Sameer Patel, incoming music director of California’s La Jolla Symphony and Chorus. Photo by Sam Zauscher.
In Friday’s (7/21) San Diego Union-Tribune, George Varga writes, “It’s shaping up to be a landmark summer for San Diego’s Sameer Patel. His selection as La Jolla Symphony & Chorus’ new music director and conductor comes less than four weeks after he and his wife, Shannon, attended [a] state dinner at the White House … ‘This is absolutely a dream gig—it’s a joy to be part of this wonderful music organization,’ Patel said…. Patel, 40, is the artistic director of the San Diego Youth Symphony, a position he will continue to hold. The former associate conductor of the San Diego Symphony, he regularly conducts orchestras around the country. Patel’s selection to head La Jolla Symphony & Chorus … comes 14 months after his predecessor, Steven Schick, stepped down. Patel’s initial contract is for four years … Patel will work alongside SDSU music professor Arian Khaefi, who has led the chorus of the La Jolla Symphony since early 2021…. A Detroit native, Patel is the son of Indian parents who migrated to the U.S. from Kenya. He earned his master’s degree in music from the University of Michigan.” Patel participated in the 2013 League of American Orchestras’ League Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview.
