Rodion Belousov was awarded tenure as Second Oboe with the San Diego Symphony in 2022. Prior to the San Diego Symphony, he was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Born into a music loving family in St. Petersburg, Russia, Rodion's artistic talent was shaped by a nurturing environment of music concerts, museums and architecture. Offstage you can find Rodion making oboe reeds, practicing Chinese or in the recording studio lending his talent to exciting film and television scores.

1. Tell us about your journey to the San Diego Symphony

I was born into a music-loving family in St. Petersburg, Russia—a city steeped in rich cultural traditions. While neither of my parents are professional musicians, they both had musical backgrounds: my mom played piano, my dad played accordion, and my older sister went all in—becoming both a professional composer and pianist. Needless to say, silence was rare in our household.

Growing up my parents would constantly take me to concerts and museums around the city. Even though at the ripe age of four I had absolutely zero interest in these kinds of activities, I slowly but surely began to develop a deep appreciation for arts and classical music. At the age of seven I enrolled in a local music school in addition to regular academic school, a common practice in Russia where playing an instrument is believed to support brain development and academic success.

My sister was already studying piano, and just across the hallway was the oboe studio. We knew there was a great teacher there and my mom—who still to this day describes the oboe as “the sound of angels" encouraged me to give it a shot. As for me I thought the oboe sounded like a duck! I just wanted to play an instrument with lots of keys and complicated mechanisms—I was obsessed with Legos and building sets and the oboe looked like the perfect musical machine to tinker with.

By the time I was 16 and thinking about college and had been playing for nine years, I decided to apply to conservatories in the United States. I was accepted to the Longy School of Music at Bard College where I got to deepen my musicianship and enter the world of reed making. Soon after I earned both my Master’s and Performance Diploma at Boston University.

During my time at Boston University, I started the process of auditioning. My teacher had a motto: “Take every audition you can because taking auditions is a skill of its own.” I took that advice to heart and gained valuable experience with each audition I took.

Then the pandemic hit. Suddenly, everything stopped—no concerts, no auditions, just a lot of waiting and wondering. With more than a year and a half of nothing on the audition docket I started looking at my next step. I considered moving to China—I had developed a deep interest in the Chinese language and culture during the pandemic. 

Just as I was about to pack my bags, an opportunity came knocking in the form of an appointment at the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. I was grateful for a chance to stay on track with my musical career in the U.S, even if the road ahead still looked foggy. Then, almost unexpectedly, three full-time oboe positions opened up in quick succession: Richmond, Utah, and San Diego. With no idea when the next wave of auditions might come around I decided to try my luck and audition for all three.

San Diego Symphony was the last audition on my list and, as you can probably guess, it turned out to be the beginning of the next chapter in my musical career. I feel incredibly lucky to be part of this orchestra, and I’m excited for what lies ahead.

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

One of my favorite memories has to be my very first concert with the San Diego Symphony in 2021—the Noel Noel holiday performance. I have always loved Christmas music and movie music, so getting to play a program that combined both was a dream. We performed medleys from Home Alone and Harry Potter alongside other holiday classics, all under the stars at The Rady Shell.

Normally the idea of playing an outdoor concert during the month of December would send most musicians into a full-blown panic because of the weather, but most musicians have not experienced performing in San Diego where December is temperate and enjoyable. With The Rady Shell beautifully lit, projections dancing across its surface December, it is nothing short of magical. My first concert at the San Diego Symphony really left a lasting impression on me!

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

As an oboist, “free time” is a bit of a myth because when I’m not performing, I’m usually making reeds… and that’s basically a full-time job in itself. But when I do carve out some time for myself, I love hanging out with friends, playing board games, video games and even the occasional escape room.

I also enjoy going to the gym, trying new restaurants and saying yes to new experiences. Recently, I went paddle boarding for the first time and even gave archery a shot.

4. What musical work are you looking most forward to playing in the 2025-2026 Jacobs Masterworks season? 

I’m especially excited to perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 7. I’m a huge fan of Mahler—his music is emotionally rich, full of color, and always takes you on a deeply immersive journey. I’ve had the chance to perform all of his symphonies except the Seventh and the Eighth, so getting to finally check off another one from the list is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. 

5. Any special hobbies or interesting facts about yourself that you’d like to share? 

On the music side, I’ve had the chance to work on some really exciting projects as a recording soloist. I was featured on Netflix’s four-time Emmy-nominated mega-hit fantasy series The Witcher, starring Henry Cavill, which went on to become the most watched Netflix show of all time. I’ve also recorded for NBC’s The Thing About Pam, starring two-time Oscar winner Renée Zellweger (the network’s No.1 series of the 2021-2022 season), and Amazon’s The Romanoffs. It’s been a real privilege to be part of these productions. Additionally, I was honored to be a part of Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli’s Sony Music record “A Mighty Heart Beating Like A Drum” alongside GRAMMY-winning artist Serj Tankian of the legendary musical group System of a Down, Tarja of Nightwish, Bad Wolves and other incredible artists.

Outside of music, I really enjoy learning new things and picking up new skills. During the pandemic, I started learning Chinese and have been keeping it up ever since. I also have a subscription to Coursera and like exploring different online courses whenever I can. Last year, I earned a Google Data Analytics certificate which took me about five months to complete.