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

Masterworks Concerts

This season's Florida Blue Masterworks Series expands from 12 to 13 programs. It’s a deep and wide-ranging classical season. We continue to explore Sibelius and Schumann, and Bruckner’s divine Fifth Symphony occupies an evening. We’ll enjoy Dvořák’s rich New World Symphony, Saint-Saëns’ glorious Organ Symphony, and the famous Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz. 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 Celeste offers a mid-century modern musical perspective, and I’m looking forward to bringing you new sounds from composers Andrew Norman and Tarik O’Regan.

The highlight of the 2020/21 Masterworks season will be the return of opera to Jacoby Symphony Hall with Giacomo Puccini’s tragic love story, La Bohème. Symphony-goers will also have the chance to experience Carl Orff’s epic Carmina Burana, complete with the orchestra and the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus.

OCT 2/3 ∙ Bruckner's Fifth
OCT 23/24 ∙ Mozart & Sibelius
NOV 13/14 ∙ Rachmaninoff's Paginini Variations
DEC 4/5 ∙ Tchaikovsky's Fateful Fourth
JAN 8/9 ∙ Mozart, Haydn & Prokofiev
JAN 22/23 ∙ Dvořák's New World Symphony
FEB 5/6 ∙ Carmina Burana
FEB 19/20 ∙ Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto
MAR 19/20 ∙ Beethoven's Seventh
APR 9/10 ∙ Mozart's 40th Symphony
APR 30/MAY 2 ∙ La Bohème
MAY 21/22 ∙ Symphonie Fantastique
JUN 11/12 ∙ The Organ Symphony

Special Presentations

International star pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet comes to Jacksonville for a very special Gala performance. Percussionist Colin Currie brings theatrical flair and an enormous barrage of percussion equipment to the Jacoby Symphony Hall stage. Our opulently-staged First Coast Nutcracker returns, 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 pianist Natasha Paremski, conductors Matthew Halls and Thomas Wilkins, cellist Joshua Roman, and the Symphony’s own principal bassoonist Conrad Cornelison. Singers Capathia Jenkins and Tony DeSare return for two separate performances featuring Gershwin, Sinatra and more selections from the Great American Songbook. Music Director Courtney Lewis and the Symphony will welcome international pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Thibaudet will bring his rock-star panache to Jacksonville performing Ravel’s G major Concerto, a piece with roots in America’s greatest musical gift to the world: jazz.

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
NOV 6/7 ∙ 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

Symphonic Night at the Movies

Movie nights are great fun for the whole family, and we have three exciting titles to offer in the 20/21 season. Enjoy Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and Jurassic Park, live in Jacoby Symphony Hall.

NOV 21/22 ∙ Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
FEB 26/27 ∙ Jurassic Park
MAY 14/15 ∙ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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, Music of the Boomers with Michael Krajewski, and classics by Stravinsky, Copland, and more.

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

Symphony in 60 Happy Hour Series

Grab some friends and co-workers and join us for happy hour and 60 minutes of symphonic music! Our Symphony in 60 series continues with abbreviated concerts that are great for first-timers or for those who want to enjoy symphony concerts and still make it in time for dinner with friends. Happy hour begins at 5:30 PM and the concert starts at 6:30 PM.

Individual concert details coming soon!