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This inaugural European tour is made possible in part through the support of Jean and Gary Shekhter, whose title sponsorship reflects their longstanding commitment to advancing San Diego’s cultural, educational, and civic institutions.
Additional essential support for this tour is provided by Una Davis, Ross Caleca and Hayley Janecek, Dorothea Laub, Jaqueline and Jean-Luc Robert, and Laurie Sefton Henson.
Barcelona
April 28, 2027
Palau de la Música Catalana
The tour opens in Barcelona at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Palau de la Música Catalana, with Spanish pianist Javier Perianes joining Rafael Payare and the Orchestra for Schumann’s Piano Concerto.
Program
Gabriela Ortiz — Kauyumari
Robert Schumann — Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54, with Javier Perianes
Leonard Bernstein — Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Béla Bartók — Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin
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Toulouse
April 30, 2027
La Halle aux Grains
In Toulouse, the Orchestra is joined by internationally acclaimed Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos for Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1.
Program
Gabriela Ortiz — Kauyumari
Dmitri Shostakovich — Violin Concerto No. 1, with Leonidas Kavakos
Leonard Bernstein — Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Igor Stravinsky — The Firebird Suite (1919 version)
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Hamburg
May 3, 2027
Elbphilharmonie
The San Diego Symphony makes its Hamburg appearance at the spectacular Elbphilharmonie, again performing with Leonidas Kavakos.
Program
Gabriela Ortiz — Kauyumari
Dmitri Shostakovich — Violin Concerto No. 1, with Leonidas Kavakos
Béla Bartók — Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin
Igor Stravinsky — The Firebird Suite (1919 version)
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Paris
May 4, 2027
La Seine Musicale — Patrick Devedjian Auditorium
In Paris, the Orchestra continues its tour with Kavakos and a program that brings together Shostakovich and Bernstein with Stravinsky's The Firebird Suite.
Program
Gabriela Ortiz — Kauyumari
Dmitri Shostakovich — Violin Concerto No. 1, with Leonidas Kavakos
Leonard Bernstein — Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Igor Stravinsky — The Firebird Suite (1919 version)
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Dublin
May 6, 2027
National Concert Hall
The European tour concludes in Dublin at the National Concert Hall, with Kavakos joining the Orchestra for Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1.
Program
Gabriela Ortiz — Kauyumari
Dmitri Shostakovich — Violin Concerto No. 1, with Leonidas Kavakos
Leonard Bernstein — Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Igor Stravinsky — The Firebird Suite (1919 version)
Rafael Payare, Music and Artistic Director
With his charismatic energy, innate musicianship and technical brilliance on the podium, Rafael Payare has led the San Diego Symphony into a new era since becoming music and artistic director in 2019.
Under Payare's leadership, the Orchestra has gained increasing national and international attention, alongside the transformation of Jacobs Music Center and the opening of The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.
Payare has built relationships with leading orchestras around the world, including the Boston, Chicago and Pittsburgh symphonies; the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras; the Los Angeles and New York philharmonics; and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic.
In 2027, he leads the San Diego Symphony on its first European tour.
[Read Rafael Payare's Biography]
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Javier Perianes
Piano — Barcelona
Spanish pianist Javier Perianes is internationally acclaimed for his performances with the world's leading orchestras and conductors in major concert halls throughout Europe, North America and Asia.
A regular performer at festivals including the BBC Proms, Lucerne Festival and Salzburg Whitsun Festival, Perianes is an exclusive Harmonia Mundi recording artist and recipient of Spain's National Music Prize.
[Visit Javier Parianes' website]
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Leonidas Kavakos
Violin — Toulouse, Hamburg, Paris & Dublin
Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos is recognized worldwide as one of today's most distinguished musicians, acclaimed for his artistry, musicianship and exceptional technique.
He performs with the world's leading orchestras as both soloist and conductor and has built an award-winning discography spanning the core violin repertoire. In 2024, he was appointed professor of violin at the Basel Academy of Music and elected to the Academy of Athens for his contributions to music.
[Visit Leonidas Kavakos' website]
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The San Diego Symphony
The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is one of the nation's leading orchestras and a dynamic cultural ambassador for the United States and the San Diego region.
Led by President and CEO Martha Gilmer and Music and Artistic Director Rafael Payare, its 82 full-time, internationally distinguished musicians bring artistry to audiences at home and abroad. The Orchestra is anchored by two distinctive venues: The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, its open-air waterfront performance space, and the recently renovated Jacobs Music Center, its indoor home.
Guided by its mission of Changing Lives Through Music, the Symphony's community programs reach more than 65,000 students, families, educators, military service members and nonprofit partners each year.
The European tour marks an important moment in the San Diego Symphony's artistic growth—and a chance to share the cultural vitality of the San Diego region with audiences abroad.
Over the past several years, the Symphony has invested in artistic excellence, new facilities and deeper connections with the community. The transformation of Jacobs Music Center and opening of The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park have expanded the ways audiences experience the Orchestra at home, while recordings and performances have introduced the San Diego Symphony to new audiences around the world.
The Orchestra's recent Delos recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7, Leningrad—the first recording made in the newly renovated Jacobs Music Center—has further elevated its international profile. Le Devoir called the recording “quite simply a hi-fi demonstration disc—a magnificent achievement.”
Now, for the first time, the San Diego Symphony takes its artistry to Europe.
“In Europe, a visiting orchestra's performance represents more than a concert—it is a cultural exchange.” — Rafael Payare
Follow the San Diego Symphony as we take the “San Diego Sound” to Europe.
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