San Diego Symphony

Music Director Rafael Payare and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra return for the 2023-2024 Jacobs Masterworks season with a jubilant and multifaceted program at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. The evening begins with Texu Kim’s Zzan!!, which means "cheers" in Korean and employs drinking glasses as percussion instruments. The evening continues with a couple of exciting Abreu Danzas from American composer David Chesky. Billy Childs’ Saxophone Concerto Diaspora, co-commissioned by the San Diego Symphony, with soloist Steven Banks, makes its West Coast Premiere. The second half of the evening features a World Premiere by Juan Colomer, A Casual Walk to Extinction, and Richard Strauss’ magnificent Also sprach Zarathustra, the fanfare of which was popularized in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of San Diego's vibrant arts scene as we shine a spotlight on musical organizations that make our city a culturally rich community. The free California Festival Family & Community Day will showcase performances by the San Diego Symphony, San Diego Youth Symphony, San Diego Master Chorale and Art of Elan. Don't miss out – RSVP now and create cherished memories at the California Festival Family & Community Day. See you there!

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A night of epic music begins with Wake Up: A Concerto for Orchestra, a new piece by GRAMMY®-nominated composer, curator and activist Carlos Simon, commissioned by the San Diego Symphony. Music Director Rafael Payare also leads a sonic expedition into Richard Wagner’s Ring Without Words, an ingenious synthesis of the composer’s Ring cycle of operas, arranged by conductor Lorin Maazel. Ring Without Words invites listeners on an enchanting journey through the Rhine to Valhalla, soaring over hills, valleys and caves, with the flight of a Valkyrie.

Experience an evening featuring Stravinsky’s whirling The Rite of Spring, which still astounds audiences more than a century after its riotous Parisian premiere in 1913. The spectacular work shocked the world with its vivid depictions of ritual dances in pagan Russia—a perfect pairing for the world premiere of Vladimir Tarnopolsky’s Danse Macabre. Music Director Rafael Payare sets the tone for the performance with Béla Bartók’s dark and mysterious The Miraculous Mandarin Suite, and Villa-Lobos’ influences of Bach melded with Brazilian folk elements on display in a selection from his Bachianas brasileiras.