89.1 WBOI: Sameer Patel's Return to City as Guest Conductor a Joyful Homecoming
It’s been 10 years since the Fort Wayne Philharmonic’s beloved associate conductor Sameer Patel moved to San Diego to pursue his musical adventures.
Now firmly rooted in that community, his dreams continue to unfold and he is currently Director & Orchestra Conductor for the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus, and Artistic Director of the San Diego Youth Symphony.
When WBOI's Julia Meek learned that Patel was returning to town for the Indiana Music Education Association Conference last week, to conduct the High School All State Orchestra performance, she invited him into the studio to discuss his Midwestern sensibilities and how the last decade has shaped his journey as well as his take on Fort Wayne's exploding arts and culture scene.
89.1 WBOI
By Julia Meek
It’s been 10 years since the Fort Wayne Philharmonic’s beloved associate conductor Sameer Patel moved to San Diego to pursue his musical adventures.
Now firmly rooted in that community, his dreams continue to unfold and he is currently Director & Orchestra Conductor for the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus, and Artistic Director of the San Diego Youth Symphony.
When WBOI's Julia Meek learned that Patel was returning to town for the Indiana Music Education Association Conference last week, to conduct the High School All State Orchestra performance, she invited him into the studio to discuss his Midwestern sensibilities and how the last decade has shaped his journey as well as his take on Fort Wayne's exploding arts and culture scene.
Read the interview transcript here.
KUSC Classical Californians: Sameer Patel
Our Classical Californian this week is Sameer Patel, Music Director and Orchestra Conductor of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus. He’s also the Artistic Director of the San Diego Youth Symphony, and was named by Musical America “New Artist of the Month” this past April. He’s chosen a selection of pieces including a late Beethoven String Quartet, a choral work of empowerment by Caroline Shaw, an anguished song by Osvaldo Golijov. and more. There’s even a solo piano cover of a song by David Bowie.
KUSC
Our Classical Californian this week is Sameer Patel, Music Director and Orchestra Conductor of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus. He’s also the Artistic Director of the San Diego Youth Symphony, and was named by Musical America “New Artist of the Month” this past April. He’s chosen a selection of pieces including a late Beethoven String Quartet, a choral work of empowerment by Caroline Shaw, an anguished song by Osvaldo Golijov. and more. There’s even a solo piano cover of a song by David Bowie.
Listen to highlights here.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Fresh from White House dinner, Sameer Patel is Named New Music Director of La Jolla Symphony
His selection is the latest achievement for Patel, who also heads San Diego Youth Symphony and is the former associate conductor of the San Diego Symphony. ‘It’s a joy,’ he says of his new position.
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 the state dinner at the White House that President 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.”
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.
The San Diego Union-Tribune
By George Varga
His selection is the latest achievement for Patel, who also heads San Diego Youth Symphony and is the former associate conductor of the San Diego Symphony. ‘It’s a joy,’ he says of his new position.
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 the state dinner at the White House that President 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.”
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 — announced today — comes 14 months after his predecessor, Steven Schick, stepped down. Patel’s initial contract is for four years, with options to renew.
Read more here
Musical America: New Artist of the Month: Conductor Sameer Patel
As he describes the career choices that have led to his current position, Sameer Patel refers to a verse from the Bhagavad Gita: “‘It’s better to strive in one’s own dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another’—in other words, to follow your own virtue or path or journey.”
The San Diego-based conductor is reminded of this ancient advice when discussing how the pandemic influenced his decision to take over last year as artistic director of the San Diego Youth Symphony (SDYS). “One thing it awakened was a desire to go by my own playbook of what will bring me happiness,” he explained during a recent Zoom interview. “I’ve found that this involves a balance between working with students, traveling to exchange with different orchestras as a guest conductor, and being at home with my family.”
Musical America
By Thomas May
As he describes the career choices that have led to his current position, Sameer Patel refers to a verse from the Bhagavad Gita: “‘It’s better to strive in one’s own dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another’—in other words, to follow your own virtue or path or journey.”
The San Diego-based conductor is reminded of this ancient advice when discussing how the pandemic influenced his decision to take over last year as artistic director of the San Diego Youth Symphony (SDYS). “One thing it awakened was a desire to go by my own playbook of what will bring me happiness,” he explained during a recent Zoom interview. “I’ve found that this involves a balance between working with students, traveling to exchange with different orchestras as a guest conductor, and being at home with my family.”
Patel already showed a strong inclination to follow his own path while growing up in Port Huron, Michigan, just across from the Canadian border. His Indian American parents encouraged him to study music as an extracurricular activity that would promote well-roundedness. But they didn’t expect this to turn into a serious passion and were surprised when their son announced his determination to become a professional musician.
Read more here.
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Pandemic pivots enrich orchestral director Sameer Patel’s family, career
Before the pandemic shutdown in March 2020, Sameer Patel was set to be at the podium of several orchestras across the country. But suddenly, he went from leading 60 to100 musicians in front of enthusiastic audiences to conducting an orchestra of one.
With all his gigs canceled, Patel, 40, stayed home with his 2-year-old son, Devan, whose preschool had closed. Patel’s wife, Shannon, a memory-care specialist, is an essential worker. After two or three weeks of caring for Devan, Sameer decided to become his teacher.
The San Diego Union-Tribune
By Beth Wood
Before the pandemic shutdown in March 2020, Sameer Patel was set to be at the podium of several orchestras across the country. But suddenly, he went from leading 60 to100 musicians in front of enthusiastic audiences to conducting an orchestra of one.
With all his gigs canceled, Patel, 40, stayed home with his 2-year-old son, Devan, whose preschool had closed. Patel’s wife, Shannon, a memory-care specialist, is an essential worker. After two or three weeks of caring for Devan, Sameer decided to become his teacher.
“I threw myself into it and consider it my greatest accomplishment of my life — teaching my son for nine months,” Patel recalled, speaking from his family’s Bankers Hill home. “I drew up lesson plans — I’d talk to my mother-in-law, a retired kindergarten teacher. I’d find little themes — volcanoes, bridges. Balboa Park became our backyard.
Read more here.
Photo: Brittany Cruz-Fejeran
Chicago Sun-Times: Conductor Sameer Patel championing diversity in classical music, inspiring young musicians across the globe
When Sameer Patel began thinking about making conducting his career, the Indian American didn’t have many role models who looked like him other than one very important one — famed maestro Zubin Mehta, former music director of the New York Philharmonic.
“In my community,” Patel said, “it’s very common for a young South Asian person to choose a path in medicine, engineering or law. One of the things that helped me explain my interest was this ability to say my friends and my parents’ friends, ‘Oh, I want to be a conductor.’ And they would be, ‘Oh, like Zubin Mehta.’ That was a very inspiring thing for someone like me.”
Patel, 40, has gone on to a successful career, serving as artistic director of the San Diego Youth Symphony and guest-conducting professional orchestras including the Toronto Symphony and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
He will make his debut Monday with MusicNOW, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary music series. It features members of the ensemble in configurations typically ranging from duos to small ensembles.
Chicago Sun-Times
By Kyle MacMillan
He will make his debut Feb. 20 with MusicNOW, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary music series.
When Sameer Patel began thinking about making conducting his career, the Indian American didn’t have many role models who looked like him other than one very important one — famed maestro Zubin Mehta, former music director of the New York Philharmonic.
“In my community,” Patel said, “it’s very common for a young South Asian person to choose a path in medicine, engineering or law. One of the things that helped me explain my interest was this ability to say my friends and my parents’ friends, ‘Oh, I want to be a conductor.’ And they would be, ‘Oh, like Zubin Mehta.’ That was a very inspiring thing for someone like me.”
Patel, 40, has gone on to a successful career, serving as artistic director of the San Diego Youth Symphony and guest-conducting professional orchestras including the Toronto Symphony and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
He will make his debut Monday with MusicNOW, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary music series. It features members of the ensemble in configurations typically ranging from duos to small ensembles.
Read more here.
American Kahani: Indian American Conductor Sameer Patel Has a Busy Year Ahead in the Western Classical Music Circuit
Indian American conductor Sameer Patel has a lot to look forward to this year. He makes his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Princeton Symphony; as well as return appearances with the Florida Orchestra and La Jolla Symphony and Chorus.
The 40-year-old has been conducting western classical music orchestras for the past 20 years. As artistic director at the San Diego Youth Symphony, he works for an organization that serves “close to 600 students, beginning through pre-professional student musicians annually in 13 full orchestras and large ensembles.”
American Kahani
By Bhargavi Kulkarni
Indian American conductor Sameer Patel has a lot to look forward to this year. He makes his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Princeton Symphony; as well as return appearances with the Florida Orchestra and La Jolla Symphony and Chorus.
The 40-year-old has been conducting western classical music orchestras for the past 20 years. As artistic director at the San Diego Youth Symphony, he works for an organization that serves “close to 600 students, beginning through pre-professional student musicians annually in 13 full orchestras and large ensembles.”
Patel previously worked as an associate conductor at the San Diego Symphony for four years. He left that position in 2019, and over the last couple of years, “especially when things picked back up over the pandemic, and performances started to resume,” he started traveling and working as a guest conductor. With his current job in San Diego, where he lives with his wife and two kids, Patel continues to have one foot in both worlds — “the performance world which is conducting orchestras like in Princeton and in Chicago and elsewhere” — as well as “sharing music with young musicians.”
Read more here.