Jacksonville Symphony Blog

Darryl Manley joined the Jacksonville Symphony as Associate Principal Violist in September 2023. A passionate chamber musician, he has studied with renowned ensembles including the Pacifica Quartet, Shanghai Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Danish String Quartet, Berg String Quartet and the Takács Quartet. His mentors include distinguished artists such as Stephen Wyrczynski, Kim Kashkashian, Patricia McCarty, Wesley Collins, Christian Colberg … Read More

Romona began her viola training at Pine Forest Elementary School (currently known as Pine Forest School of the Arts) in Jacksonville, Florida. Her first private teacher was Ruth Paugh, a long-time violinist with the Jacksonville Symphony. As a High School Senior, she was a Jacksonville Symphony concerto competition winner and performed as a guest soloist for area high school educational … Read More

Hilary Gamble-Villareal has been hailed as a rising star performer, touring as a chamber musician and soloist throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. She is currently Acting Principal Viola with the Jacksonville Symphony in Florida. She was recently Associate Principal Viola with the Orquesta Estable de Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Associate Principal with the Orquesta … Read More

Do you have any pre-concert rituals or routines? I must have something to eat before every concert. What would you be doing if you weren’t a professional musician? I have never thought about this, but I spent lots of time playing basketball and video games when I was in high school and college. What teacher, mentor or other influencer inspired … Read More

Cynthia Kempf is married to violinist Andrew Bruck. They met at the Yale School of Music. What do you want patrons of the symphony to know about you? I’m a huge advocate of the Alter-g treadmill. It uses differential air pressure to “unweight” your body, making it possible to recover from injuries faster, or train yourself to run faster. What … Read More

What do you want patrons of the Symphony to know about you? I am thrilled to be playing in the Symphony now. It’s hard for me to believe that I’ve been playing in the Jacksonville Symphony since 1985! I enjoy playing now more than ever. I’ve seen a huge era of artistic growth here. And hopefully, I’ve grown artistically, also.  … Read More

What do you want patrons of the Symphony to know about you? I have tremendous respect for the musicians I play with and the music that we play. Do you have any pre-concert rituals or routines? Yes, but they vary depending on the concert. I usually go for a run and then drink a lot of water. Sometimes I take … Read More

Violist Jorge A. Peña is a pillar of the classical music scene in Jacksonville, wearing many hats throughout his distinguished career. From concert halls to classrooms, Peña has thrived as a musician, educator, conductor, artistic director and innovator. Driven by his passion for music, Peña journeyed to the United States to pursue his Bachelor’s degree at Columbus State University. He … Read More