The guitar, more than a life-long companion, has been José Feliciano’s life.

 “The guitar has been my life, my passport to traveling,” said Feliciano via phone from his home in Connecticut.

 Feliciano will bring all the passion he feels for his guitar when he performs in San Diego as part of the San Diego Symphony Summer Pops concert series on Friday 21 and Saturday 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Embarcadero Marina Park South.

 Last year he was part of the series too to great success, thanks to the different genres that he is able to perform with his guitar. That’s why with the San Diego Symphony he will play songs like California Dreamin’, Señor Bolero, and Light My Fire. The concert includes a set of classic Latin songs, such as Porque te tengo que olvidar, that have given Feliciano a special place in Latin entertainment.

 “The show has a lot of diversity in music,” Feliciano said. “It is a nice combination of Spanish and English songs. The songs represent the variety that exists among my fans, which are both in the United States and Latin America.”

 Feliciano’s concert is an event that proves that the San Diego Symphony’s can reach a diverse public, said Edward B. “Ward” Gill, executive director of the San Diego Symphony.

 “Each year, we work to create a Summer Pops Series that is varied and appeals to a wide array of the public,” he said. “We mix different headliners and styles of music from Broadway and pop to rock and light classical Jose’s music appeals to both the Latino community as well as the community at large. In fact, his music transcends all cultures, and he remains an important and entertaining part of the American and international music scene.”

 This concert will, for sure, make people stand up and dance.

 “I am very excited to have Jose Feliciano on our Summer Pops line up this season,” states Matthew Garbutt, San Diego Symphony’s principal Summer Pops conductor.  “It’s a thrill for the orchestra to have the opportunity to perform with a musician of Jose’s depth and accomplishment. And with Jose Feliciano joining us, the audience will not only get a chance to enjoy his music, but I’ve designed the first half of the program when the orchestra will perform such great compositions as Cuban Overture, Brazil and Carioca.” 

 Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York City, José Feliciano, 63, has become an icon in American and Latin music. He’s considered a master of the acoustic guitar, having taught himself how to play it just by listening to records as a boy. His career spans four decades. He has won six Grammy awards as well as countless awards from around the world. In 2001, Feliciano received a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, for his musical, as well as humanitarian, contributions to the world.

 In 2006, The Hispanic Heritage Foundation, an organization that identifies, inspires, promotes and prepares Latino role models through national leadership, cultural, educational and workforce programs, honored Feliciano with their prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

 As part of wanting to share his love for the guitar, Feliciano just launched his own line of guitars, called Debut.

 “I’m excited about putting a guitar into people’s hands,” he said.

 Tickets for the Jose Feliciano concert with the San Diego Symphony are $15 to $75. For more information call (619) 235-0804 or visit www.sandiegosymphony.com. The concert will end with fireworks.