Rafael Payare

Music Director @SanDiegoSymph · Music Director @OSMconcerts · Conductor Laureate @UlsterOrchestra · Hon. Conductor @SinfoCracovia · PC @CastletonFest · 🇻🇪

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

I am thrilled to share that my tenure as Music & Artistic Director of @SanDiegoSymph extends through the 28/29 season. Our journey continues this weekend with our Tales of Enchantment program featuring Augustin Hadelich in Sibelius's Violin Concerto (11/14-15).
📸 @toddrphoto

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

Mi amada Venezuela, no hay palabras. Mi corazón contigo siempre 💔 💔 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤
___
My beloved Venezuela, there are no words. My heart is always with you.
___
Mon cher Venezuela, les mots me manquent . Mon cœur est toujours avec toi.

[San Diego Symphony @SanDiegoSymph]

Announcing our new recording—Shostakovich Symphony No. 7!

@rafaelpayare and the San Diego Symphony’s first release from Jacobs Music Center.
Exclusively on Apple Music Classical June 26. Available worldwide August 28.

[Apple Music Classical @AppleClassical]

Be the first to hear @SanDiegoSymph and @rafaelpayare perform Shostakovich's monumental Seventh Symphony, exclusively on Apple Music Classical: https://t.co/VFUGNg8Zll

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

Listen to the worldwide digital release of our premiere recording with @DelosMusic/@Outheremusic on August 28th and stream the album exclusively on @appleclassical starting tomorrow, June 26th.

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

Shostakovich’s Seventh doesn't just test an orchestra’s stamina—it tests its soul. Recorded live last May at the Jacobs Music Center, my phenomenal @SanDiegoSymph captures the nuance and tension that make this masterpiece still feel painfully current.

[San Diego Symphony @SanDiegoSymph]

Two voices. Seven locked doors. 🔑

Karen Cargill and Mark Stone star in Bartók’s haunting Bluebeard’s Castle alongside Strauss’s monumental Also sprach Zarathustra — the San Diego Symphony’s season finale with @rafaelpayare

📅 May 22 & 24
📍 Jacobs Music Center
#StayClassical

[San Diego Symphony @SanDiegoSymph]

“It speaks to universal messages about bringing us together as human beings… it’s a wonderful work of art.” — @AWeilerstein on @GOrtizcomposer's GRAMMY-winning cello concerto "Dzonot."

Hear it May 9 & 10 at Jacobs Music Center with @rafaelpayare!

🔗 https://t.co/gft0EjuK0I

[San Diego Symphony @SanDiegoSymph]

We’re headed back to Tijuana, Mexico!🎶 Led by @rafaelpayare, the SDSO will perform a FREE community concert at Centro Cultural Tijuana on May 12! This performance continues our role as a cultural connector across the Cali-Baja region.

More info: https://t.co/JnyH7dQUFz

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

Saison 26/27 avec mon @OSMconcerts !
https://t.co/w20sKnDQBL

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

Magnifiques représentations Les Noces de Figaro de Mozart la semaine dernière avec mon @osmconcerts. Merci à tous !

📸 Gabriel Fournier
___
Magnificent performances of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro last week with my OSM. Thank you all!

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

I am excited to make my debut with the @ConcertgbOrkest February 18-20! On the program: Gubaidulina's "Fairy Tale Poem," Frank Martin's Violin Concerto with soloist Frank Peter Zimmermann and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 10.

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

Je suis ravi de faire mes débuts avec le @ConcertgbOrkest du 18 au 20 février ! Au programme : « Fairy Tale Poem » de Gubaidulina, le Concerto pour violon de Frank Martin avec le soliste Frank Peter Zimmermann et la Symphonie n° 10 de Chostakovitch .

📸 @toddrphoto

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

Thrilled to return to @philorch this week to lead a program that includes Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with David Kim, Falla’s El amor brujo with Marina Heredia, and the first Philadelphia Orchestra performance of Ballard's Devil’s Promenade.

[San Diego Symphony @SanDiegoSymph]

Some things can’t be streamed.
They have to be experienced.

We’re proud to announce the San Diego Symphony's 2026–27 Jacobs Masterworks season!

🎶 Now on sale → https://t.co/82JEvkgYI9

[George Varga @georgevarga]

Exclusive! Here is @SanDiegoSymph's complete 2026/2027 season, plus our interviews with music & artistic director @rafaelpayare and President/CEO Martha Gilmer. What concerts are you most looking forward to? https://t.co/mZXVQROIOa

[San Diego Symphony @SanDiegoSymph]

From shadowy “night music” and alpine water imagery to a bold Wagner-inspired finale, Mahler's Symphony No. 7 is one his most daring works.

Our musicians break it down in the latest THREE THINGS video:
▶️ https://t.co/IJp4Tt1VKj

📅Jan 31 & Feb 1 with @rafaelpayare
📍JMC

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

Wishing happy holidays and a joyful 2026 to all! / Nous souhaitons à tous de joyeuses fêtes et une merveilleuse année 2026 ! / ¡Deseandoles unas felices fiestas y un próspero año 2026 a todos!
📸 Antoine Saito (1-3) / Gary Payne (4)

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

It is fantastic to see her legacy honored with this award—not only for her work here, but for everything she has contributed to our field. I am deeply proud & grateful to have partnered with Martha in serving this remarkable orchestra and the San Diego community. 📸 @toddrphoto

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

I am so happy that Martha Gilmer is receiving @musicalamerica's Impresario of the Year award. From the beginning of our partnership, she has worked tirelessly on behalf of the @SanDiegoSymph, inspiring everyone within the organization through her remarkable leadership.

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

@toddrphoto Read the full press release here: https://t.co/f8NrRIV5Jv

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

Mentorship is at the heart of what makes music flourish. I am so pleased to announce the launch of my 2025/26 Conducting Fellowship Program with @SanDiegoSymph – a new initiative designed to cultivate the next generation of orchestral leaders. [1/3]

[Rafael Payare @rafaelpayare]

It’s deeply inspiring to welcome this next generation of leaders into our musical family. [3/3]
📸 @toddrphoto