The San Diego Symphony’s Conducting Fellowship Program is an initiative conceived by Music and Artistic Director Rafael Payare designed to cultivate the next generation of orchestral leaders.

San Diego Symphony’s Conducting Fellowship Program, announced in fall 2025, offers emerging conductors the opportunity to receive mentorship from Rafael Payare and work closely with guest conductors and the Symphony’s artistic, education, and community engagement teams. Combining podium experience with professional development, the fellowship helps participants strengthen their musical leadership, while expanding their professional networks. Fellows conduct performances at Jacobs Music Center, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, and across the region through education and community engagement programs in concerts that inspire and connect with audiences of all ages.

Fellows who participate in this program are already accomplished emerging leaders in the orchestral field. Each brings distinctive artistic vision, experience, and a deep commitment to connecting music with communities around the world.

“Mentorship is at the heart of what makes music flourish,” says Payare. “With this new Conducting Fellowship, we’re giving gifted young conductors the opportunity to grow artistically, to collaborate with extraordinary musicians and administrators to experience how a wonderful institution runs, and to find their own voice on the podium.”

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Meet the 2025-26 San Diego Symphony Conducting Fellows

The inaugural cohort includes seven conductors.

Australian conductor Nathan Aspinall is resident conductor of the Nashville Symphony. He has led orchestras across the United States, Europe, and Australia, including the Minnesota Orchestra and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. A Tanglewood Fellow and Aspen Conducting Prize recipient, Aspinall studied at New England Conservatory and the University of Queensland. Passionate about education and outreach, he has spearheaded initiatives to broaden access to orchestral music. His nuanced interpretations and collaborative approach have earned him respect from both musicians and audiences.

 

 

 

Panamanian-American conductor Kalena Bovell is a trailblazer in classical music and the first Black woman to conduct an opera in Canada. Recipient of the 2024 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, Bovell previously served as assistant conductor of the Memphis Symphony. Bovell’s 2025–2026 season includes debuts with the New World Symphony, Redlands Symphony, and Acadiana Symphony. Bovell has led performances with the Chineke! Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic, and Orchestre classique de Montréal. A poet and advocate for equity, she came to music at age 11, began formal music training at 18 and earned degrees from The Hartt School and Chapman University.

 

 

 

Born in 1996, Gerald Karni is an internationally acclaimed conductor and violist who has led performances at the Elbphilharmonie; with Lucerne Symphony, Belgrade Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic Ensemble and will debut this season with the Nurnberger Symphoniker. A three-time Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award recipient, Karni studied conducting at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana and viola at Zurich University of the Arts. He founded Zurich’s Side-by-Side Project and is a longtime member of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim. Karni resides in Stockholm and continues to work with major orchestras across Europe and the United States.

 

 

 

American conductor Na'Zir McFadden is known for connecting audiences through dynamic, expressive performances that honor tradition while embracing fresh perspectives. Celebrated for his “great conducting technique and energetic podium presence” (The Philadelphia Inquirer), McFadden has made debuts with the Dresdner Philharmonie and Boston, Baltimore, Nashville, and Utah symphonies. Formerly assistant conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and music director of its youth orchestra, he now serves as assistant conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony. A recent Tanglewood Conducting Fellow, McFadden has worked with mentors including Andris Nelsons, Alan Gilbert, and Gustavo Dudamel.

 

 

 

Venezuelan conductor Enluis Montes Olivar, 28, is associate conductor of the Simón Bolívar Chamber Orchestra and winner of the 2024 Glenn Gould Protégé Prize. A former Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he has conducted at the Hollywood Bowl and Davies Symphony Hall. Montes Olivar led the world’s largest orchestra in a Guinness World Record-setting performance and has assisted Gustavo Dudamel at the Paris Opera. He studied at the Simón Bolívar Conservatory and teaches orchestra conducting at the Schwob Music Preparatory at Columbus State University. His dynamic leadership and international experience mark him as one of the rising stars of his generation.

 

 

 

Tristan Rais-Sherman, a three-time recipient of The Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award, recently completed his tenure as assistant conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, where he led performances at the Kimmel Center and Mann Center, helped launch the orchestra’s award-winning Orchestra After 5 series, and conducted the ensemble in Beijing during its historic 2023 China tour. Recent highlights include debuts with the Baltimore Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Hohhot Philharmonic Orchestra, and Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra. In the 2025–26 season, Rais-Sherman will debut with the Calgary Philharmonic, make his first appearance with the Harbin Symphony Orchestra, and return to both the San Diego Symphony and The Philadelphia Orchestra.

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Recognized for her innate musicality and compelling presence, Sunny Xuecong Xia is Associate Conductor of the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera. Equally at home in opera and symphonic repertoire, her upcoming engagements include the Dallas Opera, Seattle Opera, San Diego Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, and Phoenix Symphony. She is mentored by Xian Zhang and Ludovic Morlot in Seattle, and Marin Alsop as part of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship. Xia holds dual master’s degrees in conducting and violin performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a doctorate from Arizona State University. Originally from Guangzhou, China, she is fluent in multiple languages and is also an accomplished violinist and athlete.