 and 8,000. However, the venue can seat up to 10,000 for special events. 

In addition to seating, though, the bayside venue has plenty of other accommodating features: Del Mar-based celebrity chef Richard Blais heads The Shell’s gourmet kitchen. Plus, the two open-air pavilions will house beers from local brewmasters and food from Biga, Lola 55, and other popular San Diego restaurants.

According to The Shell’s principal designer, Greg Mueller, the venue is just “fine-tuning” the finishing touches. Mueller seconds Gilmer’s comment by adding, “If the state said: ‘Tomorrow, you can hold a concert here,’ we would.”

Last summer, Gilmer posted a cancelation update that devastated the musical community but ended it with a heartwarming message regarding the first show at The Shell, “…I know that the music will mean more to all of us than ever before. We cannot wait for that happy occasion.”

Thankfully, according to the newest information coming from the Symphony’s higher-ups, during summer 2021, the people of San Diego will be awarded that happy occasion.

 To read the full coverage, check out the original San Diego Union-Tribune report here. The banner photo is courtesy of the @theshellsd Instagram account.

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