M U SIC
the very great outdoors San Diego Symphony looks to its new Shell to reconnect with audiences. WHEN THE SAN DIEGO Symphony’s new music director and principal conductor took the podium for a series of season-opening concerts in fall 2019, the excitement was palpable. Rafael Payare drew masterful performances out of the orchestra and electrified audiences and critics alike. Everyone agreed—a new era was born. § Then, in March, the world, and that era, came to a screeching halt. § “Rafael Payare had six weeks of performances as our new music director before the coronavirus shutdown,” recalls San Diego Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer. “Everyone was able to see his incredible energy and his connection with the musicians. Now he is a conductor without an orchestra.”
34 PERFORMANCES FALL 2020
