Welcome to the 2023/24 Season!
I’d like to welcome you to the Jacksonville Symphony’s 74th season. It’s a season that represents what the Jacksonville Symphony is all about: creating concert experiences that will enrich your life with inspirational performances of the very best music.
It’s a season full of the music you know and love, performed by an orchestra that reaches new heights of artistic excellence every year. I can’t wait to share the stage with many great guest instrumentalists and conductors from all over the world. As we continue to commission internationally renowned composers to write music especially for Jacksonville, I’m really looking forward to opening the season with a brand-new organ concerto by Lowell Liebermann, featuring our mighty Bryan Concert Organ.
Over the next few seasons, I’ll be introducing you to more music from my home, the British Isles. I know you’ll love our program of Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams and William Walton, featuring our concertmaster, Adelya Nartadjieva, as soloist. We open the season with what is perhaps my favorite symphony of all, Robert Schumann’s Second, and we’ll also perform the Jacksonville Symphony’s premiere of Gustav Mahler’s Sixth.
I believe symphonic music has the power to transport us to another world and to inspire us in ways that few other art forms can. Whether we’re listening to a symphony, a Pops show or enjoying the stirring melodies of a film score, orchestral music can fill us with a sense of wonder and awe, reminding us of the limitless potential of the human spirit. This season has everything you need for those experiences. I can’t wait to share it with you!

Courtney Lewis
Music Director, Haskell Endowed Chair
- SEP 29/30 ∙ Beethoven, Schumann & Liebermann
- OCT 20/21 ∙ Beethoven, Brahms & Dinnerstein
- NOV 10/11 ∙ Mahler's Symphony for Alma
- DEC 1/2 ∙ Tchaikovsky & Barber
- JAN 5/6 ∙ Rhapsody in Blue & Rachmaninoff
- JAN 26/27 ∙ Mozart, Vivaldi & Handel
- FEB 16/17 ∙ Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony
- MAR 8/9 ∙ Saint-Saëns' Organ Symphony
- APR 26/27 ∙ The Pines & Fountains of Rome
- MAY 17/18 ∙ Adelya Plays The Lark Ascending
- JUN 7/8 ∙ Symphonie Fantastique
Sponsored by

Enjoy the 2023/24 Season from the Berg Choral Terrace!

April 12 | 7:30 p.m.
April 14 | 3:00 p.m.
Courtney Lewis
Conductor
Gregory Keller
Stage Director
- OCT 6/7 ∙ The Music of Earth, Wind & Fire Featuring Serpentine Fire
- NOV 3/4 ∙ Star Wars & More: The Music of John Williams!
- DEC 7/8/9/10 ∙ Holiday Pops
- JAN 12/13 ∙ Women Rock! The Music of Carole King, Pat Benatar, Heart & More
- FEB 2/3 ∙ The King, Queen & Prince of Rock & Roll
- FEB 23/24 ∙ Music of the Knights: Paul McCartney, Elton John & Andrew Lloyd Webber
- MAR 22/23 ∙ Rodgers & Hammerstein Celebration!
- APR 19/20 ∙ Let’s Misbehave: Tony DeSare Sings Cole Porter
- MAY 10/11 ∙ Dancin’ in the Streets: The Sounds of Motown Featuring Spectrum
- MAY 31/JUN 1 ∙ Michael Cavanaugh: The Music of Billy Joel & More
Sponsored by

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Kevin Fitzgerald Conductor
Director Steven Spielberg’s heartwarming masterpiece is one of the brightest stars in motion picture history. Filled with unparalleled magic and imagination, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial follows the moving story of a lost little alien who befriends a 10-year-old boy named Elliott. Experience all the mystery and fun of their unforgettable adventure in the beloved movie that captivated audiences around the world, complete with John Williams’ Academy Award®-winning score performed live by a full symphony orchestra in sync to the film projected on a huge HD screen!
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Home Alone

Grant O'Brien Conductor
Jacksonville Symphony Chorus
A true holiday favorite, this beloved comedy classic features renowned composer John Williams’ charming and delightful score performed live to picture by the Jacksonville Symphony. Macaulay Culkin stars as Kevin McCallister, an 8-year-old boy who’s accidentally left behind when his family leaves for Christmas vacation, and who must defend his home against two bungling thieves. Hilarious and heart-warming, Home Alone is holiday fun for the entire family!
© 1990 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince™ in Concert

TBD Conductor
Introducing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ in Concert to the Harry Potter™ Film Concert Series. Audiences can relive the magic of Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts™ School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, set to the music of Nicholas Hooper performed by the Jacksonville Symphony. Watch Harry become a wiz at potions, win Felix Felicis and uncover the meaning of Horcruxes!
WIZARDING WORLD and all related trademarks, characters, names, and indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s23)
Sponsored by

Concert Organ Series
Take a journey to the heart of Jacoby Symphony Hall and discover a truly historic monument: the Symphony's Bryan Concert Organ. Find yourself immersed in wonder with three riveting performances, each designed to highlight the organ's versatile musical power. Hear its melodies transform from intimate and colorful to grand and thunderous!
OCT 14 ∙ Greg Zelek in Recital ∙ Greg Zelek Organ
FEB 10 ∙ Brass, Organ & Percussion ∙ Joshua Stafford Organ, Kevin Fitzgerald Conductor
MAY 4 ∙ Organ Chamber Music ∙ Greg Zelek Organ, Grant O'Brien Conductor


Coffee Series
Mix and mingle with coffee and tea while enjoying the stirring music of our Coffee Series concerts, which feature a wide variety of performances from select classical and pops concert programs.
The Coffee Series performances are all on Fridays at 11:00 a.m.
- SEP 15 ∙ Beethoven & Tchaikovsky
- NOV 3 ∙ Star Wars & More: The Music of John Williams!
- DEC 8 ∙ Holiday Pops
- JAN 19 ∙ A Journey from Bach to Beethoven
- FEB 23 ∙ Music of the Knights: Paul McCartney, Elton John & Andrew Lloyd Webber
- MAR 22 ∙ Rodgers & Hammerstein Celebration!
- APR 19 ∙ Let’s Misbehave: Tony DeSare Sings Cole Porter
- MAY 24 ∙ At the Ballet II

Symphony in 60 Series
This highly popular series is back with fun, must-see performances that are kicked off with a casual and lively cocktail hour in the lobby and introductions to the music by the conductor. Whether symphonic music is familiar or new to you, each concert shines with remarkable moments for all to experience—in just 60 marvelous minutes.
Symphony in 60 Series performances are on Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.; Cocktail Hour at 5:30 p.m.
Cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks and light snacks available for purchase.
JAN 18 ∙ A Journey from Bach to Beethoven
FEB 29 ∙ The Four Seasons
MAY 23 ∙ At the Ballet II
Symphony in 60 is made possible with support from

Jazz Series
Savor your Sunday with the riveting rhythms of swing and other jazz tunes performed by sensational local and national talent. Experience the magnitude of jazz with an invigorating big band concert, an intimate trio performance and a finale spotlighting today’s most groundbreaking jazz stars. From exhilarating moments of improv to splashy riffs that sing from the stage, discover even more of what Jacksonville’s musical culture has to offer and explore an entirely new world of music inside Jacoby Symphony Hall.
JAN 21 ∙ Mid-Century Modern Combo
MAY 5 ∙ Terence Blanchard: Absence
Featuring the E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet


First Coast Nutcracker
Presented by


Handel's Messiah

Holiday Pops
Tim Hankewich Conductor
Ryan Silverman Vocalist
Jacksonville Symphony Chorus
Dancers from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts
DEC 7/8/9/10
*Holiday Pops performances are presented as part of the regular Paysafe Pops Series concert schedule.




Jeannette Sorrell
Handel, Zadok the Priest Handel, Selections from Royal Fireworks Music Vivaldi, La folia (Madness) arr. Jeannette SorrellMozart, Overture from Don Giovanni Mozart, Mass in C major, “Coronation Mass”
JAN 26/27


Jonathon Heyward
Hailstork, Epitaph for a Man Who Dreamed Daugherty, American Gothic Respighi, Fountains of Rome Respighi, Pines of RomeAPRIL 26/27

Commissioning the Brightest Composers
In this season’s remarkable lineup of historic masterpieces, new music makes history of its own with not one but two world premieres. First up is Lowell Liebermann’s Organ Concerto, a perfect match for GRAMMY® Award-winning Paul Jacobs, who brings his awe-inspiring genius to the colossal Bryan Concert Organ. Later in the season, Courtney Bryan returns for the world premiere of another Jacksonville Symphony commission, showcasing her virtuosity as “a composer of panoramic interests” (New York Times). Learn more about past, present and upcoming commissions on the Jacksonville Symphony Commissions Page.
2024 Symphony Gala
Join us for a gala fundraiser benefiting the Jacksonville Symphony.