Peer Gynt

San Diego Symphony — 2026

Sometimes the famous pieces of music we love are based in folk stories that are … odd. Which necessitates some creativity in making illustrations of that story in a kid-appropriate way for family concerts. The education team at San Diego Symphony wanted to perform Peer Gynt, and they had the brilliant idea of rewriting the story with Peer as a boy adventuring through beloved spots in and around San Diego.

Peer starts the day in Balboa park. Then he hears some enticing music and wanders through downtown into the historic Jacobs Music Center where he hears the San Diego Symphony. After that he explores the San Diego coastline, and ends up at La Jolla Cave, where he encounters the scary Mountain King! Peer escapes and ends the day looking at the beautiful sunset over the water. Phew.

I had so much fun researching and visualizing all these famous places, keeping the illustrations in the established style of the SDSO Family Concerts, while also leaning into a color scheme that feels like the San Diego brightness.