International Children’s Day in Balboa Park.

Youth in Mexican costume file across the stage. Children from many nations participated in today’s event at the International Cottages.

International Children’s Day was celebrated this afternoon at the International Cottages in Balboa Park. The event was hosted by the House of Turkey, the nation that inspired this special day. Kids representing many nations took part.

Prior to a series of youthful performances, I learned during the introductory speech that every year on April 23 Turkey celebrates Children’s Day, a holiday created by modern Turkey’s founder Atatürk. He recognized that children would inherit that newly independent nation’s future. As a reminder, during Children’s Day the Turkish President, Prime Minister, cabinet ministers and provincial governors all turn over their positions to children for that one day.

As this day has become more international, UNICEF now recognizes International Children’s Day.

Guys fill balloons prior to the start of a cultural event hosted in Balboa Park by the House of Turkey.

Getting Turkish food ready, including tasty tantuni.

Lots of smiles as hungry people start to line up.

Kids cross the lawn, almost ready to perform on stage.

Young performers in Turkish costume on stage during the House of Turkey’s lawn program, celebrating International Children’s Day.

A clown in the audience provided innocent laughs!

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Faces sing, play pipes at Spreckels Organ Pavilion!

Two youth sing together.  Decoration on Balboa Park’s outdoor Spreckels Organ Pavilion. The faces are composed of plaster of Paris mixed with coir fiber.

Like many of the buildings created for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park, the Spreckels Organ Pavilion is decorated lavishly with unique plaster ornamentation. The impressive structure with its sweeping, semi-circular colonnade, designed by Harrison Albright in the Italian-Renaissance style, contains many sculptural figures and motifs, including human faces.

The other day I took a close look at the organ pavilion building and its colonnade. I noticed a number of different faces singing or playing pipes. Here they are!

The organ isn’t playing and the benches are empty, but many still wander into the historic pavilion to marvel at its unique beauty.

An exotic face made of plaster for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park appears to be singing.

A youthful musician plays the pipes. Many beautiful figures made of plaster decorate the pavilion which is home to the majestic Spreckels pipe organ in Balboa Park.

A cherub sings inside the pavilion’s colonnade.

Perhaps this is the Greek god Pan playing his pipes–or just an ordinary person who loves making music.

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Children’s Chorus of Staatsoper Berlin in Balboa Park!

The Children’s Chorus of Staatsoper Berlin sings at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park on a Sunday afternoon.

The award-winning Children’s Chorus of Staatsoper Berlin performed this afternoon in Balboa Park at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. They took the stage after a performance by the San Diego Children’s Choir, and then, at the program’s conclusion, the two youthful choirs joined together as one.

Accompanied by Martin Green playing the Spreckels Organ, the Children’s Chorus of Staatsoper Berlin, which is on a tour of the West Coast, impressed the large audience with their excellent voices. The music included Halleluja (from Messiah) and a mixture of folk and traditional pieces.

At Balboa Park’s Spreckels Organ Pavilion, fantastic music can be heard every weekend. Merely take a seat at 2:00 on a Sunday afternoon!

Someone arriving for the concert is carrying colorful flowers.

A large crowd gathered on the Spreckels Organ Pavilion’s benches to hear the famed German children’s choir.

All ears at attention.

The Children’s Chorus of Staatsoper Berlin performs on stage in front of the large Spreckels Organ pipes.

Piano accompanied the organ for a few songs. Guest organist Martin Green played this Sunday, while the Spreckels Organ Society searches for a new San Diego Civic Organist.

Near the conclusion of the program, the San Diego Children’s Choir gets ready to head up onto the stage.

Dozens of young voices join together to create beautiful music!

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I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk! You can enjoy even more Cool San Diego Sights by following me on Facebook or Twitter!