UC San Diego Dinner in the Library to feature best-selling author Ann Patchett on Sept. 8
She first took the world by storm as an international best-selling author. Then, she became known as a fierce champion of the corner bookstore, those nearly extinct havens for bibliophiles who cherish the opportunity to talk about and be around books. Ann Patchett will share her remarkable life and work as a New York Times bestselling author, independent bookstore owner and literary advocate on Friday, Sept. 8, as part of the University of California San Diego’s Dinner in the Library, an annual benefit to support the UC San Diego Library.
“An Evening with Ann Patchett” will take place in UC San Diego’s iconic Geisel Library building from 6-9:30 p.m. All proceeds will support the Geisel Library Revitalization Initiative, an initiative to transform and revitalize the interior public spaces of Geisel Library. Because of the significance of the initiative to student learning and the campus overall, Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla will match gifts raised up to $1 million, doubling the impact of donations.
“Support from Dinner in the Library makes an incredible impact on our ability to sustain and grow the UC San Diego Library as a hub of discovery and learning for our campus and community,” said Chancellor Khosla. “As the intellectual heart of our university, the Library helps spark the groundbreaking work of our faculty and students, whose breakthroughs make waves across the globe.”
Patchett is the author of seven highly acclaimed novels, including Bel Canto, which received the Orange Prize and the prestigious PEN/Faulkner Award, as well as “Commonwealth,” “State of Wonder” and “The Magician’s Assistant.” She has also written three books of nonfiction, including Truth and Beauty, What Now? and This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. She has received numerous awards and fellowships, from the Book Sense Book of the Year to a Guggenheim Fellowship and the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
World-renowned cantor and musical director to lead High Holiday services at Congregation Adat Yeshurun Congregation Adat Yeshurun’s 2017 High Holidays Service will feature the talents of celebrated Israeli singer and cantor Ohad Moskowitz, under the musical direction of maestro Ofir Sobol and choir. Moskowitz and Sobol are two of Israel most renowned and in demand musical artists. They will be featured during prayers for Rosh Hashanah on Sept. 21 and 22, and prayers for Yom Kippur on September 30. Ohad Moskowitz’ recording and performances have been enjoyed worldwide. Ohad was born in Belgium and attended the Talmudic college Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh. After his marriage, he immigrated to Israel and resides in Modi’in with his wife and children. Ohad’s debut album, Oh Ohad: Verasteach (2003) catapulted him to fame. He was named Singer of the Year at the Hasidic Music “People of the Year” ceremony in Israel in 2004. He was a featured singer at “A Time for Music” in 2005. He has performed as one of the “Four Tenors” alongside Avraham Fried, Cantor Yitzchak Meir Helfgot, and Dudu Fisher. Renowned for his impeccable musical technique and wide vocal range, uplifting tones, and deeply personal and joyful style, Ohad Moskowitz also performs at concerts benefiting many Jewish charity organizations. He was one of over 30 Orthodox Jewish superstars appearing on the 2010 Unity for Justice album. His recordings include: Ohad Live in New York (2006), Oh! Ohad II (2008), My Music (2009), Ohad III (2011), and Segula (2015). Ohad is considered one of the superstars of contemporary Jewish music. Maestro Ofir Sobol Ofir Sobol is a leading force in all fields of Jewish music In Israel. He brings a refreshing approach to Jewish music by combining contemporary techniques without losing the authenticity of the music and its musical roots. He is also well known to Southern California audiences as the conductor of the Israel Defense Forces Choir and Orchestra. David Foster and Friends
On Saturday, Aug. 26 at 5:30 p.m., The Salk Institute will celebrate 22 years of Symphony at Salk, its signature concert under the stars, with David Foster & Friends. Like Alan Parsons, it was Foster’s stellar production work that elevated him from wallflower to marquee, working with everyone from Rod Stewart and Alice Cooper to Madonna and Christina Aguilera. He handled Chicago’s knobs for their most successful early-to-mid-eighties period, co-writing several top forty records with the group (including their chart-topping single “Hard to Say I’m Sorry”), as well as being one of the few console collaborators able to make the Tubes palatable to the masses, producing and co-writing hit music for 1981’s The Completion Backward Principle and 1983’s Outside Inside.
Enjoy dinner and entertainment on the Salk Institute courtyard overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Proceeds support Salk’s biological research discoveries and the Institute’s award-winning Educational Outreach program.
Flicks on the Bricks: ‘Silver Linings Playbook’
The Athenaeum’s outdoor movie series “Flicks on the Bricks” makes it possible for you to enjoy classic movies that you love while enjoying the beautiful summer night on the patio of the Athenaeum. Flicks on the Bricks Year 11: Mismatched Pairings! Another offering of outdoor cinema and wine on the Athenaeum patio in the heart of La Jolla.
On Thursday, Aug. 31 from 7:30 to 10 p.m., they will be showing “Silver Linings Playbook.” In this film a bipolar man (Bradley Cooper) bonds with a promiscuous widow (Jennifer Lawrence) and offers to be her partner for a dance competition if she’ll help him contact his ex-wife. 2012, 122 minutes.
Birch Aquarium celebrates 25 years ‘on the hill’   
Locals who fondly remember the aquarium at the base of Scripps Pier may be surprised to realize that Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego is celebrating its 25th anniversary in its current location “on the hill” this September with a week of festivities Sept. 9 to 16.
A public aquarium has been part of Scripps Institution of Oceanography since the very beginning, starting in 1905 with the Little Green Laboratory at La Jolla Cove. Though there were several iterations of aquariums at Scripps, the opening of Birch Aquarium on Sept. 16, 1992 took the aquarium to the next level, expanding the institution’s public outreach arm.
“Moving from the old aquarium by the pier to this wonderful location, back in 1992, really set the stage for us to become what we are today,” said Harry Helling, executive director of Birch Aquarium at Scripps.  “This milestone is the perfect time for us to both celebrate our past and look forward to the next 25 years when, surely, the importance of our solutions-based ocean, earth, and atmospheric science will play a critical role in the way that we understand and protect our planet.”
Birch Aquarium’s 25th anniversary celebration begins Sept. 9 with festive décor and activities throughout the aquarium. Guests will learn which aquarium residents have been there since the very beginning and they are invited to contribute to the “Wall of Fishes,” sharing hopes and dreams for the future of the aquarium. There will also be a scavenger hunt and craft activities.
The celebration culminates with an anniversary event on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. featuring live music, face painting, and crafts as well as science interactions highlighting the latest research from Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Birch Aquarium is also calling on the community to share via social media favorite photos and memories from trips to the aquarium over the last 25 years using the hashtag #25onTheHilll. Aquarium staff will be choosing the best submissions to share on the website and to be broadcast as part of the anniversary celebration.
All 25th Anniversary events are included in Birch Aquarium admission, which is $18.50 for adults, $14 for children ages 3 to 17. Annual memberships are also available. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit aquarium.ucsd.edu or call 858-534-FISH.