The San Diego Symphony, led by Music Director Rafael Payare, comprises 82 full-time musicians who represent and celebrate the San Diego region through dynamic and passionate music-making. One of the largest and most significant cultural organizations in California, the San Diego Symphony creates shared experiences centered on the stories of our place and time, for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. The San Diego Symphony performs for more than 250, 000 people annually at its concerts throughout Southern California, reaches more than 65, 000 participants through its community engagement and education programs, serves as the orchestra for the San Diego Opera, and participates collaboratively with arts and cultural activities in Baja California, Mexico, as part of its ongoing binational work.
The San Diego Symphony programs and operates its two primary venues: the indoor Jacobs Music Center, which reopened on September 28, 2024, following a $125 million renovation, and The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park™, the Symphony’s outdoor venue on San Diego Bay, nestled between downtown San Diego and historic Coronado. The San Diego Symphony operates Jacobs Park as a public park 365 days each year, where it provides a range of free and paid programming. Both venues were developed with the goals of showcasing the talent of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra musicians, providing transformative music experiences for the community, and driving growth and vitality in San Diego.
About Jacobs Music Center
Jacobs Music Center is regarded as one of the finest classical music venues on the West Coast. Originally built in 1929 as The Fox Theatre, this lush movie palace style hall became the property of the SDSO in 1984. The beauty and majesty of this historic hall added to the stature and artistic growth of SDSO. In October 2013, the complex consisting of Copley Symphony Hall, the newly renovated lobbies, the backstage areas, the Grosvenor Family Musicians' Center and the Symphony administrative offices was officially named the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center. In early 2022, a major renovation project for the Jacobs Music Center was announced, to enhance the musical and performance experience for artists and audiences alike while honoring the legacy of the nearly 100-year-old Fox Theatre. Elements of the renovation designed to elevate the hall’s acoustics include a custom-designed permanent orchestra enclosure, a tunable acoustic canopy, and the reconfiguration of both the stage and the audience seating, with the addition of a choral terrace behind the orchestra and a completely reshaped main seating level. The hall features new seating and finishes; restored architectural details; modernized lighting, sound, video and recording equipment; updated and expanded support spaces for musicians; and enhanced audience amenities. The project was designed by architectural firm HGA in collaboration with acoustician Paul Scarbrough of Akustiks and theater planner Schuler Shook. Major upgrades to the main mechanical systems of Jacobs Music Center were completed as well, which not only significantly enhance the comfort within the hall, but also contributes to the hall’s acoustic quality, and allows valuable space to be reprioritized for Symphony program uses. The revitalized hall was inaugurated on September 28, 2024, just three years after the San Diego Symphony opened its new waterfront home, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park.
