Courtney Lewis, Music Director of the Jacksonville Symphony This weekend, I head to France to spend six weeks conducting a very exciting new ballet with music by the English composer, Thomas Adès, for the Opéra national de Paris at the famous Palais Garnier. Inspired by Dante Alighieri’s 14th century epic poem, “The Divine Comedy,” “The Dante Project” is a rarity … Read More
Program Notes: Mozart, Brahms & Schumann
Program Notes: Mozart, Brahms & Schumann Robert Schumann’s Overture, Scherzo & Finale, Op. 52: (World Premiere: June 12, 1841; Leipzig, Germany) (17 minutes) Literate and passionate, Robert Schumann was a quintessential composer of the Romantic Era. Schumann often had feverish, intense bouts of composition. His wife, Clara Schumann, was one of the 19th-century’s greatest pianists. Schumann was also one of … Read More
Program Notes: The Magic Flute
Program Notes: The Magic Flute Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute, K. 620 (World Premiere September 30, 1791; Vienna, Austria) (2 hours and 35 minutes) During the first scene of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute, a fearsome serpent pursues Prince Tamino. Amid stormy and ominous music, the handsome, young nobleman cries for help but is knocked unconscious. Within moments, three … Read More
Performance Review: Beethoven’s Fifth
Performance Review: Beethoven’s Fifth The Jacksonville Symphony’s Florida Blue Classical Series presented “Beethoven’s Fifth” this weekend, a program featuring three beloved orchestral favorites led by guest conductor Giordano Bellincampi. Silvery Rills by Sean Shepherd Leading off the program was Silvery Rills by contemporary American composer Sean Shepherd. A short and punchy piece intended to evoke the flowing waters of a … Read More
A Feast for Your Eyes and Ears: The Magic Flute
Courtney Lewis, Music Director of the Jacksonville Symphony In a few weeks the Jacksonville Symphony will present our largest production of the season, The Magic Flute, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s perennially popular opera. It’s my favorite Mozart opera, a fairy tale of good versus evil, enlightenment versus ignorance and the journey of finding your own way in the world. After the … Read More
Program Notes: Beethoven’s Fifth
Program Notes: Beethoven’s Fifth Jacksonville Symphony 2022/23 Florida Blue Classical Series Sean Shepherd’s Silvery Rills: (World Premiere: March 6, 2011; Reno, Nevada) (4 Minutes) What exactly is a rill? Sean Shepherd describes rills as ripples in river water. Silvery Rills is a musical postcard about Shepherd’s home state: Nevada. Listen for individual instrumental details that are both delicate and vivid, … Read More
What Makes Us Human: The Jacksonville Symphony Transforms Students’ Lives Through Music Education Programs
Author: Marianne Rice, Vice President of Music Education & DEI Initiatives Why is music education important? Some may think music education is a privilege. However, at its core, music is a universal language that creates the melodies of our lives, and music education is the necessary vehicle we use to transport students to other destinations and new levels of growth. … Read More
Program Notes: Bruckner’s Brilliance
Program Notes: Bruckner’s Brilliance Jacksonville Symphony 2022/23 Florida Blue Classical Series Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major: (World Premiere April 8, 1894; Graz, Austria) (80 Minutes) Anton Bruckner’s symphonies are leisurely, even in the brisk scherzo movements. Expanded brass add to the majesty of the Fifth Symphony. Listen for when the cellos and basses play pizzicato (when the … Read More
Music For You: The Jacksonville Symphony Premieres Another New Commission
Courtney Lewis, Music Director of the Jacksonville Symphony, Haskell Endowed Chair Last season, the Jacksonville Symphony began a series of new commissions from today’s brightest composers. Building on the legacy of our Composer in Residence program in 2018, this series is very close to my heart. I think of the tradition of classical music as continuous and unbroken from the … Read More
The Jacksonville Symphony Gala Raises Funds to Support Music Education
Steven B. Libman, President and CEO of the Jacksonville Symphony On March 4, 2023, the Jacksonville Symphony will launch its eighth Gala. The Honorary Chair for the Gala is Florida Blue Market President Darnell Smith. Florida Blue is also the Symphony’s partner and sponsor of our Classical Series. The Jacksonville Symphony is deeply grateful to Darnell and Florida Blue for … Read More