The Jacksonville Symphony is holding nothing back as it prepares to launch its 75th season, opening Sept. 21 with Gustav Mahler’s triumphant masterpiece, his Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection.”
As the voices of the singers and the music of the orchestra rise together at the powerful conclusion of that work, the curtain will open on nine months of musical wonders validating the vision of those citizens who established the orchestra in 1949.
The season will include a dozen classical concerts, four world premieres, 40 guest artists, 10 pops concerts, three symphonic movie nights, five special events — and more.
“It’s really, really exciting,” said Jacksonville Symphony President and CEO Steven Libman. “I could not be happier.”
The symphony’s 75th actually begins with its preseason community concerts, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6 and 7, which are free to attend, though tickets are required. They are available through the symphony website at jaxsymphony.org.
These sneak peek performances will whet appetites for the upcoming season, with selections from “West Side Story” and “Star Wars,” pieces by Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky and more.
Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 on opening night will take audiences on a journey of life, death and rebirth. The orchestra will be joined by the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the University of North Florida Chorale and the Jacksonville University Singers. Vocal soloists will be soprano Ailyn Pérez and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard.
“It’s going to be just a powerhouse of music,” said Libman. “We are thrilled that this is happening here.”
This is the first of four special events marking the milestone season.
On Feb. 15, the symphony will present a unique performance sure to inspire all who attend. “Violins of Hope: Building Bridges Through the Power of Music” will feature violins, violas and cellos once owned by Holocaust victims before and during World War II.
“The purpose of this is to illustrate the power of music in addressing anti-Semitism,” explained Libman. “So, we will have a weeklong seminar with scholars to address issues related to anti-Semitism, which culminates in a beautiful performance, with members of our orchestra playing these instruments.”
The instruments were restored by Israeli violin makers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein and serve, according to the season brochure, as “symbols of hope in the face of unimaginable adversity.”
Then, on March 29, the symphony will host Take 6, a multiplatinum gospel sextet that will fill Jacoby Symphony Hall with crystal clear harmonies that cross genre barriers.
Another of the special celebrations will be the symphony’s 75th Anniversary Gala on March 1. Details on that will be released later.
Also, this season, the symphony will launch a children’s music festival. That will be held March 30.
“It’s going to be an all-day family-friendly activity along with the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra,” said Libman.
Learn more about that at my.jaxsymphony.org/overview/childrens-music-festival.
World Premieres
While classical music remains the main course with any orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony has diversified its offerings to bring audiences a wider range of music.
Nothing says that better than the first performance following opening night.
“Parrots + Palms: The Songs of Buffett & Fins,” the first in the symphony’s Pops Series for the 2024/25 season, is a world premiere that celebrates the “life, vibe and legendary songs” of Jimmy Buffett — as well as his musical “fins” Zac Brown, Van Morrison, Bob Marley and more.
Commissioned by the symphony and co-produced with Spot-On Entertainment, there will be two performances: Sept. 13 and 14, both at 7:30 p.m.
Another world premiere — this one in the classical music realm — follows on Sept. 27 and 28, Brittany J. Green’s innovative “Testify!” The concert that evening will feature Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Concerto, as well as “A Hero’s Life,” by Richard Strauss.
Artist-in-residence Conrad Tao will premiere his new piano concerto, commissioned by the Jacksonville Symphony, on April 4 and 5. The same show will feature Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” and Claude Debussy’s “Nocturnes.”
The final world premiere will be presented June 6 and 7 as part of the lineup in the George Gershwin and Aaron Copland performance. Carlos Simon’s “Zodiak,” commissioned by the Jacksonville Symphony, has been described as a “fusion of jazzy charm, Americana and new musical voices.”
Other Highlights
World premieres are not the only standout events on the symphony schedule.
Among the 40 guest artists are pianist Joyce Yang, who will perform in Rachmaninoff’s Second Concerto on Sept. 27 and 28; classical guitarist Miloš Karadaglić, who will perform Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” during the Rodrigo & Ravel’s Bolero performance on Nov. 8 and 9; and The Marcus Trio, who will join the symphony in presenting George Gershwin’s Concerto in F.
On Nov. 22 and 23, the symphony will be among the first to perform Angel Lam’s “Please let there be a paradise …” Cellist Alexei Romanenko will also be featured performing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto.
Classical performances will include works by Jean Sibelius, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonin Dvořák, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Ludwig van Beethoven and more.
A pops concert on Oct. 4 and 5 will be devoted to the music of Cher, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston and more. Other pops concerts will feature the music of Leonard Bernstein, the Eagles, Stevie Wonder and The Righteous Brothers, Irving Berlin, John Williams and Olivia Newton-John.
Strongmen, aerial flyers, acrobats, contortionists, jugglers and more will be featured when the symphony presents “Cirque of Ice and Fire” on May 9 and 10.
Movie fans will enjoy three Symphonic Nights at the Movies: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1 in Concert” on Nov. 15 and 16, “Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert” on Jan. 17 and 18 and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 in Concert” on May 2 and 3.
Of course, the holidays are always a big time for the symphony. The annual Holiday Pops extravaganza, featuring the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus and dancers from the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, will be offered Dec. 5, 6, 7 and 8.
The First Coast Nutcracker, featuring more than 130 ballet dancers, will be presented Dec. 13, 14 and 15. The Jacksonville Symphony is the only symphony in America that produces its own Nutcracker, so this is a performance not to be missed.
Handel’s Messiah will be performed on Dec. 14 and 15, featuring soprano Estelí Gomez, countertenor Jay Carter, tenor Aaron Sheehan, baritone Sidney Outlaw and the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus.
Other holiday highlights include the Big Band Holiday on Nov. 24 and Holiday Brass, Organ & Percussion on Dec. 19.
Symphony in 60 performances, which begin at 6:30 p.m. preceded by a 5:30 p.m. cocktail hour, offer some further highlights to the schedule.
On March 13, concertmaster Adelya Nartadjieva and violinist Aurica Duca will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Double Violin Concerto and other melodies.
Thomas Wilkins, principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, will lead the symphony in “A Journey Through Symphonic Americana” on Feb. 6.
On May 22, dancers from the Florida Ballet and the Jacksonville Dance Theatre will collaborate with the symphony on a unique performance, “At the Ballet.”
The Jacksonville Jazz Collective will present three performances featuring the big band sound, female jazz vocalists and Latin jazz.
The JF Bryan Concert Organ will once again fill the Jacoby Symphony Hall with its unique sound during three performances, featuring organist Greg Zelek. The Jacksonville Symphony is one of the few symphonies in the United States that has a true pipe organ.
Finally, there’s the popular Coffee Series, which offers versions of some of the evening performances, but at 11 a.m.
75 Years
“For 75 years, this symphony has been presenting high-quality music for this community, and right now, we serve about 110,000 people downtown, and we reach 70,000 students each year through our music education program,” Libman said.
Its reach extends to about 3,000 more people through its ensembles that go out and perform at smaller settings.
In fact, the Jacksonville Symphony is the largest arts organization in Northeast Florida and the largest symphony in the state.
It employs 100 people fulltime, 60 musicians and 40 administrative and production staff. The musicians present more than 80 concerts a year.
Libman praised them for their dedication.
“They work together extremely well,” he said. “I find them to be an absolute joy to work with and to partner with.”
He also had high praise for some of those in key leadership roles.
“Courtney (Lewis), our music director, continues to provide the artistic guidance and the inspiration for the organization,” Libman said. “He is the primary architect of our classical programming and our Symphony in 60 programming. Courtney is extremely highly regarded nationally for his conducting skills and his ability to shape our orchestra into a really world-class symphony.”
He said Lewis is also deeply committed to the creation of original music.
“We think creating original works is just extremely, extremely important,” he said.
Concertmaster Adelya Nartadjieva, who joined the symphony for the 2022/23 season, has made her mark, as well.
“She’s a really great find,” Libman said, “and we are looking forward to her continuing to grow with the organization.”
Associate conductor Kevin Fitzgerald joined the symphony about the same time and has established his importance to the orchestra’s success. He conducts several concerts, including the movies and pops concerts, and can take over when Lewis is unavailable for a performance.
“We are thrilled that Kevin is here,” Libman said. “He sort of rounds out our artistic team.”
Libman said the symphony’s board of directors is “incredibly supportive of our work,” and that the organization is successful in part because everyone is working together to create “incredibly inspirational moments for our audience.”
A way to gauge the public’s excitement about the symphony — especially with this anniversary season — might be to look at the number of subscriptions. Every year, the symphony sets a goal, and it usually takes until January or February to achieve that goal.
This year, they’ve already met that goal. And the season has yet to start.
“The very fact that we hit that subscription goal now is just amazing, absolutely amazing,” Libman said.
It’s been three quarters of a century since that initial group launched the Jacksonville Symphony, and this may be a time to reflect on that. But it may also be a good time to look forward.
“We’ve been here 75 years; we’re going to be here another 75,” said Libman. “I mean that. We are here. We are part of this community. And we win every game every weekend.”
To learn more about the Jacksonville Symphony, download the season brochure or purchase tickets, go to jaxsymphony.org.
