September 17, 2021
SEPTEMBER
Find out what's happening in Jacksonvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
FLORIDA BLUE CLASSICAL SERIES
Find out what's happening in Jacksonvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
OPENING WEEKEND!
MOZART’S ROMANTIC SIDE: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 20
SEP 24/25
FRI & SAT: 7:30PM
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART - Piano Concerto No. 20, K. 466
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN - Symphony No. 1
Courtney Lewis, conductor
Daniel Hsu, piano
Mozart’s D minor Concerto marks the first of six staggering masterpieces for piano and orchestra written between 1785 and 1786. His stormiest concerto - and an omen of the Romantic Era - was regarded by the 19th-century masters as Beethoven-ish, the highest praise possible at the time. It’s a perfect pairing with Beethoven’s First Symphony, a work in which the first few moments already foreshadow that this giant was about to change everything. Van Cliburn Piano Competition-medalist Daniel Hsu joins Courtney Lewis and the Symphony in this spectacular season opener. Daniel Hsu will perform on the Symphony’s brand-new concert grand piano!
OCTOBER
FREE COMMUNITY CONCERTS
OCT 1/2
FRI & SAT: 7:30PM
Gonzalo Farias, conductor
Our Gift to You! The Jacksonville Symphony is proud to present two free concerts in appreciation for the community’s support and commitment to symphonic music. Presented by Haskell, both concerts feature popular and symphonic favorites, and will salute all Frontline and Essential Workers, who have worked so hard to ensure the safety and well-being of our community.
FIDELITY NATIONAL FINANCIAL POPS SERIES
DEFYING GRAVITY: THE MUSIC OF STEPHEN SCHWARTZ
OCT 8/9
FRI & SAT: 7:30PM
Gonzalo Farias, conductor
Debbie Gravitte, vocalist
Anthony Murphy, vocalist
Scott Coulter, vocalist
John Boswell, piano
He’s won three OSCARS and four GRAMMYs. Stephen Schwartz has written some of the most beloved Broadway and movie music ever. You’ll hear songs from his Broadway hits Wicked, Pippin and Godspell as well as from the Disney films Pocahontas, The Prince of Egypt and more. As Schwartz says in his hit, Pippin, “Join us… we have magic to do just for you.”
FAMILY SERIES
SPOOKTACULAR
OCT 10
SUN: 3:00PM
Daniel Wiley, conductor
Spooktacular is back and spookier than ever! Join the Symphony for a Halloween concert that’s fun for the whole family. Come dressed in your Halloween costume for tricks, treats and other spooky surprises.
ORGAN SERIES
ORGAN CHAMBER CONCERT
OCT 15
FRI: 7:30PM
Greg Zelek, organ & artist-in-residence
The Symphony’s new Organ Series kicks off with a program featuring the instrument’s intimate side. Greg Zelek partners with small chamber ensembles on works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonìn Dvořàk, George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and many more.
FLORIDA BLUE CLASSICAL SERIES
BACH TO AMERICA
OCT 22/23
FRI & SAT: 7:30PM
Johann Sebastian BACH - Brandenburg Concerto No. 1
Igor STRAVINSKY - Dumbarton Oaks
Alberto GINASTERA - Variaciones concertantes
Courtney Lewis, conductor
Johann Sebastian Bach didn’t invent the concerto grosso, a genre with musical conversation between a small group of instruments and the full orchestra, but he probably wrote the best six in history with his Brandenburg Concertos. Stravinsky modeled his Dumbarton Oaks after Bach’s concertos, named for the historic estate in Washington, D.C. and filled with Stravinsky’s own flavor of Americana. Alberto Ginastera’s Concert Variations weave the music of Argentina into this program through a set of short solos for nearly every instrument in the orchestra.
SYMPHONY IN 60 SERIES
SCHUBERT’S UNFINISHED SYMPHONY
OCT 28
THU: 6:30PM
Bill DOUGLAS - Songs and Dances
Franz SCHUBERT - Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished”
Courtney Lewis, conductor
Eric Olson, oboe
We don’t know for certain why Schubert left this symphony midway in 1822, with only two of the conventional four movements penned. Physical and mental health difficulties? Insecurity from the intimidating shadow of Beethoven? We may never be sure, but there is no doubt it still manages to be one of the great symphonies ever written. Courtney Lewis kicks off our Symphony in 60 Series by talking through all that gave this masterpiece a place in history. The Symphony’s principal oboe, Eric Olson, opens the program with a piece by living composer Bill Douglas that drops flavors of jazz, Afro-Cuban, American folk, and Celtic music.
For media tickets, interviews, and more information, please contact:
Sydney Schless - Marketing & Communications Director
904.354.4513 (w)
904.710.4928 (c)
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The Jacksonville Symphony’s 2021/22 season is dedicated to Robert E. Jacoby. An avid supporter of not only the arts, but of Jacksonville, Bob Jacoby’s legacy will forever be felt throughout the First Coast. It is without a doubt that the Jacksonville Symphony is the world-class organization it is today due to his persistent and passionate support of symphonic music.
The Jacksonville Symphony is North Florida’s leading music nonprofit offering live performances at Jacoby Symphony Hall in the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts and other venues throughout the area. In addition, the Symphony provides music instruction for youth and operates the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestras. For more information about the Symphony, visit jaxsymphony.org, like them at facebook.com/JaxSymphony; follow them on @jaxsymphony, on Instagram at JaxSymphony and on YouTube at JacksonvilleSymphony.
This press release was produced by the JAX Chamber. The views expressed here are the author’s own.