Jacksonville Symphony Moves Forward With 2020/21 Season

From The JAX Chamber:

August 19, 2020

The Jacksonville Symphony eagerly awaits the start of the 2020/21 season on Saturday, September 26. Having not performed in Jacoby Symphony Hall as a full orchestra since March 2020, the Symphony staff has spent the summer planning, rearranging, and finalizing plans to safely open the Hall to the public in September.

“It’s not been easy,” says President & CEO Steven Libman. “No one has ever had to do this before! It’s all new: distancing an orchestra, distancing an audience, changing the way the experience in the concert hall looks and feels. The good news is the one thing that COVID-19 will not change is the way the orchestra sounds. The Jacksonville community can still expect the same high-quality musicianship from their Symphony.”

The safety of patrons, musicians and staff remains the Symphony’s top priority. Based on CDC guidelines, and the results of the survey sent to patrons in June, the Symphony has developed a comprehensive list of safety protocols that will be in place when the Hall opens in September. Seating in Jacoby Symphony Hall will be physically distanced, guaranteeing six feet of separation between most groups of patrons (those who are not physically distanced will have plexi-glass screens between sets of patrons). This has reduced the capacity of the Hall from nearly 1,800 to 582. In addition, patrons will be required to wear masks at all times in most parts of the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, including in Jacoby Symphony Hall. Patrons will also be required to have their temperatures taken before entering the building. There will be no intermissions held at Symphony concerts during the 2020/21 season in order to reduce unnecessary lines and groups of people. Performances will range from 60-75 minutes.

As a result of new safety guidelines, Music Director Courtney Lewis and the Symphony Artistic Team have had to rework programming for the 2020/21 season multiple times, and they have successfully created a wonderful and dynamic season in the span of a few months.

The Florida Blue Masterworks Series has undergone the most changes because of the time constraints of a concert without an intermission. But what had a greater impact is the number of musicians who can safely perform on the Jacoby Symphony Hall stage. This season, patrons will see no more than 54 musicians on stage at any given time. During a normal season there are often 70, or more, musicians on the stage. All pieces chosen for each concert had to be specifically selected to conform to the necessity of having a smaller orchestra.

“We have strived to choose music that we know our audience will love, while also adhering to our strict safety protocols,” says Music Director Courtney Lewis. “Although it’s not the season we first announced, I am nonetheless excited for the 2020/21 season we will perform. We exist to provide our community with live symphonic music, and we will continue to fill that need.”

In addition to impacting the Masterworks schedule, “Fanfare! Opening Night” has also undergone some changes. Due to current international travel restrictions, percussionist Colin Currie will not be able to perform at Fanfare. Instead, Grammy-winning violinist James Ehnes will be joining the Symphony on short notice to perform Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. Patrons may remember James from last season’s spectacular performance of Elgar’s Violin Concerto. The program will also include the Symphony’s own Piotr Szewczyk’s “River City Fanfare,” as well as one of the most well-known pieces of classical music: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Tickets for “Fanfare” will go on-sale on Thursday, August 20.

“James is one of the most sought-after violinists on the international stage and we are thrilled he is able to join us to begin the 2020/21 season,” says Lewis.

Changes to the Pops series have been minimal because the programs can be performed with the 54-person orchestra. Details are still being worked out for performances of “Handel’s Messiah” and “First Coast Nutcracker” to provide the same holiday spirit in the safest way. Due to the size of orchestra required and length of performance, the Symphony has unfortunately had to remove the Symphonic Night at the Movies Series from the 2020/21 schedule. The Symphony looks forward to having the Movie Series return in 2021/22.

“We have taken great care to ensure that coming to the Symphony will be a safe experience that will allow us to once again bring live music to Jacksonville,” says Libman. “Our Board, staff and musicians have all come together to make sure we will be able to perform for our community this season. We hope you’ll join us on opening night!”

Patrons with questions regarding tickets for the 2020/21 season can call the Symphony Box Office at 904.354.5547 or visit the Symphony website at www.jaxsymphony.org.

This press release was produced by The JAX Chamber. The views expressed here are the author’s own.