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The Jacksonville Symphony Celebrates a Shining Holiday Season

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Steven B. Libman, President & CEO of the Jacksonville Symphony    Each December, the Jacksonville Symphony embarks on the most intense, and some might say exciting, part of our annual season. Within the span of three weeks, we will present 17 concerts before 21,000 patrons that celebrate the joy of the holiday season. Each of these programs creates magical, transformational … Read More

The Home of Traditions: The Jacksonville Symphony’s Begins the Holiday Season 

Conducting Electricity

 As winter approaches in Jacksonville, there’s a magical transformation taking place at the heart of the city. The Jacksonville Symphony is gearing up to celebrate a holiday season that promises to be extraordinary. Every December, the Symphony enters the most exciting part of its annual calendar, orchestrating 17 concerts for an audience of 21,000 patrons who all gather to experience … Read More

Program Notes: Handel’s Messiah

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Program Notes: Handel’s Messiah George Frideric Handel’s Messiah:  World Premiere April 13, 1742; Dublin, Ireland (150 minutes)  George Frideric Handel’s Messiah holds a universal appeal not only because we associate it with the holiday season but also because Handel’s lovely arias and bubbling choruses do indeed lift us up.  They are, collectively, a cause for celebration. The joining together of such … Read More

Jazz Comes to Symphony in a New Concert Series

Conducting Electricity

The Symphony is thrilled to launch its inaugural Jazz Series this season. Jazz is one of, if not the most, significant artistic contributions to have ever come from the United States. It was born from the collision of several different musical styles shared by a diverse population in late 19th to early 20th-century New Orleans. It was the most diverse … Read More

Program Notes: Tchaikovsky & Barber

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Program Notes: Tchaikovsky & Barber Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Dramatic Overture:  World Premiere December 14, 1911; Leipzig, Germany (16 minutes)  Erich Wolfgang Korngold was a child prodigy who was often compared to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His ballet The Snowman, composed when he was 11, became a Viennese sensation. He was already conducting major opera orchestras in his early 20s. Korngold moved … Read More

Program Notes: Mahler’s Symphony for Alma

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Program Notes: Mahler’s Symphony for Alma Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 in A minor, “Tragic:” World Premiere May 27, 1906; Essen, Germany (79 minutes) Gustav Mahler is best known for his gigantic, cosmic symphonies. He also composed songs on a symphonic scale. Mahler employed an enormous orchestra, often including unusual instruments like cowbells. Although he was a tonal composer, Mahler’s … Read More

Performance Review: Beethoven, Brahms & Dinnerstein

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Performance Review: Beethoven, Brahms & Dinnerstein The Jacksonville Symphony’s Florida Blue Classical Series continued this weekend with “Beethoven, Brahms & Dinnerstein,” a bold and generous program featuring two mainstays of the repertoire alongside a recent work by a young, contemporary composer. Lumina by Nina Shekhar Opening the program was a short, orchestral piece entitled Lumina by Nina Shekhar. Born in … Read More

The Sounds of Connection: Fostering Student Growth Through Music Education

Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestras

Dr. Marianne Rice, Vice President/Music Education & DEI Initiatives  It’s Tuesday and students have arrived at Jacoby Symphony Hall to attend a Jacksonville Symphony Youth Concert. As the school buses line up on Water Street, students exit the buses with many emotions ranging from excitement to nervousness. Students from Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia are dressed in an array of … Read More

Performance Review: Beethoven, Schumann & Liebermann

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Performance Review: Beethoven, Schumann & Liebermann The Jacksonville Symphony’s Florida Blue Classical Series kicked off its 2023/24 Season in grand style this weekend with “Beethoven, Schumann & Liebermann,” a generous and groundbreaking program featuring the world premiere of contemporary American composer Lowell Liebermann’s Organ Concerto.  Leonore Overture No. 2, Op. 72a by Ludwig van Beethoven After leading off with “The … Read More

Program Notes: Beethoven, Brahms & Dinnerstein 

Program Notes

Program Notes: Beethoven, Brahms & Dinnerstein  Nina Shekhar’s Lumina: World Premiere May 12, 2022; New York, New York (12 minutes) Nina Shekhar is a composer and multimedia artist who explores the themes and intersection of identity, vulnerability, love and laughter. She double majored in chemical engineering and composition at the University of Michigan. Currently, she is completing a PhD in … Read More