The orchestra will perform in Barcelona, Toulouse, Hamburg, Paris and Dublin on its first-ever European tour, joined by Javier Perianes and Leonidas Kavakos.
The San Diego Symphony will embark on its first-ever European tour in spring 2027, with Music and Artistic Director Rafael Payare leading the orchestra in five concerts across Spain, France, Germany and Ireland.
The nine-day tour, announced by the orchestra on 27 August, will begin on 28 April at Barcelona’s Palau de la Música Catalana before continuing to Toulouse, Hamburg, Paris and Dublin. The final concert will take place at Ireland’s National Concert Hall on 6 May.
The tour marks a significant step in the international development of the San Diego Symphony, which has raised its profile in recent years under Payare, who became Music and Artistic Director in 2019. The orchestra described the European debut as the beginning of a broader international presence in the years ahead.
Spanish pianist Javier Perianes will join the orchestra for the opening concert in Barcelona, performing Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor. The programme will also include Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari, Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and the suite from Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin.
Violinist Leonidas Kavakos will then join Payare and the orchestra for the concerts in Toulouse, Hamburg, Paris and Dublin, performing Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1. Repertoire across those appearances will also include Ortiz’s Kauyumari, Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin Suite and Stravinsky’s 1919 Firebird Suite.
The itinerary takes the orchestra to La Halle aux Grains in Toulouse on 30 April, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie on 3 May, La Seine Musicale in Paris on 4 May and Dublin’s National Concert Hall on 6 May.
“In Europe, a visiting orchestra’s performance represents more than a concert—it is a cultural exchange,” Payare said in announcing the tour. “The San Diego Symphony has a voice with such brilliance and spirit, it should be heard in concert halls around the world.”
The European debut follows a period of major development for the orchestra that has included the renovation of the Jacobs Music Center and the opening of its outdoor venue, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Its recent recording of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7, Leningrad, for Delos was the first recording made in the renovated Jacobs Music Center.
“This tour is a defining moment for our orchestra, and for San Diego,” said San Diego Symphony President and CEO Martha Gilmer. She described the European appearances as an opportunity to introduce the orchestra to new audiences while challenging it to meet “the highest international standard for what an orchestra can be.”
The tour is supported by philanthropists Jean and Gary Shekhter as title sponsors, alongside a group of additional donors.
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