Find Your Music™ On The Go

Musician Spotlight: Aaron Blick, Bass

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Aaron Blick began his musical studies on the piano at age 5. By age 11, Aaron's musical interests had shifted to the double bass, and he began formal study at age 14 in both classical and jazz. Aaron then earned his Bachelor of Music in 2018 from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music studying with Andrew Raciti, Associate Principal Bass of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Consequently, he returned to his hometown of Los Angeles to study with Los Angeles Philharmonic bassist David Allen Moore at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, earning his Master’s Degree in Music Performance in 2020. He continued his studies with Mr. Moore at USC as part of the Graduate Certificate program until Spring of 2022.

Notes of Gratitude: Music for our Military

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

“It would be my hope that… MUSIC-loving veterans and active-duty service members will find a welcome home here with the San Diego Symphony.”

California Festival Family & Community Day at The Rady Shell At Jacobs Park™

Monday, October 30, 2023

The musical community is ripe with anticipation for the launch of the California Festival which begins celebrations next month. Over the course of two weeks, musical organizations up and down the 650-mile expanse of the state will be performing and presenting bold new works from the past five years that exemplify California’s unique history of leadership and innovativeness. From orchestras to chamber music groups, jazz ensembles to choirs, there will be a large number of offerings to choose from. Originally conceived by LA Phil Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare and San Francisco Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, the idea was to create a way to promote the interconnectedness of the state’s arts organizations by celebrating the diverse collective of communities that make up the state. Some of the statistics are impressive - over 24 nationalities and spanning ages from 27 to 97.

October 2023 Donor Spotlight - David and Lesley Cohn

Thursday, October 26, 2023

What could be better than getting together with family to share in the things you love? Whether it’s music, movies, fine dining, or sporting events, enjoying something together makes it even more meaningful. “If we’re not working, we’re pretty much spending time with family,” said David Cohn. David and his wife Lesley have two kids and five grandchildren, and they own and operate Cohn Restaurant Group — which they describe as something of a family itself —including local names like The Prado, Corvette Diner, and Island Prime. “Our one diversion is our love of music,” said David, “and we couldn’t be happier with The Rady Shell.” Lesley and David are also members of the San Diego Symphony’s family of donors and provide great support for the programming at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.

San Diego Symphony Returns to Carnegie Hall for the first Time in a decade

Thursday, October 12, 2023

Tomorrow evening the San Diego Symphony is making its return to Carnegie Hall for the first time in ten years! To mark this momentous event, the Symphony will be performing an exciting program consisting of a new San Diego Symphony commission, Wake Up by Carlos Simon, Dvorak's Cello Concerto in B Minor with soloist Alisa Weilerstein, and Shostokovich's iconic Symphony No. 5. For many of the musicians, this will the second time on the Carnegie Hall stage with the San Diego Symphony, for others it will be the first time inside the venue.

Musician Spotlight: Leyla Zamora, Bassoon

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Leyla Zamora has been a member of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra since 2005.  Before coming to San Diego, Leyla held for 10 years, the position of principal bassoon with the Memphis Symphony. We caught up with Leyla as she was finishing up her Summer Vacation gallivanting around Europe and asked her about her time with the Orchestra and what she has her sights set on in this upcoming season. 

Getting to Know Guest Conductor Christopher Dragon

Friday, September 1, 2023

Australian conductor Christopher Dragon, Music Director of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra and Resident Conductor of the Colorado Symphony, returns this weekend to the San Diego Symphony to guest conduct a weekend of exciting programming at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Read more about Christopher below: 

August 2023 Donor Spotlight - Lisa and Gary Levine

Thursday, August 17, 2023

At some point, we all have an experience that changes our lives, raises the bar, and creates memories that will last a lifetime. For Lisa and Gary Levine, that experience happened at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park™. “We sat front row center to see John Legend,” Gary recalled. “The feeling of being there, up close and personal with such an incredible artist, is something I’ll never forget. Lisa and Gary began supporting the San Diego Symphony in 2018 after Lisa attended a concert with some friends. “I came home and told Gary, this is something we need to get involved in,” said Lisa.

Q&A with High School Ambassador: Karolina

Monday, August 14, 2023

Our High School Ambassadors summer internship program at the San Diego Symphony concluded last week. Over the course of six weeks we hosted 30 high school students from all over San Diego County in two different cohorts of three weeks each. Students participated in group projects, leadership workshops and got meaningful experience with audience members working as ushers at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. We asked one High School Ambassador to reflect on their personal experience in the program.