During much of her early career working with orchestras around the world, Jessica Bejarano didn’t always feel welcome. She’s guest conducted from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Urbino, Italy, to Falcon, Venezuela, but in that time never felt quite accepted for who she is.  

As a queer woman of color, Bejarano has faced what would seem to some as insurmountable adversity in her chosen field. Bejerano, however, turned that adversity into opportunity. Her experiences led her to create the San Francisco Philharmonic, an orchestra based on diversity and inclusivity. Founded in 2019, their mission statement is to “bring music off the pedestal and into the heart of the community.” 

While serving as the conductor and music director of the San Francisco Philharmonic, Bejarano has also landed spots as cover conductor for the San Francisco Symphony, curator and scholar in residence with the San Francisco Opera and board member of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras. In 2019, Bejarano also became the first woman in history to guest conduct the American Youth Symphony in Los Angeles. 

Bejarano is also breaking down barriers of genre. In 2022, her orchestra partnered with the media group Remezcla and beer company Tecate to put on a performance fusing classical music with Latin hip-hop and rap. In that same year, the San Francisco Philharmonic was invited to perform with the legendary rock band Journey at the Chase Center Plaza in San Francisco for the Winter Wonderland Spectacular.

CapRadio Classical Host Jennifer Reason sat down with Bejarano to discuss the journey of creating her own orchestra and learning how to take a negative situation and turn it into positive energy.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Interview highlights

On her experience in the field

The treatment wasn’t always so accepting or welcoming. Being a queer woman of color, tatted and pierced, that probably played into the mix. It always felt like I was swimming against the tide. I was tired of the experience that I was having and wanted to create an orchestra where everyone was welcome. From the board of directors to the musicians on stage, the conductor on the podium to the audience members that walk into the space, I wanted every single pocket and corner of the organization to be truly diverse and truly welcoming. That was a big driving motivator for me to build the San Francisco Philharmonic. 

On combining genres

We had this collaborative concert with Tecate, the beer company, called Tecate Alta Sinfonica. It was a new beer and they were sourcing ingredients from Mexico and California. It was the coming together of two different regions to create a very unique beer. They wanted to mirror that in music, taking two different art forms and combining them to create a unique experience. We had Latin hip hop artists and rappers combining with the symphonic orchestra sound and the combination of these people coming into the concert hall was awesome. 

On deciding to be a conductor

I was at the University of Wyoming as a music education major, and you had to take a year of conducting. After I took the course I had this epiphany of “Oh my god, I’m going to be a conductor.” I’m glad I didn’t do any research or look at the statistics or history, or lack thereof, of women in the field. If I had done that and seen that they are less than 3% of the population, it probably would have been daunting enough that I would have turned around, walked the other direction and said “No way, not doing this.” But no, I just jumped head in and said “I’m going to become a conductor.” Off I went on this path, not knowing how difficult it was going to be and how difficult it still is, but it’s a labor and passion of love. 

On navigating the difficulties

When I was in graduate school for conducting, I had weekly score sessions with my professor and he was not a nice person at all. We were studying Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and he just stopped, crossed his arms and asked me, “Are you serious?” He pointed at the top of my head down to my feet and back up and said, “Are you serious about becoming a conductor?” I said, “Yes, absolutely, I’m dedicated and I’m willing to do the work.” Then he said, “Well, then go back to your country because it’s not going to happen in mine, get the ‘F’ out of my office.” 

I didn’t finish my classes that day. I went home and I remember staring at the wall thinking, “Oh my god, if this is the way academia is treating me, what’s the real world going to treat me like?” I thought it would be too hard and too abusive but a second later I thought, “No, this is my life, my passion and my dream and I’m not going to let him or anyone else take it away from me.“ In that moment I learned how to take a no and turn it into a yes. I’ve always loved music and it’s just so ingrained in me, so it’s important for me to stand tall and proud and continue to do what I do.

On advice for other women in the field

Whatever you do in life, make sure you’re passionate about it. If you’re passionate about what you’re pursuing, you will have the drive, the energy and the eagerness to follow suit. If I wasn’t passionate about music after experiencing all of this, I would have run the other way. It’s like, “Why am I enduring this?” It’s because I’m passionate about it and that’s what fuels me and keeps me swimming against the tide and existing in these spaces.