LJMS History
1941–1975
1941
Musical Arts Society founded by Nikolai Sokoloff
1949–1968
Twenty new works commissioned, presenting the premieres at La Jolla High School
1968
La Jolla Chamber Players formally incorporated by small group of local musicians
1970
Musical Arts Society is renamed La Jolla Chamber Orchestra
1975
La Jolla Chamber Orchestra moved into first offices on Silverado Street
1976–1985
1976
La Jolla Chamber Orchestra is renamed La Jolla Chamber Music Society (LJCMS)
1982–1984
LJCMS brings Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival to La Jolla each summer
1982–1985
Three chamber music series created: Sherwood Series at Museum of Contemporary Art La Jolla, Old Globe Series at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park, and East County Series at the East County Performing Arts Center in El Cajon
1982–1985
La Jolla Chamber Orchestra was dissolved into LJCMS
1986–1999
1986
LJCMS presents its first chamber music festival – SummerFest
1986
Heiichiro Ohyama named first SummerFest Music Director
1987
The Celebrity Series created
1988
International Orchestra Series created
1991
Young Artists of Excellence (now Discovery) Series created
1997–1998
Prodigy Series (later rolled into Discovery Series) and Piano Series were created
1999
LJCMS “adopted” the Community Music Center in Barrio Logan offering music instruction to elementary-age children in this underserved San Diego neighborhood
1999
The Medallion Society created, a three-year giving program
1999
David Finkel and Wu Han named SummerFest Music Directors
2000–2009
2001
Cho-Liang Lin named SummerFest Music Director
2003
La Jolla Chamber Music Society is renamed La Jolla Music Society
2006
Chamber Music Series renamed Revelle Chamber Music Series after $1 Million gift from Ellen Revelle
2006
SummerFest celebrates 20th Anniversary with performance of Martinu’s “Sinfonetta La Jolla,” originally commissioned for the Music Arts Society in 1950
2006–2007
Jazz Series and Dance Series created
2008–2009
LJMS celebrated 40th anniversary season
2010–Present
2012
MCASD’s Sherwood Auditorium announced it would close in 2016 for demolition and renovation; LJMS began $82 million capital campaign to purchase land and build a new performing arts center
2014
Land purchased at 7600 Fay Avenue to build The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center
2016
The last SummerFest at Sherwood Auditorium
2017
LJMS held a Groundbreaking Ceremony and began construction of The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center with Epstein Joslin Architects and Nagata Acoustics
2017–2018
During construction, SummerFest takes place at the Conrad Prebys Music Hall on the campus of the University of California San Diego
2018
Topping Off Ceremony at The Conrad, celebrating the placement of the last i-beam during construction
2019
Inon Barnatan named SummerFest Music Director
April 5–7, 2019
Grand Opening Weekend of The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center—known as The Conrad, home of La Jolla Music Society
2019
SummerFest held at The Conrad for the first time; Synergy Series introduced
2019
Role of President & Artistic Director divided; Leah Rosenthal promoted to Artistic Director
2020
March 6: Last live performance at The Conrad before shutting down due to COVID-19 restrictions
2020
August 21–30: a re-imagined, live-streamed SummerFest takes place for the first time at The Conrad
