Performances Magazine San Diego | San Diego Symphony, May 2025

P1 Program

Cast, performances, who’s who, director’s notes, donors and more.

4 In the Wings

San Diego Symphony concerts, local theater shows, and new exhibits at The San Diego Museum of Art. (Pictured: Monet’s “Haystacks at Chailly,” 1865, in SDMA’s Impressionism Across the Atlantic.)

8 Feature: Broadway Hits Arrive at The Moonlight Moonlight Stage Productions presents a new season of hit Broadway musicals at Moonlight Amphitheatre. (Steven Glaudini is pictured.)

13 Dining

Our favorite food and drink picks for May, including Starlite (pictured), Leu Leu, The Remedy Lounge, Puesto and Origen.

24 Parting Thought

Performances’ program platform for theater shows and concerts can be accessed from any digital device

PUBLISHER

Jeff Levy

EDITOR

Sarah Daoust

ART DIRECTOR

Carol Wakano

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Glenda Mendez

PRODUCTION ARTIST

Diana Gonzalez

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Stephanie Saad

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Kerry Baggett

ACCOUNT DIRECTORS

Walter Lewis, Jean Greene, Liz Moore

CIRCULATION MANAGER

Christine Noriega-Roessler

BUSINESS MANAGER

Leanne Killian Riggar

MARKETING/ PRODUCTION MANAGER

Dawn Kiko Cheng

DIGITAL MANAGER

Lorenzo Dela Rama

Contact Us

ADVERTISING

Kerry.Baggett@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com

WEBSITE

Lorenzo.DelaRama@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com

CIRCULATION

Christine.Roessler@ CaliforniaMediaGroup.com

HONORARY PRESIDENT

Ted Levy

Fax:

ANNOUNCING THE JOAN AND IRWIN JACOBS CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION

Heartfelt thanks to Joan and Irwin Jacobs for their transformational gift to help establish the Jacobs Center for Science and Conservation. This generous contribution will help us modernize our research, deepen our impact, and expand our role as a scientific leader. This is more than a gift, it is an investment in the future of our region.

Curator of Birds and Mammals Phil Unitt with some of the museum’s 9 million research specimens.

MUST-SEE MAY SHOWS

SAN DIEGO PLAYWRIGHT

Deepak Kumar brings us a heartwarming, world-premiere comedy, House of India, at The Old Globe, May 10-June 1. The play centers on Ananya, who runs a struggling restaurant, House of India, near Cleveland. Should she take her cook’s advice and introduce a trendier fusion menu to pay the bills? Or hold on firmly to her late husband’s vision? theoldglobe.org Lamb’s Players Theatre presents just three performances of Because You’re Mine: The Music of June Carter and Johnny Cash, May 23-25, featuring music talents Caitie Grady and Charles Evans, Jr. as the legendary couple. lambsplayers.org Neil Diamond himself collaborated to help make A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, presented by Broadway San Diego at the Civic Theatre, May 27-June 1. In it, we follow Diamond’s life and career path from a Brooklyn kid to an American rock icon, churning out chart topping hits such as “Sweet Caroline” and “Forever in Blue Jeans.” broadwaysd.com

THEATER

Broadway’s A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical. Opposite: Lamb’s Players’ Because You’re Mine.

HIGH NOTES

MAY IS BRIMMING with must-see concerts at Jacobs Music Center, presented by San Diego Symphony as part of its esteemed Jacobs Masterworks programming. Among them: Don’t miss cellist Alisa Weilerstein performing South Korean composer Unsuk Chin’s Cello Concerto, May 10-11; along with the Symphony’s performance of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 in E Major. Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet visits Jacobs Music Center May 16-17, performing his revered interpretation of Camille Saint-Saëns’ final piano concerto, Egyptian; followed by the Symphony’s rendition of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7, Leningrad. Renowned mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill makes her San Diego Symphony debut May 23-25—joined by the San Diego Symphony Chorus and San Diego Children’s Choir—performing Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 3. San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare conducts all three aforementioned sets of Jacobs Masterworks concerts. 750 B St., downtown, 619.235.0804, sandiegosymphony.org

MUSIC

Above: Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performs at Jacobs Music Center May 16-17. Right: Frank Stella, “Flin Flon VIII,” part of American Minimal at SDMA.

Essential Exhibits

PAYING HOMAGE TO the Minimalist art movement of the 1960s and 1970s, The San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) presents the landmark exhibition, American Minimal, on view through June 1. Curated by Anita Feldman, in collaboration with Jennifer Findley and John Digesare, the installation celebrates works by the likes of Minimalist artist Frank Stella, namely his 1970 painting “Flin Flon VIII,” part of his Protractor Series, featuring colorful geometric shapes; as well as a range of work from diverse media. Other spring SDMA exhibits include Young Art 2025: Nurture and Nature, through May 18—the museum’s biennial youth exhibition, showcasing works by K-12th grade artists from across San Diego and Tijuana; and Impressionism Across the Atlantic, opening May 31, featuring 40 Impressionist works from Europe and the U.S.—including Monet, Cézanne, Bonnard and more. 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park, 619.232.7931, sdmart.org

Under The Moonlight

BROADWAY HITS HEAT UP MOONLIGHT AMPHITHEATRE IN VISTA THIS SEASON by STEPHANIE SAAD

THE RETURN OF warm summer nights heralds the start of another long-standing tradition in San Diego’s North County: topnotch Broadway shows under the stars at Moonlight Amphitheatre, aka The Moonlight.

Each summer, theater lovers and families from all over San Diego County make the trip to Brengle Terrace Park in Vista to enjoy popular musicals produced professionally

with full orchestra accompaniment. Now in its 44th year, Moonlight Stage Productions will produce five musicals this season, beginning with an extended run of Grease, running April 30-May 17, offering audiences a longer opportunity to experience the classic 1950s high school musical. Following this, the program moves into summertime with performances of Waitress (June 4-21); the popular production features music from Sara Bareilles.

Next, audiences can anticipate Anastasia the Musical (July 9-26), a show created by the same Tony Award-winning team responsible for Ragtime and Once On This Island. And then Fiddler on the Roof (Aug. 13-30) will take the stage, marking its return to the venue after more than a decade. The season concludes with The Prince of Egypt (Sept. 10-27), showcasing the musical compositions of Stephen Schwartz. Steven Glaudini, Moonlight’s

A past staging of 42nd Street at Moonlight Amphitheatre

A New Hercule Poirot Comic Mystery!

Based in part on “Poirot Investigates” by Agatha Christie

WORLD PREMIERE APRIL 16-MAY 18

The twin sister of Captain Hasting’s wife, Dulcie, has been kidnapped — and Hercule Poirot rightly expects not only extortion to follow, but murder! Using elements of Agatha Christie’s “Poirot Investigates,” Steven Dietz takes us on a thrilling and dangerous trip to the snow-capped Alps where the famed Belgian detective may finally meet his match. Six actors bring to life dozens of eccentric characters and clever suspects in this diabolically funny comic mystery romp. Don’t miss it!

WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY STEVEN DIETZ

A touching journey through one woman’s ordinary life, weaving laughter, tears, and reflections on the passing of time and evolving relationships. The play offers a unique perspective on life’s milestones, capturing profound changes from one year to the next. It honors five generations, an infinity of dreams, and one century-old cake. Join us for a heartfelt exploration of life’s celebrations.

WRITTEN BY NOAH HAIDLE DIRECTED BY DAVID ELLENSTEIN

Producing Artistic Director since 2013, says the company is seeing a record number of subscriptions this season, including new subscribers. “Single tickets are also selling like crazy,” he says. “The combination of beloved classics and three premieres has gotten people really excited.”

Moonlight used to produce four musicals each summer but increased it to five in 2022, due to increased demand after the pandemic shutdown, when they were one of the only theaters to be able to reopen due to the outdoor location.

Attending a show at Moonlight is truly a unique San Diego experience, Glaudini points out. “We have incredible weather in Vista in the summer, and it stays warm at night, so to be able to sit and watch a Broadway show with a local craft beer or glass of

wine under the stars is not your typical night out.”

He says theatergoers come from Los Angeles, Riverside and Orange County, as well as San Diego. “What’s bringing them in is the selection of shows. For example, this season you won’t see Waitress or The Prince of Egypt anywhere else in our area.”

Himself an actor since 1996, and a director since 2002, Glaudini credits great relationships with theater licensing houses and “being in the right place at the right time” for his ability to bring hot Broadway properties to Vista. He makes a trip to New York each October to see the newest shows, and “I keep my eyes and ears open” for shows that will work well in the 2,000-seat Moonlight Amphitheatre. Last year, the company introduced a new element—an LED / CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

FROM THE PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Dear friends,

We welcome you to the final concerts in our first season back in our glorious new Jacobs Music Center!

What a rich and thrilling journey these last few months have been, as our wonderful orchestra and our beloved Music Director Rafael Payare, together with old friends and many new faces among our rich roster of visiting artists, have begun to open up and discover the stupendous range of sounds and vivid acoustic colors that this world-class hall is capable of.

We have heard all sorts of orchestral music this last year: in every style, from works composed a quarter of a millennium ago to pieces written within the past year; from music of overpowering force and grandeur to music of deep tenderness and intimacy; from the most popular rhythms and melodies to the most challenging and otherworldly sound-textures… and our hall has proved that it can work with our musicians to make every kind of music come alive in this beautiful building – and in our ears and hearts - in ways so vivid that many of us will hardly ever have experienced such a thing before.

We end this season with three mighty symphonies by three great composers very close to Rafael Payare’s heart, and each one very different. These final weeks will of course be a rich, expansive and sonorous celebration of how far we have come in a single season. But they are also an exciting way of looking forward to our next season, which promises a new treasure-trove of music from the most well-loved and familiar, to pieces we have never heard in San Diego before, from gorgeous visions of childhood by the French composers, Debussy and Ravel, to thrilling visions of darkness by Shostakovich and Bartók, to a concert made exclusively of three of the greatest works of Beethoven, to a festival of concerts devoted to one of the greatest composers who ever lived, Johannes Brahms.

Sincerely,

Martha A. Gilmer President and Chief Executive Officer

RAFAEL PAYARE MUSIC DIRECTOR

With his innate musicianship, charismatic energy, gift for communication, and irresistibly joyous spirit, Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare is “electrifying in front of an orchestra” (Los Angeles Times). Payare conducted the San Diego Symphony (SDS) for the first time in January 2018 and was subsequently named the orchestra’s music director designate one month later, before assuming the role of music director in January 2019.

Now in the sixth season of his transformative tenure as music director of the San Diego Symphony, Payare will conduct a full roster of performances with the orchestra at the newly renovated Jacobs Music Center over the 2024-25 season, bookended by Mahler’s Second and Third Symphonies. Last season, Payare led the SDS for its first appearance in a decade at Carnegie Hall, its first performance in Tijuana in nearly 20 years, and in three programs at the inaugural California Festival. These engagements continued his transformative tenure with the orchestra, which also included their commercial album debut with Shostakovich’s 11th Symphony, The Year 1905.

Payare’s other recent highlights include debuts at the Royal Opera House, at the Edinburgh Festival, and with the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre national de France, and Staatskapelle Berlin, with which he reunited for Turandot at the Berlin State Opera this past summer.

The 2024-25 season also marks his third as Music Director of Canada’s Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Montreal Symphony Orchestra/OSM). With the OSM he leads a similarly full season in

Montreal, tours to eight European cities with pianist Daniil Trifonov, and releases his third album with the orchestra on the Pentatone label—an allSchoenberg recording to mark the composer’s 150th anniversary. The conductor rounds out his season with high profile returns to the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Other current positions are Principal Conductor of Virginia’s Castleton Festival, a post he has held since 2015, and Conductor Laureate of Northern Ireland’s Ulster Orchestra, where he was Principal Conductor and Music Director from 2014 to 2019, making multiple appearances at London’s BBC Proms.

Since winning first prize at Denmark’s Malko Competition for Young Conductors in 2012, Payare has made debuts and forged longstanding relationships with many of the world’s preeminent orchestras. His U.S. collaborations include engagements with the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Pittsburgh Symphony, while his notable European appearances include dates with the Bavarian Radio Symphony, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, and Vienna Philharmonic, which he has led at the Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein, on a Baltic tour, and at Paris’s Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. n

THE MEMBERS OF THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

MUSIC DIRECTOR

RAFAEL PAYARE

VIOLIN

Jeff Thayer

Concertmaster

DEBORAH PATE AND JOHN FORREST CHAIR

Wesley Precourt

Associate Concertmaster

Jisun Yang

Assistant Concertmaster

Alexander Palamidis

Principal Second Violin

Cherry Choi Tung Yeung

Acting Principal Second Violin

Nick Grant

Principal Associate Concertmaster Emeritus

Kathryn Hatmaker

Acting Associate Principal Second Violin

Ai Nihira Awata

Jing Yan Bowcott

Yumi Cho

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

Tiffany Wee

Han Xie

Zou Yu

Melody Ye Yuan

Andrew Kwon*

Sarah Schwartz*

VIOLA

Chi-Yuan Chen

Principal

KAREN AND WARREN KESSLER CHAIR

Nancy Lochner

Associate Principal

Jason Karlyn

Wanda Law

Qing Liang

Ethan Pernela

Megan Wei

Sung-Jin Lee*

Rebecca Matayoshi*

CELLO

Yao Zhao

Principal

Chia-Ling Chien

Associate Principal

Andrew Hayhurst

John Lee

Richard Levine

Nathan Walhout

Xian Zhuo

Youna Choi*

Nicole Chung*

Benjamin Solomonow*

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

Mike McCoy*

TRUMPET

Christopher Smith Principal

Clinton McLendon

Ray Nowak

TROMBONE

Kyle R. Covington Principal

Logan Chopyk

Greg Ochotorena*

Kyle Mendiguchia

BASS TROMBONE

Kyle Mendiguchia

TUBA

Aaron McCalla Principal

HARP

Julie Phillips Principal

TIMPANI

Ryan J. DiLisi Principal

Andrew Watkins Assistant Principal

PERCUSSION

Gregory Cohen Principal

Erin Douglas Dowrey

Andrew Watkins

Eduardo Meneses*

PRINCIPAL LIBRARIAN

Courtney Secoy Cohen

LIBRARIAN Rachel Fields

* Long Term Substitute Musician + Staff Opera Musician

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

PARTNER PLAYER WITH A

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following donors for their membership in the Partner with a Player program and their profound impact on the orchestra. Partner with a Player members enjoy the unique opportunity to personally connect with the orchestra and engage with the Symphony in meaningful ways.

The following listing reflects pledges and gifts entered as of January 15, 2024

$100,000 AND ABOVE

Raffaella and John* Belanich

Rafael Payare, Music Director

$50,000 – $99,999

Anonymous (2) San Diego Symphony Musicians

Michele and Jules Arthur Kevin Gobetz, Bass

Terry Atkinson San Diego Symphony Musicians

Julia R. Brown

Leyla Zamora, Bassoon and Contrabassoon

John and Janice Cone

Benjamin Jaber, Principal Horn

Kevin and Jan Curtis

Aaron McCalla, Principal Tuba

Una Davis and Jack McGrory

Susan Wulff, Associate Principal Bass

Drs. Martha G. and Edward Dennis San Diego Symphony Musicians

Mr. and Mrs.* Brian K. Devine San Diego Symphony Musicians

Phyllis and Daniel J. Epstein

Sheryl Renk, Principal Clarinet

Pam and Hal Fuson

Courtney Cohen, Principal Librarian

Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon

Yumi Cho, Violin

Carol and Richard Hertzberg

Nick Grant, Principal Associate Concertmaster Emeritus

Joan* and Irwin Jacobs

Martha Gilmer, Chief Executive Officer

Arlene Inch

John Degnan, Horn

Hayley Janecek and Ross Caleca San Diego Symphony Musicians

Karen and Warren Kessler

Chi-Yuan Chen, Principal Viola KAREN AND WARREN KESSLER CHAIR

Monica and Robert Oder

Gregory Cohen, Principal Percussion

Linda and Shearn* Platt

Ryan J. DiLisi, Principal Timpani

Marilyn James and Richard Phetteplace

John Stubbs, Violin

Marie G. Raftery and Robert A. Rubenstein, M.D.

Eddie Maneses, Percussionist

Jaqueline and Jean-Luc Robert San Diego Symphony Musicians

Elena Romanowsky

Edmund Stein, Violin

Penny and Louis Rosso

Andrew Watkins, Assistant Principal Timpani

PENNY AND LOUIS ROSSO CHAIR

Colette Carson Royston and Ivor Royston

Yeh Shen, Violin

Jean and Gary Shekhter San Diego Symphony Musicians

Karen and Kit Sickels

Jeremy Kurtz-Harris, Principal Bass

SOPHIE AND ARTHUR BRODY FOUNDATION CHAIR

Karen Foster Silberman and Jeff Silberman

Jisun Yang, Assistant Concertmaster

Gayle* and Donald Slate

Wesley Precourt, Associate Concertmaster

Dave and Phyllis Snyder

Julia Pautz, Violin

Gloria and Rodney Stone

P.J. Cinque, Bass

Jayne and Bill Turpin

Max Opferkuch, Clarinet

Leslie and Joe Waters

Ethan Pernela, Viola

Sue and Bill* Weber

Jing Yan Bowcott, Violin

Kathryn A. and James E. Whistler

Rachel Fields, Librarian

Cole and Judy Willoughby

Christopher Smith, Principal Trumpet

Mitchell Woodbury

Valentin Martchev, Principal Bassoon

Sarah and Marc Zeitlin

Cherry Choi Tung Yeung, Associate Principal Second Violin

Anonymous

San Diego Symphony Musicians

Annette and Daniel Bradbury

Yao Zhao, Principal Cello

Nicole A. and Benjamin G. Clay

San Diego Symphony Musicians

Karen and Donald Cohn

Hanah Stuart, Violin

Stephanie and Richard Coutts

Chia-Ling Chien, Associate Principal Cello

Ann Davies

Xian Zhuo, Cello

Kathleen Seely Davis

Qing Liang, Viola

Karin and Gary Eastham

Jason Karlyn, Viola

Lisette and Mick Farrell/Farrell

Family Foundation

Rose Lombardo, Principal Flute

Kelly Greenleaf and Michael Magerman

Xiaoxuan Shi, Violin

$15,000 – $24,999

Anonymous

San Diego Symphony Musicians

Eloise and Warren* Batts

Alicia Engley, Violin

Diane and Norman Blumenthal

Aaron Blick, Bass

Dr. Anthony Boganey

Logan Chopyk, Trombone

Ana de Vedia

San Diego Symphony Musicians

Hon. James Emerson

Kenneth Liao, Violin

Joyce Gattas, Ph.D. and Jay Jeffcoat

Youna Choi, Cello

Jill Gormley and Laurie Lipman

Frank Renk, Bass Clarinet

Janet and Wil Gorrie

Zou Yu, Violin

Suzanne and Lawrence Hess

San Diego Symphony Musicians

Linda Hervey

San Diego Symphony Musicians

Helen and Sig Kupka

Lily Josefsberg, Piccolo/Flute

Carol and George Lattimer

Rodion Belousov, Oboe

Lisa and Gary Levine, Arthur J.

Gallagher & Co.

Igor Pandurski, Violin

Sandy and Arthur* Levinson

Kyle Covington, Principal Trombone

Eileen Mason

Julie Smith Phillips, Principal Harp

Anne and Andy McCammon

Richard Levine, Cello

Deborah Pate and John Forrest

Jeff Thayer, Concertmaster

DEBORAH PATE AND

JOHN FORREST CHAIR

Joetta Ragland

San Diego Symphony Musicians

Judith C. Harris* and Robert Singer, M. D.

San Diego Symphony Musicians

Jo Ann Kilty

Tricia Skye, Horn

Dr. William and Evelyn Lamden

Andrea Overturf, Oboe

Dr. WILLIAM AND EVELYN LAMDEN CHAIR

Carol Lazier and James Merritt

Sarah Tuck, Flute

Marshall Littman, M.D.

Nicole Chung, Cello

Rena Minisi and Rich Paul

Ryan Simmons, Bassoon

Val and Ron Ontell

Darby Hinshaw,

Assistant Principal & Utility Horn

Jane and Jon Pollock

Evan Pasternak, Section Violin

Allison and Robert Price

San Diego Symphony Musicians

Carol Randolph, Ph. D and Robert Caplan

Pei-Chun Tsai, Violin

Sally and Steve Rogers

Kyle Mendiguchia, Trombone

Jeanette Stevens

Kathryn Hatmaker, Violin

Elizabeth and Joseph* Taft

Wanda Law, Viola

Sandra Timmons and Richard Sandstrom

Sarah Skuster, Principal Oboe

University of San Diego

San Diego Symphony Musicians

Sheryl and Harvey White

Alexander Palamidis, Principal Second Violin

The Zygowicz Family (John, Judy, and Michelle)

Nancy Lochner, Associate Principal Viola

Cathy Robinson San Diego Symphony Musicians

Stephen M. Silverman

Ai Nihira Awata, Violin

Linda and Raymond* ThomasR.V. Thomas Family Fund

Ray Nowak, Trumpet

Julie & Stephen Tierney

San Diego Symphony Musicians

Isabelle and Mel* Wasserman

Andrew Hayhurst, Cello

For more information, or to join, please contact Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Sheri Broedlow at (619) 615-3910 or sbroedlow@sandiegosymphony.org.

THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PROUDLY PRESENTS

The Beethoven Society is designed to raise consistent, critical funding for artistic, educational and community programs. Members pledge multi-year support and commit to annual gifts of $50,000 and higher, designated for projects ranging from classical and jazz concerts to education and military programs.

The Symphony and its Board of Directors are pleased to thank the following for their leadership and to acknowledge them as Members of The Beethoven Society.

For information about supporting the San Diego Symphony Orchestra through membership in The Beethoven Society, please call Sheri Broedlow at (619) 615-3910.

$200,000 and above

$5 MILLION and above

ANONYMOUS ( 2 )

JOAN* AND IRWIN JACOBS

WOODBURY

LINDA AND SHEARN* PLATT ELENA ROMANOWSKY

ROBERT MARIE RAFTERY AND DR. ROBERT RUBENSTEIN

PENNY AND LOUIS ROSSO

* Denotes deceased

SUE AND BILL* WEBER

KAREN FOSTER SILBERMAN AND JEFF SILBERMANGAYLE* AND DONALD SLATE

DAVE AND PHYLLIS SNYDER GLORIA AND RODNEY STONE

LESLIE AND JOE WATERS

KAREN AND KIT SICKELS

JAYNE AND BILL TURPIN

JEAN AND GARY SHEKHTER

KAREN AND WARREN KESSLER

PAM AND HAL FUSON

ELAINE GALINSON AND HERBERT SOLOMON ARLENE INCH

MONICA AND ROBERT ODER

KATHRYN A. AND JAMES E. WHISTLER

BRIAN AND SILVIJA* DEVINE

DRS. EDWARD A. AND MARTHA G. DENNIS

UNA DAVIS AND JACK M c GRORY JAN AND KEVIN CURTIS

TERRY L. ATKINSON JULIA R. BROWN

MICHELE AND JULES ARTHUR

PHYLLIS AND DANIEL EPSTEIN

ROSS CALECA AND HAYLEY JANECEK

COLETTE CARSON ROYSTON AND IVOR ROYSTON

SARAH AND MARC ZEITLIN

SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY BOARDS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David R. Snyder, Esq. Chair of the Board*

Harold W. Fuson Jr. Immediate Past Chair*

Colette Carson Royston Vice Chair*

Una Davis Vice Chair*

David Bialis Treasurer*

Linda Platt Secretary*

*EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER

HONORARY LIFETIME DIRECTORS

Dr. Irwin M. Jacobs

Joan K. Jacobs (1933-2024)

Warren O. Kessler, M.D.

Michele Arthur

Tim Barelli

Lisa Behun*

Steve G. Bjorg

Anthony C. Boganey, M.D., FACS

Annette Bradbury

Benjamin G. Clay

Kathleen Davis*

Martha G. Dennis, Ph.D.

Phyllis Epstein*

Karen Foster Silberman

Janet Gorrie

Anne Francis Ratner (1911-2011)

Lawrence B. Robinson (d. 2021)

FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Warren O. Kessler, M.D. Chair

David R. Snyder, Esq. Vice Chair

Sandy Levinson Secretary

Mitchell R. Woodbury Treasurer

PAST BOARD CHAIRS

2021-23 Harold W. Fuson Jr.

2018-21 David R. Snyder, Esq.

2015-18 Warren O. Kessler, M.D.

2014-15 Shearn H. Platt

2011-14 Evelyn Olson Lamden

2009-11 Mitchell R. Woodbury

2008-09 Theresa J. Drew

2007-08 Steven R. Penhall

2005-07 Mitchell R. Woodbury

2004-05 Craig A. Schloss, Esq.

2003-04 John R. Queen

2001-03 Harold B. Dokmo Jr.

2000-01 Ben G. Clay

1998-00 Sandra Pay

1995-96 Elsie V. Weston

Eunice Bragais

Robert Caplan, Esq.

Harold W. Fuson Jr.

Martha Gilmer

Susan Mallory

Jeremy Pearl

Gretchen Shaffer

Mark Stuart

1994-95 Thomas Morgan

1993-94 David Dorne, Esq.

1989-93 Warren O. Kessler, M.D.

1988-89 Elsie V. Weston

1986-88 Herbert J. Solomon

1984-86 M.B. “Det” Merryman

1982-84 Louis F. Cumming

1980-82 David E. Porter

1978-80 Paul L. Stevens

1976-78 Laurie H. Waddy

1974-76 William N. Jenkins, Esq.

1971-74 L. Thomas Halverstadt

1970-71 Simon Reznikoff

1969-70 Robert J. Sullivan

1968-69 Arthur S. Johnson

Dr. Nancy Hong*

Arlene Inch

Jerri-Ann Jacobs

Warren O. Kessler, M.D.*

Kris Kopensky

Deborah Pate

Sherron Schuster

Marivi Shivers

Gloria Stone

Frank Vizcarra

Mitchell R. Woodbury*

Herbert Solomon

Mitchell R. Woodbury

1966-68 Michael Ibs Gonzalez, Esq. 1964-66 Philip M. Klauber

1963-64 Oliver B. James Jr.

1961-63 J. Dallas Clark

1960-61 Fielder K. Lutes

1959-60 Dr. G. Burch Mehlin

1956-58 Admiral Wilder D. Baker

1953-56 Mrs. Fred G. Goss

1952-53 Donald A. Stewart

1940-42 Donald B. Smith

1938-39 Mrs. William H. Porterfield

1934-37 Mrs. Marshall O. Terry

1930-33 Mouney C. Pfefferkorn

1928-29 Willett S. Dorland

1927 Ed H. Clay

SATURDAY, MAY 3 7:30PM

SUNDAY, MAY 4 2PM

Jacobs Music Center

2025 JACOBS MASTERWORKS

CZECH MASTERPIECES AND A SAXOPHONE CONCERTO

Ruth Reinhardt, conductor

Steven Banks, saxophone San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Scan this QR code with your smartphone or text SDS to 55741 to access the interactive version of the program.

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PROGRAM

SMETANA

Overture and Three Dances from The Bartered Bride Overture Polka Furiant Dance of the Comedians

TAKASHI YOSHIMATSU

Soprano Saxophone Concerto, Albireo Mode

Topaz Sapphire

-INTERMISSION-

DVOŘÁK

Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88

Allegro con brio Adagio

Allegretto grazioso Allegro ma non troppo

Total Program Duration: Approximately 1 Hour, 40 mins (includes one 20 minute intermission).

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

RUTH REINHARDT

German conductor Ruth Reinhardt is building a reputation for her keen musical intelligence, programmatic imagination, and elegant performances.

Ruth is the newly appointed Music Director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, beginning in the 2025–26 season. This season, she conducts orchestras across four continents, including debuts with the Seoul Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra. In the U.S., she will make debuts with the St. Louis and Charlotte symphonies and return to Milwaukee and San Diego.

Programmatically, Reinhardt’s interests have led her toward contemporary repertoire, with significant emphasis on women composers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She brings new names and fresh faces to many orchestras, including Grażyna Bacewicz, Kaija Saariaho, and Dai Fujikura. Parallel programming can be complementary or contrasting, from core composers of the symphonic canon, e.g. Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Dvorak, to the classic moderns such as Lutosławski, Bartok, Stravinsky, and Hindemith.

Reinhardt has made important debuts with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of San Francisco, Detroit, Houston, Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Seattle. In Europe, she’s appeared with the Orchestre National de France, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, and Tonkünstler Orchestra, among many others.

Ruth Reinhardt received her master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music in New York and was a Dudamel Fellow of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (2017-2018), conducting fellow at both the Seattle Symphony (20152016) and Tanglewood Music Center (2015), and a Taki Concordia associate conducting fellow (2015-2017). n

STEVEN BANKS

As a performer and composer, saxophonist Steven Banks is striving to bring his instrument to the heart of the classical music world. He is driven to programme and write music that directly addresses aspects of the human experience and is a devoted and intentional supporter of diverse voices in the future of concert music.

In 2024-25, Banks appears with orchestras including The Cleveland Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Seattle Symphony. He has debuted with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington) and has worked with conductors including Manfred Honeck, Stéphane Denève, Xian Zhang and Rafal Payare.

In July 2025, he performs the world premiere of Joan Tower’s new saxophone concerto at the Colorado Festival with Peter Oundjian. Over the past two seasons, he has been premiering ‘Diaspora’, the new saxophone concerto by Billy Childs with the 10 commissioning partners, led by Young Concert Artists. In May 2024, Banks performed the world premiere of Augusta Read Thomas’ new concerto ‘Haemosu’s Celestial Chariot Ride’ with the Sejong Soloists at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall.

Banks was the first saxophonist to be awarded both the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the First Prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. He serves as Saxophone and Chamber Music Faculty and Artist-in Residence at the Cleveland Institute of Music, founding the saxophone programme having been appointed as the first saxophone teacher at conservatory level. Banks holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and Northwestern University Bienen School of Music, respectively. n

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Overture and Three Dances from The Bartered Bride

BEDŘICH SMETANA

Born March 2, 1824, Litomyšl

Died May 12, 1884, Prague

APPROXIMATE PERFORMANCE TIME 18 MINUTES

Smetana’s The Bartered Bride has always been considered the great “Czech” opera, and for many reasons: Smetana was a devout Czech nationalist who used such forms as the polka and furiant in the opera, the story has a Czech setting and is full of Czech characters, costumes and customs, and it was one of the first operas with a libretto in Czech. Smetana began work in 1863, and The Bartered Bride was originally produced in 1866. It is a love story set in a Czech village, and – like all operas – its plot is quite complex. The Bartered Bride tells of the young lovers Marenka and Jenik, but the course of their love does not run smooth. Marenka’s parents want her to marry a rich husband, and they bring in a marriage broker to find such a match. As part of the complex negotiations, Jenik appears to sell his “rights” to Marenka and nearly destroys his chances, but at the end he is able to contrive things so that all the confusions are sorted out and he and Marenka can be married. The Czech title of the opera – Prodaná Nevěsta – actually translates into English as “The Sold Bride” (which is exactly what Jenik does), but that title sounds so flat that the more euphonious – and alliterative – Bartered Bride has become the accepted English translation. The opera was a success from its first performance, but it did not make it to the United States until 43 years later: Gustav Mahler led the first American production (in German) at the Metropolitan Opera on February 19, 1909.

While the opera is rarely performed in the United States, its overture has become a favorite in the concert hall. Smetana marks it Vivacissimo (“Very fast”): it begins like a rocket and never lets up over its six-minute span – even its brief lyric episodes seem to be rushing ahead breathlessly. The overture opens with a great flourish, full of characteristic syncopations, and then races into a blistering fugato for the strings. All this energy builds to a great climactic theme whose accents fall on the third rather than the first beat of each measure, and that rhythm will saturate the overture. Smetana brings back his various themes – the opening flourish, the fugato, the climactic theme – as the overture proceeds, and finally this music races without any let-up right through its exciting close.

The Polka comes from the very end of Act I. The setting is the village green, and Kecal – the marriage broker – announces that he’s found a rich husband for Marenka. She protests that she has already surrendered her heart to someone else, and the battle lines are drawn. The act ends as the stage is crowded with young people who dance this Polka. After a brief introduction, the Polka begins – rather delicately – and grows in power and speed as it proceeds, and this music brings Act I to its conclusion.

The Furiant comes from the beginning of Act II. Set in a tavern, this act begins with a chorus in praise of beer, and soon Kecal and Jenik are sparring about what really drives the world: is it money or love? This brief Furiant concludes the drinking song. Dance of the Comedians takes place in Act III. A small traveling

circus has arrived and is setting up on the village green. The troupe features a Circus Master, the dancer Esmerelda, an “Indian,” and – best of all – a grizzly bear from America. The circus comedians (acrobats) dance before the villagers to suggest the attractions available at the circus that evening, and their dance takes the form an of skočná, a very fast Czech folk-dance in 2/4. It gets off to a blazing start in a rush of sixteenth-notes, and this will return throughout; in between, Smetana offers a series of attractive tunes, built on short phrases and repeated. n

Soprano Saxophone Concerto, Albireo Mode

TAKASHI

YOSHIMATSU

Born March 18, 1953, Yoyogi, Japan

APPROXIMATE PERFORMANCE TIME

25 MINUTES

The path to composing was not direct for Takashi Yoshimatsu. As a young man, he was attracted to many different kinds of music – rock, classical, jazz among them – and he played keyboards in rock bands. Yoshimatsu wanted to compose, but he found himself uncomfortable with formal academic training and essentially taught himself how to compose. He began as a serialist but rejected that strict method and embraced what he has called “the new lyricism.” Yoshimatsu was the official composer of Chandos Records for some years, and he has composed six symphonies, more than a dozen concertos for varied instruments, other orchestral works, and shorter pieces for keyboard and for traditional Japanese instruments. He has also made arrangements of music by Emerson, Lake and Palmer and other rock groups.

Yoshimatsu was approached by the Japanese saxophonist Nobuya Sugawa, who asked him to compose a concerto for soprano saxophone and orchestra. Yoshimatsu was not enthusiastic. He had already written a concerto for alto saxophone titled Cyber-Bird for Sugawa, and he felt that he had said the things he wanted to say on the saxophone. But Sugawa persisted, and Yoshimatsu found himself attracted to the sound of the soprano saxophone. He composed the new concerto in 2004-05, and it was first performed in Osaka on April 29, 2005 by Nobuya Sugawa and the Kansai Philharmonic.

The new concerto has a nickname that reflects its inspiration. Albireo is the name of a double Beta star in the constellation Cygnus. It is not clear whether those two stars form a true double star or if they only appear to be from our angle on Earth, but what is clear is that they make an extraordinarily beautiful pair in the night sky: one is a deep blue, and the other is a rich golden color. In that contrast of color and character, Yoshimatsu found the inspiration for his concerto, saying “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.’”

And so the work falls into two sharply contrasted movements, each about eleven minutes long. Albireo Mode is not a concerto in the classical sense, a form based on conflict and resolution. Instead, it is a two-part rhapsody in which the saxophonist plays virtually throughout. The orchestra

sometimes rises up to play a dynamic role, but for much of the time it provides a subtle accompaniment, shimmering, gentle and usually subdued.

At the beginning of Topaz, Yoshimatsu marks the tempo Andante tranquillo, and while the tempo will vary throughout the movement, the sense of tranquility remains central. The solo part is beautifully written for the soprano saxophone. The instrument plays across its entire range. It can by turns be playful or lyrical, and it sings throughout – this is the kind of writing that reminds us how expressive an instrument the saxophone can be. Yoshimatsu offers his soloist a brief cadenza just before the close.

After that calm, the second part, Sapphire, does not suddenly explode with golden energy. But it quickly comes to life with the soloist’s long opening melody, full of jazz-like glissandos, leaps and trills, and gradually the energy level builds. If we felt the saxophone’s lyric character in the first movement, here we feel its agility and virtuosity. A chamber music-like central episode leads to a grand, swirling climax and then a spectacular cadenza for the soloist, full of strident fluttertonguing and a range of unexpected sounds. The orchestra returns, and the soprano saxophone sings the concerto’s long and peaceful descent into silence. TWO NOTES: For those interested in this music, Nobuya Sugawa has recorded it with the BBC Philharmonic, and that recording is readily available. Those interested in the star that inspired this music should go to the internet, which has some breathtaking photos of the two stars that make up Albireo. n

Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88

ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK

Born September 8, 1841, Muhlhausen, Bohemia

Died May 1, 1904, Prague

APPROXIMATE PERFORMANCE TIME 34 MINUTES

The summer of 1889 was an unusually happy and productive time for Dvořák. At age 48, he found himself a successful composer with a large and devoted family. Earlier that year, his opera The Jacobin had been premiered, and now he took his family to their summer retreat at Vysoka in the countryside south of Prague. There, amid the rolling fields and forests of his homeland, Dvořák could escape the pressures of the concert season, enjoy the company of his wife and children, and indulge one of his favorite pastimes – raising pigeons.

Dvořák also composed a great deal in these months, and he worked very fast – music seemed to pour out of him that summer. On August 25 he made the first sketches for a new symphony, and the orchestration was completed on November 8 – from the time Dvořák sat down before a sheet of blank paper to the completion of the full score, only 75 days had passed. Dvořák himself led the triumphant premiere of his Eighth Symphony in Prague on February 2, 1890.

Dvořák’s biographer Otakar Šourek has noted that the composer himself felt that in the Eighth Symphony he was trying to write “a work different from his other symphonies, with individual thoughts worked out in a new way.” We feel this from the first instant. “Symphony in G Major,” says the title page, but the beginning is firmly in the “wrong” key of

G minor, and this will be only the first of many harmonic surprises. It is also a gorgeous beginning, with the cellos singing their long wistful melody. But – another surprise: this theme will have little to do with the actual progress of the first movement. We soon arrive at what appears to be the true first subject, a flute theme of an almost pastoral innocence (commentators appear unable to resist describing this theme as “birdlike”), and suddenly we have slipped into G Major. Dvořák develops these themes across the span of the opening movement, and the cellos’ somber opening melody returns at key moments: quietly to begin the development and then blazed out triumphantly by the trumpets at the stirring climax.

The Adagio begins with dark and halting string phrases, while its middle section flows easily on a relaxed woodwind tune in which some have heard the sound of cimbalon and a village band. A violin solo leads to a surprisingly violent climax before the movement falls away to its quiet close.

The Allegretto grazioso opens with a soaring waltz that dances nimbly along its 3/8 meter; the charming center section also dances in 3/8 time, but its dotted rhythms produce a distinctive lilt. The movement rushes on chattering woodwinds right up to the close, where it concludes suddenly with a hushed string chord.

The finale is a variation movement – sort of. It opens with a stinging trumpet fanfare, but this fanfare was an afterthought on Dvořák’s part, added after the rest of the movement was complete. Cellos announce the noble central theme, and a series of variations follow, including a spirited episode for solo flute. But suddenly the variations vanish: Dvořák throws in an exotic Turkish march full of rhythmic energy, a completely separate episode that rises to a great climax based on the ringing trumpet fanfare from the opening. Gradually things calm down, and the variations resume as if this turbulent storm had never blown through. Near the end comes some lovely writing for strings, and a raucous, joyous coda – itself one final variation of the main theme – propels this symphony to a rousing close. n

Program notes by Eric Bromberger

SATURDAY, MAY 10 7:30PM

SUNDAY, MAY 11 2PM

Jacobs Music Center

PROGRAM

UNSUK CHIN

Cello Concerto I Aniri II III IV -INTERMISSION-

BRUCKNER

Symphony No. 7 in E Major Allegro moderato

Adagio: Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam

Scherzo: Sehr schnell

Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht schnell

Total Program Duration: Approximately 1 Hour, 55 mins (includes one 20 minute intermission).

WEILERSTEIN AND PAYARE PERFORM CHIN AND BRUCKNER

Rafael Payare, conductor

Alisa Weilerstein, cello San Diego Symphony Orchestra 2025 JACOBS MASTERWORKS

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

ALISA WEILERSTEIN

Alisa Weilerstein is one of the foremost cellists of our time. Known for her consummate artistry, emotional investment, and rare interpretive depth, she was recognized with a MacArthur “genius grant” Fellowship in 2011. Today her career is truly global in scope, taking her to the most prestigious international venues for solo recitals, chamber concerts, and concerto collaborations.

With her multi-season solo cello project, “FRAGMENTS,” Weilerstein aims to reimagine the concert experience. Comprising six programs, each an hour long, the series sees her weave together the 36 movements of Bach’s solo cello suites with 27 new commissions in a multisensory production by Elkhanah Pulitzer. In the 2024-25 season, she premieres FRAGMENTS 3 at San Diego’s Jacobs Music Center, gives the New York premieres of FRAGMENTS 2 and 3 at New York’s Carnegie Hall, and performs the complete cycle at Charleston’s Spoleto Festival USA.

Weilerstein regularly appears alongside preeminent conductors with the world’s major orchestras. Versatile across the cello repertoire’s full breadth, she is a leading exponent of its greatest classics and an ardent proponent of contemporary music, who has premiered important new concertos by Pascal Dusapin, Matthias Pintscher, and Joan Tower. In 2024-25, she brings to life three more concertos, premiering Thomas Larcher’s with the New York Philharmonic and Bavarian Radio Symphony, Richard Blackford’s with the Czech Philharmonic, and Gabriela Ortiz’s with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at L.A.’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, Bogotá’s Teatro Mayor, and Carnegie Hall. Her other 2024-25 highlights include season-opening concerts with the San Diego and Kansas City Symphonies; returns to the Berlin Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras; and duo recitals with Inon Barnatan at Stanford University and in Boston’s Celebrity Series.

As an authority on Bach’s music for unaccompanied cello, in spring 2020 Weilerstein released a best-selling recording of his solo suites for Pentatone, streamed them in her innovative #36DaysOfBach project, and deconstructed his beloved G-major prelude in a Vox.com video, now viewed more than 2.2 million times. Her discography also includes charttopping albums and the winner of BBC Music’s “Recording of the Year” award.

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at nine years old, Weilerstein is a staunch advocate for the T1D community. She lives with her husband, Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare, and their two young children.

RAFAEL PAYARE

See bio on page P2.

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Cello Concerto

UNSUK CHIN

Born July 14, 1961, Seoul

APPROXIMATE PERFORMANCE TIME

30 MINUTES

Unsuk Chin studied first in her native Seoul and then moved to Hamburg, where she studied with Gyorgy Ligeti from 1985 until 1988. Since 1988 Chin has been based in Berlin, and her music has been widely performed in Europe, North America, and Asia. She has shown a particular interest in electronic music and worked for some time with Pierre Boulez’s Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris. But she has also written for traditional ensembles, and she has been especially drawn to writing for soloist and orchestra: among her works are concertos for piano, violin (two), cello and clarinet, as well as a double concerto for piano and percussion and a concerto for sheng and orchestra. (A sheng is a very old Chinese reed instrument.) These works have been widely performed, and her Violin Concerto No. 1 won the Grawemeyer Award as the outstanding classical composition of 2004.

Chin has stated that she wrote her early concertos simply as abstract music, but now when she writes a concerto, she is inspired by a particular performer and writes the concerto with that performer’s skills in mind. Chin composed her Cello Concerto specifically for the German cellist Alban Gebhardt, who gave the premiere in London in 2009. Chin was not completely satisfied with the piece at that time, and she revised it in 2013; Gebhardt gave the premiere of that version in Munich in 2013.

Chin’s Cello Concerto is extraordinarily difficult for the soloist, and she has made clear that those difficulties are intentional and that she sees the relationship between the soloist and orchestra in an entirely new way in this concerto:

“While in the concertos for violin and piano, in the Double Concerto, and in my new sheng concerto I was seeking to merge the solo instrument and the orchestra into a single virtuoso super-instrument, here it’s all about the competitive tension between the soloist and the orchestra. The “aura” of the cello was the initial nucleus and forms the basis of the music, so the whole structure of the piece is thus “carried” by the cello. However, the orchestra responds to it in an antagonistic way. This antagonism is much stronger than in traditional Classical-Romantic concertos; one could even speak of a “psychological warfare” between soloist and orchestra. In my cello writing, I often ask the soloist to disguise the nature of the instrument so the perception can be blurred. I try to explore the boundaries of the cello’s expressivity and to broaden the definition of “expression.” Therefore I also use special playing techniques and call for unusual timbres, including noises and rasping sounds. For me, this actually serves the expressivity by suggesting new meanings. The unique artistry of Alban Gerhardt inspired me immensely.”

The Cello Concerto is in four movements that span about half an hour. The final three movements have no titles, but the first has an unusual title, Ansiri, that tells us something about the structure of the piece. In Korean traditional music there is a form known as p’ansori, which has been described as a solo

opera. It consists of two performers, a vocalist who either speaks (ansiri) or sings (sori) and a percussionist. The ansiri can perform many functions, including setting the scene, narrating the action, and so on, and we may take the first movement of the concerto as an introduction and guide to what will follow.

The four movements may be outlined briefly, but such a summary will not give a sense of the extraordinary range of color, sound and rhythm in this music, or of the virtuosity required of both soloist and orchestra. The concerto opens very delicately, with the cello’s long line accompanied only by two harps. The rest of the orchestra enters, and soon a level of violence intrudes on this delicacy as the tempo speeds ahead. There is a glinting, flittering quality to the writing for cello here as it sails above the orchestra’s sometimes violent accompaniment. Near the end Chin offers the soloist a cadenza before the movement reaches a climax marked sextuple forte, then instantly fades to a close marked sextuple piano

The second movement is the concerto’s scherzo. It opens with the cello accompanied only by percussion, and it goes at a blistering pace. In its central episode, the cello sings a gentle, high melody above the rushing orchestra, and along the way Chin instructs that the playing should be “As fast as possible.” The movement ends on an abrupt upward sweep of sound.

The third movement is the concerto’s “slow” movement. At the opening, the cello is accompanied only by woodwinds, and Chin specifies that they are to play each note “with a breath noise.” The movement is built on the cello’s long and sustained melody, which is accompanied by quiet harmonics from the strings and a subtle use of percussion. Soon, though, matters grow conflicted, the soloist is given complex double-stopped passages, and the music rises to a strident climax before falling away to its quiet close.

The final movement can be violent, and one is reminded here of Chin’s statement that she aimed for “a competitive tension” in this concerto. The soloist races ahead while the orchestra delivers a series of great smashes of sound, as if it were trying to trap and destroy the scurrying soloist, whose part has a perpetual motion-like rush. Matters slow for the central episode, where the cello’s lyric line is accompanied by glissando strings, but quickly we return to the explosiveness of the opening. The very ending brings a surprise: after all this music’s turbulence, gradually the orchestra drops out until only the soloist is playing, and it is on the cello’s solitary sustained B that this concerto fades delicately into silence. n

Symphony No. 7 in E Major

ANTON BRUCKNER

Born September 4, 1824, Ansfelden Died October 11, 1896, Vienna

APPROXIMATE PERFORMANCE TIME 1 HOUR, 4 MINUTES

It is a revealing and painful truth that when Anton Bruckner achieved his first real public success with the premiere of his Seventh Symphony in 1884, he was 60 years old. Bruckner had composed his Sixth Symphony during the years 1879-81, but

so great was the resistance to his music that he heard only the middle two movements of that symphony performed during his lifetime. Yet within two weeks of finishing the Sixth, Bruckner was already at work on his Seventh, which required two years of work: it was completed on September 5, 1883. Conductors had been reluctant to take Bruckner’s music before audiences, but the great Arthur Nikisch was won over when he saw the score to the Seventh and led the premiere in Leipzig on December 30, 1884. A critic at that concert offered a poignant portrait of an astonished composer called repeatedly onto the stage to acknowledge the waves of applause: “One could see from the trembling of his lips and the sparkling moisture in his eyes how difficult it was for the old gentleman to suppress the deep emotion that he felt. His homely, honest countenance beamed with a warm inner happiness such as can appear only on the face of one who is too good-hearted to give way to bitterness even under the weight of most crushing circumstances. Having heard his music, and now seeing him in person, we asked ourselves in amazement, ‘How is it possible that he could remain so long unknown to us?’”

From the moment of that triumphant premiere, the Seventh Symphony has remained the most popular of Bruckner’s symphonies, and for good reason. From the luminous beauty of its opening to the ringing splendor of its conclusion an hour later, this is one of Bruckner’s most melodic, exciting and moving works. The opening of the Allegro moderato is among the most magic moments in music: over murmuring violins, cellos rise from out of the depths to soar with the noble opening subject. This truly is a Bruckner theme: it takes over a minute to unfold completely, it is already brushing through unexpected tonalities as it is stated for the first time, and within its span are several component ideas that will figure importantly in the development. Yet there is much more material to come: the second subject unfolds gracefully in the woodwinds (in B Major), and moments later the third – a dancing figure for strings – arrives in B minor. Over the twenty-minute span of the opening movement, Bruckner will treat these themes in quite original ways: they appear in inversion, at moments they are combined, and they will reappear in totally unexpected keys. Bruckner also blurs the clear outlines of the classical symphony: themes do not return in the “correct” sequence or key. And Bruckner simply collapses the distinction between development and recapitulation: we reach the climax of this movement almost unaware of the mastery by which we have arrived. The opening theme, which dominates this movement like a range of snow-capped peaks, now rises from out of the mists and –finally in the “correct” key of E Major – drives the movement to its resounding close.

Bruckner worked very slowly, and the first movement took well over a year to compose. On January 22, 1883, nearly eighteen months after he began work on the symphony, Bruckner began the second movement. He knew that Wagner, his idol and supporter, was in ill health, and on that same day Bruckner wrote to the conductor Felxi Mottl: “One day I came home and felt very sad. The thought had crossed my mind that before long the Master would die, and then the C-sharp minor theme of the Adagio came to me.” Deeply moved, Bruckner wrote the Adagio as a sort of premonition of Wagner’s death: he marks it “Very solemn and very slow” and adds four Wagner tubas to the scoring (they will reappear in the final movement). Their characteristically rich, dark sound is perfect for the grieving opening theme, which once again unfolds over a long span. The singing second subject, for the

violin sections in octaves, arrives like a flood of sunshine into this somber landscape, its unexpected F-sharp Major tonality sounding particularly fresh in this context. Bruckner simply alternates these two theme-groups, varying them on each reappearance. The music rises to a spectacular climax on the third statement of the opening section, and in this episode Bruckner quotes the music he used in his own Te Deum to set the words “Non confundar in eternam” (“Let me never be confounded [in my faith]”): its memorial meaning in this context is clear. At the tremendous climax of this movement, the music moves into yet another unexpected key – C Major (which sounds positively radiant here) – and at this point there may (or may not) come the famous cymbal clash. In a symphony remarkably free of the textual squabbles that confuse Bruckner’s other symphonies, this is the one point of dispute. Did Bruckner mean for this climax to be marked by a tremendous cymbal smash – or was he acceding here to the suggestions of Nikisch and others? Most conductors today include the cymbal smash (the only appearance of that instrument in the symphony), but its authenticity remains in question. The Adagio concludes with a moving coda that Bruckner wrote after hearing of Wagner’s death on February 22, 1883. He always referred to this as his “funeral music for the Master,” and its solemn conclusion invariably leaves audiences in rapt silence.

Out of the silence, the Scherzo bursts to life with welcome good humor. Over ostinato string figures, solo trumpet sounds the main theme, inevitably compared to the crowing of a cock. Marked “Very fast,” this movement is in straightforward scherzo form: a figure for solo timpani derived from the rhythm of the trumpet tune leads the way into the agreeable trio section, which Bruckner marks gesangvoll: “songful.” The repeat of the scherzo section is –as in every Bruckner symphony – literal.

A surprise (and a good one) awaits at the opening of the finale: the violins’ dancing opening theme is clearly derived from the luminous cello theme that opened the symphony. There are moments of impressive gravity and power in this movement – the chorale-like second subject (over pizzicato accompaniment) and a thunderous restatement of the opening theme – but the almost playful spirit of the movement’s opening is never far away. Again, Bruckner’s treatment of form is quite free, and the symphony drives to a splendid climax. The dancing opening theme gradually re-assumes its original form from the first movement, and – pushed along by brass salvos derived from the opening of the last movement – the symphony thunders to a shining close.

Program notes by Eric Bromberger

UPCOMING MOVIES IN CONCERT AT THE RADY SHELL AT

JACOBS PARK

MARVEL STUDIOS’ INFINITY SAGA CONCERT EXPERIENCE

July 17 | 7:30PM

Thiago Tiberio, conductor

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

A new film concert that takes fans on an epic on-screen cinematic journey covering twenty-three films in one momentous concert event. Revisit the earliest days of Iron Man, Captain America and Thor as they discover their place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – each accompanied by their own unforgettable heroic music. Recapture the thrill as Earth’s mightiest heroes join forces for the first time, opening the door to the next wave of Avengers, backed by a live orchestra.

BARBIE THE MOVIE: IN CONCERT

August 22 | 7:30PM

Macy Schmidt, conductor

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Dance the night away with Barbie The Movie: In Concert! The record-shattering, full-length feature film will be accompanied by a live orchestra, performing both the score and the beloved pop songs from the iconic soundtrack.

DISNEY’S THE LION KING IN CONCERT

July 19 | 7:30PM

Thiago Tiberio, conductor

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

The original 1994 animated film features unforgettable music by a notable team of Oscar® and GRAMMY® winners, including superstar Elton John, lyricist Tim Rice, and composer Hans Zimmer, plus African vocal and choir arrangements by GRAMMY®-winning South African producer and composer Lebo M (“Rhythm of the Pride Lands”).

JURASSIC PARK IN CONCERT

August 23 | 7:30PM

Scott Terrell, conductor

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

The action-packed adventure pits man against prehistoric predators in the ultimate battle for survival. Featuring visually stunning imagery and groundbreaking special effects, this epic film is sheer movie magic 65 million years in the making. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra performs John Williams’ iconic score live to picture.

SYMPHONY SUMMER PARTNERS

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra expresses sincere gratitude to the following donors for their generous contributions to the Symphony Summer Partners program. Our Summer Partners are a dedicated group of civicminded music-lovers who are committed to enriching our community through providing free music education and community engagement programs.

The following listing reflects pledges and gifts entered as of April 1, 2025.

$50,000

Les J. Silver and Andrea Rothschild-Silver Brooke and Dan* Koehler

$25,000

Shirley Estes

$15,000

Anonymous Gisele Bonitz

The Boros Family

Gordon Brodfuehrer

Cohn Restaurant Group/

David Cohn

Anne and Steve Furgal

Georgia Griffiths and Colleen Kendall

Linda and Tom Lang

*Deceased

Lynn and Sue Miller

Pamela and Stephen Quinn

Cathy Robinson

Chris and Kris Seeger

Gayle and Philip Tauber

Tim and Jean Valentine

Margarita and Philip Wilkinson

Lisa and Michael Witz

Becoming a Summer Partner of the San Diego Symphony affords you a unique opportunity to enhance your concert-going experience and support the inclusive and diverse programming that The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park has become known for. Your support as a Summer Partner is a commitment to the betterment of San Diego and the cultural excellence of our region.

For more information, or to join, please contact Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Sheri Broedlow at (619) 615-3910 or sbroedlow@sandiegosymphony.org

MUSICIAN SPOTLIGHT

JOHN DEGNAN • FRENCH HORN

1. Tell us about your journey to the San Diego Symphony I was extremely fortunate to grow up in an area with very strong music and arts programs in West Palm Beach, Florida. I began playing French horn in the 4th grade and then attended the magnet middle and high schools for the arts. From there I went on to double major in French horn performance and Political Science at Vanderbilt University. During COVID, however, I found myself drawn further into music, practicing constantly which gave me structure and connected me to others at such a unique and difficult time in the world. This was when I decided that I wanted to pursue music as a career. I went on to pursue my Master’s of Music degree at Rice University where I kept a photo of The Rady Shell as the background photo on my phone as inspiration throughout the professional audition process. I had always wanted to live in California, and I really admired the direction the San Diego Symphony Orchestra was heading in. I was very fortunate enough to win the position of Second Horn here in 2023, my “dream job.”

2. What is your favorite San Diego Symphony memory so far?

My favorite memory is probably our performance at Carnegie Hall during our 2023 tour. This was one of my first performances with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and my first tour, but what really made it special was that all my family from the East Coast was able to attend the concert. They rarely get to see me perform live, and I am so grateful that I was able to share this special moment with them.

3. How do you like to spend your free time when not performing?

When I’m not performing, I enjoy exploring all that America’s finest city has to offer with my fiancée, Isabella. We love going to all the different beaches and trying out local cafes and eateries (some personal favorites being Necessity Coffee, Bahn Thai, El Zarape, and Mothership).

4. What musical work are you looking most forward to performing in the remainder of the season?

I am most looking forward to performing Mahler’s 3rd symphony with the San Diego Symphony Chorus. My fiancée is a member of the chorus and I’m so happy to be able to share the stage with her together, doing what we love to do best. Moreover, this season has been very special as we opened the season and the renovated Jacobs Music Center with Mahler’s 2nd symphony. And now I look forward to bookending this historic season with Mahler again.

5. What is an interesting fact about yourself that you’d like to share?

I love doing anything that allows me to take advantage of the beautiful San Diego climate. Recently I have been enjoying running, biking, and surfing. I also enjoy reading, playing board games and honing my barista skills in pursuit of making the perfect home espresso.

THE RADY SHELL AT J ACOBS PARK™

2025 CONRAD PREBYS SUMMER SEASON

JUN 5

JUN 7

JUN20

JUN 27

JUN 28

JUN 29

JUL 4

JUL 5

JUL 6

JUL 11

JUL 12

JUL 13

JUL 17

JUL 18

JUL 19

JUL 29

JIL 31

Ludacris with Childish Major and DJ Infamous*

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with JJ Grey & Mofro and Dumpstaphunk*

Classic Albums Live: David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust*

Opening Night with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Music of the Knights with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony

4th of July: America in Song with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

The Music of ABBA with Rajaton and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Ear th, Wind & Fire*

Top Gun: Maverick in Concert with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Alison Krauss & Union Station feat. Jerry Douglas with special guest Willie Watson*

Beethoven by the Bay

Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience

Maoli: L ast Sip of Summer Tour*

Disney’s The Lion King in Concert

Beck with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Maren Morris*

To see our entire season 2025-26 concert list, visit our website or scan the QR code to the right!

FRIDAY, MAY 16 7:30PM

SATURDAY, MAY 17 7:30PM

Jacobs Music Center

2025 JACOBS MASTERWORKS

ELEGANT TO EPIC: SAINT-SAËNS AND SHOSTAKOVICH

Rafael Payare, conductor

Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Sponsored by:

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PROGRAM

SAINT-SAËNS

Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103, Egyptian Allegro animato Andante Molto allegro -INTERMISSION-

SHOSTAKOVICH

Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 60, Leningrad Allegretto Moderato - Poco allegretto Adagio Allegro non troppo

Total Program Duration: Approximately 2 Hours, 5 mins (includes one 20 minute intermission).

Spoken word introduction to the Shostakovich presented by Gerard McBurney and Rosina Reynolds

ABOUT THE ARTIST

JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET

Thibaudet opens the 2024/25 season with Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F at the Colorado Symphony; he later brings the piece to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, and Los Angeles Philharmonic. He performs another signature piece, Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No.5, with the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Pacific, Kansas City, and San Diego Symphonies, Macao Orchestra, and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. A major contemporary exponent of Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto, Thibaudet performs the piece with the National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, and Tonhalle orchestras.

In Seoul, with the KBS Symphony Orchestra, he returns to Scriabin’s Prometheus: The Poem of Fire, which he performed last season in a synesthetic presentation with olfactory cues created by Mathilde Laurent of Cartier. He also appears as soloist on Liszt’s Piano Concerto No.2, with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No.2, Age of Anxiety, with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra; and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G with the New Jersey Symphony and Palm Beach Symphony orchestras. Other season highlights include world premiere performances of two new works: Benjamin Attahir’s doubleconcerto Hanoï Songs, with the Seattle Symphony, and Manu Martin’s Cosmic Rhapsody, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; and the return of his program with Michael Feinstein, Two Pianos: Who Could Ask for Anything More? in Rome and San Francisco.

In addition to his orchestral dates, Thibaudet takes part in the Itzhak Perlman and Friends tour across California and a tour of Asia with longtime collaborator Gautier Capuçon. While visiting the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he will play chamber music with members of the orchestra. He also continues his multi-season focus on Debussy’s Préludes, performing both books in their entirety at recitals across the United States; last season saw a reissue of his seminal 1996 recording of the Préludes on limited-edition vinyl with design by Vivienne Westwood.

A prolific recording artist, Thibaudet has appeared on more than 70 albums and six film scores; his extensive catalogue has received two Grammy nominations, two ECHO Awards, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the Diapason d’Or, the CHOC du Monde de la Musique, the Edison Prize, and Gramophone awards. Recent recordings include Gershwin Rhapsody, a collection of Gershwin pieces recorded with Michael Feinstein, including four newly-discovered ones; Night After Night, a celebration of James Newton Howard’s scores for the films of M. Night Shyamalan; and Carte Blanche, a collection of deeply personal solo piano pieces never before recorded by the pianist. Other highlights include a 2017 recording of Bernstein’s Age of Anxiety with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop; recordings of the complete solo piano music of Debussy and Satie; Grammy-nominated recordings of Ravel’s complete solo piano works and Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerti Nos.2&5; the jazz albums Reflections on Duke and Conversations With Bill Evans; and Aria–Opera Without Words, which features arias transcribed for solo piano by Thibaudet himself. Thibaudet has also had an impact on the worlds of fashion, film, and philanthropy. He was soloist on Aaron Zigman’s score for Wakefield; this was the first time the composer had allowed a pianist other than himself to perform his film work. He was also soloist in Dario Marianelli’s award-winning scores for the films Atonement (which won an Oscar for Best Original Score) and Pride and Prejudice, as well as Alexandre Desplat’s soundtracks for Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch. He had a cameo in Bruce Beresford’s film on Alma Mahler, Bride of the Wind, and his playing is showcased throughout. In 2004 he served as president of the prestigious charity auction at the Hospices de Beaune. His concert wardrobe is designed by Dame Vivienne Westwood. n

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103, Egyptian

CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS

Born October 9, 1835, Paris

Died December 16, 1921, Algiers

APPROXIMATE PERFORMANCE TIME

32 MINUTES

Saint-Saëns loved to travel, and his many trips took him throughout Europe – from Portugal to Russia, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean – and he also crossed the Atlantic to visit both North and South America. (In fact, Saint-Saëns made it all the way to California in 1915 to help celebrate the Panama-Pacific Exposition.) But there was one locale that he loved above all others: North Africa. Saint-Saëns made repeated trips to this region, drawn in particular to the exotic qualities of the African nations that bordered the Mediterranean (it was on one of these trips that he died at the age of 86). His many North African journeys influenced his music: Saint-Saëns composed a Suite algérienne, a work for piano and orchestra that he titled Africa, and the present piano concerto, which was inspired by a trip to the Nile and which bears the nickname “Egyptian.”

Early in 1896 Saint-Saëns made an extended visit to Egypt, and as part of that trip he took a boat ride up the Nile. It was while he was staying in Luxor, site of the ancient city of Thebes, that he composed his Piano Concerto No. 5, and Saint-Saëns himself was aware that the region had helped shape this concerto. He later wrote: “The second part, in effect, takes us on a journey to the East and even, in the F sharp passage to the Far East. The G Major passage is a Nubian love song which I heard sung by the boatmen on the Nile as I went down the river in a dahabieh.” Saint-Saëns was soloist at the premiere of the Piano Concerto No. 5, which took place in the Salle Pleyel in Paris on June 2, 1896.

The concerto is in the expected three movements, all of them full of the polish, graceful spirits and idiomatic writing that mark Saint-Saëns’ music. The Allegro animato contrasts two quite different themes, both introduced by the piano: a flowing chordal melody and a somewhat more expressive second subject, marked Un poco rubato and set in D minor. The movement develops in sonata form, builds to a climax, and falls away to a quiet close on the second theme.

The central Andante is the movement that earned this concerto the nickname “Egyptian.” An attack for full orchestra gets the movement off to a surprisingly fierce start, and this is followed by pulsing rhythms in the strings. The episode in G Major is the love-song Saint-Saëns heard sung by the Nile boatmen, and he said that the chirping grace-notes in the violins were the sound of crickets and frogs he heard along the banks of the Nile.

The finale, marked Molto allegro, gets off to a propulsive, driving start. Saint-Saëns said that this concerto depicted a “sea-voyage,” and many have heard the rumble of a ship’s propellers at the beginning of this movement. This finale is deft and light-hearted music (though it requires some very brilliant piano-playing to bring it off), and the music dances gracefully right up to its vigorous concluding chords. n

Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 60, Leningrad

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH

Born September 25, 1906, St. Petersburg

Died August 9, 1975, Moscow

APPROXIMATE PERFORMANCE TIME 1 HOUR, 14 MINUTES

On June 21, 1941, Hitler unleashed Operation Barbarossa – the invasion of Russia – and specified to his generals that it would “have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness.” In this he was as good as his word – over the next four years twenty million Russians would be killed. Shostakovich heard the news that Saturday afternoon while on his way to a soccer double-header, and his life was transformed along with his nation’s. When his attempt to enlist in the army was rejected, he contributed to the war effort by writing patriotic songs and marches and joined the firefighting brigade at the Leningrad Conservatory. They did not have long to wait – the Germans began shelling Leningrad on September 1, and that siege, one of the most horrifying in history, would last almost three years and kill nearly a million residents of the city.

Even before Nazi shells began to fall on the city, Shostakovich had set out on a vast musical project – on July 19 he began a symphony written in response to the invasion. It would be the longest of his fifteen symphonies, the most famous, and the most notorious. He completed the huge first movement on August 29 as the German army approached, had the second done on September 17, and completed the third twelve days later, on the 29th. By this time, Leningrad had been completely cut off, and Shostakovich and his wife and children were flown over enemy lines to Moscow on October 1. Along with many other Soviet artists, they were then evacuated to Kyubishev, 600 miles east of Moscow, and it was there that he completed his Seventh Symphony on December 27. A few weeks after the premiere, which took place in Kyubishev on March 5, 1942, Shostakovich called the war the struggle “between culture and barbarity, between light and darkness” and dedicated the Seventh Symphony “to our struggle with fascism, to our coming victory over the enemy, and to my native city, Leningrad.”

The Leningrad Symphony, as the Seventh inevitably became known, spans nearly eighty minutes. The massive opening movement is what we automatically think of at the mention of the Leningrad Symphony – it gives the symphony its distinctive character, as well as its notoriety. Shostakovich described the opening of the movement as a depiction “of the happy, peaceful life of people sure of themselves and their future. This is the simple, peaceful life lived before the war . . .” The powerful opening in C Major establishes a heroic character, while the violins’ lyric second subject and the exposition’s closing theme – imaginatively assigned to a solitary piccolo – offer fleeting glimpses of a peaceful life now gone forever. It is into this almost pastoral world that war suddenly intrudes, and here Shostakovich makes a striking choice. In place of the expected development of his opening material, invaders arrive, not as cataclysmic horror but as a faint presence on the most distant horizon. Over a faint snare drum tattoo (marked triple piano), strings pluck out a jaunty little tune, almost banal in its simplicity. The sting comes in its tail: its closing phrase is from Danilo’s Da geh’ ich zu Maxim’s, from Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow, one of

Hitler’s favorites. (Shostakovich could not have known of that association, and doubtless incorporated the tag-end of the melody simply to give his invader theme a German flavor.) Over the incessant snare drum rhythm, this little tune repeats and repeats, growing louder as the enemy approaches and developing a swagger along the way. After twelve repetitions, this theme – now of steamroller-like proportions – is assaulted by a mighty “Russian”-sounding theme, and a noisy musical battle erupts. The charge has always been that Shostakovich lifted the idea for this episode from Ravel’s Bolero, and while in a structural sense that may be accurate, the true musical father of this movement is Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, where music associated with another invader from Western Europe – Napoleon’s France – is confronted in a musical battle by Russian music and defeated. At the climax of the first movement Shostakovich reintroduces his heroic opening theme, and there follows what might be described as a “battered” recapitulation. Solo bassoon sings a long threnody on the violins’ second subject – what had sounded so peaceful half an hour before is now spare and grim. The movement concludes in near-silence as fragments of the invader theme lie shattered in the ditch.

The Moderato (poco Allegretto) is a scherzo in ternary form. Second violins announce a tart little dance, full of i ronic turns, and the strident central episode, which moves into 3/8 and C-sharp minor, rides along the piercing sound of solo woodwinds. Shostakovich accompanies the return of his opening dance with some wonderful sounds, generated by two flutes and alto flute, which pulse quietly behind the dance.

The spare wind chorale that opens the Adagio alternates with a cadenza-like recitative for violins, and this in turn is followed by a lyric idea for flute. This last offers some of the most appealing music in the symphony, but it is rudely shouldered aside as the music accelerates into a raucous, troubled central section. Shostakovich recalls his opening material briefly before proceeding directly into the finale.

Shostakovich had originally planned to call the last movement “Victory,” and while he withdrew that title, he did establish the connection in a radio broadcast, calling the finale “the victory of light over darkness, wisdom over frenzy, lofty humanism over monstrous tyranny.” But while the first movement may have won a battle, final victory was by no means certain at this point. In fact, when Shostakovich began composing this finale – three days after the attack on Pearl Harbor – the siege of Leningrad would continue for two more years, with untold misery still to come. The music begins in harmonic uncertainty and takes a firm direction only when the strings stride out purposefully with the movement’s main theme. This is another long movement – and a tense one. Shostakovich calls for ten extra brass players with parts of their own, and – despite a quiet central episode – the music often feels more tortured than triumphant. Even the heroic return of the symphony’s opening theme in the closing minutes does not dispel this tension, and Shostakovich wrenches the music into unequivocal C Major only for the final chord. Written from the depths of war, this is a finale that celebrates the expectation of victory rather than its finality.

No other symphony in history has had the immediate impact that the Leningrad Symphony had. Its premiere was broadcast throughout Russia, and the Leningrad premiere – on August 9, 1942, in the midst of the siege – was so important to the beleaguered city that its only surviving orchestra – a radio orchestra of barely fifty players – was augmented by players

pulled from military units, with some players even called back from the trenches at the front to participate. The symphony was performed over sixty times in its first season, unheard of for any symphony, before or since – this music had become the cultural symbol of the struggle against Hitler and the Nazis.

Inevitably, a reaction set in. English critic Ernest Newman contributed a memorable barb, saying that if one “wished to locate this symphony on the musical map, he should look along the seventieth degree of longitude and the last degree of platitude,” and Bartók – perhaps unwisely –sneered at the invader theme in his Concerto for Orchestra. After its excessive popularity, the Leningrad Symphony virtually dropped out of sight in the years after the war.

What sense are we to make of the Shostakovich Seventh Symphony, over eighty years after its premiere? The conditions that gave rise to its creation have long since faded into history, and this symphony – perhaps too loud, too long, and too obvious – might have been expected to vanish along with them. Yet the Leningrad Symphony has re-established itself to some degree over the last twenty years, and it continues to engage audiences. Perhaps some of this is simple nostalgia, its power – like a faded snapshot or a uniform found in a closet – to evoke another era. But some of its enduring appeal comes directly from the passion and heroism of the music itself. Carl Sandburg said that this symphony was “written in the heart’s blood,” and while its rawness and immediacy may be the source of some of its problems, they are also the source of its strength. Sentiments that sound tinny and jingoistic during moments of ease can take on renewed meaning during times of national emergency. In its stark power, broad strokes and unconflicted emotions, Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony speaks of a less complicated time, and it truly is music written “in the heart’s blood.” n

Program notes by Eric Bromberger

UPCOMING SUMMER CONCERTS AT THE RADY SHELL AT JACOBS PARK

OPENING NIGHT WITH THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

June 27 | 7:30PM

The evening opens with Ginastera’s Four Dances from Estancia, the final dance being the spirited “Malambo.” Wynton Marsalis – one of the greatest and most celebrated trumpet musicians of all time – created a trumpet concerto that will receive its San Diego debut, at the hands of trumpet extraordinaire Paul Merkelo. Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice conjures the excitement and magic made famous by Disney’s Fantasia, and Debussy’s La mer brings a beautiful ode to the sea, a perfect selection for the waterfront venue.

BEETHOVEN BY THE BAY

July 13 | 7:30PM

This annual summer favorite bringing Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture to life, along with Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, performed by violinist Clara-Jumi Kang. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park is the ideal setting in which to hear the program’s final work - Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral,” – in which the composer marked birdsongs in the score, just one element in this symphony that helps to evoke the countryside that inspired it.

4TH OF JULY: AMERICA IN SONG WITH THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

July 4 | 7:30PM

Maestro Ted Sperling’s new “4th of July: America in Song” brings audiences together to share what is unique and wonderful about the American spirit, through our country’s wide and storied musical heritage. Featured songs include the Gershwin’s’ “Summertime,” Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’”, Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors,” the Louis Armstrong classic “Basin Street Blues,” and many more singularly American songs. Blending the music that has enchanted generations of Americans, contemporary Broadway and Americana anthems we all love, this 4th of July event is not to be missed.

TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR

August 30 | 7:30PM

Conductor Stephanie Childress makes her San Diego Symphony debut in the orchestra’s annual favorite. Featuring many of the composer’s most celebrated works, the program also includes Chopin’s romantic Piano Concerto No. 1, delivered by Austrian pianist Kiron Atom Tellian, and culminates in the 1812 Overture, with a pyrotechnic display in the skies above The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park and the San Diego Bay.

THE LEGACY SOCIETY

The Legacy Society honors the following individuals who have made cash pledges or future commitments from their estates to the San Diego Symphony Foundation and/or the San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association to ensure the success of the orchestra for generations to come. The following listing includes commitments as of January 15, 2024

*Deceased

$1,000,000 AND ABOVE

Sophie & Arthur Brody Foundation*

Nicole A. and Benjamin G. Clay

Daniel J. and Phyllis Epstein

John Forrest and Deborah Pate

Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon

Norman Forrester and Bill Griffin

Pauline Foster*

Pamela Hamilton Lester

In Memory of Jim Lester

Joan* and Irwin Jacobs

Karen and Warren Kessler

Willis J. Larkin*

Beatrice P. and Charles W. Lynds*

Jack McGrory

The Miller Fund

Marilyn James and Richard Phetteplace

Penny and Louis Rosso

Marie G. Raftery and Robert A. Rubenstein, M. D.

Lyn Small and Miguel Ikeda

Katherine “Kaylan” Thornhill

Sue and Bill* Weber

Mitchell R. Woodbury

UNDISCLOSED OR UNDER $100,000

Anonymous (3)

Leonard Abrahms*

Carol Rolf and Steven Adler

Pat Baker and Laurence Norquist*

William Beamish

Stephen and Michele* Beck-von-Peccoz

Alan Benaroya

Lt. Margaret L Boyce USN*

Dennis and Lisa Bradley

Gordon Brodfuehrer

Joseph H. Brooks and Douglas Walker

Donna Bullock

Melanie and Russ Chapman

Clancy-Jordan Family

Catherine Cleary

Warrine and Ted Cranston*

Elisabeth and Robert* Crouch

Anna Curren

Peter V. Czipott and Marisa SorBello

Caroline S. DeMar

Ms. Peggy Ann Dillon*

Alice Dyer Trust*

Arthur S. Ecker*

Jeanne and Morey Feldman*

David Finkelstein*

Teresa and Merle Fischlowitz*

Margaret A. Flickinger

Judith and Dr. William Friedel

Carol J. Gable*

Edward B. Gill

Madeline and Milton Goldberg*

Helene Grant*

Dorothy and Waldo Greiner*

David and Claire Guggenheim

Judith Harris* and Robert Singer, M.D.

$100,000 AND ABOVE

Anonymous

Alfred F. Antonicelli*

Rosanne B. and W. Gregory Berton

Julia R. Brown

Margaret and David* Brown

Roberta and Malin Burnham

The Carton Charitable Trust*

Joan R. Cooper*

Bob and Kathy Cueva

Elizabeth and Newell A. Eddy*

Esther and Bud* Fischer

Pam and Hal Fuson

Joyce A. Glazer

Nancy and Fred Gloyna

Muriel Gluck*

Judith C. Harris* and Robert Singer, M. D.

Susan and Paul Hering

Barbara M. Katz

Evelyn and William Lamden

Inge Lehman*

Sandy and Arthur* Levinson

Lulu Hsu

Marjory Kaplan

Patricia A. Keller*

Anne* and Takashi Kiyoizumi

Carol Lazier and James Merritt

Joan Lewan*

Jaime z’’l* and Sylvia Liwerant

Gladys Madoff*

John and Amy Malone

Richard Manion

James Marshall, Ph.D.

Patricia and Peter Matthews

Antoinette Chaix McCabe*

Sandra Miner

Judith A. Moore

Ermen and Fred Moradi*

Mona and Sam Morebello

Helen and Joseph R. Nelson*

Joani Nelson

Mariellen Oliver*

Elizabeth and Dene Oliver

Val and Ron Ontell

Steven Penhall

Margaret F. Peninger*

Pauline Peternella*

Robert Plimpton

Elizabeth Poltere

Sheila Potiker*

Jim Price and Joan Sieber

Carol Randolph, PH.D. and Robert Caplan

Sarah Marsh-Rebelo and John Rebelo

Lois Richmond (of blessed memory)*

Debra Thomas Richter and Mark Richter

Dr. Arno Safier*

Pamela Mallory

Elizabeth R. Mayer*

Vance M. McBurney*

Imozelle and Jim McVeigh

Michael Napoli

Shona Pierce*

Linda and Shearn* Platt

Anne Ratner*

Colette Carson Royston and Ivor Royston

Ken Schwartz*

Kris and Chris Seeger

Karen and Kit Sickels

Gayle* and Donald Slate

Sheila Sloan*

Dave and Phyllis Snyder

Pat Stein*

James L.* and June A. Swartz

Elizabeth and Joseph* Taft

Colonel (Ret.) Joseph and Mrs. Joyce Timmons

Leslie and Joe Waters

Joan and Jack Salb*

Richard A. Samuelson*

Craig Schloss

Todd Schultz

Melynnique and Edward* Seabrook

Pat Shank

Kathleen and Lewis* Shuster

Drs. Bella and Alexander* Silverman

Stephen M. Silverman

Richard Sipan*

Nora Jean Smith

Linda and Bob Snider

Valerie Stallings

Richard Stern*

Marjorie A. Stettbacher

Susan B. Stillings*

Joyce and Ted Strauss*

Gene Summ

Sheryl Sutton

Victor van Lint

Harriet and Maneck* Wadia

Pauline and Ralph Wagner*

Betty and Phillip Ward PIF Fund*

K. Nikki Waters

Mike & Janet Westling

James R. Williams and Nancy S. Williams*

Martha Jean Winslow*

Marga Winston*

Edward Witt

Carolyn and Eric Witt

David A. Wood

Zarbock 1990 Trust*

LeAnna S. Zevely

Dr. and Mrs. Philip Ziring

If you are interested in more information about joining The Legacy Society, please contact Vice President of Institutional Advancement Sheri Broedlow at (619) 615-3910 or sbroedlow@sandiegosymphony.org.

2025–26 SEASON IS HERE!

Music for Families

Symphony Kids Series

4 SATURDAYS AT 10AM & 11:30AM | AGES 0–5

For our youngest music lovers, the Symphony Kids Series is the perfect introduction to the world of music! These 30-minute interactive concerts are sensory-friendly and designed with little ones in mind. Sing-alongs, rhymes, dances, and musical games will engage your child while introducing them to the instruments of the orchestra.

NOVEMBER 1

MEET THE WINDS: MOTHER GOOSE

Featuring a San Diego Symphony Wind Quintet

DECEMBER 13

MEET THE BRASS: ‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Featuring a San Diego Symphony Brass Quintet

FEBRUARY 14

MEET THE PERCUSSION: CLAPPING MUSIC

Featuring a San Diego Symphony Percussion Ensemble

MARCH 28

MEET THE STRINGS: FERDINAND THE BULL

Featuring a San Diego Symphony String Quintet

Family Concert Series

3 SATURDAYS AT 11AM AGES 6–12

Experience the thrill of live music with our full orchestra in three fun and engaging performances at Jacobs Music Center! These 1-hour concerts feature captivating musical stories and interactive moments that are sure to inspire both kids and adults alike.

OCTOBER 25

SPOOKY

SOUNDS AND MAGICAL MELODIES

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Start your day with a magical and spooky adventure with the orchestra! Enjoy the enchanting Hedwig’s Theme, the thrilling Danse macabre, and the fiery finale of Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. Don’t forget your costumes, this morning of music will have you spellbound!

FEBRUARY 7

PETER AND THE WOLF

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Embark on a musical journey celebrating the beauty of the animal kingdom. From the buzzing Flight of the Bumblebee to the classic musical story Peter and the Wolf, to a world premiere of Right Whale, Wrong Letter, this concert is an unforgettable tribute to our furry, finned, and feathered friends!

APRIL 11

SPACE JUNK

WindSync, wind quintet San Diego Symphony Orchestra

Blast off with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra for a cosmic adventure through music! From the triumphant Sunrise Fanfare to the dramatic Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and the iconic Star Wars theme, this concert will take you to the stars and beyond. With the world premiere of Space Junk, it’s a family-friendly journey through the galaxy you won’t want to miss!

Symphony Kids Series: This series was developed in partnership with SDSU Center for Autism. General admission seating. Tickets are required for all ages, including babies in arms. Family Concert Series: Seating selected with purchase. Children 2+ and adults require a ticket; attendees under age 2 seated on an adult’s lap are included with adult ticket purchase.

Jazz @ The Jacobs

SATURDAYS AT 7:30 PM

Experience the Jazz @ The Jacobs series in its second year at the renovated Jacobs Music Center.

Curated by renowned musician Gilbert Castellanos, the immersive venue wraps audiences in sound and emotion. Subscribe to the 2025-26 three-concert series and experience these unforgettable performances.

*All Jazz @ The Jacobs shows will feature a pre-show performance by Young Lions

NOVEMBER 29

JOHN COLTRANE: BLUE TRAIN

Brian Levy, Tenor saxophone

Gilbert Castellanos, trumpet

Andre Hayward, trombone

Mike Gurrola, bass

Additional artists to be announced

*Young Lions Jazz Conservatory All-Stars, jazz band

Gilbert Castellanos, Brian Levy, Andre Hayward, Mike Gurrola bring John Coltrane’s Blue Train to life. Coltrane wrote all but one of the compositions on the album - rare at the album’s time of release.

FEBRUARY 14

SONGS FOR LOVERS: The music of Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, Charlie Parker, and Dinah Washington

Charles McPherson, saxophone

Gilbert Castellanos, trumpet

Melissa Morgan, vocals

Willie Jones III, drums

Additional artists to be announced

*Young Lions Jazz Conservatory All-Stars, jazz band

Spend Valentine’s Day with loved ones and the music of Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, Charlie Parker, and Dinah Washington.

APRIL 4

THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET: TIME OUT

Josh Nelson, piano

Nicole McCabe, alto saxophone

Luca Alemanno, bass

Joe LaBarbera, drums

Additional artists to be announced

*Young Lions Jazz Conservatory All-Stars, jazz band

Dave Brubeck Quartet’s Time Out broke records and conventions alike, becoming the first jazz album to sell a million copies. Join a quartet of jazz greats for an evening featuring this remarkable album.

Gilbert Castellanos, trumpet

Jazz Conservatory All-Stars.

ANNUAL GIVING HONOR ROLL

The Musicians, members of the Board of Directors and the Administrative Staff wish to gratefully acknowledge the growing list of friends who give so generously to support the San Diego Symphony. To make a gift, please call (619) 615-3901. The following listing reflects pledges entered as of January 15, 2024.

San Diego Foundation Rancho Santa Fe Foundation Jewish Community Foundation *Deceased

STRADIVARIUS CIRCLE:

$100,000 AND ABOVE

Raffaella and John* Belanich

City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture

Carol and Richard Hertzberg

Joan* and Irwin Jacobs

Dorothea Laub

The Miller Fund

The Conrad Prebys Foundation

Jennie Werner

MAESTRO CIRCLE:

$50,000-$99,999

Anonymous (1)

Michele and Jules Arthur

Terry L. Atkinson

Dianne Bashor

Alan Benaroya

Julia Richardson Brown Foundation

John and Janice Cone

Kevin and Jan Curtis

Una Davis and Jack McGrory

Drs. Edward A. and Martha G. Dennis

Mr. and Mrs.* Brian K. Devine

Daniel J. and Phyllis Epstein

Pam and Hal Fuson

Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon

Arlene Inch

The Janecek Family Foundation

Karen and Warren Kessler

Brooke and Dan* Koehler

Monica and Robert Oder

Maryanne and Irwin Pfister

Linda and Shearn* Platt

Marilyn James and Richard Phetteplace

Price Philanthropies

Qualcomm Charitable Foundation

Marie G. Raftery and Robert A. Rubenstein, M. D.

Jacqueline and Jean-Luc

Robert Elena Romanowsky

Penny and Louis Rosso

Colette Carson Royston and Ivor Royston

San Diego Foundation

Jean and Gary Shekhter

Karen and Kit Sickels

Karen Foster Silberman and Jeff Silberman, Silberman Family Fund

Les J. Silver and Andrea Rothschild-Silver

Gayle* and Donald Slate

Dave and Phyllis Snyder

Gloria and Rodney Stone

Jayne and Bill Turpin

Vail Memorial Fund, Meredith Brown, Trustee

Leslie and Joe Waters

Sue and Bill* Weber

Kathryn A. and James

E. Whistler

Cole and Judy Willoughby

Mitchell Woodbury

Sarah and Marc Zeitlin

GUEST ARTIST CIRCLE:

$25,000-$49,999

Anonymous (x2)

Eloise and Warren* Batts

David Bialis

The Bjorg Family

Annette and Daniel Bradbury

Dee Anne and Michael Canepa

Nicole A. and Benjamin G. Clay

Karen and Donald Cohn

Stephanie and Richard Coutts

Ann Davies

Kathleen Seely Davis

Karin and Gary Eastham

Shirley Estes

Lisette and Mick Farrell, Farrell

Family Foundation

Kelly Greenleaf and Michael Magerman

Lawrence and Suzanne Hess

Hervey Family Fund

Kiwanis Club of San Diego

Helen and Sig Kupka

Carol Ann and George Lattimer

Lisa and Gary Levine

Sandy and Arthur* Levinson

Eileen Mason

Anne and Andy McCammon

Padres Foundation

Deborah Pate and John Forrest

Allison and Robert Price

Carol Randolph, Ph. D. and

Robert Caplan

Sally and Steve Rogers

Jeanette Stevens

Elizabeth and Joseph* Taft

Sandra Timmons and Richard Sandstrom

University of San Diego

Sheryl and Harvey White

Young Presidents’

Organization

San Diego Gold

The Zygowicz Family (John, Judy, and Michelle)

CONCERTMASTER CIRCLE:

$15,000-$24,999

Anonymous

Diane and Norman Blumenthal

Dr. Anthony Boganey

Gisele Bonitz

The Boros Family

Gordon Brodfuehrer

David Cohn

Ana de Vedia

Hon. James Emerson

Anne and Steve Furgal

Joyce Gattas, Ph. D. and Jay Jeffcoat

Jill Gormley and Laurie Lipman

Janet and Wil Gorrie

Georgia Griffiths and Colleen Kendall

Judith Harris* and

Robert Singer, M.D.

Laurie Sefton Henson

Jo Ann Kilty

Dr. William and Evelyn Lamden

Linda and Tom Lang

Carol Lazier and James Merritt

Lynn and Sue Miller

Marshall Littman, M.D.

Rena Minisi and Rich Paul

The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation

Val and Ron Ontell

Dave and Jean Perry

Jane and Jon Pollock

Pamela and Stephen Quinn

Dr. Andrew Ries and Dr. Vivian Reznik

Cathy and Lawrence* Robinson

Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation

Chris and Kris Seeger

Stephen M. Silverman

Sylvia Steding and Roger* Thieme

Gayle and Philip Tauber

R.V. Thomas Family Fund

Julie and Stephen Tierney

Tim and Jean Valentine

Isabelle and Mel* Wasserman

Margarita and Philip Wilkinson

Lisa and Michael Witz

VIRTUOSO CIRCLE: $10,000-$14,999

Anonymous

Guity Balow

Ina Cantor and Sammy Krumholz

Barbara and Salvatore Capizzi

P. Kay Coleman & Janice E. Montle

Nina and Robert* Doede

Karin and Alfred Esser

Leticia Falquier and Craig

Sapin

Norman Forrester and Bill Griffin

Scott and Tracy Frudden

Lynn and Charles Gaylord

Martha and William Gilmer

Hanna and Mark Gleiberman

Lehn and Richard Goetz

Vicki Garcia-Golden and Tim Jeffries

Marcia Green and Laurie

Munday

Kay and Bill Gurtin

Jason and Somi Han

Dwight Hare and Stephanie Bergsma

Jeff And Tina Hauser

Beverley Haynes

Richard A. Heyman and Anne E. Daigle Family Foundation

Nellie High-Iredale

Angela and Cory Homnick

The Hong-Patapoutian Family

Nancy and Stephen Howard

Jeffrey and Claudia Lee

Bill and Michelle Lerach

Susan and Peter Mallory

Larry McDonald and

Clare White-McDonald

Oliver McGonigle

Elizabeth and Edward McIntyre

Morrison & Foerster

Trupti and Pratik Multani

Donald and Clara Murphy

Dana and Stella Pizzuti

Claudia Prescott

Sandy and Greg Rechtsteiner

ResMed Foundation

Carol Rolf and Steven Adler

Harold and Evelyn Schauer

Jayne and Brigg Sherman

Sandra Smelik and Larry Manzer

Hon. Stephanie Sontag and Hon. David Oberholtzer

DeAnne Steele and

Carlo Barbara

Mike Stivers and Alan Dwyer

Ingrid M. Van Moppes

K. Nikki Waters

Shirli Weiss

Edward and Anna Yeung

Joan Zecher

ORCHESTRA CIRCLE: $5,000-$9,999

Anonymous (1)

Nicole Acuff

Cheryl and Rand Alexander

Bonnie and Krishna Arora

Kevin and Michelle Aufmann

Rena and Behram Baxter

Edgar and Julie Berner

Sophie Bryan and Matthew Lueders

Donna Bullock and Kenneth Bullock

Wendy Burk and Harold Frysh

Joseph Caso

Marilyn Colby

Elaine Darwin

Ann DeFields

The den Uijl Family

Brett Dickinson

Jon and Karen Dien

Karen Dow

Susan Dubé

Julie and Mitchell Dubick

Berit and Tom Durler

Susanna and Michael Flaster

Gertrude B. Fletcher

Karen Forbes

Leonard and Marcia* Fram

Calvin Frantz

Marie and Bob Garson

Carrie and James Greenstein

David and Claire Guggenheim

Ivy Hanson

Beau Haugh

Suzanne and Lawrence Hess

Janet and Clive Holborow

Maryka and George* Hoover

James B. Idell and Deborah C. Streett-Idell

Virginia and Peter Jensen

Sabby Jonathan

Marge Katleman and

Richard Perlman

Carol and Mike Kearney

Angela and Matthew Kilman

Robert* and Laura Kyle

Ann and Joseph Lipschitz

Steve Lyman and Diane McKernan

Mark C. Mead

Dr. Laurie Mitchell and Brent

Woods

Lorna* and Adrian Nemcek

David and Judith Nielsen

Alex and Jenny Ning

Aradhna and Grant Oliphant

Ricki Pedersen

Mary Ann and David Petree

Peggy and Peter Preuss

Jennifer and Eugene

Rumsey Jr. M.D.

Sage Foundation

Bonnie and Josef Sedivec

Ruey and Marivi Shivers

Larry and Pamela Stambaugh

Iris and Matthew* Strauss

Charles Tiano

Richard and Susan Ulevitch

Aysegul Underhill

Mary L. Walshok, Ph.D.

Shara Williams and Benjamin Brand

Debi and Robert Young

Leo* and Emma Zuckerman

SYMPHONY CIRCLE:

$2,500-$4,999

Ellie and David Alpert

Lauren Lee Beaudry

Dr. Thomas Beers

Mark and Ellen Bramson

Ralph Britton

Loyce Bruce

Maria Carrera and Corey

Fayman

John Cochran* and Sue Lasbury Household

Mayra Curiel and Carlos Larios

Andrea da Rosa

Trevor and Patricia Daniel

Susan and Steven Davis

Caroline S. DeMar

Don Duda

Doris and Peter Ellsworth

Morey A. Feldman & Jeanne D. Feldman Family Endowment Fund

Judy and Neil Finn

Richard Forsyth and Katherine Leonard

Ms. Linda Fortier

Marilyn Friesen and John Greenbush

Brenda and Dr.

Michael Goldbaum

Robert And Carole Greenes

Sharon and Garry Hays

Mert and Joanne Hill

Mr. Clifford Hollander and Mrs. Sharon Flynn Hollander

Sonya and Sergio* Jinich

Leon and Sofia Kassel

Dwight A. Kellogg

Kris J. Kopensky

Stephen Korniczky

Brian and Nancy Littlefield

Sylvia and Jaime* Liwerant

Pamela Maher

Glen P. Middleton

Takenori Muraoka

Elizabeth Pille

Sandra and David Polster

Pratt Memorial Fund

Jeff and Clare Quinn

Linda J. & Jeffrey M. Shohet

Timothy Snodgrass and Elaine King

Steve and Carmen Steinke

Jacqueline Thousand and Richard Villa

Col. and Mrs. Joseph C.

Timmons

Norton S. and Barbara Walbridge Fund

Thomas P. Ward and Rosemary T. Ward

Carolyn and Eric Witt

Luann and Brian E. Wright

David A. Wood

Gary and Amy Yin

Dr. and Mrs. Philip Ziring

Herb* and Margaret Zoehrer

CONCERTO CIRCLE:

$1,000-$2,499

Anonymous (3)

B.J. Adelson

Dede and Michael Alpert

Janet Anderson and

Victor Van Lint

Nicole Anderson

Hector and Jennifer Anguiano

Lyndsey and Allan W. Arendsee

Patricia and Brian Armstrong

Roberta Baade

Mary Barranger

Rusti Bartell

David and Jasna Belanich

Sondra Berk

Ivy and Mark Bernhardson

Mary Ann Beyster

Virginia and Robert Black

Joseph H. Brooks and Douglas Walker

Ercil Brown and Linda Silverman

Rew P. Carne

Caroline Chen and George Boomer

Stan Clayton Colwell Family Fund

Jeanette and Hal Coons

Bob and Kathy Cueva

Georgia and Emery Cummins

Dr. Peter Czipott and Marisa SorBello

William A. Davidson

Mary G. Dawe

Maria Deacon and Patrick Davis

Anne and Charles Dick

Marguerite Jackson Dill and Carol Archibald

Sandra Dodge

John E. Don Carlos

Gail Donahue

Philip L. Dowd

Max Fenstermacher

Marilyn Field

Kenneth Fitzgerald

Douglas Flaker and Rikk Valdivia

Stan Fleming, Forward Ventures

Jean Fort

The Samuel I. and John

Henry Fox Foundation

Nicholas R. Frost, MD

Judith Fullerton

Nancy and Mike Garrett

Kenneth F. Gibsen

Memorial Fund

Linda R. Gooden

James and Donna Gordon

Laurie M. Gore

Sally and Dave Hackel

Fred Hafer and Noel

Haskins-Hafer Household

Stephanie and John Hanson

Thomas Hawkins

Michelle Hebert

Joan and Richard Heller

Sarah Hillier and Paul Strand

Barbara and

Paul Hirshman

Peggy and John* Holl

Lulu Hsu

Borden E. Hughes

Jeanne Curtis Hurwitz

Arthur Johnson

Dr. Henry J. Judd

Dr. Enoch Kariuki

Maurice Kawashima

Cynthia King

Tandy and Gary Kippur –

JCF of Southern AZ

Betty and Leonard Kornreich

Martha and Jerry* Krasne

Anona Kuehne

Rhea and Armin Kuhlman

Gautam and Anjali Lalani

Colleen and Jeffrey Lambert

Philip Larsen

Dr. Mary Lawlor

Eliza Lee

Greg Lemke

Pat and Steve Lending

Gayle M. Lennard

Kiyoe MacDonald

Catherine Mackey

Daniel and Chris Mahai

Sally and Luis Maizel

Amy and John Malone

Eugene Malone

Suzanne S. Manley

Arnulfo Manriquez

Madonna Christine Maxwell and Jeffrey Omens

David McCall and Bill Cross

Janet McClure

The McKay Family

Susan and Douglas McLeod

Menard Family Foundation

Richard Michaels

Dr. Sandra E. Miner

Martha and Chuck Moffett

Bibhu P. Mohanty

Dr. Thomas Moore

David Morris

Drs. Elaine and Douglas

Muchmoore

Shelley Neiman

Patricia R. Nelson

Dr. Jon Nowak

Cynthia Obadia

Frank O’Dea

Larry and Linda Okmin

Household

Thomas O’Neill and Mary Ann Kennedy

Barry Parker

Sally and Phillip Patton

James Pea and Sandra Petersen

Cathleen C. Pilkington

The Porter Family

Jim Price and Joan Sieber

Carol Prior

Drs. Radmilla and Igor Prislin

Arlene Quaccia and Robin Hughes

Matthew and Sue Quinn

Barbara Rabiner

Janet and Bill Raschke

Keith Record

Dr. Marilyn Friesen and Dr. Michael Rensink

The Ryde Family

Memorial Foundation

Gloria and Dean Saiki

San Diego Downtown

Breakfast Rotary

Susan and Edward Sanderson Household

Dina Feldman-Scarr and Marshal Scarr

Thomas Schwartz

Judith and Robert Sharp

Lari Sheehan

Professor Susan Shirk

Anne and Ronald Simon

Drs. Eleanor J. Smith and John D. Malone

Darryl and Rita Solberg

Suzy Soo

Valerie Stallings

James Storelli

Emily Renee Stroebel

Diane Strong

John E. Sturla II

Swinton Family Fund

Elliot Tarson

Thomas Templeton and Mary Erlenborn

William Tong

Fred and Erika Torri

Jennifer and Stephen Toth

Janis Vanderford

Kathleen and Louis Victorino

Carol and Thomas Warschauer

Dr. Jeffrey and Barbara Wasserstrom

Margaret Weigand

Ruth Wikberg-Leonardi and Ron Leonardi

Eileen Wingard

Joseph and Mary Witztum

Karen and Rod Wood

Olga and Oscar Worm

Barbara A. Yost

Britt Zeller

Charles Ralph Zellerback

SONATA CIRCLE: $500-$999

Anonymous (6)

June and Daniel Allen

Dr. Robin Allgren

Philip Anderson

Arleene Antin and Leonard Ozerkis

Nancy and James Balderrama

Elaine Baldwin and Carl Nelson

Joe Baressi Jr.

Lori Baxter

Elena Bernardi

Dr. Leonard and

Beverly Bernstein

Terri Bignell

Jerry and Karen Blakely

Sondra Boddy & Robert C. Smith

Marcus and Kimberley Boehm

Stephen and Priscilla Bothwell

Mary Catherine Bowell

Gloria and Sed Brown

Alyssa Brzenski

Jolie and Glenn Buberl

Ed Budzyna and Zack Zaccaria

Robert and Carolyn Caietti

Judith Call

Margaret Carrol

Patricia and Michael Casey

Gloria and Maurice Caskey

Juliana Caso

Tanya and Sutton Chen

Raymond Chinn

Mary Ellen Clark

Geoff and Shem Clow

Dan Collins and Nancy Shimamoto Household

Dale Connelly

Patrick and Lisa Cooney

Joe Costa

Dr. Peter Czipott and Marisa SorBello

Dr. Dalia Daujotyte

Erle Frederick Davis

Morgan Day and Amy Larson

Julie and Don De Ment

Debra Deverill

Dr. Greg Dixon

Douglas P. Doucette

Rob Drake

Elizabeth and Richard Dreisbach

Pamela Dunlap

Jim Eastman

Jeffrey Edwards

Drs. Eric and Barbara Emont

Robyn Erlenbush

Jeane Erley

Arlene Esgate

Joel Ewan and Carol Spielman-Ewan

Dr. Thomas Fay and Fabiola Lopez

Hank Finesilver

Linda Lyons Firestein

Louise Firme

Darlene and Robert Fleischman

Nynke Fortuin

Michelle Fox

Dr. Laura Gomez-Freeman and William Freeman

Judith and William Friedel

Roy Gilmour

Diane Glow

Kathleen and John Golden

Ser Andre Gonzalez

Robert Griffin

Stephanie and H. Griswold

Dean Haas

Georgette Hale

Gerald Hansen and Marilyn Southcott

Helen Hansen

Lydia Harris

The Herr Family

Christine Hickman and Dennis

Ragen

Richard Himmelspach

Harold Hoch

Anne S. Holder-Erdman

Sandra Hoover

Thomas Houlihan

Ralph Hull

Nancy Hylbert

Stefan Hyman

Robert Jentner

Dimitri and Elaine Jeon

Benjamin Johnson

Bruce A. Johnson

R. Douglas and Jeanette Johnson

Thesa Lorna Jolly

Dr. James Justeson

Julia Katz

Wilfred Kearse and Lynne Champagne

John and Sue Kim

Michael and Patricia Klowden

Toby Kramer

Robert and Elena Kucinski

Bernard Kulchin and Paula Taylor

Mary Kyriopoulos

Laura Laslo

Elizabeth Leech

Drs. Kathleen and William

Lennard

Claudia Levin

Ronald and Elizabeth Livingstone

David Louie

Claudia Lowenstein

Scott Luttgen

Anne Macek

Kyong Macek

Vonnie Madigan

Annie Cruz Magill

Richard Manion

Sue Marberry

Beverly and Harold Martyn

James R. Mathes

Mac McKay

Jeanne and Roger McNitt

Ellen and Hal Meier

Maggie and Paul Meyer

Dr. Grant Miller

Anne and John Minteer

Patricia Moises

Judith Morgan

Ann Morrison

Phillip Musser

Jan and Mark Newmark

Sherryl A. Nicholas

Don Nicholas

Barbara and Donald

Dean Niemann

James and Jean O’Grady

Abraham Ordover

Brent Orlesky and

Ronald T. Oliver

Dr. Robert Padovani

Marilyn Palermo

Julie Park

Kellogg Parsons

James and Gale Petrie

Edward Phela

Laura Pierce

Robert Plimpton II

Sheila and Ken Poggenburg

Terri Pontzious

Dean and Sharon Popp

Joseph and Sara Reisman

Cindy and Daniel Reynolds

Patrick Ritto

Steve and Cheryl Rockwood

Richard Rojeck

Louis Rosen

Alice Rosenblatt

Ronnie and Stuart

Rosenwasser

Sheryl Rowling

Rose Marie and Allan Royster

Norman and Barbara Rozansky

San Diego Downtown

Breakfast Rotary

Joel Schaller

David and Martha Schwartz

Lu and Georgina Sham

Dr. Bruce Shirer

Martha Shively

Hano and Charlotte Siegel

David Skinner

Linda Small

Holland M. Smith II

Marilyn and Brian Smith

James and Phyllis Speer

Gregory Stanton

Judy S. Stern

Valerie Stewart

John L. Stover

Helga and Sam Strong

Derek Stults

Nancy and Michael Sturdivan

Melissa Swanson

Kay and Cliff Sweet

William Tappen

Paul and Mary Anne Trause

Orlando S. Uribe

Paul Van Deusen

Allen Voigt

VOSA Student Symphony

Ticket Fund

John Walsh

Karen Walter

Rex and Kathy Warburton

Alexandra and Stephen Waterman

J. Susan Watson

Cynthia Weiler and E. Blake

Moore

Irene, David* and

Diana Weinrieb

Evette and Nathan Weiss

Mike and Janet Westling

Charles and Annis White

Vernon White

Mindy Wilcox

Joyce Williams

Mary Michele Wilmer

Stephen Wilson

Peter and Terry Yang

Naima and Mike Yelda

Tanya Young and Michael McManus

Maria and Randy Zack

Sandra and Peter Zarcades

Bart Ziegler

MEMORIAL GIFTS

In memory of Warren Batts

Ms. Sharon Sweet

Edward and Helen Hintz

Amy and Anthony Volpe

Barbara and Lawrence Wilson

Thomas O’Neill and Mary Kennedy Household

Barry Parker

Earl Frederick

Linda Newman

Marti and Leo Parrish

Gary and Mary Coughlan

Diane Root

Don Duda

Nancy and Philip Hablutzel

Shelton Family Fund

Lisa and Gerald Lanz

In memory of William Callaway Anonymous

In memory of John Cochran

Sue Lasbury

In memory of my husband

Roland DeFields

Ann DeFields

In memory of Jim Dawe

Mary Dawe

In memory of Bob Doede: In support of The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

Ms. Catherine Mackey

Kenneth Jensen

Drs. Edward A. and

Martha G. Dennis

Ms. McKay

Iris and Matthew* Strauss

Michael T. and Susan D. Gursky

Elspeth H. and James A. Myer

Cynthia Weiler

Roger and Marilynn Boesky

Karen Dow

Cynthia Weiler and Blake Moore

Marianne Augustine

Mary and Jon Epsten

In memory of Matthew Garbutt

Shirley Estes

In memory of Michael Gay

Bob and Marie Garson

Karen Wahler

In memory of James Jessop Hervey

Linda Hervey

In memory of Joan Jacobs

Alan Benaroya

Stuart and Barbara Brody

Sheri Broedlow and Kyle

Van Dyke

Dr. Peter Czipott and Marisa SorBello

Susan and Steven Davis

Roy Devries

Nina and Robert* Doede

Stan Flemming, Forward Ventures

Globalstar

Pamela Hartwell

Jewish Community Foundation

Douglas and Susan McLeod

Karen and Jeffrey Silberman

Family Fund

Frank O’Dea

Andrea Oster

Linda and Shearn* Platt

Anne Porter

Claudia Prescott

Allison and Robert Price

Alicia Rockmore

Lea Schmidt-Rogers and Larry Rogers

Jack Strecker

Allen and Helene Ziman

In memory of my dear mother, Liz Jackson

Jennie Werner

In memory of Sergio Jinich

Sonya Jinich

In memory of Ruby and Vernon Langlinais

Anonymous

In memory of Gilbert and Miriam Lapid

Sharon Lapid

In memory of Gladys McCrann

Margaret Carroll

In memory of Jane Micheri

Dario Micheri

In memory of Aunt Ree Rice

Cecile and Robert Holmes

Lois Richmond (of blessed memory)

Jewish Community Foundation

In memory of Bill Zoeller

Brigitte Zoeller

In memory of Ursula Stroebel

Emily Renee Strobel

In memory of Kenrick G. Wirtz

Tracy Ferguson and Gloria Shepard

HONORARIA GIFTS

In honor of the retirement of Marcia Bookstein

Eileen Wingard

In honor of Jan and Kevin Curtis

Claudia Levin

In honor of Mick Farrell

Debra Feinberg

In honor of Elaine Galinson’s birthday Anonymous

In honor of Martha Gilmer

Bart Ziegler

In honor of the retirement of Doug Hall

Eileen Wingard

In honor of JCF Fund Holders who are passionate about the work of the San Diego Symphony Jewish Community Foundation Fund Holders

In honor of Warren O. Kessler, MD

Gayle M. Lennard

In honor of Lang Lang, Martha Gilmer and the wonderful San Diego Symphony Orchestra for a fantastic musical experience at The Rady Shell

Dr. and Mrs. Philip Ziring

In honor of Rabbi Matthew Marko in care of Tifereth Israel Synagogue

Laurie M. Gore

In honor Maureen Campbell Melville

Wendy Reuben

In honor of Dr. Dianne Moores

Ralph Hull

In honor of Dr. Richard Perlman and Marge Katleman

Sandra and Mark James

Honoring the dedication to the Symphony of my dear friends Linda Platt, Sherron Schuster and Gloria Stone

Andrea Oster

In honor of Mr. Gene Summ’s 93rd birthday

Dr. and Mrs. Philip Ziring

In honor of Leslie and Joseph D. Waters

Judith Call

Photo by Sam Zauscher

CORPORATE HONOR ROLL

THESE PARTNERS CURRENTLY MAINTAIN AN ANNUAL SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SPONSORSHIP:

$200,000+

$100,000+

$50,000+

$25,000+ $15,000+ $10,000+

SAN DIEGO BAYFRONT

BUILDING A SOUND TOMORROW

JACOBS MUSIC CENTER RENOVATION & ENDOWMENT CAMPAIGN

The San Diego Symphony acknowledges the following donors who have made a gift of $10,000 or more toward the BUILDING A SOUND TOMORROW campaign, which supports the renovation of Jacobs Music Center and the San Diego Symphony Foundation’s endowment fund. With profound gratitude, we celebrate these generous supporters who have made a commitment to the future of music in our community.

To make a gift, please call (619)237-1969 or email campaign@sandiegosymphony.org.

The following listing reflects pledges or gifts entered as of December 31, 2024.

*Deceased

$3,000,000 AND ABOVE

Joan* and Irwin Jacobs

Pamela Hamilton Lester

In memory of James A Lester

The Miller Fund

Price Philanthropies Foundation

$250,000 - $499,999

Anonymous

Michele and Jules Arthur

The Bjorg Family

Julia R. Brown

Arlene Inch

Debby and Hal Jacobs

Karen and Warren Kessler

Jerry and Terri Kohl

Sandy and Arthur* Levinson

Imozelle and Jim McVeigh

Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation

Colette Carson Royston and Ivor Royston

Donald and Gayle* Slate

Colonel (Ret.) Joseph and Mrs Joyce Timmons

Kathryn A. and James E. Whistler

$25,000 - $49,999

Kathleen S. and Stephen J.* Davis

Una Davis Family

Janet and Wil Gorrie

The Hong-Patapoutian Family

Carol and George Lattimer

Amy and John Malone

David Marchesani

In loving memory of Alex and Judy McDonald

In memory of Lorna Nemcek

Linda and Shearn* Platt

Ingrid M. Van Moppes

In honor of Willard Howard Kline

Karen Wahler

In memory of Michael Gay*

Waldron Family Trust

$1,000,000 to $2,999,999

Willis J. Larkin

Dorothea Laub

Marie G. Raftery and Robert A. Rubenstein, MD

Lou and Penny Rosso and the Rosso Family

Pauline* & Stan* Foster and Karen Foster Silberman & Jeff Silberman

Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon

Through the Glickman Fund of the S.D. Jewish Community Foundation

Haeyoung Kong Tang

Katherine “Kaylan” Thornhill Artistic Initiatives Fund

Timmstrom Family

$100,000 - $249,999

Anonymous

Eloise and Warren* Batts

David Bialis

Drs. Edward A. and Martha G. Dennis

The Fuson Family

Tom and Carolina Gildred

Annie and Jeffrey Jacobs

The Littman Jonkman Community Engagement and Education Fund

Carol and Mike Kearney

Susan and Peter Mallory

In honor of Martha Gilmer

Robert, Monica, and Celeste Oder

Debby Parrish and Lori Moore

Chris and Kris Seeger

Dr. Seuss Foundation

In honor of Ted and Audrey Geisel

Dave and Phyllis Snyder

Sue and Bill* Weber

Jo and Howard* Weiner

$10,000 - $24,999

Ben Brand and Shara Williams

James and Lynn Caughey

Charles and Charyle Chiles

Susan and Peter Crotty

Peter Czipott and Marisa SorBello

Monica Fimbres

Gertrude B. Fletcher

Jason and Somi Han

In memory of Lillian Hauser

Wolfgang* and Erika Horn

The Rev. Michael Kaehr

Sharon Lapid in honor of Gilbert & Miriam Lapid

Karen Zurawski Leland

Sylvia and Jaime* Liwerant

Joan Lewan Trust

Jack McGrory

Joani Nelson

Deborah Pate and John Forrest

Joan Salb Trust

Diane and Bill Stumph

Linda Thomas

In honor of John Zygowicz

$500,000 - $999,999

Anonymous The James Silberrad

Brown Foundation

Dr. Paul and Geneviève Jacobs

Mitchell R. Woodbury

$50,000 - $99,999

Lisa and Ben Arnold

Carol Rolf and Steven Adler

Trupti and Pratik Multani

Richard A. Samuelson

FRIDAY, MAY 23 7:30PM

SATURDAY, MAY 24 7:30PM

SUNDAY, MAY 25 2PM

Jacobs Music Center

ODE TO NATURE: PAYARE CONDUCTS

Rafael Payare, conductor

Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano

San Diego Symphony Chorus

Andrew Megill, advisor and chorus master

San Diego Children’s Choir

Ruthie Millgard, artistic director

San Diego Symphony Orchestra

PROGRAM

GUSTAV MAHLER

Symphony No. 3 in D minor Kräftig. Entschieden Tempo di menuetto. Grazioso Comodo. Scherzando. Ohne Hast. Sehr langsam. Misterioso: “O Mensch! O Mensch!” Lustig im Tempo und keck im Ausdruck: “Bimm bamm” Langsam; Ruhevoll; Empfunden

Total Program Duration:

Approximately 1 Hour, 42 mins (does not include an intermission)

SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHORUS MEMBERS

Sopranos

Nicole Avakyan

Marcia Banks

Aeria Chang

Rachel Dovsky

Rachel Fields

Isabella Fine

April Fisher

Sara Frondoni

Jeong Eun Joo

Elizabeth King

Amy Long

Florence Losay

Carr Martin

MaryRuth Miller

Caroline Nelms

Iana Peralta

Jade Popper

Michaela Schuler

Rose Wang

Lola Watson

Janet White

Krista Wilford

Altos

Kaitlin Barron Lupton

Nicole Bird

Alison Bloomfield Meyer

Mary Boles Allen

Sarah-Nicole Carter

Elaine Edelman

Karen Erickson

Breanne Espinosa

Kelsey Fahy

Antonia Fuenzalida

Cindy James

Megan Jones

Susan Marberry

Elda McGinty Peralta

Kathleen Moriarty

Erica Moss

Laura Richwood

Cerah Rodriguez

Jane Shim

Laurelle Stuart

Elena Vizuet

Hayley Woldseth

Pamela Wong

Evangelina Woo

SAN DIEGO CHILDREN’S CHOIR MEMBERS

Makayla Agcaoili

Anupama Binu

Elle Capati

Cielle Chan

Kani Chee

Steven Chen

Crystal Chen

Emily Corpuz

Evelyn Decoteau

Evelynn Decoteau

Anya Dewey

Harley Dow

Maya Drukin

Sinaya Duncan

Tristan Eleazar

Zoey Espiritu

Ebba Freer-McGinley

Caroline Grell

Lavender Hartzel

Blake Hay

Leia Huang

Anna Hubbard

Sonia Humer

Alex Jackson

Clara Kelly

Shriya Khandekar

Heidi Klaus

Esther Lam

Michelle Lee

Juliana Low

Laura Lu

Annika Martchev

Gioia Nowers

SamanthaPettis

Enola Preston-Smith

Yushin Robinson

Saya Schmitigal

Shaili Sharma

Anna Sharpee

Blake Sinaya

Blake Sinaya

Eileen Terral

Brynn Tyler

Alicia Vasquez

Anabel Weinstein

Giada Wilke

Jiali Wu

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

KAREN CARGILL

Scottish mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill is one of the most renowned singers of her generation. Winner of the 2002 Kathleen Ferrier Award, Karen has gone on to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Operatic Recording as part of the Metropolitan Opera’s recording of Dialogues des Carmélites. In July 2018 Karen was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Following her critically acclaimed Brangaene Tristan und Isolde at the Glyndebourne Festival, Scottish mezzosoprano Karen Cargill’s 2024/25 season sees her return to the role with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and with Sir Simon Rattle and the Bayerischer Rundfunk Orchestra. She will also make her role debut as Brigitte in Die Tote Stadt in concerts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons. Karen will return to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder with Rafael Payare; the San Francisco Symphony for Verdi’s Requiem with Esa-Pekka Salonen; the Toronto Symphony for Mozart’s Requiem with Jukka-Pekka Saraste; and the San Diego Symphony for Mahler Symphony no. 3 with Rafael Payare.

Her 2023/24 season included a revered tour of Die Walküre (Fricka) with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and Yannick Nézet-Séguin; Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle (Judith) with Karina Canellakis and the Boston Symphony; Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Wiener Symphoniker and Robin Ticciati; and Berlioz La mort de Cléopâtre with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Maxim Emelyanychev.

With her recital partner Simon Lepper Karen has performed at Wigmore Hall London; Concertgebouw Amsterdam; Kennedy Centre Washington and Carnegie Hall New York, and regularly gives recitals for BBC Radio 3. With Simon, Karen also recently recorded a critically acclaimed recital of Lieder by Alma and Gustav Mahler for Linn Records, for whom she has previously recorded Berlioz Les nuits d’été and La mort de Cléopâtre with Robin Ticciati and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Karen is Patron of the National Girls’ Choir of Scotland and sang in the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication for King Charles III following his Coronation in 2023. n

SAN DIEGO CHILDREN’S CHOIR

Since 1990 the San Diego Children’s Choir has been a leader in choral training for young voices. As the area’s oldest and largest choral music education and performance program, the Choir serves more than 1,900 young singers each year, providing high-quality instruction and unforgettable performance opportunities.

The Choir welcomes children from all backgrounds, helping them grow artistically and personally through a rich engagement with the arts. We offer introductory music classes for children ages 1-6 and a comprehensive ensemble training program for students in grades 1-12. Choristers progress through age- and skill-based choir levels, learning to sing music from a wide range of cultures, languages, and historical periods—spanning styles from medieval to modern, classical to folk, and spirituals.

We believe every child should have access to choral music. Through needs-based scholarships and conveniently located program sites across San Diego County, we make high-quality music education accessible to families throughout the region. Our outreach programming extends this mission by providing free music education in underserved schools.

The Choir is deeply rooted in the San Diego community. Our professionally trained choristers perform for a diverse array of audiences—from symphony and opera patrons to sports fans at Padres games—sharing the joy of music in venues large and small. Through meaningful partnerships, community engagement, and performances like today’s, we provide transformative, real-world experiences that stay with our young singers for life.

At the San Diego Children’s Choir, we bring together children from all walks of life through their shared love of singing, creating a safe, supportive environment where they can advance their musicianship and build confidence, collaboration, and lifelong friendships. n

ABOUT THE MUSIC Symphony No. 3 in D minor

GUSTAV MAHLER

Born July 7, 1860, Kalischt, Bohemia

Died May 18, 1911, Vienna

APPROXIMATE PERFORMANCE TIME

1 HOUR 42 MINUTES

In the summer of 1896, the young German conductor Bruno Walter went to visit Gustav Mahler at the composer’s summer retreat at Steinbach-am-Attersee in the Salzburg Alps. As Walter stepped off the boat, Mahler greeted him and took his bag. Around them stretched magnificent scenery: the brilliant blue lake and bright meadows, huge mountains and towering cliffs. Walter gazed around him, but Mahler quickly said: “You don’t need to look – I have composed all this already!”

The music was Mahler’s Third Symphony, completed that summer. When Mahler played it through on the piano for Walter, the young man was stunned: the massive symphony (100 minutes long) seemed to be “nature itself . . . transformed into sound.” Mahler would have agreed, but in his Third Symphony he had in mind a very specific sense of nature. To a friend he wrote: “It always strikes me as odd that most people, when they speak of ‘nature,’ think only of flowers, little birds and woodsy smells. No one knows the god Dionysus, the great Pan.” In his Third Symphony, Mahler sets out to encompass all of nature, from the delicate and beautiful to the wild and terrifying.

The longest symphony ever written, Mahler’s Third is in six movements: two massive outer movements (each about half an hour long) frame four shorter ones. Mahler originally had an elaborate program for the symphony. Eventually he dropped the program, preferring to let the music stand on its own, but the program tells us a great deal about the music. Each of the six movements had a name:

1. Pan awakes; Summer Marches In

2. What the Flowers in the Meadow Tell Me

3. What the Animals in the Woods Tell Me

4. What the Night Tells Me

5. What the Morning Bells Tell Me

6. What Love Tells Me

The sequence of six movements progresses from the lowest to the highest orders of being: from primordial nature itself to the flowers, to the animals, to humankind (who speaks in the fourth movement), to the angels (who speak in the fifth), and finally to God in the sixth. Mahler said of the finale: “I could almost call the movement ‘What God tells me.’ And truly in the sense that God can only be understood as love. And so my work is a musical poem embracing all stages of development in a step-wise ascent. It begins with inanimate nature and ascends to the love of God.” Such a message seems Christian, but Mahler’s Third Symphony is not really Christian. More accurately, it is a statement off Mahler’s Pantheism, his belief in the presence of God at all levels of creation. (His original working title for the Third Symphony was “Joyful Wisdom”.)

The first movement is the wildest music Mahler ever wrote, and it has had passionate admirers as well as outraged critics. Written after the other five movements were complete, the opening is charged with energy – Mahler himself called it

“Pan-ic” and meant that term in both senses: to refer to the god of fields, forests and wild animals and also to the fear generated by wildness. Remarkably, this huge movement conforms to sonata form, with a long introduction (“Pan Awakes”) and an exposition and development built on a gigantic march (“Summer Marches In”). The symphony opens with a mighty call by eight horns; the theme is reminiscent of the finale of Brahms’ First Symphony, but the resemblance was apparently unintentional. Throbbing lower strings and brass, punctuated by trumpet fanfares, suggest the first stirrings of primordial life; the march enters quietly but soon springs to thunderous life and slogs powerfully forward. There is something almost bizarre about this music, which is by turns jaunty, nostalgic, extroverted, wistful, violent, abrasive, noble – it swirls with life. The opening horn call returns throughout, and the movement finally drives to an overwhelming conclusion, ending with a great rush up the scale – nature has sprung to vigorous life.

The next two movements are alike in mood and manner. The first, the “flower” movement, is a slow minuet with variations based on the oboe’s grazioso opening theme. Some of the variations dash along vigorously, but this lightly-scored music comes to a quiet close on a sustained harmonic. This movement was performed separately before the rest of the symphony, and Mahler had mixed feelings about that. He of course wanted his music performed, but he worried that – out of context – so gentle a movement would make him seem – in his words – “the ‘sensuous’, perfumed ‘singer of nature’.”

The third movement, the “animal” movement, is the symphony’s scherzo. It is based on the song “Ablösung im Sommer” (“Relief in Summer”), which Mahler had written several years earlier; the text of that song reads in part: “Cuckoo down to his deathbed has fallen . . . Upon the verdant clover, clover, clover! Cuckoo is dead! Cuckoo is dead! Yes, to his death has fallen!” The poised beginning soon gives way to several long interludes scored for posthorn, whose faraway calls sound like the distant intrusion of man on the world of animals.

The fourth and fifth movements employ voices. Mahler marks the beginning of the fourth Misterioso and uses some of the emerging-nature music from the beginning of the first movement. The fourth movement (originally titled “What the Night Tells Me”) truly is a piece of night-music, not just for its night-sounds but because it speaks night-thoughts. The alto soloist sings the “Midnight Song,” drawn from Nietzsche’s Also Sprach Zarathustra, a brief text full of pain: mankind longs for redemption. The movement ends quietly in darkness.

The fifth opens with a blaze of bright light. The children’s choir happily echoes the morning bells – “Bimm! Bamm! Bimm! Bamm!” – and this brief movement sounds a note of hope. Mahler would later use some of this same music in his portrait of the heavenly life in the final movement of his Fourth Symphony, but here he draws his text from the collection of folk-poetry Das Knaben Wunderhorn to make two separate points: the alto soloist sings of man’s sins, but the women’s chorus brings a glowing message – redemption is possible.

Redemption comes in the long final movement, which follows without pause, and Mahler’s markings are crucial: “Slow. Peaceful. With Feeling.” This is one of the greatest of Mahler’s slow movements, ranking with those of the Ninth and Tenth Symphonies. But unlike those late Adagios, so full of wrenching pain and longing, the finale of the Third is rapt, suffused with a glowing spirituality. This truly is music

that might be called, in Mahler’s words, “What God Tells Me.” It is built on two broad theme groups, both first announced by the strings. The music rises to a climax and falls back, then – beginning quietly – it moves with mounting fervor to a genuinely triumphant climax, thundered out with the full resources of a huge orchestra.

Mahler’s Third Symphony has had its detractors. Some have found its intentions presumptuous, its manner gargantuan, the whole effort insane. But if the attempt to encompass all creation in 100 minutes of music is not absolutely successful – and how could it be? – this symphony is still a magnificent leap. And for many listeners, this sprawling score is one of the wonders of the symphonic literature, full of passionately beautiful music. When Leonard Bernstein completed his tenure as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic in 1969 and had to decide the program for his farewell concerts, he chose one piece of music: Mahler’s Third Symphony. n

Program notes by Eric Bromberger

Building a Sound Tomorrow

Jacobs Music Center Renovation and Endowment Campaign

“To have the opportunity to improve the beautiful hall we call home, and to improve the musical communication on stage with the musicians, and to create a more intimate connection with our audiences, is a fantastic dream.”

– Rafael Payare, Music Director, San Diego Symphony

Under the leadership of Music Director Rafael Payare and Chief Executive Officer Martha Gilmer, the San Diego Symphony has completed a historic renovation of its indoor home. The renovation of The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center complements The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park and provides San Diego with two extraordinary venues designed to celebrate music and community. Likewise, in the same way that these venues promise an ever-brighter future, the San Diego Symphony Foundation’s endowment provides long-term financial stability for the organization, ensuring that the power of live music continues to inspire and uplift our community for generations to come.

PLAY A PART IN BUILDING THE SYMPHONY’S FUTURE

The San Diego Symphony Foundation manages our Endowment, the cornerstone of our long-term stability and artistic excellence. By contributing to the Endowment, donors play a crucial role in sustaining our orchestra’s ability to present worldclass performances, expand our educational outreach, and foster innovation in the arts. We invite you to join us in this enduring legacy by supporting the Endowment, securing the future of music in San Diego, and leaving an indelible mark on our cultural landscape.

NAME A SEAT!

The beauty of the newly renovated Jacobs Music Center will be most enjoyed from the reconfigured seating in the hall. We ask you to join this historic campaign by investing in the San Diego Symphony and NAMING A SEAT. The named seats serve as a celebration of all individuals who helped make the renovation possible. With a gift of $10,000, you can name a seat on the Orchestra level, or with a gift of $25,000, you can name a seat in the Grand Tier. Your contribution can be pledged and paid over a period of one to five years.

A gift toward the renovated Jacobs Music Center supports the orchestra, elevates the audience experience, and impacts the growing vitality of downtown San Diego. To learn more, send an email to: campaign@sandiegosymphony.org

101 | Susan & Thomas Smith

SATURDAY, MAY 31 7:30PM

Jacobs Music Center

CURRENTS SERIES

DIFFICULT GRACE

Seth Parker Woods, cello

Roderick George, dancer/ choreographer

Christopher Botta, sound engineer

Thomas Dunn, lighting designer

Rachel Feldhaus, production manager

PROGRAM

FREDRICK GIFFORD

Difficult Grace

Artwork by Barbara Earl Thomas

COLERIDGE-TAYLOR PERKINSON

Lamentations: Black/Folk Song Suite for Solo Cello

iii. Calvary Ostinato

MONTY ADKINS

Winter Tendrils

Film by Zoë McLean

NATHALIE JOACHIM

The Race: 1915

Projected images of Jacob Lawrence’s

The Migration Series

FREIDA ABTAN

My Heart Is A River

Opening Out

Seeping In -INTERMISSION-

TED HEARNE

Freefucked

Text by Kemi Alabi, from Against Heaven

1. Ff 1

2. A Wedding, or What We Unlearned from Descartes

3. Ff 2

4. The Lion Tamer’s Daughter vs. the Ledge

5. After We Ruin My Love’s Heart, the God of Annihilation Prays Back to Me

PIERRE ALEXANDRE TREMBLAY

asinglewordisnotenough 3 [invariant]

Total Program Duration: Approximately 1 Hour, 30 mins (includes one 15 minute intermission).

Scan this QR code with your smartphone or text SDS to 55741 to access the interactive version of the program.

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PROGRAM NOTES

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 semiautobiographical exploration of identity, past/present histories and personal growth that draws inspiration from the Great Migration, the historic newspaper The Chicago Defender, immigration and the poetry of Kemi Alabi and Dudley Randall. n

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

SETH PARKER WOODS

Three-time GRAMMY®-nominated cellist Seth Parker Woods has established his reputation as a versatile artist and innovator across multiple genres, prompting The New York Times to write, “Woods is an artist rooted in classical music, but whose cello is a vehicle that takes him, and his concertgoers, on wide-ranging journeys.” Woods has served on the faculty of the Thornton School of Music at The University of Southern California since 2022 and was appointed to the Robert Mann Chair in Strings and Chamber Music in 2024.

Among the highlights of his 2024-2025 season, Woods performs in the world premiere of Nathalie Joachim’s new cello concerto, Had to Be, at Spoleto Festival USA, later performing its New York premiere in his debut with the New York Philharmonic. He makes his Los Angeles Philharmonic debut in the world premiere of a new cello concerto by Julia Adolphe. A core member of the music collective Wild Up, Woods is featured as soloist in the group’s Eastman Vol. 4: The Holy Presence, released June 2024 on New Amsterdam Records, and was nominated alongside the group for 2023 and 2025 GRAMMY® Awards.

During the 2023-2024 season, Woods brought his GRAMMY®-nominated, autobiographical tour-deforce Difficult Grace to San Diego and Philadelphia, following the world premiere at 92NY and performances at UCLA and Chicago’s Harris Theater. Difficult Grace was released as an album on Cedille Records in 2023 and nominated for the 2024 GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Highlights of last season include performances with Hilary Hahn at Konzerthaus Dortmund in Germany and touring a new version of John Adams’ El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered with American Modern Opera Company (AMOC). n

RODERICK GEORGE

Roderick George was born in Houston, Texas. George studies at Ben Stevenson’s Houston Ballet Academy and the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. George was a bronze winner of the Youth American Grand Prix in 2005 and a YoungArts Winner and Presidential Scholar in 2003. He has danced professionally for Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Basel Ballet/Theater Basel, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, and The Forsythe Company.

kNoname Artist, founded by George in 2015, serves as a container for individuals to exist and thrive as both creators and collaborators. While George initiated the company, its ethos transcends any single name or identity, prioritizing collective authorship and shared recognition. Through project-based work, kNoname Artist fosters a synergy where every contributor is acknowledged, and no one name defines the whole.

kNoname Artist has performed at festivals such as SuzanneDellal, Ballet d’Preljocaj/ Pavilion Noir, Zurich Tanzhaus, New York Live Arts, Pocantico Art Center, Sophiensæle Festspiele, and Kaatsbaan Cultural Park. kNoname Artist debut at Jacob’s Pillow in the Summer of 2024 and Fall for Dance 2024. George is a YoungArts Fellow Winner 2021-2022, Mertz Gilmore Dancer Awardee 2023, NPC Awardee, the 2024 Inaugural Jacob’s Pillow Men Dancers Award, and the 2024 Princess Grace Recipient. n

ABOUT THE MUSIC

Difficult Grace

FREDRICK GIFFORD

Images: Barbara Earl Thomas

Text: Primitives, by Dudley Randal

As Seth Parker Woods and I brainstormed a project that would simultaneously feature his voice and cello playing, I asked if he would be willing to share several authors and works that were important for him. In reading through these, I was struck by Dudley Randall’s poem, “Primitives” – and Difficult Grace began. I wanted to create a musical process, a kind of sonic network of relations that would set Randall’s original poem in dialogue with itself in musical time, both verbally and sonically. In Difficult Grace, I hoped to create a work where aspects of Randall’s poem (rhythms, durations, phonetic timbre, syntax and meaning) would generate each musical gesture (even the title is a line from this poem); and Seth’s voice and cello would be the instrument – all of the sounds in the live electronics layers are untransformed recordings of his performance. n

Winter Tendrils

MONTY ADKINS

Film: Zoe McLean

Winter Tendrils was commissioned by the Swedish Arts Council for cellist Seth Parker Woods. The work is inspired by an image by the composer of freshly fallen snow on the fragile bare branches of a tree. This image was subsequently processed and overlaid on itself several times. The composition follows a similar model. In the first part the solo cello presents the main musical line. In the second part the \’tendrils\’ from this line are superimposed. These lines are transposed and fragmented. As a result, five canonic lines (tendrils) spin off from the initial line and are heard simultaneously. The canons are strict, but not heard in their entirety. This creates a rich harmonic web akin to the final processed image. The second section of the work draws on materials from the first, creating further tendrils from the harmonic, timbral and melodic implications of the opening movement. n

The Race: 1915

NATHALIE JOACHIM

Images: Jacob Lawrence

Selections from The Migration Series

The Race: 1915 is inspired by the colorful vibrancy and nostalgic realism of visual artist Jacob Lawrence’s “The Migration Series”, which depicts images of African Americans as they embarked on one of the most expansive migratory movements in history. The work, for solo cello and electronics, combines blues inspired melodies (including a quote from “Praise God We Are Not Weary by Tom Brown and Tom Lemonier) with the angst and uncertainty of transient movement, against a colorfully active and vibrant electronic

palette. It addresses at once the uprooting and resilience of black people in America.

The work calls for the performer to recite text sourced from The Chicago Defender, one of the most important and historic black newspapers. Weekly issues of The Chicago Defender played an essential role in promoting The Great Migration, and all of the text set within this musical work is excerpted from editions published in 1915 - the year marking the beginning of the movement which would span nearly six decades. By citing the atrocities faced by African Americans in the oppressive and violent Jim Crow south, and providing resources for those seeking freedom, millions were compelled to embark on incredibly challenging journeys, leading to the development of the northern and western city centers of the United States. The publication adopted the term “the Race”, which was used in lieu of the terms negro or black - a significant and powerful statement of self.

“Nine human beings hanged within 24 hours ...and today, a lynching party is pursuing a tenth member of the race. Look at it: see these men hanging from a limb of a tree Then look at the other race farmers who were made to come and look at them. Race woman slain like cattle on public street ...she begged for help, but not a hand was turned. The race that has slated for the country, felled the trees, built its railroads, labored day and night was not given opportunity No person identified with this intelligent and progressing race should allow this. Any effort to deprive us of our rights should be referred to the authorities because such is against the Constitution of these United States.”

The following images from The Migration Series by Jacob Lawrence courtesy of The Jacob and Gwendolyn Lawrence Foundation and The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

Panel 1: During World War I there was a great migration North by southern African Americans.

Panel 6: The trains were crowded with migrants.

Panel 16: After a lynching the migration quickened.

Panel 32: The railroad stations in the South were crowded with northbound travelers.

Panel 46: Industries boarded their workers in unhealthy quarters. Labor camps were numerous.

Panel 58: In the North the African American had more educational opportunities. n

FOR ADDITIONAL PROGRAM NOTES, PLEASE SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW:

The San Diego Symphony is proud to announce that we have met our goal of $125 million for “The Future is Hear” Campaign! This extraordinary campaign supports construction of The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, improvements to Jacobs Music Center, and wide-ranging artistic initiatives for San Diego’s communities.

If you are interested in supporting The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park please email campaign@sandiegosymphony.org for giving and recognition opportunities.

GUEST ARTIST SPONSORS

We gratefully acknowledge our Guest Artist Sponsors. Please call (619) 615-3910 to participate!

ALAN BENAROYA

DAVID BIALIS

BROOKE KOEHLER

THE BJORG FAMILY

VAIL MEMORIAL FUND, MEREDITH BROWN, TRUSTEE

DOROTHEA LAUB

San Diego Symphony is pleased to have Sycuan Casino Resort as the lead sponsor of the Music Connects Community Concerts!

Bird Singers from the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation performing at the opening of a San Diego Symphony Community Concert on stage at Live & Up Close | Sycuan Casino Resort.

THE FUTURE IS HEAR CAMPAIGN

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra acknowledges the following donors who have made a gift of $10,000 or more toward The Future is HEAR campaign, our current $125 million campaign supporting the San Diego Symphony’s construction of The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park and its wide-ranging artistic and community programs. We are extremely grateful! To make a gift, please call (619) 237-1969. The following listing reflects pledges or gifts entered as of January 15, 2024.

San Diego Foundation Rancho Santa Fe Foundation Jewish Community Foundation * Deceased

$1,000,000 AND ABOVE

Terry L. Atkinson

Bank of America

Dianne Bashor

Malin and Roberta Burnham

Harry and Judy Collins Foundation

Daniel J. and Phyllis Epstein

Ted and Audrey Geisel*

The George Gildred Family and The Philip Gildred Family

Joan* and Irwin Jacobs

Sheri Lynne Jamieson

The Kong Tang Family

Dick* and Dorothea Laub

Jack McGrory

The Alexander and Eva Nemeth Foundation

The Conrad Prebys Foundation

Allison and Robert Price

Evelyn and Ernest Rady

Lou and Penny Rosso and the Rosso Family

Colette Carson Royston and Ivor Royston

Sahm Family Foundation

T. Denny Sanford

Karen and Christopher “Kit” Sickels

Karen and Jeff Silberman

Donald and Gayle* Slate

The State of California

Gloria and Rodney Stone

Sycuan Casino Resort

Roger* Thieme and Sylvia Steding

Sue and Bill* Weber

$250,000 AND ABOVE

Anonymous

Raffaella and John Belanich

Alan Benaroya

Susan and Jim Blair

The James Silberrad Brown Foundation

Julia Brown Family

David C. Copley Foundation

Sam B. Ersan*

Esther Fischer

Pam and Hal Fuson

Karen and Warren Kessler

Carol Ann and George Lattimer

The Payne Family Foundation

M&I Pfister Foundation

Linda and Shearn* Platt

Robert Glenn Rapp Foundation

Dave and Phyllis Snyder

Elaine Galinson and Herbert Solomon

Elizabeth and Joseph* Taft

Jayne and Bill Turpin

Kathryn A. and James E. Whistler

$100,000 AND ABOVE

Jules and Michele Arthur

Denise and Lon Bevers

David Bialis

Catherine & Phil Blair,

Linda & Mel Katz, Manpower San Diego

Nicole A. and Benjamin G. Clay

Stephanie and Richard Coutts

Diane and Charles Culp

Diane and Elliot Feuerstein

Walt Fidler

Anne and Steve Furgal

Lisa Braun Glazer and Jeff Glazer

Linda & Melvyn Katz

In memory of Jim Lester

The Hering Family

Carol and Richard Hertzberg

Arlene Inch

Brooke and Dan* Koehler

Bill and Evelyn Lamden

Curt Leland and Mary DiMatteo

Sandy and Arthur* Levinson

The Alex C. McDonald Family

Lori Moore, Cushman Foundation

The Parker Foundation

(Gerald T. & Inez Grant Parker)

Bill and Clarice Perkins

Marilyn James and Richard Phetteplace

Jeanne and Arthur* Rivkin

Sage Foundation

In memory of Bob Nelson who loved the music, the bay and San Diego

Tucker Sadler Architects

Katherine “Kaylan” Thornhill

U.S. Bank

Jo and Howard* Weiner

Cole and Judy Willoughby

Richard* and Joanie Zecher

$50,000 AND ABOVE

Carol Rolf and Steven Adler

Bonnie & Krishna Arora and Family

David A. and Jill Wien Badger

Carolyn and Paul Barber

Cindy and Larry Bloch

Lisa and David Casey

The John D. & Janice W. Cone

Family Trust

Scotty Dale

Kathleen Seely Davis

The den Uijl Family

Richard and Elisa Jaime

In Loving Memory of LV

Gary and Karin Eastham

In loving memory of Kenrick “Ken” Wirtz*

Jose Fimbres Moreno*

Karen Wahler and Michael Gay*

William and Martha Gilmer

The Jaime Family Trust

Roy, Peggy, Dean, and Denise Lago

The Peggy and Robert Matthews

Foundation

Admiral Riley* D. Mixson

Gerry and Jeannie Ranglas

Marilyn & Michael Rosen, Juniper and Ivy Restaurant

Richard Sandstrom and Sandra Timmons

Congresswoman Lynn Schenk

Kris and Chris Seeger

Deborah Heitz and Shaw Wagener

Emma and Leo Zuckerman*

$25,000 AND ABOVE

Anonymous

Lisa and Dennis Bradley

Gordon Brodfuehrer

Pamela and Jerry Cesak

County of San Diego

The Druck/Silvia Family

Susan E. Dubé

Lisette & Mick Farrell

Dr. John and Susan Fratamico

Janet and Wil Gorrie

Virginia and Peter Jensen

Jeff Light and Teri Sforza

Sig Mickelson*

Sandy and Greg Rechtsteiner

The Segur Family

In honor of Robert (Bud) Emile, SDS Concertmaster 1960-1975

Bill and Diane Stumph

Gayle and Philip Tauber

In memory of my husband

Raymond V. Thomas, Lover of the Symphony

The Bartzis-Villalobos Family

RANAS

Leslie and Joe Waters

John J. Zygowicz and Judy Gaze Zygowicz

$10,000 AND ABOVE

Erina Angelucci

Aptis Global, A subsidiary of The Kimball Group

DeAnne Steele, Carlo Barbara and Cole Barbara

Eloise and Warren* Batts

Lauren Lee Beaudry

Karl and Christina Becker

Edgar and Julie Berner

Diane and Norm Blumenthal

The Boros Family

Sarah* and John Boyer

Annette and Daniel Bradbury

Lori and Richard Brenckman

Sheri Broedlow and Kyle Van Dyke

Beth Callender & Pete Garcia

Carol Randolph, Ph. D. and Robert Caplan, Seltzer Caplan

McMahon Vitek

The Casdorph Family

Angela Chilcott

Kurt and Elizabeth Chilcott

Dr. Samuel M. Ciccati and Kristine J. Ciccati

Thomas Jordan and Meredith M. Clancy

P. Kay Coleman & Janice E. Montle

Dr. William Coleman

Peter V. Czipott and

Marisa SorBello

Ann Davies

Caroline S. DeMar

Drs. Edward A. and Martha G. Dennis

George & Jan DeVries

Robert and Nina Doede

In loving memory of Karen

Cooper Ferm*

Michael and Susan Finnane

Gertrude B. Fletcher

K. Forbes

Deborah Pate and John Forrest

4040 Agency - Mary, Bill & John

Judith and William Friedel

Barbara and Doug Fuller

Cheryl J. Hintzen-Gaines and Ira J. Gaines

Vicki Garcia-Golden and Tim

Jeffries, Gardiner & Theobald Inc.

Joyce M. Gattas, PhD

Lynn and Charlie Gaylord

In memory of Royce G. Darby*

Kimberly and Jeffrey Goldman

In memory of Samuel Lipman* -

Clarinetist

The Granada Fund

Robert and Carole Greenes

Carrie and Jim Greenstein

Georgia Griffiths and Colleen Kendall

Lulu Hadaya

Jeff and Tina Hauser

In memory of Lucille Bandel*

Marjorie Heinrich and Jan Nunn

In Memory of Dick Hess*

Richard A. Heyman and Anne E. Daigle Family Foundation

Let the music play on, Drew!

Mary Ann and John Hurley

Cynthia Thornton and Michael Keenan

Keith and Cheryl Kim

Katherine Kimball

Helen and Sig Kupka

Linda and Tom Lang

Alexis and Steven Larky

Tom and Terry Lewis Foundation

The Li Family

Larry Low and Mikayla Lay

Josephine & Alex Lupinetti*

Scott MacDonald and Patti Kurtz

Daniel and Chris Mahai

Sally and Luis Maizel

Susan and Peter Mallory, in honor of Martha Gilmer

David Marchesani Family

Anne and Andy McCammon

The McComb Family

Katy McDonald

Larry McDonald and Clare WhiteMcDonald

Mark, Amy, Auguste & Paris Melden

In Memory of James C. Moore*

Judith and Neil* Morgan

Clara and Donald Murphy

Patricia R. Nelson

The Lorna* & Adrian Nemcek Family

The Ning Family

Frank O’Dea O’Dea Hospitality

Val and Ron Ontell

Carol and Vann Parker

The Hong-Patapoutian Family

The Pollock Family

The Quintilone and Cooper Families

Phillip Rand, M.D., dedicated

Ob-Gyn, kind and gentle soul, humanitarian

In loving memory of Long “Chris”

Truong*

Dr. Vivian Reznik and Dr. Andrew

Ries

Burton X and Sheli Rosenberg

Marie G. Raftery and Robert A. Rubenstein, M. D.

The Ryde Family Memorial

Foundation at The San Diego Foundation

Shari and Frederick Schenk

Colin Seid and Dr. Nancy Gold

Susan and Michael Shaffer

Brigg and Jayne Sherman

Shinnick Family

Ruey & Marivi Shivers

Stephen M. Silverman

Janet Simkins

Hon. Stephanie Sontag and Hon. David B. Oberholtzer

Jeanette Stevens

Sudberry Properties

Beatriz & Matthew Thome

Jacqueline Thousand and Richard Villa

Glenda Sue Tuttle

Michael and Eunicar Twyman

Susan and Richard Ulevitch

Aysegul Underhill

Patricia and Joe Waldron

Lori and Bill* Walton

The Warner Family

The K. Nikki Waters Trust

Shirli, Damien and Justin Weiss

Mike and Susan Williams

Jeffrey P. Winter and Barbara Cox-Winter

The Witz Family

In loving memory of Ching H. Yang

Howard and Christy Zatkin

SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ADMINISTRATION

EXECUTIVE

Martha A. Gilmer

President and Chief Executive Officer

Elizabeth Larsen Director, Executive Office and Board Relations

Maritza Aragón

Executive Assistant to the President and CEO

ARTISTIC

Lea Slusher

Vice President of Artistic Administration and Audience Development

Alison Bolton Managing Director, Artistic Planning

Theodora Bellinger Director of Artistic Operations

Liam McBane

Artistic Coordinator and Assistant to the Music Director

Maggie de Lorimier

Artistic Department Consultant

Jeffrey Jordan Director of External Events

Seasonal Artistic Assistants: Kristen Garabedian, Michael Hull, Melyssa Mason, Sade Rains, Evelyn Zuniga

Angela Chilcott Managing Director, Orchestra Operations

Shea Perry Orchestra Personnel Manager

Diego Plata Orchestra Operations Manager

Courtney Cohen Principal Librarian

Rachel Fields Librarian

Gerard McBurney Creative Consultant

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION

Maureen Campbell Melville Chief Financial Officer

Ashley Madigan Controller

Jeanette Bunch

Assistant Controller

Whitney Hall Revenue Accountant

Veridiana Reeder Staff Accountant

Aaron Estevez Accounts Payable Specialist

Kimberly Vargas Director of Human Resources

Susan Cochran Payroll and Benefits Manager

Amanda Gminski Human Resources Generalist

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Craig Hall

Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Elizabeth Holub Director of Marketing

J.D. Smith

Director of Marketing and Sales Technology

John Velasco

Communications Manager

Ashley Smith, Brie Witko

Graphic & Production Designers

Maria Kusior

Digital Media Specialist

Savanna Hunter-Reeves

Marketing Specialist

Noëlle Borrelli-Boudreau

Marketing Coordinator

Sabina Spilkin

Digital Systems Analyst

Beverly Feinberg

Downtown Sales Ambassador

TICKETING AND PATRON SERVICES

Casey Patterson

Director of Ticketing Services, Partnerships and Premium Seating

Kym Pappas Manager of Ticketing and Subscriptions

Anastasia Franco Manager of Ticket Operations and Training

Cheri LaZarus

Ticket Service Associate - Lead Subscriptions

Ticket Services Associates: Kailey Agpaoa, Clelia Cabezas, Benjamin Cintron, Levan Korganashvili, Nayeli Valencia

INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

Sheri Broedlow

Vice President of Institutional Advancement

Rick Baker Director of Advancement, Institutional Giving

Jennifer Nicolai Director of Advancement, Campaign and Major Gifts

Ida Sandico-Whitaker Director, Donor Programs and Special Events

Bob Morris

Major Gifts Officer

Theresa Jones

Major Gifts Officer, Corporate Relations

Maya Steinberg Institutional Advancement Gift Officer

Sydne Sullivan

Associate Director of Advancement Operations

Sydney Wilkins Annual Fund Manager

Kirby Lynn Tankersley Special Events Manager

Eden Llodrá Donor Services and Stewardship Manager

Citli Mejia

Advancement Operations Manager and Assistant

LEARNING & COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT

Laura Reynolds

Vice President of Impact and Innovation

Stephen Salts

Director of Learning and Youth Programs

Lauren Rausch

Social Impact & Leadership Programs Manager

Maria Jaramillo Impact and Innovation Assistant

VENUE OPERATIONS

Travis Wininger

Vice President of Venue Operations

Rob Arnold Managing Director, Venue Operations

Paige Satter Director of Operations Administration

Diane Littlejohn Venue Operations Manager

Devin Burns Event Operations Manager

Roberto Castro Director of Guest Experience

Drew Gomes Director, Event Operations and Security

Danielle Litrenta Manager, Guest Experience

Front of House Managers: Ken Cooke, Christine Harmon, Kay Roesler, Karen Tomlinson

Front of House Staff: Corinne Bagnol, Judy Bentovim, Sue Carberry, Julio Cedillo, Kerry Freshman, Kimberly Garza, Sharon Karniss, Laurel Nielsen, Paula Rivera, Linda Thornhill, Marilyn Weiss

Event Operations Leads: Mateo Alvarez, Luke Ban, Gabriel Carlo De Guzman, Garrett Lockwood, Slaine Miller, Tom Rufino

Event Operations Staff: Joshua Albertson, Kayla Aponte, Tyler Bao Buu, Sydney Berman, Jason Boucher, Lily Castillo, Jafet Chavez, Kinsey Claudino, Brandon Croft, Stephen De La Cruz, Jessica Dau,Jesus Delgado, Kerragan Dellinger, Nicholas Denegri, Ryan Fargo, Jacey Greene, Chelsea Hall, Brook Hill, Sophia Hirasuna, Jocelyn Jenkins, Ben Kelly, Jack Mackniak, Edward Manzo, Harry McCue, Shannon McElhaney, Abraham Montoya, Cyrille Morales, Valerie Navarrete, Taryn O’Halloran, Brennan Owen, Gabriela Perez, Chance Pettit, Riane Rosanes, James Renk, Dylan Renk, Mario Ruiz, Adam Schaffner, Mia Sevilla, Nicholas Stroh, Elias Valdvia, Angelina Walsh, Connor Wilson, Yadira Zuniga

Facilities Staff:

Dan Weaver

Facilities Manager

Robert Saucedo

Senior Technician

Peter Perez

Lead Facilities Technician

Facilities Technicians

Arturo Ardilla

David Pierce

IT Staff: Sean Kennedy Director of Information Technology

Jovan Robles

IT Operations Manager

IT Specialists

Shane Cutchall, German Luna

Production Staff:

Ed Estrada

Director of Production

Pete Seaney

Director of Stage Operations, Presentations and Rentals

Connor Schloop

Director of Stage Operations, Orchestra

Santiago Venegas II

Technical Director

Joel Watts

Audio Director

Beth Hall

SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ADMINISTRATION

Orchestra Production Manager

Stage Personnel:

Shafeeq Sabir

Property Department Head, Jacobs Music Center

Jason Chaney

Audio Department Head, Jacobs Music Center

Michael Moglia

Carpentry Department Head, Jacobs Music Center

Bridget Zeiger

Electrics Department Head, Jacobs Music Center

Riley Strothers

Video Department Head, Jacobs Music Center

Adam Day

Carpentry Department Head, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

RJ Givens

Audio Department Head, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

Hunter Stockwell

Video Department Head, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

Zach Schwartz

Electrics Department Head, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

Jonnel Domilos

Piano Technician

OUR MISSION: CHANGING LIVES THROUGH MUSIC

The San Diego Symphony, through unquestionable commitment to the highest levels of artistic achievement, seeks to elevate human potential by providing a shared sense of pride and belonging to something bigger than any of us can achieve alone. We offer audiences the wonder of live music and transformative learning experiences that develop an understanding and passion for the arts. To ensure we are an enduring force in the region we commit to fiscal responsibility. We serve and shape the culture of the region, by being for all and with all, the musical heart of San Diego.

Strive: Always the Best

Learn: Creative, Expressive, Curious

Reach: Music for Everyone

Ignite: Spark Passion

Photo by Sam Zauscher

UC San Diego is proud to be the official Education and Community Engagement Sponsor of the San Diego Symphony.

UC San Diego is proud to be the official Education and Community Engagement Sponsor of the San Diego Symphony.

MAY DINING PICKS

From a Midtown Design Marvel to a New Elixir Lounge

in La Jolla

by SARAH DAOUST

MIDTOWN’S BELOVED COCKTAIL den and gastropub, Starlite, has reopened after a 14-month “reimagining” by CH Projects, and a stunning remodel dreamt up by Bells & Whistles—the same design team that first brought the space to life in 2007. Much like the jaw-dropping decor— featuring starry ceilings, cavernous rock walls, a hexagon-shaped centerpiece sunken bar, and an overhauled back patio with hanging moss and crater-like firepits—the menu feels familiar but also elevated. Expect next-level craft cocktails, including the famous (and updated) Starlite Mule; and food favorites like the signature burger, the sausage plate and

Starlite’s newly remodeled, lowlit interior; the Starlite Mule.

pan-roasted Jidori chicken; plus prime steaks and wagyu ribeye; side dishes such as mac ‘n’ cheese and salted croissants; and pistachio-toffee ice cream sandwiches for dessert. 3175 India St., Midtown, 619.618.2830, starlitesd.com

In Leucadia, chef Claudette Zepeda take us on her latest culinary adventure: Leu Leu. Billed as “a cosmic cocinita, patio and lounge for lovers of wonder, wine and the weirdness of space and time,” the intimate lounge pays homage to Zepeda’s roots and travels, spanning flavors of Mexico, Morocco, Asia and the Mediterranean. Feast on Baja yellowtail crudo; duck confit with curry mole, whipped black beans and tamal cakes; Baja sea bass shawarma; and pibil lamb

shank; plus global wines and “Super Sexy Sundaes” for a sweet finish. 466 N. Coast Hwy. 101, Suite 1, Leucadia, leuleuleucadia.com

With locations in Little Italy and Encinitas, The Crack Shack debuts its third San Diego outpost in Pacific Beach. The newest “coop” offers casual outdoor dining, lawn games, colorful murals and TVs for sports watching. On the menu: The Crack Shack’s famous crispy chicken and egg dishes served all day—such as the Coop Deville sandwich with fried Jidori chicken, and the spicy Firebird—plus bowls; sides like hand-cut fries and mini biscuits with miso-maple butter; and seasonal milkshakes and cookies. 4525 Mission Blvd., Pacific Beach, 877.595.8304, crackshack.com

Take a mini spring break from the booze with a new wellness experience at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa: The Remedy Lounge. Located next to the resort’s secret garden, the apothecary-inspired elixir bar was created in collaboration with Native Poppy, J’enway Tea and Cymbiotika. Choose from a selection of eight nonalcoholic elixirs, each designed to support different functions of the body. Beverages are

FROM TOP: MANDIE GELLER; KIMBERLY MOTOS

New spring dishes at Puesto; the spicy Firebird sandwich at The Crack Shack in Pacific Beach.

UC SAN DIEGO

DINING

THE CONRAD Cameron Carpenter

sourced from adaptogenic herbs, florals, and aromatic spices; and paired with a curated food menu. 9700 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, 858.412.0500, estancialajolla.com Puesto—the Mexico City-born, SoCal-rooted chain of contemporary cocinas—has announced the group’s new Creative Chef, Raul Casillas; along with a new food menu and spring cocktails. New plates include Zarandeado bluefin tuna ceviche, Kampachi crudo verde, an al dente grilled asparagus taco, the CDMX ribeye taco, and corn flan for dessert. To drink, try a new libation such as the Poblano Paloma, Mole Old Fashioned and Cantaloupe Mojito. See website for address of San Diego locations at The Headquarters at Seaport District, La Jolla Village and Mission Valley. eatpuesto.com

Elixirs at The Remedy Lounge

In east Hillcrest, modern Mexican restaurant Origen—co-founded by Franco Mestre and Sebastian Berho—has opened in the former XOXO by Breakfast & Bubbles space. The menu is flavor-packed and seafood-centric, melding traditional recipes with creative, contemporary twists in the form of shareable dishes that change often. Recent menu hits include smoked tuna flautas, blue crab tostadas, sauteed octopus with salsa macha, Quesadillitas de short rib con mole, and seared beef tiradito; plus a daily fresh fish catch; and classic mezcal and tequila-based craft cocktails. Origen’s minimal, mod decor is warmed by earthy, beachy Baja accents (think: cacti and surfboards), perfect for a casual date night. 3831 Park Blvd., Hillcrest, origencocina.com

/ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

wall, purchased with funds from the Moonlight Cultural Foundation.

“It really enhances the audience experience, and allows us to do shows that we wouldn’t be able to otherwise, Anastasia, for example,” Glaudini says.

“To own our own LED wall is unique and gives our productions another ‘wow’ factor.”

Of the five shows in the 2025 season, Glaudini has chosen to direct the classic Fiddler on the Roof “It’s one of my favorites, and I’ve acted in it several times,” he says. “I have a soft spot in my heart for the show. I’m Italian, but you don’t have to be Jewish to understand traditions and family—the show has a universal appeal, no matter what culture you come from. It’s a beautiful story, and I’m excited to get my hands dirty with a show everyone knows and loves

Margaritaville in 2024

and breathe new life into it. And the LED wall will make the dream sequence unlike any time you’ve seen it before.”

The first show in the season, Grease, is a 50-year-old show that never wanes in popularity, Glaudini says. “We haven’t done it in 25 years, which is why it’s selling so well. It’s all about nostalgia. If you grew up in the ’50s, you knew kids like the ones in the show. And the popularity of the 1978 movie has made the show part of our cultural lexicon. It’s something fun that appeals to multiple generations.”

This summer, Moonlight will give Waitress its regional premiere. Based on the 2007 film, the musical follows the story of Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and expert pie maker stuck in a small town and in a loveless marriage. “Shows that celebrate women do

really well at Moonlight,” Glaudini says. “This is a show that celebrates women and the strength of women. With a Tonynominated score by Sara Bareilles and wonderful roles, it tells an important story about how not everyone’s life is perfect, but that’s OK.”

Another regional premiere for Moonlight will be Anastasia, which is based on the Disney animated film from 1997—telling the story of the lost princess Anastasia, the sole survivor of the Czar’s family following the Russian revolution. “The film is reaching a new generation of kids on Disney Plus,” Glaudini notes. “A whole generation who grew up with that movie can now introduce that beautiful story to their kids. It has a great, sweeping score, and opulent costumes and sets.” Moonlight is renting the original Broadway

production that played in New York.

Finally, Moonlight will present the California premiere of The Prince of Egypt, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Philip LaZebnik. Based on the Book of Exodus with songs from the DreamWorks Animation 1998 film of the same name, the musical follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. This production debuted in London’s West End in 2020.

“The music is so beautiful,” says Glaudini. “Schwartz won the Oscar for the song ‘When You Believe.’ And the story is such a classic, a brother story, but one about self-discovery and finding your voice. It’s not often you get to see a brandnew Schwartz musical.” Glaudini also says the

Into The Woods staged in 2024

REPROGRAMMED!

Performances Magazine unveils a digital program platform for shows and concerts

DROP DOWN MENU Table of app contents.

REGISTER

Stay arts-engaged, access past programs.

THE ESSENTIALS

Acts, scenes, synopses, repertory and notes.

CONTRIBUTORS

Donors and sponsors who make it all possible—you!

NO RUSTLING PAGES, no killing trees . . . the digital Performances program platform has proved to be one of the more enduring recent theater innovations.

The touchless platform provides the programs for 20 Southern California performing-arts organizations, from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Ahmanson Theatre to San Diego Opera, where the app made its debut.

Among a variety of features, it provides cast and player bios, donor and season updates, and numerous

other arts-centric features.

Audiences receive a link and a code word that instantly activate the app; QR codes are posted, too.

Screens go dark when curtains go up and return when house lights come back on.

Updates—such as repertory changes, understudy substitutions and significant new donations —can be made right up to showtime, no inserts necessary.

Other plusses include video and audio streams, translations and expanded biographies.

SEARCH

Find whatever it is you want to know—easily.

SIGN IN

Link to your performing-arts companies and venues.

THE PLAYERS

Bios and background for cast, crew and creators.

WHAT’S ON

What’s coming at a glance and ticket information.

For those who consider printed programs to be keepsakes, a limited number, as well as commemorative issues for special events, continue to be produced. Collectibles!

Meanwhile, there is less deforestation, consumption of petroleum inks and programs headed for landfills.

For the ecologically minded, the platform gets a standing ovation.

The digital Performances is but one more reason for audience excitement. Activate your link and enjoy the shows. CALEB WACHS