Mission Bay High School’s award-winning music program will launch a series of fundraising efforts to support its Mambo Orchestra’s trip to Cuba this summer. A one-of-a-kind high school band, the Mambo Orchestra plans to travel to Cuba, the birthplace of Latin Jazz, to perform and study music and culture. To fund the band’s international excursion, the music program is holding a Jazz in the Garden Concert series at the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park as well as a fundraising night of salsa music, dancing and tasting called Salsa for Students. 
Concerts will be held the second and fourth Thursday from February through April, and the first and third Thursday of May. Ticket prices are $20 for adults and $10 for students. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. providing guests the opportunity to tour the beautiful Japanese gardens and the concerts start at 7 p.m. Beer, wine and sodas are available for purchase. All profits from the Japanese Friendship Garden Concert Series will go to the Mission Bay High School music program to help the Preservationist band travel to New Orleans and the Mambo Orchestra to Cuba in 2020. Current corporate sponsors include Silk Road Productions and Jazz 88.3 and additional sponsorships are available. To purchase tickets and learn more, visit missionbaymusic.com.
This bi-weekly concert series will have performances by established and emerging artists and provides an unforgettable experience of different sounds and styles of a wide variety of jazz genres in an intimate and beautiful venue. This year’s musicians include Gilbert Castellanos, Euphoria Brass Band, Peter Sprague, Leonard Patton, Holly Hofmann, Christopher Hollyday, Rob Thorsen, Allison Adams Tucker, and Derek Cannon.
Produced by the students, in partnership with the Japanese Friendship Garden in Balboa Park and the San Diego-Yokohama Sister City Society, the Japanese Friendship Garden Concerts series is an exciting program of unique live performances, from February to May, set against the serene backdrop of the Japanese Friendship Garden within the halls of the elegant Inamori Pavilion.
“Cuba is the birthplace of Latin Jazz and Salsa, and the kids are so excited to study the music at its source and learn about life in another country. Please come out and support our fundraising efforts. We know you will have a great time,” said Jean-Paul Balmat, Mission Bay High School Music Director. “The kids have set up these two events themselves and worked hard to bring them to our community.”
Salsa for Students Fundraiser: April 16 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Mission Bay High School.
The public is invited to join the Mission Bay Mambo Orchestra for an evening of salsa music, salsa dancing, and salsa tasting, celebrating the achievements of Mission Bay students, the school and community. The Mambo Orchestra will provide the musical backdrop as dancers from all over San Diego shake and spin to the captivating Latin rhythms. Guests can sample and help select the winning salsa in the “Best Pacific Beach Salsa Contest” presented by Discover Pacific Beach. A silent auction will also be held with a trip to Cuba to bid on. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the salsa tasting contest from 6 to 7 p.m. The Mambo Orchestra performs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Tickets are $10 at the door or purchase from an MBHS music student. For all the details, visit, missionbaymusic.com.
The Mambo Orchestra is also taking donations at missionbaymusic.com/cuba2020.
The Mission Bay Mambo Orchestra: The Mambo Orchestra was established in 2015 as a way to connect with the rich Hispanic culture present in San Diego and Southern California. This ensemble performs everything from Cuban folk music to salsa. 
Music is a major draw to Mission Bay High School, which uses International Baccalaureate academic standards. Mission Bay High draws many of its students from communities outside of the beach areas with some students spending more than an hour each day on bus rides to school.