8 Best Performing Arts in San Diego, California

The great acoustics here are surpassed only by the incredible Spanish baroque interior. Not just the home of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, the renovated 2,200-seat 1920s-era theater has also hosted major stars like Elvis Costello, Leonard Cohen, and Sting.

Drawing international performers, the opera's season runs January–April. Past performances have included Die Fledermaus, Faust, Idomeneo, and La Bohème, plus solo concerts by such talents as Renée Fleming.

This renovated theater offers a variety of performances including ballet, music, plays, and even stand-up comedy. In addition to architectural splendor, the space offers unsurpassed acoustics.

The ballet holds performances at the Spreckels Theatre and a few other area venues from November through May. At Christmastime, they dance a mean Nutcracker.

After being home to the long-running Triple Espresso, the Horton Grand Theatre hosts productions from the likes of San Diego Musical Theatre as well as Intrepid Theatre Company, whose shows include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Woody Guthrie's American Song.

The home of the San Diego Opera, the Civic Theatre is the city's largest performing arts venue, with musicals, theatrical productions, and concerts held throughout the year.

The orchestra's events include classical concerts and summer and winter pops, nearly all of them at Copley Symphony Hall. Their outdoor summer concerts are held at the newly opened Rady Shell at Jacobs Park at the Embarcadero ( 222 Marina Park Way), on North Harbor Drive beyond the convention center.

A landmark theater erected in 1912, the Spreckels hosts comedy, dance, theater, and concerts. Good acoustics and old-time elegance make this a favorite local venue.