‘A dream gig’: Sameer Patel is named new music director and conductor of La Jolla Symphony & Chorus
It’s the latest achievement for Patel, former associate conductor of the San Diego Symphony and current artistic director of the San Diego Youth Symphony. He also recently attended a state dinner at the White House.
It’s shaping up to be a landmark summer for Sameer Patel. His selection as the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus’ new music director and conductor comes a month after he and his wife, Shannon, attended a state dinner at the White House that President Joe Biden hosted for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“This is absolutely a dream gig — it’s a joy to be part of this wonderful music organization,” Patel said. “And having not ever been to the White House before, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be a guest at a state dinner there.”
San Diego Youth Symphony’s artistic director chooses his own unique path
Patel, 40, former associate conductor of the San Diego Symphony, is the artistic director of the San Diego Youth Symphony, a position he will continue to hold. He regularly conducts orchestras around the country.
Patel’s selection to head the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus, announced July 21, comes 14 months after his predecessor, Steven Schick, stepped down. Patel’s initial contract is for four years, with options to renew.
He was selected after an audition process in which the symphony played with several prominent conductors who were being considered.
Patel will work alongside San Diego State University music professor Arian Khaefi, who has led the chorus of the La Jolla Symphony since early 2021.
“It’s a joy to be part of this wonderful music organization. ... The musicians in the orchestra have such joy and curiosity and they play at a very high level.”
— Sameer Patel
“We are delighted and enthusiastically welcome Sameer as the next music director and orchestra conductor of the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus,” said Stephanie Weaver Yankee, the nonprofit arts organization’s executive director. She hailed Patel as “a consummate musician” and a perfect fit for the position.
“The orchestra and chorus respond beautifully to his musical leadership and have developed a positive, natural rapport with him,” she said. “Sameer is a deeply committed community partner and visionary thinker. His talents and energy will be great assets to the leadership team as we enter a new and exciting chapter in our history.”
Schick, who led the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus from 2007 to 2022, is an award-winning conductor and percussionist. The UC San Diego professor, who is now the Symphony & Chorus’ music director emeritus, is an ardent admirer of Patel.
“Sameer is an artist of the highest level,” Schick said. “He creates refined relationships with an ensemble that speak with great clarity.”
“In addition to that,” Schick continued, “he is so invested with San Diego Youth Symphony, which is a huge apparatus. Coordinating all of that — bringing young musicians together and working with La Jolla Symphony & Chorus — it’s an unbelievable gift to San Diego.”
Patel, a Detroit native, is the son of Indian parents who migrated to the United States from Kenya. He earned a master’s degree in music from the University of Michigan. He now lives in San Diego’s Bankers Hill area with his wife and two young children.
Patel expressed delight about his new La Jolla Symphony & Chorus position.
“The musicians in the orchestra have such joy and curiosity and they play at a very high level,” he said. “They play everything with great commitment and heart, whether it’s Stravinsky or Brahms or John Adams or Florence Price. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
He also is still pinching himself about having attended the June 22 state dinner at the White House. He doesn’t know — and never had any previous contact — with Biden, Modi or anyone affiliated with them.
“I got a message from my manager that a policy adviser in [first lady] Jill Biden’s office had read about me and thought my wife and I would be good guests at the state dinner,” Patel said.
“The funny thing is that we are not politically involved, especially not in the politics of India. My wife, Shannon, is a social worker and I’m an orchestra conductor. The only other musician who was at the dinner was [violin star] Joshua Bell, which was great company to be in!”
Nearly 400 people attended the dinner, including the Bidens, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Also attending were film director M. Night Shyamalan, tennis legend Billie Jean King, fashion magnate Ralph Lauren and Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs and his granddaughter, U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-San Diego.
“I met the Bidens and the Modis in the receiving line,” Patel said. “In talking with other immigrants afterward, the most powerful thing about this experience for me — as a child of immigrants — is the pride and joy of being able to go to ‘the People’s House.’ It was a very touching and powerful way to represent the community I’ve grown up with, people who have come here with these dreams for them and their children.” ◆
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