The new outdoor venue has been funded largely by private donations, as Symphony CEO Gilmer proudly notes. If all goes according to plan, The Shell could quickly become a major asset for the city and the symphony, whose annual fall-through-spring concert season is held indoors at downtown’s nearby Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center. (Eduardo Contreras/The San Diego Union-Tribune) Rafael Payare, who last fall debuted as the symphony’s new music director, will conduct at least two concerts this summer at The Shell, starting with the July 10 season-opener. Confirmed artists include jazz guitar great Pat Metheny, veteran New Zealand rock band Crowded House, Motown singing legends Smokey Robinson and Gladys Knight, and Broadway singing stars Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters and Jennifer Hudson. To celebrate the debut of The Shell, the 111-year-old symphony will host the longest summer-and-beyond outdoor concert season in its history. Its appearance may remind some concertgoers of a more intimate version of the iconic Hollywood Bowl, relocated to a panoramic bayside setting. The new venue will boast a 13,015-square-foot outdoor stage, ensconced by a 57-foot steel shell that measures 33,000 square feet, weighs 270,000 pounds and is covered with two layers of a white, PVC-like fabric. The Shell is named both for its design and in honor of its waterfront location between Coronado and the San Diego Convention Center. It replaces the symphony’s longtime seasonal Bayside Summer Nights venue, which was located at the same downtown Embarcadero Marina Park South site but had to be set up from scratch each June and then completely disassembled each September. The San Diego Symphony will start a bold new chapter with the July 10 opening of its new, year-round $45 million outdoor concert and events venue, The Shell.