Concertmaster Yoonshin Song is featured soloist on DSO program conducted by Rafael Payare, March 14-16

- Program includes Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 and Mahler's Symphony No. 5

- March 16 concert will be webcast for free at dso.org/live 

Detroit, (March 6, 2019) – Conductor Rafael Payare will make his Detroit Symphony Orchestra(DSO) debut on a trio of concerts featuring Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. DSO Concertmaster Yoonshin Song (Katherine Tuck Chair) will be featured soloist on the Mozart.

In February 2018, Payare was announced as the next music director of the San Diego Symphony, beginning in the 2019-2020 Season. Song has served as DSO Concertmaster since 2012 and regularly performs as a soloist with the symphony.

The concerts take place Thursday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, March 15 at 8 p.m., and Saturday, March 16 at 8 p.m. at Orchestra Hall, within Midtown Detroit’s Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. 

One hour prior to each performance, guests are invited to enjoy an informative onstage Concert Talk about the program. These lectures and discussions will be made available for later viewing on the DSO’s YouTube channel.

Watch Live around the world: the Saturday evening concert will be webcast for free atdso.org/live and via Facebook Live, as part of the DSO’s groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall series. The series is presented by Ford Motor Company Fund and made possible by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The DSO Classical Series is generously sponsored by PVS Chemicals, Inc.

About Rafael Payare

Venezuelan conductor Rafael Payare was recently named music director of the San Diego Symphony, beginning in the 2019-2020 Season. He currently serves as music director of the Ulster Orchestra, where he was appointed principal conductor in 2014.

Payare has conducted many of the world’s leading orchestras, including Philharmonia Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and others. He enjoys a close relationship with Sinfonietta Cracovia in Poland, which recently named him as their honorary conductor.

Payare has collaborated with a variety of notable soloists, including Daniil Trifonov, Frank Peter Zimmerman, Gil Shaham, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Nikolai Lugansky, Christiane Karg, his wife Alisa Weilerstein, Nikolaj Znaider, Piotr Anderszewski, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Sergey Khachatryan, Jonathan Biss, and Dorothea Röschmann.

Born in 1980 and a graduate of the celebrated El Sistema in Venezuela, Payare began his formal conducting studies in 2004 with José Antonio Abreu. He has conducted all the major orchestras in Venezuela, including the Simón Bolívar Orchestra. Having also served as Principal Horn of the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, he took part in many prestigious tours and recordings with conductors including Giuseppe Sinopoli, Claudio Abbado, Sir Simon Rattle, and Lorin Maazel.

About Yoonshin Song

Yoonshin Song was born in South Korea, where she began her musical studies at age 5. Making her solo debut with the Seoul Philharmonic at age 11, she has since built a successful performing career throughout Korea, the United States, and Europe.

Song has earned many prestigious prizes throughout her career. Highlights include top prize awards in the Lipizer International Violin Competition (Italy), Lipinski & Wieniawski International Violin Competition (Poland), Henry Marteau International Violin Competition (Germany), and first prize at the Stradivarius International Competition in the US. In her native South Korea, Song has won virtually all the major national competitions.

As a soloist, she has performed with many orchestras around the world—including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, the Paul Constantinescu Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and KBS Philharmonic Orchestra.

She has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in numerous music festivals, including Marlboro Music Festival, Deer Valley Music Festival, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Miyazaki Chamber Music Festival, Verbier Festival, Lucerne Festival, and Bayreuth Music Festival.

Since 2012, Song has been the Concertmaster of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and she has enjoyed close collaborations with inspiring guest artists such as Gil Shaham, Joshua Bell, and Jamie Laredo.

Song currently plays on a 1700 Vincenzo Rugeri violin on loan to her from a generous sponsor in Michigan.

Ticket Information

Tickets for Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 begin at $15 and can be purchased at dso.org, by calling (313) 576-5111, or in-person at the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center Box Office (3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit).

Groups of 10 or more can save up to 30% on the price of a single ticket for most DSO concerts. For more information, contact Group Sales Manager Jim Sabatella at (313) 576-5130 or jsabatella@dso.org.

Performance Details

Thursday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 15 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 16 at 8 p.m.

Orchestra Hall at the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center

Rafael Payare, conductor

Yoonshin Song, violin

MOZART
  Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K. 219
  Yoonshin Song, violin

MAHLER
  Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor

About the DSO

The most accessible orchestra on the planet, the acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. As a community-supported orchestra, generous giving by individuals and institutions at all levels drives the continued success and growth of the institution. Conductor Leonard Slatkin, who recently concluded an acclaimed decade-long tenure at the helm, now serves as the DSO’s Music Director Laureate, endowed by the Kresge Foundation. Celebrated conductor, arranger, and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik is the orchestra’s Principal Pops Conductor, while the outstanding trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard holds the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair. Making its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, the DSO offers a performance schedule that features Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. One of America’s most acoustically perfect concert halls, Orchestra Hall will celebrate its centennial in 2019-2020. In addition, the DSO presents the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series in seven metro area venues, as well as a robust schedule of eclectic multi-genre performances in its mid-size venue The Cube, constructed and curated with support from Peter D. & Julie F. Cummings. A dedication to broadcast innovation began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a radio broadcast and continues today with the free Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series, which also reaches tens of thousands of children with the Classroom Edition expansion. With growing attendance and unwavering philanthropic support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to embrace and inspire individuals, families, and communities through unsurpassed musical experiences.