San Diego Symphony history

Originally the full structure between 8th and 9th avenues on B Street contained not only the large theatre but also a parking garage (a new concept in the 1920’s), offices and a large department store that served downtown for many years as Montgomery Ward.

In 1927, The San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association was organized to back those concerts, and from that point to today, the group has been properly called the San Diego Symphony.

San Diego's Copley Symphony Hall opened as The Fox Theatre on November 8, 1929, about twenty or so years after the first concert was given by a so-called San Diego Symphony Orchestra.

The first winter series was 1959-60; Earl Bernard Murray had been chosen as the orchestra’s music director.

By 1965, the San Diego Civic Theatre had been built and the orchestra played there regularly.

San Diego's Copley Symphony Hall opened as The Fox Theatre on November 8, 1929, about twenty or so years after the first concert was given by a so-called San Diego Symphony Orchestra. It took until the mid-1980’s before the San Diego orchestra had its own home in what was renamed Copley Symphony Hall.

In brief and in considerable oversimplification, in 1984 the Symphony bought the entire 'Fox Block' and then sold it to the Charlton-Raynd Development Company.

In March of 1985, a $6 million renovation project, which took six months to complete, employed people who were dedicated to the purpose of restoring the theatre and the pipe organ to its original grandeur.

On January 14, 2002, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra celebrated the announcement of the single largest donation ever made to a Symphony Orchestra, totaling $120 million.

He began his formal conducting studies in 2004 with renowned conductor, José Antonio Abreu.

In the 100-plus years since its inception, the SDSO has become one of the leading orchestras in the United States and was designated a Tier 1 Orchestra by the League of American Orchestras in 2010.

Since being awarded first prize at the prestigious Malko Conducting Competition in 2012, Payare has been celebrated as one of the most exciting conductors of his generation.

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra made history on October 29, 2013 with its first appearance ever at New York's Carnegie Hall, performing a sold-out concert with pianist Lang Lang under the baton of Jahja Ling.

In September 2014, he was announced as Chief Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland and their partnership is now recognized as one of the most dynamic in the United Kingdom.

The 37-year-old Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare made an auspicious debut leading the San Diego Symphony last month, and the San Diego Symphony announced today that Payare will be its next Music Director, filling the vacancy left by maestro Jahja Ling, who retired in May 2017.

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, one of the most popular operas in the standard repertoire, seems like a natural to open San Diego Opera’s 2018-19 season.

San Diego Symphony’s newest music director is Rafael Payare, who will began his leadership role in July of 2019.