Welcome to the 2020/21 Season!

"Over the past five seasons, I have worked to expand the repertoire we have performed for you, and this season is no different. I am delighted to introduce another season of musical adventures filled with both familiar paths, and corners yet to be explored. Now more than ever it is important to look forward and find new experiences to enliven our spirits and stir our souls. We hope our 2020/21 season will bring excitement and joy to this time of uncertainty."
— Courtney Lewis, Music Director

Looking back, it is hard to believe we have not seen you in Jacoby Symphony Hall since March. COVID-19 has not only impacted all of us as individuals, but also the arts programs that we hold dear. We are thrilled to once again return to the Jacoby Symphony Hall stage on September 26 for Fanfare! Opening Night. We can’t wait to be back on the stage bringing you live symphonic music. With this great news comes a few changes we need you to know about before returning. Based on CDC guidelines and the results of the patron survey, the Symphony has developed a comprehensive list of safety protocols that will be in place during the 2020/21 season.

Masterworks Concerts

This season’s Florida Blue Masterworks Series expands from 12 to 13 programs. While we have made adjustments for safety reasons due to COVID-19, it remains a deep and wide-ranging classical season. We explore several works by Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann. We’ll enjoy Dvořák’s famous “New World” Symphony and Rheinberger’s lush Organ Concerto. We’re also excited to take you on some adventures with captivating music you may not have heard before: Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta offers a mid-century modern perspective, Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings is a magical tapestry of words and music, and I’m looking forward to bringing you new sounds from composers Jessie Montgomery and James MacMillan.

A most exciting highlight of the 2020/21 Masterworks season will be Gustav Mahler’s Song of the Earth, a semi-staged song cycle about love and life that is a glorious hybrid of Mahler’s symphonic and vocal styles, sung by two world-class vocalists. Symphony-goers will also have the chance to experience other greats from the German tradition, including Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss.

OCT 2/3 ∙ Mozart and Beethoven
OCT 23/24 ∙ Haydn and Stravinsky
NOV 13/14 ∙ Mozart's Jupiter
DEC 4/5 ∙ Tchaikovsky's String Serenade
JAN 8/9 ∙ Mozart's Prague and Prokofiev
JAN 22/23 ∙ Dvořák's New World
FEB 5/6 ∙ Beethoven's Eroica
FEB 19/20 ∙ Britten and Schumann
MAR 19/20 ∙ Beethoven's Seventh
APR 9/10 ∙ Schumann and Bartók
APR 30/MAY 1 ∙ Mahler's Song of the Earth
MAY 21/22 ∙ The Late Romantics
JUN 11/12 ∙ The Great Schubert Symphony

Special Presentations

International star pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet comes to Jacksonville for a very special Gala performance. Violinist James Ehnes returns with his staggering facility and enormous sound. Our opulently-staged First Coast Nutcracker and Handel’s Messiah return, and we’ve got the best New Year’s Eve party in Jacksonville, with music of the Rat Pack, spectacular fireworks, and dancing to the Chris Thomas Band.

SEP 26 ∙ Fanfare! Opening Night
DEC 11/12/13 ∙ First Coast Nutcracker
DEC 12/13 ∙ Handel's Messiah
DEC 31 ∙ New Year's Eve: The Rat Pack
JAN 29 ∙ Brass, Organ, Winds and Percussion
MAR 6 ∙ 2021 Symphony Gala

Guest Artists

Familiar faces will return to Jacoby Symphony Hall with performances by cellist Joshua Roman, conductors Matthew Halls and Thomas Wilkins, and the Symphony’s own principal bassoonist, Conrad Cornelison. Capathia Jenkins returns for a program of songs of Gershwin, Ella Fitzgerald and other jazz standards, and Tony DeSare is back with a Valentine’s weekend of Sinatra and other crooner hits from the Great American Songbook. Music Director Courtney Lewis and the Symphony welcome international superstar Jean-Yves Thibaudet and his rock-star panache, as well as Grammy Award winner James Ehnes.

Pops Concerts

This season's Pops Series expands from 8 to 10 programs. Cirque de la Symphonie returns with circus performers who use Jacoby Symphony Hall in thrilling ways. We celebrate the Beatles and the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road. The great Capathia Jenkins sings Gershwin and more, and Tony DeSare brings Frank Sinatra and friends to life. Our Holiday Pops is the event of Jacksonville’s holiday season. And Patriotic Pops offers a stirring tribute those who bravely serve.

OCT 9/10 ∙ Music of the Knights
OCT 30/NOV 1 ∙ Cirque de la Symphonie
DEC 17/18/19/20 ∙ Holiday Pops
JAN 15/16 ∙ Broadway Today
FEB 12/13 ∙ Tony DeSare: The Great American Crooner
MAR 12/13 ∙ Gershwin and More
MAR 26/27 ∙ John Williams: Heroes and Villains
APR 16/17 ∙ Classical Mystery Tour: The Beatles' Abbey Road
MAY 7/8 ∙ Bette, Babs & Beyond
MAY 28/29 ∙ Patriotic Pops

Coffee Concerts

Our coffee concerts encompass the full range of our programming across the season. Enjoy music by John Williams, the sounds of Broadway with New York Pops conductor Steven Reineke, Mozart's Jupiter, and classics by Stravinsky, Copland, and more.

NOV 13 ∙ Mozart's Jupiter
DEC 18 ∙ Holiday Pops
JAN 15 ∙ Broadway Today
FEB 12 ∙ Tony DeSare: Great American Crooner
MAR 5 ∙ Mozart's Clarinet and Elgar's Enigma
MAR 26 ∙ John Williams: Heroes and Villains
APR 23 ∙ Appalachian Spring
MAY 28 ∙ Patriotic Pops