Is a decline in annual holiday tours the latest barometer of the recent downturn in the national concert market?
There were nearly three-dozen notable holiday concerts in San Diego County last November and December. A good number were by by such established national and international acts as Chris Isaak, Lindsey Stirling, Straight No Chaser, Dave Koz and Peter White.
This year, that number is down to 22 and fewer big acts are touring. Whether this is a temporary fluke or a market correction with long-term implications remains to be seen, but there is still an ample array of options.
Here, in chronological order, are 10 of our upcoming concert picks for the season, followed by listings for 12 more.
Tony-winner Leslie Odom Jr. brings his holiday concert tour to San Diego on Nov. 30. (Nathan Johnson)
Leslie Odom Jr. The Christmas Tour
A versatile singer who earned a Tony Award for his electrifying portrayal of Aaron Burr in the smash musical Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. also portrayed vocal legend Sam Cooke in the film One Night in Miami and won a Grammy Award for his self-titled debut album. Wirth no fewer than three Christmas releases to his credit, hell have lots of songs to choose from for his orchestra-free concert here at the home of the San Diego Symphony. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30. Jacobs Music Center, 750 B Street, downtown. $39-$147.619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org
Hannah DrakeNashville singer Anna Vaus, the daughter of Grammy Award-winning Poway Mayor Steve Vaus, will perform as part of the 35th annual Carols By Candlelight concert.
Carols by Candlelight featuring Richie Furay and Rodney Atkins, with John Ford Coley, Anna Vaus, Back to the Garden and Steve Vaus
Richie Furay was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for his work alongside Neil Young and Stephen Stills as a co-founder of the pioneering band Buffalo Springfield. He went on to co-found Poco and the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band before launching his solo career in 1976. Furay, now 80, is still blessed with a golden voice and a trove of terrific songs. He will headline the first of of this years two Carols by Candelight concert, while country-music mainstay Rodney Atkins headlines the second. The rest of the lineup is the same both nights. 8 p.m. Dec. 6 (with Furay), 8 p.m. Dec. 7 (with Rodney Atkins). California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. $69-$99. 800-988-4253, carolsbycandlelight.com
Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar will perform a holiday concert at UC San Diegos Epstein Famil Amphitheatre for the second consecutive year. (EFE/Iván Mejía)
“Campana Sobre Campana: Christmas in Mexico,” with Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllarand Ballet Folklorico del Rio Grande
Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar has become one of Californias leading homegrown mariachi ensembles. The group is led by Bakersfield native Jaime Cuéllar who performs on violin, guitar, guitarron, vihuela and the five-string guitarra de golpe. Their performance will also feature the 30-member Ballet Folklorico del Rio Grande, a Texas-based troupe led by Miguel Peña. 7 p.m. Dec. 7. UCSD’s Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. $20-$95. artpower.ucsd.edu
Joyce DiDonato will perform with a cappella vocal group Kings Return and pianist Craig Terry at their Kings: ReJoyce concert. (Courtesy La Jolla Music Society)
KINGS ReJOYCE, featuring Joyce DiDonato & Kings Return
The Dallas-based a cappella quartet Kings Return fuses elements of R&B, gospel, jazz and more to create an inviting vocal blend. In multiple-Grammy winning singer Joyce DiDonato, they have a musical partner equally at home with opera, jazz and classics from the Great American Songbook. They will be accompanied by pianist Craig Terry. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7. Baker-Baum Concert Hall, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $68-$95. 858-459-3728, theconrad.org
Jake Shimabukuro returns to San Diego for his annual holiday concert performance, (Courtesy of Irvine Barclay Theatre)
Jake Shimabukuro’s Holidays in Hawaii
Honolulu-born ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro returns to San Diego for a third consecutive December holiday show. It will feature seasonal favorites and some original compositions from his 2023 double-album, Grateful, which teams him with a whos who of Hawaiian music stalwarts. Shimabukuro will be accompanied here by singer Justin Kawika Young and bassist Jackson Waldhoff. 7 pm. Dec. 8. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. $60.70-$71.70. ticketmaster.com
Vocal star Lea Salonga will perform Dec. 11 at Balboa Theater. (Courtesy San Diego Symphony)
Lea Salonga Sounding Joy: The Holiday Tour
Manila native Lea Salonga was just 18 in 1990 when her role in Miss Saigon made her the first Asian woman to ever win a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. A Broadway star ever since, she released her first holiday album in 20 years, the dozen-song Sounding Joy, on Nov. 1. Her December concert tour to promote the album is a prelude to her March return to Broadway, where she and Bernadette Peters will reprise their roles in Old Friends following a warm-up run in Los Angeles. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11. Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., downtown. $86.55-$139.30. ticketmaster.com
Award-winning San Diego singer Leonard Patton is shown at his all-ages music club, The Jazz Lounge, where he will perform multiple holiday-themed shows in December. (Union-Tribune file photo)
Cool Yule: A Christmas Tribute to Louis Armstrong
Founded in 2021 by award-winning San Diego singer and former Lambs Players Theater mainstay Leonard Patton, The Jazz Lounge will host no fewer than 15 nights of of holiday-themed concerts in December. Most of them will also be salutes to such American giants as Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. The first will feature Patton, whose high-profile fans include Pat Metheny and Paul Simon, paying homage to the immortal Louis Armstrong. 6:15 p.m. Dec. 10-11. The Jazz Lounge, 6818 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. $40; $65 (with dinner). thejazzlounge.live
The Grammy Award-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra is headed here for concert at The Conrad in La Jolla. (Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)
Spanish Harlem Orchestra Salsa Navidad
Now in its 23rd year, New Yorks brassy and buoyant Spanish Harlem Orchestra boasts three singers and three percussionists in its 13-man lineup. The group has won three Grammy Awards for its albums, which feature such prominent guests artists as Chick Corea, Ruben Blades, Paul Simon and Gilberto Santa Rosa. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14. Baker-Baum Concert Hall, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. $68-$100. 858-459-3728, theconrad.org
The band Venice returns to the Belly Up to perform its semi-annual holiday show. (Drew A. Kelley, )
Venice The Venice Christmas Show
Jackson Browne, Roger Waters and the late David Crosby are just some of the notable artists the veteran Los Angeles band Venice has collaborated with over he years. The groups harmonious vocal blend is a treat in any setting. 8 p.m. Dec. 18: Belly Up, 143 South Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. $26-$46. Ages 21 and up only. 858-481-8140, bellyup.com
Gary Hoeys Ho Ho Hoey Rockin Holiday Tour, with Taz Taylor
For at least some music fans, nothing says “Merry Christmas” quite like a rock power-trio. Guitarist Gary Hoey and his band’s annual holiday tour is surely the only seasonal concert trek to juxtapose versions of “The First Noel” and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” with the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Red House” and Focus’ “Hocus Pocus” (presumably minus the accordion solo), along with a mash-up of The Little Drummer Boy and Led Zeppelins Kashmir 8 p.m. Dec. 21. Ramona Mainstage, 626 Main St., Ramona. $30. Ages 21 and up only. 760 789-7008, ramonamainstage.com
Additional holiday concerts
Nov. 30: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy “Wild & Swingin’ Holiday Party,” Balboa Theatre
Dec. 8: Sarah Brightman A Christmas Symphony, San Diego Civic Theatre
Dec. 10: Mariachi sol de Mexico, A Merry-achi Christmas, Balboa Theatre
Dec. 13-14: A Swinging Christmas: A Christmas Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, The Jazz Lounge
Dec. 17-18: A Nat King Cole Christmas Tribute, The Jazz Lounge
Dec. 16: Glenn Miller Orchestra, In the Christmas Mood, Balboa Theatre
Dec. 17: A Foolish Casbah Christmas, with Francis Blume, Alex Bergan, Ash Easton, Justin John Rodriguez, Sutton James, Jesse LaMonaca, Casbah
Dec. 19: Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Show, with Jonathan Butler, Rebecca Jade, Balboa Theatre
Dec. 19-21: Kat Shoemaker’s A Tribute to Vince Guaraldi & Christmas Classics, Dizzy’s
Dec. 20: Las Posadas: A Traditional Mexican Music Celebration, Balboa Theatre
Dec. 22-23: Christmas with Leonard Patton & Friends, Dizzy’s