I am a lifelong San Diego native, and have been involved in music more or less my whole life. I have taken advantage of just about every type of musical experience San Diego has to offer; from singing as a boy soprano at St. Paul’s Cathedral, to playing punk and ska at Soma, and just about everything in between. Currently I serve as the Artistic Director of SACRA/PROFANA a nationally recognized professional choir that specializes in contemporary choral music and supports our music education community through workshops, and a summer choral intensive. I am also the Director of Worship at the Village Community Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe, where I direct the Chancel Choir, the Village Community Chorale, Youth Choir, and oversee the two worship services. In addition to music, I love being outdoors; and have been an avid cyclist, hiker, surfer, rock climber and camper at various points in my life. Although family and work schedules are demanding, I try to carve out as much time as I can to be outdoors.
About Juan Carlos Acosta
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
My wife and I will be celebrating 18 years of marriage in 2024, and we have two elementary-age kids, as well as a cat, a dog, and three guinea pigs.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
Being a lifelong musician has been an absolute blessing. If you do what you love for work, it becomes work, but I always find new and different things to love about making music. And I have been so fortunate to work with great people in many different settings.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
Take your time, especially on the big decisions.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
I can’t imagine myself anywhere else than here in San Diego in the next 5-10 years, hopefully doing exactly what I am doing now.
Juan Carlos Acosta & Our Community
Q: What are a few of your favorite restaurants in our community?
I am a big fan of taco shops and have a longtime loyalty to JV’s on Morena. Sushi Fish Attack on Clairemont Dr. is amazing though, so if I had to pick one local restaurant to highlight, that would be it.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
I have been a professional musician in the San Diego area for 24 years, with my first real music job coming right out of high school.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
Anthony Davis is a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, who teaches music at UCSD and recently had his opera Malcolm X produced at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He has had an amazing career and had the chance to work with some of the giants in the world of jazz and classical music.
Q: What current or former local business makes you the most nostalgic about our community?
Well, the movie theater in Clairemont Town Square has been pretty iconic for those of us who have been around a long time and has really changed over the years. In some ways its ebb and flow has been a reflection of the times.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
I love the diversity of people and offerings we have in San Diego. We have it all; the weather, beach, mountains, deserts, music, theater, science, technology, and on and on. San Diego is an incredible place to be.
Q: If you could choose anyone alive today and not a relative, with whom would you love to have lunch? Why? And where locally would you meet for this lunch?
I’d love to sit down with Quincy Jones, the man is a living history of music in the 20th century. From his days with Lionel Hampton and Count Basie to studying with Nadia Boulanger, to his work with folks like Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra is just incredible. We’d have to have lunch at George’s on a nice sunny day.
For Fun
Q: What is one of your favorite movies? TV shows?
My wife and I love Ted Lasso, we’re pretty much evangelists for the show.
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
I’m a pretty open book, so there isn’t much interesting about me that most people don’t know.
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
The diversity of outdoor opportunities in San Diego.
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
My in-laws. They are such loving and accepting people who do so much for our world and rarely talk about it.
Q: What community organizations and/or local nonprofits do you admire/support?
In my work, I’ve had a chance to be connected with so many non-profits in my work, that I know I will kick myself for not mentioning them. So I will go with one that I’m not connected with but I admire greatly, and that is Mama’s Kitchen.
Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t make big changes in the first year of a new job if you plan to be there a long time.
Q: What Neighborhood do you live in?
Clairemont
What I love about my Neighborhood:
Clairemont is so central and accessible. You don’t have to leave Clairemont to take care of the basics, but if you do most of San Diego is 20 minutes away.
Please describe your ideal San Diego weekend:
The ideal San Diego weekend would start with a surf session on Friday morning (before the weekend warriors hit the waves) at the La Jolla reefs, followed by breakfast at Konos. Friday night would be a performance or show of some kind. Saturdays are generally known as “Dadurday” in our family because my wife is usually working, and could include a hike in the Lagunas, exploring Anza Borrego with a stop at Frosty Burger, or a day at the beach if it’s warm. On an ideal weekend, Saturday evening would include dinner and games with family and friends. Sunday morning would start with worship at the Village Church, with a stop for lunch with the family and a couple of friends at either Viewpoint Brewing Company or Seasurf in Del Mar. A Sunday afternoon nap would be heavenly, capping off the weekend another concert or a family movie night.
Q: Finally, what three words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Family, community, love
