The Intense Leningrad Symphony by Shostakovich 2025-2026
This program contrasts Beethoven’s vibrant Symphony No. 8 with Shostakovich’s powerful Leningrad Symphony, a poignant work that captures the spirit of resistance to oppression. The striking juxtaposition of Beethoven’s joy and Shostakovich’s depiction of a dramatic historical moment promises an intense and captivating concert experience.
Artists
Rafael Payare, conductor
In Shostakovich’s work, the OSM will be joined by young musicians from higher education institutions as part of the Orchestral Immersion project. This program is made possible thanks to the generous support of Ann Birks as well as Tom Wilder, founder of Wilder & Davis luthiers.
The students
Henry Baker, trumpet**
Adrien Faucher-Thibault, percussion*
Juliette Fortier, horn*
Maya Hilke-Stolle, violin**
Grantham Kane, cello**
Flavie Lacoste, oboe *
Luc-André Larose, violin ***
Haolin Liu, bassoon*
Elizabeth Martinez Ramirez, viola ***
Alicia Miguelez, harp*
Erin Sercel, clarinet**
Layla Sieun Park, violin**
Yosra Zaazaa, tenor trombone *
Jin Dong Zhao, flute*
* Conservatoire de musique de Montréal
** Schulich School of Music, McGill University
*** Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal
Works
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony no. 8, op. 93 (26 min)
Intermission (20 min)
Dmitri Shostakovich, Symphony no. 7, op. 60 (“Leningrad”) (69 min) *
Rafael Payare
Music and Artistic Director of the OSMWith his innate musicianship, gift for communication, and irresistibly joyous spirit, conductor Rafael Payare is Music and Artistic Director of both Canada’s Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) and California’s San Diego Symphony (SDSO), as well as Principal Conductor of Virginia’s Castleton Festival and Conductor Laureate of Northern Ireland’s Ulster Orchestra. Payare is celebrated for his expertise in late Romantic repertoire while also cultivating the next generation of composers with regular commissions and performances of new works. A veteran of Venezuela’s El Sistema program – in which he began playing horn at the age of 14 – and 2012 first prize winner at Denmark’s Malko Competition for Young Conductors, Payare remains dedicated to inspiring younger musicians, regularly working with youth orchestras and establishing mentorship programs like El Sistema OSM and the SDSO Conducting Fellowship. Payare resides in San Diego and Montreal with his wife, acclaimed cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and their two young children.
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