Rafael Payare has extended his contract with the San Diego Symphony until 2028-29. The Venezuelan conductor has been leading the orchestra since 2019 and has elevated the Symphony’s expressive range and strengthened its connection with audiences. Throughout his tenure, he has led the opening of two landmark venues—the acclaimed Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on the San Diego Bay and the {…}
The San Diego Symphony has announced its 2025-26 season. In a statement, Martha Gilmer, President and CEO of the San Diego Symphony said, “Now that we have been able to experience the wonderful acoustic of our renovated Jacobs Music Center, it was a great joy to imagine our second season in this marvelous hall. In what was the Fox Movie Theatre, a {…}
The San Diego Symphony has announced the concerts for its spring/winter 2025 season for the Jacobs Center. For this article, we will focus on the vocal performances. The only vocal performance during the season will see conductor Rafael Payare team up with mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill for Mahler’s Symphony No. 3. The concert will showcase Cargill’s debut with the orchestra, The {…}
(Credit: San Diego Symphony) On Sept. 28, the San Diego Symphony opened its 2024-25 season with a concert titled “Welcome Home.” The special evening marked the orchestra’s return to its home, the newly redesigned Jacobs Center. The hall, which took four years to renovate, featured vivid changes from its cool blue/green chairs to a more natural curve and slope for {…}
San Diego Symphony has unveiled its 2024-25 season. Here is a rundown of the vocal performances on offer. Opening Night will feature several soloists, including soprano Hera Hyesang-Park performing “Una voce poco fa” from “Il Barbiere di Siviglia.” The program, which will be conducted by Rafael Payare, will also feature music by Paganini, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, and a world premiere {…}
San Diego Symphony has announced its 2023-24 season. For the purposes of this article, we will only focus on vocal and operatic performances. Jacobs Masterworks Season It all kicks off with Rafael Payare leading performances of Strauss’ “Til Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks,” the west coast premiere of Billy Children’s Saxophone Concerto,” Mozart’s “Exsutate, jubilate,” Debussy’s “La Mer,” and the world premiere {…}
The San Diego Symphony has announced its 2022-23 Masterworks Classical Season, which will be book-ended with vocal performances of works by Verdi and Antonio Estévez. Opening the season is a San Diego Symphony premiere presentation of Verdi’s “Requiem” featuring soloists soprano Leah Crocetto, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, tenor Limmie Pulliam, and baritone Aleksey Bogdanov, all of whom are making their {…}
Rafael Payare dreams big. The Venezuelan conductor arrived in San Diego during the 2019-20 season ready to make his mark with the orchestra and to establish it as one of the leading American orchestras in the world. But that dream was slowed down in March 2020 when the pandemic struck. But it didn’t stop the conductor from creating. During that {…}
On Oct. 16, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra presented a diverse program entitled Song and Symphony at the newly constructed Rady Shell. The program included three composers from different backgrounds and countries that were united by the passionate musical language of each piece. The result was an exciting exploration of music led by the infectious conducting of Rafael Payare. Lili {…}
San Diego Symphony has announced that it will debut its new outdoor home, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, on August 6, 2021. The venue will seat up to 10,000 people and will feature over 100 concerts all year-round. To kick things off, on August 6, 2021, the organization will present a unique concert starring some of classical music’s greatest {…}