San Diego Symphony: Season 2024-25 at Jacobs Music Center

SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY

RAFAEL PAYARE, MUSIC DIRECTOR

SEASON

The San Diego Symphony’s 2024–25 Season is dedicated to the memory of Joan K. Jacobs.

Cover: Rafael Payare in front of sound cloud panel at Jacobs Music Center, photo by Todd Rosenberg Photography; this page: photo by Gary Payne

LETTER FROM MARTHA GILMER,

CEO

This season begins a new chapter in the history of the San Diego Symphony. We are at the edge of a crucial and transformational moment. It is an important moment for our musicians, our administrative team, our Board and supporters, the San Diego region and for all of you who enjoy exploring and being united by music.

We honor the rich past of Jacobs Music Center and the visionaries that understood how important it was that our orchestra have its own home. They built the foundation of this organization and nurtured it over decades. At the core of this renovation was a desire to honor the venue’s history, the memories that have been created here, the role it has played in the city and the cultural impact it has created.

Importantly, with the renovation and reopening of Jacobs Music Center, we look forward to its future.

It has been designed to support our musicians and their continued growth, and to welcome new audiences as well as our long-time supporters. The enhanced acoustics and vibrant aesthetic create a stronger and more dynamic connection between our audience and the musicians on stage.

The programs this season have been developed to reflect this new dynamic and include well-known artists and repertoire as well as new faces and new sounds.

We thank you staying with us in these last years as we eagerly awaited the reopening and look forward to welcoming you home. The journey begins now, and it begins with you.

Martha A. Gilmer CEO

Photo by Jenna Selby

The first season at the new Jacobs Music Center is special for so many reasons . . . here are just a few!

3

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28 works commissioned or co-commissioned by the San Diego Symphony new series

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artists making their San Diego Symphony debut world premieres works by living composers

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For a listing of the new series, artist debuts, works by living composers, commissioned works and premieres, visit our website.

Xiaoxuan Shi, section violin

Photo by Jenna Selby

JACOBS MASTERWORKS

"WELCOME HOME!!" JACOBS MUSIC CENTER OPENING NIGHT

SPECIAL CONCE RT

Saturday, September 28 | 6PM

Rafael Payare, conductor

Jeff Thayer, violin

Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Hera Hyesang Park, soprano

Inon Barnatan, piano

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Texu KIM Welcome Home!! ( WORLD PREMIERE, COMMISSIONED BY SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY)

VILLA-LOBOS Aria from Bachianas Braisileiras No. 5

ROSSINI “Una Voce Poco Fa” from Il barbiere di Siviglia

TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme

PAGANINI Caprice No. 24

RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

RAVEL Daphnis et Chloe: Suite No. 2

Join us to celebrate the joyful reopening of our beloved Jacobs Music Center! Thrill to our amazing new acoustics and marvel at the beautifully restored interior, with a sparkling program conducted by our dynamic Music Director, Rafael Payare, and celebrating every aspect of our wonderful orchestra. Hear Paganini’s famed violin work, Caprice No. 24, performed by Concertmaster Jeff Thayer, followed by Rachmaninoff’s beloved Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with pianist and San Diego Summerfest Artistic Director Inon Barnatan. One of the most in-demand cellists of our time, Alisa Weilerstein, will join the Orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s sweet and evocative Variations on a Rococo Theme. This unforgettable evening begins with a World Premiere of a blazing new fanfare from Texu Kim.

Interested in joining the Gala Celebration and the Opening of Jacobs Music Center to support the orchestra and its Learning and Community Engagement Programs?

See page 10 for details or contact specialevents@sandiegosymphony.org.

Rafael Payare

JACOBS MASTERWORKS:

Inon Barnatan

Alisa Weilerstein

Hera Hyesang Park

Jeff Thayer

Rafael Payare photo by J. Henry Fair; Alisa Weilerstein and Inon Barnatan photos by Marco Borggreve

OPENING NIGHT GALA

A TRIUMPHANT RETURN

Join us for an unforge able evening at the gala and grand opening of the newly renovated Jacobs Music Center, a once-in-a-generation event celebrating San Diego’s newest concert venue. Your a endance supports the Symphony’s vital learning and community engagement programs.

The evening will commence with a lively cocktail reception, followed by a historic first performance showcasing the center’s state-of-the-art acoustic upgrade, and culminates in a delectable culinary feast at the Pendry Hotel in downtown San Diego.

Whether you’re a returning patron or visiting for the first time, we can’t wait to welcome you home!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

5PM

HONORARY CHAIRS

Dianne Bashor

Joan and Irwin Jacobs

CO-CHAIRS

Una Davis and Jack McGrory

Cole e Carson Royston and Ivor Royston Kit and Karen Sickels

For tickets and information visit sandiegosymphony.org/jmcgala or contact Kirby Tankersley at (619) 615-3906 or ktankersley@sandiegosymphony.org

Sponsored by:

Photo by J. Henry Fair

MAHLER’S “RESURRECTION” SYMPHONY

Friday, October 4 | 7:30PM Saturday, October 5 | 7:30PM Sunday, October 6 | 2PM

What was created must perish, What has perished must rise again. Tremble no more! Prepare yourself to live!

There could not be a more fitting work to perform in the first subscription concert of the season—in the newly resurrected Jacobs Music Center— than Gustav Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection.” Cast in five movements and written for a massive orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus, Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony takes listeners on a journey in search of truth, solace and the meaning of life, all on a galactic scale. Written during an age riddled with doubts and anxieties, not unlike our present, Mahler plunges us into the fires of hell before lifting us into an ecstatic, soul-affirming hymn of resurrection—one of the greatest of all music climaxes.

JACOBS MASTERWORKS: OCTOBER

RESURRECTION

Friday, October 4 | 7:30PM

Saturday, October 5 | 7:30PM Sunday, October 6 | 2PM

Rafael Payare, conductor

Angela Meade, soprano

Anna Larsson, mezzo-soprano

San Diego Symphony Festival Chorus

Andrew Megill, advisor and chorus master

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Thomas LARCHER Time

MAHLER Symphony No. 2

Music Director Rafael Payare leads the Orchestra, soloists and the debut of the San Diego Symphony Festival Chorus in one of the most spectacular and immersive pieces of orchestral music ever written. Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony is a fitting work that also marks the resurrection of our new hall, honoring its storied past and exciting future. Soprano Angela Meade (“the most talked about soprano of her generation” – Opera News) and renowned Mahler interpreter Anna Larsson are the featured soloists in Mahler’s extraordinary work. Thomas Larcher’s meditative Time opens the evening contemplating the relationship between time and music.

THE ROMANTIC LYRICISM OF SCHOENBERG AND BRAHMS

Saturday, October 12 | 7:30PM Sunday, October 13 | 2PM

Rafael Payare, conductor Sergey Khachatryan, violin San Diego Symphony Orchestra

BRAHMS Violin Concerto

SCHOENBERG Pelleas und Melisande

Brahms’ violin concerto is at once both the most demanding of concertos while at the same time possessing the depth, beauty, scale and orchestral muscularity of a great symphony. Armenian violinist Sergey Khachatryan returns to San Diego Symphony and joins Music Director Rafael Payare and the Orchestra for this all-romantic program that extends to composer Arnold Schoenberg’s gorgeously scored Pelléas et Mélisande. The tragic love story—which also inspired great music from Fauré, Debussy and Sibelius—was written in a style between Brahms and Wagner, but is one of Schoenberg’s most beautiful orchestral scores, with a rich and dark orchestral coloring that is all his own.

Angela Meade

Sergey Khachatryan

Photo by Faye Fox

WHERE WE LAY OUR SCENE: A SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ROMEO AND JULIET

Friday, October 18 | 7:30 PM

Saturday, October 19 | 7:30PM

Sunday, October 20 | 2PM

Rafael Payare, conductor

Emanuel Ax, piano

Gerard McBurney, director

Mike Tutaj, projection design

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major PROKOFIEV Romeo & Juliet

A new musical-theatrical vision brings color, light and drama to our new hall in a delicious melding of the immortal ballet-music of Prokofiev together with the world-famous poetry of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that inspired it. Projection artist Mike Tutaj will transform the walls and space into a magical playground for the imagination. Legendary pianist Emanuel Ax will join Rafael Payare and the SDSO for a concerto by the most theatrical of all composers, Mozart.

Emanuel Ax

Photo by Lisa Marie Mazzucco

JACOBS MASTERWORKS: OCTOBER/NOVEMBER

ROMANTIC FATES: TCHAIKOVSKY’S TOWERING FIFTH

Friday, October 25 | 7:30PM Saturday, October 26 | 7:30PM

Antonio Méndez, conductor

Paul Huang, violin

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

MENDELSSOHN Ruy Blas Overture, Op. 95

BRUCH Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26

TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5

Conductor Antonio Méndez returns after his San Diego Symphony Orchestra debut last season with a program bursting with overwhelming romantic feelings, surging love-songs and premonitions of melodramatic tragedy and fate. Composer Max Bruch pours out one melody after another in one of the best-loved violin concertos of all time. And Tchaikovsky thrills us with the tumultuous operatic energy of his Fifth Symphony, complete with doomladen trumpet-calls, dreamlike dance sequences, rushing strings, and a lovesong for the solo horn that is one of the most heartfelt moments from anywhere in this marvelous composer’s output.

BISS PLAYS BEETHOVEN

Saturday, November 9 | 7:30PM Sunday, November 10 | 2PM

Bernard Labadie, conductor

Jonathan Biss, piano

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

MOZART Overture to Die Zauberflöte

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major MOZART Overture to La Clemenza di Tito HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major, “Drumroll”

Bernard Labadie, an expert proponent of baroque and classical era music, marks his first performances with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra in this epic program. A pair of glorious and masterful operatic overtures opens each half of the program, both written by Mozart within weeks of one another in the fall of 1791 and just a couple of months before his untimely death. Beethoven’s first piano concerto is performed by Jonathan Biss (“one of today's foremost Beethoven exponents” – Chicago Tribune), and the program closes with Haydn’s Symphony No. 103—his second to last— nicknamed “Drumroll” for its powerful and mysterious opening.

A NEW WORLD ODYSSEY: ADAMS, ADÈS, DVORÁK

Saturday, November 16 Sunday, November 17

Elena Schwarz, conductor

Leila Josefowicz, violin

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

John ADAMS The Chairman Dances Orchestra)

Thomas ADÈS Violin Concerto, “Concentric Paths”

DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”

A captivating program featuring modern masterworks by John Adams and Thomas Adès and one of Western classical music’s most beloved and recognizable works: Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9. The concert begins with the delightful The Chairman Dances, composed while Adams was working on his famed opera Nixon in China and inspired by an image of Mao Tse-Tung dancing the foxtrot! The remarkable violinist Leila Josefowicz joins the Symphony for Adès’ modern masterpiece “Concentric Paths,” a work of integrated textures and extreme colors requiring great musical and technical finesse. The program ends with Dvořák’s ever-popular symphony inspired by African-American spirituals introduced to him by his then-student, pioneer of American music Harry T. Burleigh, and merged with the composer’s deep Bohemian roots.

Paul Huang

Jonathan Biss

Photo by Benjamin Ealovega

Leila Josefowicz

Photo by Tom Zimberoff

JACOBS MASTERWORKS: DECEMBER/JANUARY

TWO CONCERTOS: BARNATAN PLAYS SHOSTAKOVICH

Friday, December 6 | 7:30PM

Saturday, December 7 | 7:30PM

Sunday, December 8 | 2PM

Rafael Payare, conductor

Inon Barnatan, piano

Christopher Smith, trumpet San Diego Symphony Orchestra

R. STRAUSS Don Juan

SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 2

SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1

R. STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche

Humor is the thread that weaves through this program as Music Director Rafael Payare guides the orchestra in Richard Strauss’ youthful and exuberant tone poem, Don Juan. Later, Strauss’ buoyant depiction of the misadventures of the German folk hero Till Eulenspiegel concludes the evening’s program. In between, the brilliant pianist Inon Barnatan is featured on two works. Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2 was written for the composer’s son Maxim to play at his conservatory graduation exam and is downright cheerful. His Piano Concerto No. 1 is at once sardonic and tongue-in-cheek as he quotes and parodies several well-known pieces.

Inon Barnatan

Ludovic Morlot

Photo by Lisa Marie Mazzucco

Photo by Marco Borggreve

SAINT-SAËNS’ VIOLIN CONCERTO AND ORGAN SYMPHONY

Friday, January 10 | 7:30PM

Saturday, January 11 | 7:30PM

Ludovic Morlot, conductor

Jeff Thayer, violin San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Gabriella SMITH Bioluminescence Chaconne

SAINT-SAËNS Violin Concerto No. 3

Augusta HOLMÈS La Nuit et l’amour

SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3, “Organ”

California-based French conductor

Ludovic Morlot celebrates the music of his native land with two masterworks by his great 19th century compatriot

Camille Saint-Saëns: the 3rd violin concerto, written for the great Spanish virtuoso Sarasate and brimming with sweet melodies, and the composer’s most famous symphony, known as “The Organ Symphony” for its sumptuous organ writing which dramatically extends and deepens the colors of the orchestra. It's the ideal music to celebrate the fabulous new sound of our own newly restored pipe organ in Jacobs Music Center!

COLORS AND RHYTHMS: CLYNE, MOZART, BEETHOVEN

Friday, January 17 | 11AM

Saturday, January 18 | 7:30PM

Eduardo Strausser, conductor Javier Perianes, piano San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Anna CLYNE Color Field

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2

What a sumptuous feast of beautiful sounds and ravishing orchestral virtuosity! The celebrated composer Anna Clyne’s Color Field opens the concert with a delicious imagining of what mixing yellow and red would sound like. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, composed during his peak of creativity, is performed for us this season by the esteemed Spanish pianist Javier Perianes. Igor Stravinsky once said, Beethoven’s Second Symphony was his favorite of the nine. It’s easy to see why, with its amazing rhythmic drive, grandeur and sonority of sound. Hear the piece that unleashed a whole new storm of pulsing power which was soon to lead Beethoven to the Eroica Symphony and the Fifth. We heard it here first!

Javier Perianes

Photo by Igor Studio

Francesca Dego

JACOBS MASTERWORKS: JANUARY/FEBRUARY

BUSONI’S VIOLIN CONCERTO

Friday, January 24 | 7:30PM Sunday, January 26 | 2PM

Daniele Rustioni, conductor

Francesca Dego, violin

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture

BUSONI Violin Concerto

TCHAIKOVSKY Francesca da Rimini

RESPIGHI Roman Festivals

ORCHESTRAL EVOLUTION: CHILDS’ PREMIERE AND BEETHOVEN’S EROICA

Friday, January 31 | 11AM Saturday, February 1 | 7:30PM

Rafael Payare, conductor Alexander Malofeev, piano San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Billy CHILDS Concerto for Orchestra ( WORLD PREMIERE)

PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3

Making her Symphony debut, the dazzling violinist Francesca Dego will perform one of her signatures: Italian composer Busoni’s lyrical and wonderfully dark but virtuosic Violin Concerto. Also making his Symphony debut, conductor Daniele Rustioni leads Tchaikovsky’s symphonic fantasy, based on one of the most tragic love stories ever told, the fatal affair between Francesca da Rimini and her brother-in-law Paolo. Italy’s greatest poet Dante immortalised their tale in his Inferno from which Tchaikovsky took his inspiration. The concert ends with Respighi’s exuberantly dramatic Roman Festivals depicting scenes from ancient and contemporary Rome, from the gladiators and the harvest festival to celebrating the Epiphany in the Piazza Navona.

Rising star Alexander Malofeev (“Truly remarkable” – Boston Classical Review) takes the Jacobs Music Center stage in Prokofiev’s muscular and demanding Piano Concerto No. 3. The program begins with the world premiere of Los Angeles-born, GRAMMY® Awardwinning composer Billy Childs’ Concerto for Orchestra and ends with Music Director Rafael Payare leading the Symphony in Beethoven’s celebrated “Eroica” symphony: a work that shocked in the composer’s own time with its unfamiliar vastness and huge orchestral sound, now viewed as one of the most influential symphonies in the Western musical canon.

SYMPHONIC JOURNEYS: STRAUSS, WALTON, BRAHMS

Saturday, February 8 | 7:30PM Sunday, February 9 | 2PM

Rafael Payare, conductor Chi-Yuan Chen, viola San Diego Symphony Orchestra

R. STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration WALTON Viola Concerto BRAHMS Symphony No. 2

Richard Strauss’ Tod und Verklarung (Death and Transfiguration) is a monumental meditation on the journey of life, beginning in childhood, through the trials and joys of adulthood, and ending in the transfiguration of the spirit. Music Director Rafael Payare conducts the Symphony in Strauss’ powerful tone poem along with William Walton’s beautifully lyrical and nostalgic Viola Concerto, a work of extraordinary richness, sounding almost like a cello. The result is one of the few widely played concertos for this instrument, demanding from the soloist the sweetest melodic playing with the most vigorous and athletic virtuosity. The concert ends with Brahms’ melancholy and hauntingly beautiful second symphony.

Photo by Davide Cerrati

Francesca Dego and Daniele Rustioni

Alexander Malofeev Chi-Yuan Chen

Photo by Liudmila Malofeeva

WHERE WE LAY OUR SCENE: A SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ROMEO AND JULIET

Friday, October 18 | 7:30 PM

Saturday, October 19 | 7:30PM

Sunday, October 20 | 2PM

A Story of Star-Crossed Love

A feast of gorgeous music from Prokofiev’s much-loved 1935 ballet score complete with beautiful projections and voices to tell the immortal story of Shakespeare’s tragedy. Jacobs Music Center will be immersed with beautiful original illustrations and the glorious music of Prokofiev performed by Music Director Rafael Payare and the San Diego Symphony in this achingly familiar story of love and loss. Created and directed by Gerard McBurney, this will be a production like no other and a season highlight not to be missed!

Composer Spotlight DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH

Dmitri Shostakovich is regarded by musicians and audiences alike as one of the most important and powerful composers of the 20th century. His music reflects his own personal journey through some of the most turbulent and tragic times of modern history. Nowadays, most of his 15 symphonies, the entire cycle of 15 string quartets, his 24 Preludes and Fugues for piano and his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk have come to occupy a central place in the experience of music lovers. And yet, Shostakovich, a hugely prolific composer, wrote vast amounts of other music that is still hardly known. And much of it reflects sides to his character— humorous, sarcastic, absurd, funny,

theatrical, deliciously tuneful—quite different from the dark and tragic mood most people associate with his name.

Under Rafael Payare’s artistic direction, the music of Dmitri Shostakovich has been a focus of the San Diego Symphony, and the orchestra has performed many works by the talented and much-debated composer.

“There’s something very profound about Shostakovich’s music. It’s as though he’s always wearing a mask, but at the same time, he lets you see the true face behind.”

– Rafael Payare

Hear

Dec 6, 7, 8

works

• Piano Concerto No. 1

• Piano Concerto No. 2 (Inon

May 16, 17

• Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad”

Listen to Rafael Payare and the San Diego Symphony’s recent recording of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11, “The Year 1905”

Season Highlight

ALBIREO MODE: TOPAZ AND SAPPHIRE

Takashi Yoshimatsu’s Soprano Saxophone Concerto

Following the success of Yoshimatsu’s first saxophone concerto titled Cyber-bird—a work that fused classical, ethnic and jazz styles—the composer initially declined a request to compose another, but when the idea of a soprano saxophone concerto was mentioned he wrote, “I thought maybe I can compose a concerto for the soprano sax that highlights ‘calm,’ in contrast to the ‘motion’ characteristic of Cyber-bird.”

The “Albireo” of the title Albireo Mode is the name of the double Beta star that sits at the beak of the constellation Cygnus. One star shines bright golden yellow like a topaz and the other bluish-green like a sapphire. Yoshimatsu said of the work, “Albireo Mode symbolizes the character of the soprano sax, which is two-fold, combining both coolness and heat, both beauty and depth. That is why I named the cool and beautiful first part ‘Topaz’ and the hot and deep second part ‘Sapphire.’”

Experience the beautiful Topaz and hot Sapphire for yourself on May 3 and 4, performed by Steven Banks and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ruth Reinhardt.

these

this season led by Rafael:

(Inon Barnatan)

Barnatan)

MTT’S STREET SONGS AND WINTER DAYDREAMS

Saturday, February 15 | 7:30PM Sunday, February 16 | 2PM

Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor Parker van Ostrand, piano San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Michael TILSON THOMAS Street Song for Symphonic Brass

RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 1, “Winter Daydreams”

Three works, all inspired in different ways by different forms of popular music! Beloved American conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas makes his SDSO debut in this special program—part of a yearlong celebration of his 80th birthday—that opens with his own Street Song for Symphonic Brass, a work reflecting Tilson Thomas’s love for all kinds of popular and street music of the past. Rising star pianist Parker van Ostrand will take the stage for Rachmaninoff’s demanding Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, based on Paganini’s most famous ear-worm, his 24th Caprice for solo violin. The program ends with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 1, the Russian composer’s first large-scale orchestral work, delightfully derived from Russian village-songs.

VÄNSKÄ CONDUCTS SIBELIUS AND BEETHOVEN

Friday, February 28 | 11AM Saturday, March 1 | 7:30PM

Osmo Vänskä, conductor

Paavali Jumppanen, piano

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

SIBELIUS Tapiola

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”

SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5

Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä leads the Orchestra first in Sibelius’ dark and brooding tone poem Tapiola. One of this composer’s final works evoking Tapio, the forest spirit from ancient pre-Christian Finnish mythology, was inspired by the natural landscape of his home country, and especially the beautiful whooper swans returning in the spring to breed on the lakes and waters of Finland. Rounding out the program is Beethoven’s “Emperor” piano concerto performed by Finnish pianist and Beethoven expert Paavali Jumppanen, praised for the “overflowing energy of his musicianship” by The New York Times

MOTHER GOOSE, SYMPHONIC DANCES AND MORE

Friday, March 7 | 7:30PM Sunday, March 9 | 2PM

Matthias Pintscher, conductor Alexi Kenney, violin San Diego Symphony Orchestra

RAVEL Mother Goose Suite

BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2

RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances

Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, his elegiac and final work written when World War II was already underway and the composer and his wife were living in New York City, combines his intense nostalgia for his native Russia and an old world gone by with the tremendous rhythmic energy and optimism that he so loved about America. Conductor Matthias Pintscher begins the concert with the beautiful glittering colors of Ravel’s Mother Goose. And Alexi Kenney makes his Symphony debut with his “soulful and stirring” (The Pittsburgh Post Gazette) interpretation of Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2.

Parker van Ostrand

Paavali Jumppanen

Alexi Kenney

Photo by Mike Grittani

Michael Tilson Thomas

Photo by Brigitte Lacombe

JACOBS MASTERWORKS:

FROM THE DEPTHS: LU LEADS TCHAIKOVSKY’S FOURTH SYMPHONY

Saturday, March 29 | 7:30PM Sunday, March 30 | 2PM

Tianyi Lu, conductor

Paul Lewis, piano San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Gareth FARR From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs: The Invocation of the Sea GRIEG Piano Concerto TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4

Winner of the Sir Georg Solti International Conductors' Competition, conductor

Tianyi Lu opens her concert with a work by New Zealander Gareth Farr, inspired by his native land and sea. At the opposite end of the world, Norway’s greatest composer Edvard Grieg wrote one of the most popular piano concertos in the world when still a very young man. The distinguished pianist Paul Lewis will bring the work to life. The concert ends with one of the best loved of all Tchaikovsky’s works, his intensely dramatic and balletic Fourth Symphony, featuring fateful horn calls and yearning melodies, infectious dance rhythms and sheer physical elan.

CZECH MASTERPIECES AND A SAXOPHONE CONCERTO

Saturday, May 3 | 7:30PM Sunday, May 4 | 2PM

Ruth Reinhardt, conductor

Steven Banks, saxophone

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

SMETANA Overture and Three Dances from The Bartered Bride

Takashi YOSHIMATSU Soprano Saxophone Concerto

DVORAK Symphony No. 8

Ruth Reinhardt returns to lead the Symphony in two delightful works by two Czech masters: the Overture and Three Dances from Smetana’s folk-inspired romantic comedy The Bartered Bride and Dvořák’s infectiously joyous Symphony No. 8, which was inspired by the sounds and beauty of the gorgeous green landscape of his country home. And at the center of the concert, something else entirely! One of the leading classical saxophonists of our time, Steven Banks returns to San Diego to take the Jacobs Music Center stage with famed Japanese composer Takashi Yoshimatsu’s harmonic Soprano Saxophone Concerto “Albireo mode.”

WEILERSTEIN AND PAYARE PERFORM CHIN AND BRUCKNER

Saturday, May 10 | 7:30PM Sunday, May 11 | 2PM

Rafael Payare, conductor Alisa Weilerstein, cello San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Unsuk CHIN Cello Concerto BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7

Music Director Rafael Payare leads the penultimate program of the season in Bruckner’s Seventh, one of the great composer’s later symphonies in which the orchestra sounds like an organ in a medieval church. Indeed, this symphony has often been described as nothing short of a cathedral in sound. It would be hard to imagine music better suited to exploring the deepest resonances of our beautiful new hall. The Korean composer Unsuk Chin is a modern master of instrumental music drama. Her cello concerto, widely described as a triumph at its first appearance, has been taken up by many cellists and most recently by our own Alisa Weilerstein. Weilerstein’s mastery of drama and plangent lyricism is the perfect match for Unsuk Chin’s defiant and expressive music.

Tianyi Lu

Ruth Reinhardt Alisa Weilerstein

Photo by Marco Borggreve

Photo by Marco Borggreve

Steven Banks

Photo by Chris Lee

Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Photo by Andrew Eccles

JACOBS MASTERWORKS:

ELEGANT TO EPIC: SAINT-SAËNS AND SHOSTAKOVICH

Friday, May 16 | 7:30PM

Saturday, May 17 | 7:30PM

Rafael Payare, conductor

Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano San Diego Symphony Orchestra

SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No. 5

SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad”

Considered one of the finest pianists of today, Jean-Yves Thibaudet takes the Jacobs Music Center stage to perform his acclaimed interpretation of Camille Saint-Saëns’ final piano concerto, written while he was vacationing in Cairo, Egypt. Then Rafael Payare and the orchestra tackle Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad.” The first performance of “Leningrad” took place in August 1942, a year into the 30-month blockade of the city by Axis powers, and was broadcast throughout the city as a show of defiance against German forces. Since then, the symphony has become a powerful international symbol of human resistance to brutality, barbarism and injustice.

ODE

TO NATURE: PAYARE CONDUCTS MAHLER’S SYMPHONY NO. 3

Friday, May 23 | 7:30PM

Saturday, May 24 | 7:30PM

Sunday, May 25 | 2PM

Rafael Payare, conductor

Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano

Women’s and children’s chorus to be announced San Diego Symphony Orchestra

MAHLER Symphony No. 3

Written over the course of three years, Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 is a monumental, two-part declaration of faith that reveals the composer’s wideranging influences, from folk song to mythology and philosophy. This vastly expansive work is Mahler’s ode to nature, progressing in ever wider circles from the intimacy of flowers and meadows, to a colossal vision of humanity and the splendor of the cosmos and its Creator. World-renowned mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill will make her Symphony debut, conducted by Music Director Rafael Payare, for this final concert of the season.

Rafael Payare

Karen Cargill

Photo by J. Henry Fair

Photo by Nadine Boyd

Kenneth Liao, section violin

Photo by Jenna Selby

JAZZ @ THE JACOBS

A TRIBUTE TO ELLA, BILLIE AND SARAH

Saturday, November 23 | 7:30PM

Champian Fulton, piano/vocalist

Mary Stallings, vocalist

Sherry Williams, vocalist

Sam Hirsh, piano

Rickey Woodard, tenor saxophone

Jeff Hamilton, drum set

Additional artists to be announced

Pre-show: Young Lions Jazz Conservatory All-Stars, jazz band

You'll have “the world on a string” as we pay tribute to three of the most iconic divas in all of jazz in this tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. Our first jazz concert in the “new” Jacobs Music Center.

Please note: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

PIANO PARAGONS – THE MUSIC OF MONK, POWELL, TATUM AND COREA

Saturday, March 22 | 7:30PM

Eric Reed, piano

Helen Sung, piano

Peter Washington, bass

Carl Allen, drum set

Additional artists to be announced

Pre-show: Young Lions Jazz Conservatory All-Stars, jazz band

Spanning almost one hundred years of jazz piano styles from Tatum's “stride” to Corea's inventive fusion and everything in between, join us for a concert that will have you tapping your toes all night long.

Please note: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

DUKE ELLINGTON AND BILLY STRAYHORN: CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF TWO GIANTS

Saturday, April 26 | 7:30PM

Gilbert Castellanos, trumpet

Johnaye Kendrick, vocalist

Billy Pierce, tenor saxophone Joshua White, piano

Pre-show: Young Lions Jazz Conservatory All-Stars, jazz band

The artistic collaboration between Duke Ellington and composer/arranger Billy Strayhorn is one of the most important in the history of American music. Duke Ellington trusted Billy Strayhorn’s artistic gifts from the moment he joined the band in 1939, until Strayhorn’s death in 1967. Strayhorn wrote many of the songs we associate with the Duke Ellington Band today, including their theme song “Take the A Train”, “Satin Doll”, “Something to Live For” and many more.

Please note: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

Gilbert Castellanos photo by Lev Tsimring

CURRENTS SERIES

This ground-breaking, interdisciplinary chamber music series takes audiences on a multimedia journey exploring modern stories through music, visual art, dance, electronics, and spoken word. The inaugural season features artists that are exploring the depth of our identities—the search for it, the celebration of it, the ways we fight for it, and the courage sometimes needed to express it.

Pictured: Seth Parker Woods

TRES MINUTOS

Friday, November 22 | 7:30PM

Music by Nicolás Lell Benavides

Libretto by Marella Martin Koch

Musicians of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Where do we belong? Inspired by a real program that reunites families separated by immigration policies at the U.S.-Mexico Border, but only for three minutes, Tres minutos by composer Nicolás Lell Benavides and librettist Marella Martin Koch imagines the story of Diego and Nila, a brother and sister who share DNA but not citizenship. When Diego is deported, leaving Nila behind, questions of identity, duty, and belonging threaten to consume them.

A co-production with Music of Remembrance; the complete San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

This program is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency.

THE WONDERS WE CARRY INSIDE IN SUPPORT OF WOMEN, LIFE, FREEDOM

Thursday, March 20 | 7:30PM

Gity Razaz, composer & curator

Inbal Segev, cello

Niloufar Shiri, kamancheh & composer

Sahba Aminikia, composer

Musicians of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Hailed by The New York Times as “ravishing and engulfing,” IranianAmerican composer Gity Razaz curates an evening of music honoring the mystical beauty of Persian culture and the power of women to shape history both past and present. Poetry and music weave together to guide us through this ancient celebration of reflection and renewal at the spring equinox.

The complete San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

DIFFICULT GRACE

Saturday, May 31 | 7:30PM

Seth Parker Woods, cello Roderick George, dancer/choreographer

Difficult Grace is a multimedia concert tour de force conceived by and featuring Seth Parker Woods in the triple role of cellist, narrator/guide and movement artist. Heightened by film, spoken text, dance and visual artwork, Difficult Grace is a semi-autobiographical exploration of identity, past/present histories and personal growth that draws inspiration from the Great Migration, the historic newspaper The Chicago Defender and the poetry of Kemi Alabi and Dudley Randall.

“Seth Parker Woods’s audiovisually mouthwatering performance” — CHICAGO TRIBUNE

“married the cellist’s most introspective playing with an affecting visual narrative…” — GRAMOPHONE

Please note: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

Gity Razaz Seth Parker Woods and Roderick George

Symphony Kids Series

Ages 0-5 | Jacobs Music Center

Saturdays at 10am and 11am

Corporate Sponsor

MEET THE STRINGS | November 9 | 10 & 11AM

Sing-along and dance-along to your favorite melodies as you get to know the largest family in the orchestra—the strings!

MEET THE WINDS | March 1 | 10 & 11AM

They huff, they puff, and they blow all their air to make a sound! From birdsongs to sneaky cats—you and your kiddos will experience the unique sounds that the flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and French horn make together.

Your family’s musical exploration starts here! San Diego Symphony musicians share their favorite sing-a-longs, rhymes, dances, and musical games in a series that introduces your youngest listeners to the instruments of the orchestra. Designed for families with children ages 0–5, these interactive, fun, and sensory-friendly concerts are 30 minutes.

Arrive early for pre-concert activities in the Jacobs Music Center lobby for fun crafts and musical exploration, free with ticket purchase.

MEET THE BRASS | January 18 | 10 & 11AM

Buzz-buzz! Toot-toot! The big and low-sounding tuba, the curly and majestic French horn, the sliding trombone, and the heralding trumpet show us how music can be fast or slow and loud or soft.

MEET THE PERCUSSION | May 3 | 10 & 11AM

We’ll shake, we’ll rattle, and we’ll clap along to the beat as we dance to exciting rhythms with our friends in the percussion family!

Family Concert Series

Ages 6-12 | Jacobs Music Center

Saturdays at 11am

Generously sponsored in part by The Bjorg Family

Corporate Sponsor

The whole family is invited! In these one-hour performances, your kiddos will love singing, listening and dancing along with the orchestra across this playful series of concerts that brings storybooks to the stage alongside your favorite symphonic tunes.

Extend your experience! Join us one hour early for pre-concert activities featuring crafts and musical exploration, free with ticket purchase.

BECAUSE, A SYMPHONY OF SERENDIPITY

November 2 | 11AM

Beatriz Fernández Aucejo, conductor

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Be inspired as you sing, dance and read-along with the orchestra in this energetic concert celebrating Día de los Muertos and the ways that we’re connected to and inspired by people across time. Featuring music by Latin-American composers and Jessie Montgomery’s score to Mo Willems and Amber Ren’s award-winning book Because, this concert is full of energy and surprises!

Audience members are invited to bring photos or memories to add to our community ofrenda.

PHILHARMONIA FANTASTIQUE

March 15 | 11AM

Conner Gray Covington, conductor

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Meet the instruments! The concert begins with a classic introduction to the instruments in Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra which is followed immediately by Mason Bates’ animated film Philharmonia Fantastique. Guided by a magical Sprite, you’ll explore the fundamental connections between music, sound, performance, creativity and technology.

THE MOUNTAIN THAT LOVED A BIRD

April 26 | 11AM

Tristan Rais-Sherman, conductor

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Celebrate springtime and transport yourself into a timeless story about friendship in composer and Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw’s musical adaptation of The Mountain that Loved a Bird by Alice McLerran.

HOLIDAY CONCERTS

NOEL NOEL

Friday, December 13 | 7: 30PM

Saturday, December 14 | 2PM & 7: 30PM

Sunday, Decmeber 15 | 2PM & 7: 30PM

Christopher Dragon, conductor

Jonathan Gilmer, director

San Diego Master Chorale

San Diego Children’s Choir

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Additional artists to be announced

Audiences will experience the return of Noel Noel at Jacobs Music Center, a program full of Christmas classics. The concert will be led once again by the artistic tour-de-force team consisting of celebrated guest conductor Christopher Dragon and Director Jonathan Gilmer, and it features the return of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Master Chorale and the San Diego Children’s Choir.

by

Photo

Gary Payne

LESLIE ODOM, JR. – THE CHRISTMAS TOUR

Saturday, November 30 | 7: 30PM

Leslie Odom, Jr. brings a night of holiday hits to Jacobs Music Center—including selections from his release The Christmas Album, which BroadwayWorld said “infuses love, joy, and merriment into the holiday season.”

Please note: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

VOCTAVE – “IT FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS”

Thursday, December 19 | 7: 30PM

Voctave’s holiday spectacular It Feels Like Christmas includes a stocking full of holiday favorites from their chart-topping album and is sure to be a magical evening of music for the whole family. Jazz Weekly raves “Voctave bring a cappella music to a new dimension.”

Please note: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

ELF LIVE IN CONCERT

Saturday, December 21 | 7: 30PM Sunday, December 22 | 2PM & 7: 30PM

Bruce Kiesling, conductor San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised among Santa’s elves. This holiday season, Buddy travels to New York—with a live symphony orchestra! Experience John Debney’s wonderful score as the full film plays on the big screen. Brought to you by CineConcerts.

Add these great concerts to your subscription before they’re available to the public!

Jan Lisiecki

Jan Lisiecki

Photo by Christoph Köstlin/Deutsche Grammophon

"WELCOME HOME!!" JACOBS MUSIC CENTER OPENING

NIGHT

Saturday, September 28 | 6PM

Rafael Payare, conductor

Jeff Thayer, violin

Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Hera Hyesang Park, soprano

Inon Barnatan, piano

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Texu KIM Welcome Home!! ( WORLD PREMIERE, COMMISSIONED BY SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY)

VILLA-LOBOS Aria from Bachianas Braisileiras No. 5

ROSSINI “Una Voce Poco Fa” from Il barbiere di Siviglia

TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme

PAGANINI Caprice No. 24

RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

RAVEL Daphnis et Chloe: Suite No. 2

Join us to celebrate the joyful reopening of our beloved Jacobs Music Center! Thrill to our amazing new acoustics and marvel at the beautifully restored interior, with a sparkling program conducted by our fabulous Music Director, Rafael Payare, and celebrating every aspect of our wonderful orchestra. Hear Paganini’s famed violin work, Caprice No. 24, performed by Concertmaster Jeff Thayer, followed by Rachmaninoff’s beloved Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with pianist and San Diego Summerfest Artistic Director Inon Barnatan. One of the most in-demand cellists of our time, Alisa Weilerstein, will join the Orchestra for Tchaikovsky’s sweet and evocative Variations on a Rococo Theme. This unforgettable evening begins with a World Premiere of a blazing new fanfare from Texu Kim.

SPECIAL CONCERTS

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW

Friday, February 14 | 7: 30PM

Rob Fisher, music director and pianist

Ross Lekites, vocalist

Bianca Marroquin, vocalist

Additional artists to be announced

Rob Fisher, music director and piano, is joined by vocalists Ross Lekites and Bianca Marroquin to proclaim what “there’s just too little of. . .love, sweet love.” Spend your Valentine’s Day evening enjoying some of the world’s most beloved love songs.

Please note: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

BECAUSE OF YOU: MY TRIBUTE TO TONY BENNETT

FEATURING THE CARNEGIE HALL BIG BAND

Sunday, March 2 | 6: 30PM

Michael Feinstein, vocals Carnegie Hall Big Band

Michael Feinstein brings to life Big Band Celebrations and the Tony Bennett legacy. Supported by the Carnegie Hall Big Band, Feinstein pays a heartfelt tribute to the legendary Tony Bennett, bringing his iconic songs to life in a symphony of sound.

Please note: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

SPECIAL CONCERTS

ROCK ‘N RADIO

Saturday, March 8 | 7:30pm

Steve Hackman, conductor San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Brahms X Radiohead is an epic symphonic synthesis of Radiohead’s album OK Computer and the Brahms First Symphony, composed for full symphony orchestra and three solo vocalists. The piece offers a reimagined experience of each work by seeing it through the lens of the other, exploring the explosive tension and deep pathos they have in common.

Sunday, March 16 | 6:30pm

Scott Coulter, vocalist

Alex Getlin, vocalist

Jessica Hendy, vocalist

John Boswell, piano

Mark Vanderpoel, bass

Mike Holguin, drums

Get ready to rock ‘n roll down memory lane with an evening of music and memories straight from the radio featuring the biggest pop songs of all time. Groove along to over eight decades of chart-topping hits from the greatest names in music history including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Carole King, Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Adele and more.

Please note: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

JAN LISIECKI IN RECITAL: “PRELUDES”

Friday, March 21 | 7:30pm

Jan Lisiecki, piano

CHOPIN Prelude for Piano Op. 28, No. 15 (“Raindrop Prelude”)

J. S. BACH Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 846 (from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Bk. 1)

RACHMANINOFF Selected Preludes for Piano, Op. 23

SZYMANOWSKI Nine Preludes, Op. 1

MESSIAEN Eight Preludes for Piano (1928/29)

CHOPIN Prelude in C# minor, Op. 45

RACHMANINOFF Prelude in G minor, Op. 23, No. 5

CHOPIN Selected Preludes for Piano, Op. 28

Jan Lisiecki’s interpretations and technique speak to a maturity beyond his age. At 29, the Canadian annually performs over one hundred concerts worldwide. The New York Times reviewed his March 2024 Carnegie Hall Preludes concert, noting his playing has “. . .gentle judiciousness, aristocratic reserve and a touch that tends shadowy without losing a core of clarity.” Lisiecki performs a program of preludes on the Jacobs Music Center stage, treating the audience to dozens of succinct, characterful works by Chopin, J. S. Bach, Rachmaninoff, Szymanowski, Messiaen and Górecki.

Please note: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

Jan Lisiecki

Photo by Christoph Köstlin/Deutsche Grammophon

Alisa Weilerstein photo by Marco Borggreve

ALISA WEILERSTEIN: FRAGMENTS 3

Tuesday, April 8 | 7:30pm

Alisa Weilerstein, cello

In FRAGMENTS 3, the third installment of this groundbreaking performance series for solo cello performed by Alisa Weilerstein, new works are woven together with Johann Sebastian Bach’s third cello suite, responsive lighting and scenic architecture, inviting audiences into an immersive, multisensory experience.

Please note: the San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear on this program.

SPECIAL CONCERTS

WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN WITH BYRON STRIPLING

Saturday, April 19 | 7:30pm

Byron Stripling, conductor, trumpet and vocalist

Miche Braden, vocalist

Bobby Floyd, keyboard

Rob Thorsen, bass

Jim Rupp, drums

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Celebrate the spirit of Mardi Gras with a night of hot New Orleans jazz. The good times roll with music from Fats Domino, Mahalia Jackson, Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. From street parades in the French Quarter to late night jams in the city’s famed clubs, this party transforms into an unforgettable Mardi Gras celebration with Byron Stripling, Miche Braden and Bobby Floyd leading the parade with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra!

Byron Stripling

Photo by John Abbott

NEW! FRIDAY MATINEE | 3 Performances

Enjoy our newest Jacobs Masterworks Series, featuring three Friday programs at 11AM! All three programs are different from the programs on our Sunday Matinee Jacobs Masterworks Series, so these can be added to a Sunday series or enjoyed on their own.

Colors and Rhythms: Clyne, Mozart, Beethoven

Eduardo Strausser, conductor; Javier Perianes, piano

ANNA CLYNE Color Field; MOZART Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major; BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2

Orchestral Evolution: Childs’ Premiere and Beethoven’s Eroica

Rafael Payare, conductor; Alexander Malofeev, piano

Billy CHILDS Concerto for Orchestra ( WORLD PREMIERE); PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3; BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3

Vänskä Conducts Sibelius and Beethoven

Osmo Vänskä, conductor; Paavali Jumppanen, piano

SIBELIUS Tapiola, Op. 112; BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”; SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5

Anna Larsson Antonio Méndez Bernard Labadie

Photo by Igor Studio

FRIDAY

A | Full Series - 9 Evening Performances

Resurrection

Rafael Payare, conductor; Angela Meade, soprano; Anna Larsson, mezzo-soprano; San Diego Symphony Festival Chorus; Andrew Megill, advisor and chorus master

Thomas LARCHER Time; MAHLER Symphony No. 2

Where We Lay Our Scene: A San Diego Symphony Romeo and Juliet

Rafael Payare, conductor; Emanuel Ax, piano; Gerard McBurney, director; Mike Tutaj, projection design

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503; PROKOFIEV Romeo & Juliet

Romantic Fates: Tchaikovsky’s Towering Fifth

Antonio Méndez, conductor; Paul Huang, violin

MENDELSSOHN Ruy Blas Overture, Op. 95 ; BRUCH Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26 ; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5

Two Concertos: Barnatan Plays Shostakovich

Rafael Payare, conductor; Inon Barnatan, piano

R. STRAUSS Don Juan; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 2; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1; R. STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche

Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto and Organ Symphony

Ludovic Morlot, conductor; Jeff Thayer, violin

Gabriella SMITH Bioluminescence Chaconne; SAINT-SAËNS Violin Concerto No. 3; Augusta HOLMÈS La Nuit et l’amour; SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3 “Organ”

Busoni’s Violin Concerto

Daniele Rustioni, conductor; Francesca Dego, violin

BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture; BUSONI Violin Concerto; TCHAIKOVSKY Francesca da Rimini; RESPIGHI Roman Festivals

Mother Goose, Symphonic Dances and More

Matthias Pintscher, conductor; Alexi Kenney, violin

RAVEL Mother Goose Suite; BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2; RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances

Elegance to Epic: Saint-Saëns and Shostakovich

Rafael Payare, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No. 5; SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad”

Ode to Nature: Payare Conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 3

Rafael Payare, conductor; Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano

MAHLER Symphony No. 3

Fri Oct 4 7:30PM

Fri Oct 18 7:30PM

Fri Oct 25 7:30PM

Fri Dec 6 7:30PM

Fri Jan 10 7:30PM

Fri Jan 24 7:30PM

Fri Mar 7 7:30PM

Fri May 16 7:30PM

Fri May 23 7:30PM

FRIDAY

B | 5 Performances

Resurrection

Rafael Payare, conductor; Angela Meade, soprano; Anna Larsson, mezzo-soprano; San Diego Symphony Festival Chorus; Andrew Megill, advisor and chorus master

Thomas LARCHER Time; MAHLER Symphony No. 2

Romantic Fates: Tchaikovsky’s Towering Fifth

Antonio Méndez, conductor; Paul Huang, violin

MENDELSSOHN Ruy Blas Overture, Op. 95 ; BRUCH Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26 ; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5

Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto and Organ Symphony

Ludovic Morlot, conductor; Jeff Thayer, violin

Fri Oct 4 7:30PM

Fri Oct 25 7:30PM

Gabriella SMITH Bioluminescence Chaconne; SAINT-SAËNS Violin Concerto No. 3; Augusta HOLMÈS La Nuit et l’amour; SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3 “Organ” Fri Jan 10 7:30PM

Mother Goose, Symphonic Dances and More

Matthias Pintscher, conductor; Alexi Kenney, violin

RAVEL Mother Goose Suite; BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2; RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances Fri Mar 7 7:30PM

Ode to Nature: Payare Conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 3

Rafael Payare, conductor; Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano

MAHLER Symphony No. 3 Fri May 23 7:30PM

Matthias Pintscher

Andrew Megill Conner Gray Covington

Photo by Franck Ferville

FRIDAY C | 4 Performances

Where We Lay Our Scene: A San Diego Symphony Romeo and Juliet

Rafael Payare, conductor; Emanuel Ax, piano; Gerard McBurney, director; Mike Tutaj, projection design

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503; PROKOFIEV Romeo & Juliet

Two Concertos: Barnatan Plays Shostakovich

Rafael Payare, conductor; Inon Barnatan, piano

R. STRAUSS Don Juan; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 2; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1; R. STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche

Busoni’s Violin Concerto

Daniele Rustioni, conductor; Francesca Dego, violin

BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture; BUSONI Violin Concerto; TCHAIKOVSKY Francesca da Rimini; RESPIGHI Roman Festivals

Elegance to Epic: Saint-Saëns and Shostakovich

Rafael Payare, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No. 5; SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad”

Fri Oct 18 7:30PM

Fri Dec 6 7:30PM

Fri Jan 24 7:30PM

Fri May 16 7:30PM

Osmo Vänskä

Paul Lewis Eduardo Strausser

Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Photo by Kaupo Kikkas

Photo by Rodrigo Levy

SATURDAY A | Full Series - 18 Performances

Resurrection

Rafael Payare, conductor; Angela Meade, soprano; Anna Larsson, mezzo-soprano; San Diego Symphony Festival Chorus; Andrew Megill, advisor and chorus master

Thomas LARCHER Time; MAHLER Symphony No. 2 Sat Oct 5 7:30PM

The Romantic Lyricism of Schoenberg and Brahms

Rafael Payare, conductor; Sergey Khachatryan, violin

BRAHMS Violin Concerto; SCHOENBERG Pelleas und Melisande Sat Oct 12 7:30PM

Where We Lay Our Scene: A San Diego Symphony Romeo and Juliet

Rafael Payare, conductor; Emanuel Ax, piano; Gerard McBurney, director; Mike Tutaj, projection design

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503; PROKOFIEV Romeo & Juliet Sat Oct 19 7:30PM Romantic Fates: Tchaikovsky’s Towering Fifth

Antonio Méndez, conductor; Paul Huang, violin

MENDELSSOHN Ruy Blas Overture, Op. 95 ; BRUCH Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26 ; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5 Sat Oct 26 7:30PM Biss Plays Beethoven

Bernard Labadie, conductor; Jonathan Biss, piano

MOZART Overture to Die Zauberflöte; BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major; MOZART Overture to La Clemenza di Tito; HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major, “Drumroll”

A New World Odyssey: Adams, Adès, Dvořák

Elena Schwarz, conductor; Leila Josefowicz, violin

John ADAMS The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra); Thomas ADÈS Violin Concerto, “Concentric Paths”; DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”

Two Concertos: Barnatan Plays Shostakovich

Rafael Payare, conductor; Inon Barnatan, piano

R. STRAUSS Don Juan; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 2; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1; R. STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche

Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto and Organ Symphony

Ludovic Morlot, conductor; Jeff Thayer, violin

Gabriella SMITH Bioluminescence Chaconne; SAINT-SAËNS Violin Concerto No. 3; Augusta HOLMÈS La Nuit et l’amour; SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3 “Organ”

Sat Nov 9 7:30PM

Sat Nov 16 7:30PM

Sat Dec 7 7:30PM

Sat Jan 11 7:30PM Colors and Rhythms: Clyne, Mozart, Beethoven

Eduardo Strausser, conductor; Javier Perianes, piano

ANNA CLYNE Color Field; MOZART Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major; BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2 Sat Jan 18 7:30PM

Orchestral Evolution: Childs’ Premiere and Beethoven’s Eroica

Rafael Payare, conductor; Alexander Malofeev, piano

Billy CHILDS Concerto for Orchestra ( WORLD PREMIERE); PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3; BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 Sat Feb 1 7:30PM Symphonic Journeys: Strauss, Walton, Brahms

Rafael Payare, conductor; Chi-Yuan Chen, viola

R. STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration; WALTON Viola Concerto; BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 Sat Feb 8 7:30PM

SATURDAY A | Full Series - 18 Performances

MTT’s Street Songs and Winter Daydreams

Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Parker van Ostrand, piano

(continued)

Sat Feb 15 7:30PM

Michael TILSON THOMAS Street Song for Symphonic Brass; RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 1, “Winter Daydreams”

Vänskä Conducts Sibelius and Beethoven

Osmo Vänskä, conductor; Paavali Jumppanen, piano

SIBELIUS Tapiola, Op. 112; BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”; SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5

From the Depths: Lu Leads Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony

Tianyi Lu, conductor; Paul Lewis, piano

Gareth FARR From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs: The Invocation of the Sea; GRIEG Piano Concerto; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4

Czech Masterpieces and a Saxophone Concerto

Ruth Reinhardt, conductor; Steven Banks, saxophone

SMETANA Overture and Three Dances from The Bartered Bride; Takashi YOSHIMATSU

Soprano Saxophone Concerto; DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8

Weilerstein and Payare Perform Chin and Bruckner

Rafael Payare, conductor; Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Unsuk CHIN Cello Concerto; BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7

Elegance to Epic: Saint-Saëns and Shostakovich

Rafael Payare, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No. 5; SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad”

Ode to Nature: Payare Conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 3

Rafael Payare, conductor; Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano

MAHLER Symphony No. 3

Sat Mar 1 7:30PM

Sat Mar 29 7:30PM

Sat May 3 7:30PM

Sat May 10 7:30PM

Sat May 17 7:30PM

Sun May 24 7:30PM

Rob Fisher

Steve Hackman

Elena Schwarz

Photo by Matthias Bothor

Photo by Rowan Daly

SATURDAY B | 9 Performances

Resurrection

Rafael Payare, conductor; Angela Meade, soprano; Anna Larsson, mezzo-soprano; San Diego Symphony Festival Chorus; Andrew Megill, advisor and chorus master

Thomas LARCHER Time; MAHLER Symphony No. 2

Where We Lay Our Scene: A San Diego Symphony Romeo and Juliet

Rafael Payare, conductor; Emanuel Ax, piano; Gerard McBurney, director; Mike Tutaj, projection design

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503; PROKOFIEV Romeo & Juliet

A New World Odyssey: Adams, Adès, Dvořák

Elena Schwarz, conductor; Leila Josefowicz, violin

John ADAMS The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra); Thomas ADÈS Violin Concerto, “Concentric Paths”; DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”

Two Concertos: Barnatan Plays Shostakovich

Rafael Payare, conductor; Inon Barnatan, piano

R. STRAUSS Don Juan; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 2; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1; R. STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche

Sat Oct 5 7:30PM

Sat Oct 19 7:30PM

Sat Nov 16 7:30PM

Sat Dec 7 7:30PM Colors and Rhythms: Clyne, Mozart, Beethoven

Eduardo Strausser, conductor; Javier Perianes, piano

ANNA CLYNE Color Field; MOZART Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major; BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2

Symphonic Journeys: Strauss, Walton, Brahms

Rafael Payare, conductor; Chi-Yuan Chen, viola

R. STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration; WALTON Viola Concerto; BRAHMS Symphony No. 2

Sat Jan 18 7:30PM

Sat Feb 8 7:30PM Vänskä Conducts Sibelius and Beethoven

Osmo Vänskä, conductor; Paavali Jumppanen, piano

SIBELIUS Tapiola, Op. 112; BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”; SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5

Sat Mar 1 7:30PM Czech Masterpieces and a Saxophone Concerto

Ruth Reinhardt, conductor; Steven Banks, saxophone

SMETANA Overture and Three Dances from The Bartered Bride; Takashi YOSHIMATSU Soprano Saxophone Concerto; DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8

Rafael Payare, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No. 5; SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad”

Sat May 17 7:30PM

Sat May 3 7:30PM Elegance to Epic: Saint-Saëns and Shostakovich

SATURDAY C | 9 Performances

The Romantic Lyricism of Schoenberg and Brahms

Rafael Payare, conductor; Sergey Khachatryan, violin

BRAHMS Violin Concerto; SCHOENBERG Pelleas und Melisande

Romantic Fates: Tchaikovsky’s Towering Fifth

Antonio Méndez, conductor; Paul Huang, violin

MENDELSSOHN Ruy Blas Overture, Op. 95 ; BRUCH Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26 ; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5

Biss Plays Beethoven

Bernard Labadie, conductor; Jonathan Biss, piano

MOZART Overture to Die Zauberflöte; BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major; MOZART Overture to La Clemenza di Tito; HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major, “Drumroll”

Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto and Organ Symphony

Ludovic Morlot, conductor; Jeff Thayer, violin

Gabriella SMITH Bioluminescence Chaconne; SAINT-SAËNS Violin Concerto No. 3; Augusta HOLMÈS La Nuit et l’amour; SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3 “Organ”

Orchestral Evolution: Childs’ Premiere and Beethoven’s Eroica

Rafael Payare, conductor; Alexander Malofeev, piano

Billy CHILDS Concerto for Orchestra ( WORLD PREMIERE); PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3; BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3

MTT’s Street Songs and Winter Daydreams

Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Parker van Ostrand, piano

Michael TILSON THOMAS Street Song for Symphonic Brass; RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 1, “Winter Daydreams”

From the Depths: Lu Leads Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony

Tianyi Lu, conductor; Paul Lewis, piano

Gareth FARR From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs: The Invocation of the Sea; GRIEG Piano Concerto; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4

Weilerstein and Payare Perform Chin and Bruckner

Rafael Payare, conductor; Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Unsuk CHIN Cello Concerto; BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7

Ode to Nature: Payare Conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 3

Rafael Payare, conductor; Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano

MAHLER Symphony No. 3

Sat Oct 12 7:30PM

Sat Oct 26 7:30PM

Sat Nov 9 7:30PM

Sat Jan 11 7:30PM

Sat Feb 1 7:30PM

Sat Feb 15 7:30PM

Sat Mar 29 7:30PM

Sat May 10 7:30PM

Sun May 24 7:30PM

SUNDAY MATINEE A | Full Series - 14 Performances

Resurrection

Rafael Payare, conductor; Angela Meade, soprano; Anna Larsson, mezzo-soprano; San Diego Symphony Festival Chorus; Andrew Megill, advisor and chorus master

Thomas LARCHER Time; MAHLER Symphony No. 2 Sun Oct 6 2PM

The Romantic Lyricism of Schoenberg and Brahms

Rafael Payare, conductor; Sergey Khachatryan, violin

BRAHMS Violin Concerto; SCHOENBERG Pelleas und Melisande Sun Oct 13 2PM

Where We Lay Our Scene: A San Diego Symphony Romeo and Juliet

Rafael Payare, conductor; Emanuel Ax, piano; Gerard McBurney, director; Mike Tutaj, projection design

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503; PROKOFIEV Romeo & Juliet

Biss Plays Beethoven

Bernard Labadie, conductor; Jonathan Biss, piano

Oct 20 2PM

MOZART Overture to Die Zauberflöte; BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major; MOZART Overture to La Clemenza di Tito; HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major, “Drumroll” Sun Nov 10 2PM

A New World Odyssey: Adams, Adès, Dvořák

Elena Schwarz, conductor; Leila Josefowicz, violin

John ADAMS The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra); Thomas ADÈS Violin Concerto, “Concentric Paths”; DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”

Two Concertos: Barnatan Plays Shostakovich

Rafael Payare, conductor; Inon Barnatan, piano

Nov 17 2PM

R. STRAUSS Don Juan; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 2; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1; R. STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche Sun Dec 8 2PM

Busoni’s Violin Concerto

Daniele Rustioni, conductor; Francesca Dego, violin

BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture; BUSONI Violin Concerto; TCHAIKOVSKY Francesca da Rimini; RESPIGHI Roman Festivals Sun Jan 26 2PM

Symphonic Journeys: Strauss, Walton, Brahms

Rafael Payare, conductor; Chi-Yuan Chen, viola

R. STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration; WALTON Viola Concerto; BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 Sun Feb 9 2PM

SUNDAY MATINEE A | Full Series

(continued)

MTT’s Street Songs and Winter Daydreams

Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Parker van Ostrand, piano

Michael TILSON THOMAS Street Song for Symphonic Brass; RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 1, “Winter Daydreams”

Mother Goose, Symphonic Dances and More

Matthias Pintscher, conductor; Alexi Kenney, violin

RAVEL Mother Goose Suite; BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2; RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances

From the Depths: Lu Leads Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony

Tianyi Lu, conductor; Paul Lewis, piano

Gareth FARR From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs: The Invocation of the Sea; GRIEG Piano Concerto; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4

Czech Masterpieces and a Saxophone Concerto

Ruth Reinhardt, conductor; Steven Banks, saxophone

SMETANA Overture and Three Dances from The Bartered Bride; Takashi YOSHIMATSU

Soprano Saxophone Concerto; DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8

Weilerstein and Payare Perform Chin and Bruckner

Rafael Payare, conductor; Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Unsuk CHIN Cello Concerto; BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7

Ode to Nature: Payare Conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 3

Rafael Payare, conductor; Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano

MAHLER Symphony No. 3

Sun Feb 16 2PM

Sun Mar 9 2PM

Sun Mar 30 2PM

Sun May 4 2PM

Sun May 11 2PM

Sun May 25 2PM

SUNDAY MATINEE B | 7 Performances

Resurrection

Rafael Payare, conductor; Angela Meade, soprano; Anna Larsson, mezzo-soprano; San Diego Symphony Festival Chorus; Andrew Megill, advisor and chorus master

Thomas LARCHER Time; MAHLER Symphony No. 2

Where We Lay Our Scene: A San Diego Symphony Romeo and Juliet

Rafael Payare, conductor; Emanuel Ax, piano; Gerard McBurney, director; Mike Tutaj, projection design

Sun Oct 6 2PM

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503; PROKOFIEV Romeo & Juliet Sun Oct 20 2PM

A New World Odyssey: Adams, Adès, Dvořák

Elena Schwarz, conductor; Leila Josefowicz, violin

John ADAMS The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra); Thomas ADÈS Violin Concerto, “Concentric Paths”; DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”

Busoni’s Violin Concerto

Daniele Rustioni, conductor; Francesca Dego, violin

BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture; BUSONI Violin Concerto; TCHAIKOVSKY Francesca da Rimini; RESPIGHI Roman Festivals

MTT’s Street Songs and Winter Daydreams

Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Parker van Ostrand, piano

Nov 17 2PM

Michael TILSON THOMAS Street Song for Symphonic Brass; RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 1, “Winter Daydreams” Sun Feb 16 2PM

From the Depths: Lu Leads Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony

Tianyi Lu, conductor; Paul Lewis, piano

Gareth FARR From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs: The Invocation of the Sea; GRIEG Piano Concerto; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4 Sun Mar 30 2PM

Weilerstein and Payare Perform Chin and Bruckner

Rafael Payare, conductor; Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Unsuk CHIN Cello Concerto; BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7 Sun May 11 2PM

SUNDAY MATINEE C | 7 Performances

The Romantic Lyricism of Schoenberg and Brahms

Rafael Payare, conductor; Sergey Khachatryan, violin

BRAHMS Violin Concerto; SCHOENBERG Pelleas und Melisande

Biss Plays Beethoven

Bernard Labadie, conductor; Jonathan Biss, piano

MOZART Overture to Die Zauberflöte; BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major; MOZART Overture to La Clemenza di Tito; HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major, “Drumroll”

Two Concertos: Barnatan Plays Shostakovich

Rafael Payare, conductor; Inon Barnatan, piano

Sun Oct 13 2PM

Sun Nov 10 2PM

R. STRAUSS Don Juan; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 2; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1; R. STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche Sun Dec 8 2PM

Symphonic Journeys: Strauss, Walton, Brahms

Rafael Payare, conductor; Chi-Yuan Chen, viola

R. STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration; WALTON Viola Concerto; BRAHMS Symphony No. 2

Mother Goose, Symphonic Dances and More

Matthias Pintscher, conductor; Alexi Kenney, violin

RAVEL Mother Goose Suite; BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2; RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances

Czech Masterpieces and a Saxophone Concerto

Ruth Reinhardt, conductor; Steven Banks, saxophone

SMETANA Overture and Three Dances from The Bartered Bride; Takashi YOSHIMATSU

Soprano Saxophone Concerto; DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8

Ode to Nature: Payare Conducts Mahler’s Symphony No. 3

Rafael Payare, conductor; Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano

MAHLER Symphony No. 3

Sun Feb 9 2PM

Sun Mar 9 2PM

Sun May 4 2PM

Sun May 25 2PM

Date Concert JACOBS MASTERWORKS SERIES

Fri, Oct 4, 2024

Sat, Oct 5, 2024

Sun Oct 6, 2024

Sat, Oct 12, 2024

Sun, Oct 13, 2024

Fri, Oct 18, 2024

Sat, Oct 19, 2024

Sun, Oct 20, 2024

Fri, Oct 25, 2024

Sat, Oct 26, 2024

Sat, Nov 9, 2024

Sun, Nov 10, 2024

Sat, Nov 16, 2024

Sun, Nov 17, 2024

Fri, Dec 6, 2024

Sat, Dec 7, 2024

Sun, Dec 8, 2024

Fri, Jan 10, 2025

Sat, Jan 11, 2025

Fri, Jan 17, 2025

Sat, Jan 18, 2025

Fri, Jan 24, 2025 Sun, Jan 26, 2025

Fri, Jan 31, 2025 Sat, Feb 1, 2025

Sat, Feb 8, 2025

Sun, Feb 9, 2025

Sat, Feb 15, 2025 Sun, Feb 16, 2025

Fri, Feb 28, 2025

Sat, Mar 1, 2025

Fri, Mar 7, 2025 Sun, Mar 9, 2025

Sat, Mar 29, 2025

Sun, Mar 30, 2025

Sat, May 3, 2025 Sun, May 4, 2025

Sat, May 10, 2025 Sun, May 11, 2025

Fri, May 16, 2025 Sat, May 17, 2025

Fri, May 23, 2025

Sat, May 24, 2025

Sun, May 25, 2025

Rafael Payare, conductor; Angela Meade, soprano; Anna Larsson, mezzo-soprano; San Diego Symphony Festival Chorus; Andrew Megill, advisor and chorus master Thomas LARCHER Time; MAHLER Symphony No. 2

Rafael Payare, conductor; Sergey Khachatryan, violin BRAHMS Violin Concerto; SCHOENBERG Pelleas und Melisande

Rafael Payare, conductor; Emanuel Ax, piano; Gerard McBurney, director; Mike Tutaj, projection design MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25 in C Major, K. 503; PROKOFIEV Romeo & Juliet

Antonio Méndez, conductor; Paul Huang, violin

MENDELSSOHN Ruy Blas Overture, Op. 95 ; BRUCH Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26 ; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5

Bernard Labadie, conductor; Jonathan Biss, piano MOZART Overture to Die Zauberflöte; BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major; MOZART Overture to La Clemenza di Tito; HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major, “Drumroll”

Elena Schwarz, conductor; Leila Josefowicz, violin

John ADAMS The Chairman Dances (Foxtrot for Orchestra); Thomas ADÈS Violin Concerto, “Concentric Paths”; DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World”

Rafael Payare, conductor; Inon Barnatan, piano

R. STRAUSS Don Juan; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 2; SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No. 1; R. STRAUSS Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche

Ludovic Morlot, conductor; Jeff Thayer, violin

Gabriella SMITH Bioluminescence Chaconne; SAINT-SAËNS Violin Concerto No. 3; Augusta HOLMÈS La Nuit et l’amour; SAINT-SAËNS Symphony No. 3 “Organ”

Eduardo Strausser, conductor; Javier Perianes, piano

Anna CLYNE Color Field; MOZART Piano Concerto No. 21; BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2

Daniele Rustioni, conductor; Francesca Dego, violin

BERLIOZ Roman Carnival Overture; BUSONI Violin Concerto; TCHAIKOVSKY Francesca da Rimini; RESPIGHI Roman Festivals

Rafael Payare, conductor; Alexander Malofeev, piano

Billy CHILDS Concerto for Orchestra ( WORLD PREMIERE); PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3; BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3

Rafael Payare, conductor; Chi-Yuan Chen, viola

R. STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration; WALTON Viola Concerto; BRAHMS Symphony No. 2

Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Parker van Ostrand, piano

Michael TILSON THOMAS Street Song for Symphonic Brass; RACHMANINOFF Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 1, “Winter Daydreams”

Osmo Vänskä, conductor; Paavali Jumppanen, piano SIBELIUS Tapiola, Op. 112; BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”; SIBELIUS Symphony No. 5

Matthias Pintscher, conductor; Alexi Kenney, violin

RAVEL Mother Goose Suite; BARTÓK Violin Concerto No. 2; RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances

Tianyi Lu, conductor; Paul Lewis, piano

Gareth FARR From the Depths Sound the Great Sea Gongs: The Invocation of the Sea; GRIEG Piano Concerto; TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4

Ruth Reinhardt, conductor; Steven Banks, saxophone SMETANA Overture and Three Dances from The Bartered Bride; Takashi YOSHIMATSU Soprano Saxophone Concerto; DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 8

Rafael Payare, conductor; Alisa Weilerstein, cello Unsuk CHIN Cello Concerto; BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7

Rafael Payare, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto No. 5; SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 7, “Leningrad”

Rafael Payare, conductor; Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano MAHLER Symphony No. 3

Jacobs Masterworks Series

Friday Matinee (3 concerts)

Friday Full A (9 concerts)

Friday B (5 concerts)

Friday C (4 concerts)

Saturday Full A (18 concerts)

Saturday B (9 concerts)

Saturday C (9 concerts)

Sunday Full A (14 concerts)

Sunday B (7 concerts)

Sunday C (7 concerts)

Special Concerts, Subscriber Add-On Prices

“Welcome Home!!” – Jacobs Music Center

Opening Night

Alisa Weilerstein: Fragments 3

Jan Lisiecki in Recital: “Preludes”

Leslie Odom, Jr. – The Christmas Tour

Noel Noel

Elf in Concert

Voctave – “It Feels Like Christmas”

What the World Needs Now

Because of You: My Tribute to Tony Bennett Brahms X Radiohead

Rock 'N Radio

When the Saints Go Marching In

Any Jacobs Masterworks Concert

Currents Concerts - General Admission

Jazz @ the Jacobs (3 concerts)

Family Concert Series (3 concerts)

Symphony Kids Series (4 concerts)

Currents Series (3 concerts)

HOW TO ORDER

Visit our Website

Go to SanDiegoSymphony.org for step-by-step ordering.

Contact the Ticket Office

tickets@sandiegosymphony.org (619) 235-0804

1245 Seventh Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101

If you require any assistance, please contact the Ticket Office in advance to accommodate your ticketing needs.

HOURS:

Monday–Friday: 10AM to 6PM Saturday–Sunday: 12PM to 5PM

Though the ticket office at Jacobs Music Center is closed for renovation through June 2024, you may visit the ticket office at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park at 222 Marina Park Way.

Subscription and Add-On Seating

Seating assignments will be based on the following factors: a patron’s giving level, subscriber level, renewing paid subscriptions by date received and new paid subscriptions by date received.

Group Tickets

Experience the fun and savings when you bring your group of 10 or more! For more information, or to book your group today, please email groups@sandiegosymphony.org or call (619) 235-0804.

Wheelchair, companion, semi-ambulatory and transfer seats available by request.

MUSICIANS OF THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Rafael Payare, Music Director

VIOLIN

Jeff Thayer Concertmaster

DEBORAH PATE AND JOHN FORREST CHAIR

Wesley Precourt

Associate Concertmaster

Jisun Yang

Assistant Concertmaster

Alexander Palamidis

Principal Second Violin

Nick Grant

Principal Associate Concertmaster Emeritus

Cherry Choi Tung Yeung

Associate Principal Second Violin

Ai Nihira Awata

Jing Yan Bowcott

Yumi Cho

Hernan Constantino

Alicia Engley

Kathryn Hatmaker

Kenneth Liao

Igor Pandurski

Evan Pasternak

Julia Pautz

Yeh Shen

Xiaoxuan Shi

Edmund Stein

Hanah Stuart

John Stubbs

Pei-Chun Tsai

Melody Ye Yuan

Zou Yu

VIOLA

Chi-Yuan Chen

Principal

KAREN AND WARREN KESSLER CHAIR

Nancy Lochner

Associate Principal

Jason Karlyn

Wanda Law

Qing Liang

Abraham Martín

Johanna Nowik

Ethan Pernela

CELLO

Yao Zhao

Principal

Chia-Ling Chien

Associate Principal

Andrew Hayhurst

John Lee

Richard Levine

Nathan Walhout

Xian Zhuo

BASS

Jeremy Kurtz-Harris Principal

SOPHIE AND ARTHUR BRODY FOUNDATION CHAIR

Susan Wulff

Associate Principal

Aaron Blick

P.J. Cinque

Kevin Gobetz

Samuel Hager

Michael Wais

Margaret Johnston+

FLUTE

Rose Lombardo

Principal

Sarah Tuck

Lily Josefsberg

PICCOLO

Lily Josefsberg

OBOE

Sarah Skuster Principal

Rodion Belousov

Andrea Overturf

ENGLISH HORN

Andrea Overturf

DR. WILLIAM AND EVELYN LAMDEN

ENGLISH HORN CHAIR

CLARINET

Sheryl Renk

Principal

Max Opferkuch

Frank Renk

BASS CLARINET

Frank Renk

BASSOON

Valentin Martchev Principal

Ryan Simmons

Leyla Zamora

CONTRABASSOON

Leyla Zamora

HORN

Benjamin Jaber Principal

Darby Hinshaw

Assistant Principal & Utility

John Degnan

Tricia Skye

Douglas Hall

TRUMPET

Christopher Smith

Principal

Ray Nowak

TROMBONE

Kyle R. Covington

Principal

Logan Chopyk

Kyle Mendiguchia

BASS TROMBONE

Kyle Mendiguchia

TUBA

Aaron McCalla

Principal

HARP

Julie Smith Phillips Principal

TIMPANI

Ryan J. DiLisi

Principal

Andrew Watkins

Assistant Principal

PERCUSSION

Gregory Cohen

Principal

Erin Douglas Dowrey

Andrew Watkins

LIBRARIAN

Courtney Secoy Cohen

Principal

Rachel Fields

Musician

Musician

musicians of the San Diego Symphony are members of San Diego County, Local 325, American Federation of Musicians, AFL-CIO.

SUBSCRIBER BENEFITS

Best Seats, Best Prices

Subscribers receive the first choice of seating for the concerts in their series, in addition to a substantial discount on their series tickets and most additional single tickets purchased throughout the season. Free ticket exchanges into most other subscription concerts are also available on full and half series packages.

VIP Access

Subscribers will have the same seats each time you attend a concert in your series. This is a great way to make new friends and share in the joy of live music. Subscribers receive priority access to purchase tickets for special and added concerts throughout the season, before they are available to the general public!

Premium Experience

New this year! Subscribers have the opportunity to reserve pre-concert prix-fixe dinners at the University Club atop Symphony Towers on Friday and Saturday nights!

NEW THIS SEASON! San Diego Symphony subscribers will have the opportunity to make pre-concert prix-fixe dinner reservations at The University Club, conveniently located atop Symphony Towers, on Friday and Saturday evenings. The University Club boasts one of San Diego’s most breathtaking views overlooking Downtown San Diego and the San Diego Bay, as well as an extraordinary menu prepared by Executive Chef Frankie Becerra and his culinary team.

Additional details about how subscribers can book reservations will be shared in the subscriber welcome package prior to the season.

Music belongs to

The San Diego Symphony belongs to all of San Diego. Your support is an investment in the power of music to enrich our community.

Programming

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is an ambassador for our city, and under the leadership of Music Director Rafael Payare, we are reaching new audiences with more performances and at more locations. The San Diego Symphony presents music of the highest quality for all of San Diego and provides life-changing community and learning programs throughout our city and region. Your support ensures the future of the San Diego Symphony and its world-class musicians by serving all of San Diego's diverse communities with transformative musical experiences.

Please Support Your Orchestra and Our Community

We invite you to make a gift today and be a part of a generous group of San Diegans who believe in the importance of music and community.

To donate, please visit us at sandiegosymphony.org/give

Above: Andrew Watkins, Assistant Principal timpani & section percussion

Opposite: Jacobs Music Center detail

Photos by Jenna Selby

Lily Josefsberg, piccolo & third flute

Photo by Stacy Keck