By Evan Pasternak, violin The 2023-24 San Diego Symphony season has concluded, and it was certainly one to remember. The orchestra traveled to New York City and Tijuana within a single month, and we performed at venues ranging from our…
By Kevin Gobetz John Degnan, second horn What makes music special to you? Music brings people together. It introduces us to new places, people, and stories! What is the most exciting/thrilling musical experience you’ve had and what made it so?…
by Julia Pautz Every musician in the San Diego Symphony is uniquely talented. In addition to her position in the SDSO, Kate Hatmaker is also the co-founder and Executive/Artistic Director of Art of Elan, a San Diego-based arts organization that…
America’s Finest City Makes a Statement in the Big Apple by Rodion Belousov, second oboe In October 2023, the San Diego Symphony, under the guidance of its esteemed music director, Rafael Payare, embarked on a journey to New York –…
By Lily Josefsberg, third flute/piccolo For the past few years, my colleagues and I at the San Diego Symphony have been performing outdoors at the Rady Shell and various other venues across Southern California while we await the reopening of…
By Kevin Gobetz Jason Karlyn How did your audition process change throughout your life and how would you advise an aspiring musician? Everyone responds differently to the demand of performing excerpts alone- an incontrovertibly awkward task for musicians used to…
A Tag Team Interview Between Principal Horn Ben Jaber and Violist Wanda Law Hi all, Wanda and Ben here! We sat down and had a conversation about our involvement in Traditional Irish Music, where we set out to answer a…
Aaron Blick What has been your most inspiring musical motivation over your career? There’s something about the feeling of producing a big, booming acoustic sound, especially in the low register of the bass, that has inspired me for a long…
Xiaoxuan Shi What makes music special to you? To me I feel music is a media to connect myself with the outer world. What drew you to your instrument? Was it your first choice?When I was 5, my parents took…
Rodion Belousov Upbringing/Roots/Family I grew up in a very musical family, music has been around me from a very young age. Even though my parents aren’t musicians, they both have backgrounds in music – my mom plays piano, my dad…
About five years ago, my daughter heard an instrument made by the Canadian luthier Mark Schnurr. (A luthier is someone who makes or repairs string instruments.) She was so impressed that she visited Mark and purchased one of his violins.…
As we approach the three year mark of the last show we performed inside the Jacobs Music Center, I want to share a few thoughts and observations on the current renovation. I have a front row seat to the transformation…