Meet the Orchestra
Our Mission
The San Diego Symphony, through unquestionable commitment to the highest levels of artistic achievement, seeks to elevate human potential by providing a shared sense of pride and belonging to something bigger than any of us can achieve alone. We offer audiences the wonder of live music and transformative learning experiences that develop an understanding and passion for the arts. To ensure we are an enduring force in the region we commit to fiscal responsibility. We serve and shape the culture of the region, by being for all and with all, the musical heart of San Diego.
The San Diego Symphony Orchestra is one of the largest and most significant cultural organizations in San Diego and performs for more than 250,000 people each season, offering a wide variety of programming at its two much-loved venues: the recently renovated Jacobs Music Center in downtown San Diego and The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park™, San Diego Symphony’s one-of-a-kind waterfront concert venue, open since August 2021.
Rafael Payare became the San Diego Symphony’s thirteenth music director in July 2019. Payare leads the orchestra’s 82 full-time musicians, graduates of the finest and most celebrated music schools in the United States and abroad. The SDSO also serves as the orchestra for the San Diego Opera each season. For over 30 years, the San Diego Symphony has supported public school music education and provided community engagement programs reaching more than 65,000 students annually, bringing innovative programming to San Diego’s diverse neighborhoods and schools.
members of the san diego symphony orchestra
Learn more about the musicians of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra
MUSIC AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Rafael Payare
VIOLIN
Jeff Thayer
Concertmaster
DEBORAH PATE AND JOHN FORREST CHAIR
Wesley Precourt
Associate Concertmaster
Jisun Yang
Assistant Concertmaster
Katia Tesarczyk
Principal Second Violin
Cherry Choi Tung Yeung
Acting Principal Second Violin
Nick Grant
Principal Associate Concertmaster Emeritus
Ai Nihira Awata
Jing Yan Bowcott
Yumi Cho
Alicia Engley
Kathryn Hatmaker
Kenneth Liao
Alexander Palamidis
Igor Pandurski
Evan Pasternak
Julia Pautz
Yeh Shen
Xiaoxuan Shi
Edmund Stein
Hanah Stuart
John Stubbs
Pei-Chun Tsai
Tiffany Wee
Zou Yu
Yeim Lee*
Margeaux Maloney*
Sarah Schwartz*
VIOLA
Chi-Yuan Chen
Principal
KAREN AND WARREN KESSLER CHAIR
Nancy Lochner
Associate Principal
Jason Karlyn
Alexander Knecht
Wanda Law
Sung Jin Lee
Zeyu Victor Li
Qing Liang
Ethan Pernela
Megan Wei
CELLO
Yao Zhao
Principal
Chia-Ling Chien
Associate Principal
Vivian Chang
Maximus Gurath
Andrew Hayhurst
Tzu-Wei Jack Huang
Richard Levine
Nathan Walhout
Xian Zhuo
BASS
Jeremy Kurtz-Harris
Principal
SOPHIE AND ARTHUR BRODY FOUNDATION CHAIR
Susan Wulff
Associate Principal
Aaron Blick
P.J. Cinque
Kevin Gobetz
Samuel Hager
Margaret Johnston+
FLUTE
Rose Lombardo
Principal
Sarah Tuck
Lily Josefsberg
PICCOLO
Lily Josefsberg
OBOE
Sarah Skuster
Principal
Rodion Belousov
Andrea Overturf
ENGLISH HORN
Andrea Overturf
DR. WILLIAM AND EVELYN LAMDEN CHAIR
CLARINET
Sheryl Renk
Principal
Max Opferkuch
Frank Renk
BASS CLARINET
Frank Renk
BASSOON
Valentin Martchev
Principal
Ryan Simmons
Leyla Zamora
CONTRABASSOON
Leyla Zamora
HORN
Benjamin Jaber
Principal
Darby Hinshaw
Assistant Principal & Utility
Tricia Skye
John Degnan
TRUMPET
Christopher Smith
Principal
Ray Nowak
TROMBONE
Kyle R. Covington
Principal
Greg Ochotorena*
Kyle Mendiguchia
BASS TROMBONE
Kyle Mendiguchia
TUBA
Aaron McCalla
Principal
HARP
Julie Smith Phillips
Principal
TIMPANI
Ryan J. DiLisi
Principal
Andrew Watkins
Assistant Principal
PERCUSSION
Gregory Cohen
Principal
Andrew Watkins
Matthew West
PRINCIPAL LIBRARIAN
Courtney Secoy Cohen
LIBRARIAN
Rachel Fields
* Long Term Substitute Musician
+ Staff Opera Musician
The musicians of the San Diego Symphony are members of San Diego County, Local 325, American Federation of Musicians, AFL-CIO
