The Flying Ace

Saturday, November 14, 2026

7:30 pm

Featured artists

Courtney Lewis Conductor

Carlos Simon Lead Composer
Jongnic Bontemps Composer
Kathryn Bostic Composer
Nathalie Joachim Composer
Allison Loggins-Hull Composer
Levi Taylor Composer

Artistic advisor

Jacksonville was once a cornerstone of Black cinema during the silent film era. In 1926, our city’s Norman Studios became the first U.S. studio dedicated to portraying African Americans in leading roles with dignity and heroism. Advertised as “the greatest airplane thriller ever filmed,” The Flying Ace became a landmark of early American filmmaking and is the studio’s only surviving feature-length film.

Now, 100 years later, that history takes flight when the Jacksonville Symphony brings the film vividly to life with the world premiere of a newly commissioned orchestral score. Written collaboratively by six of today’s leading composers and performed live alongside a screening of the original film, the music unfolds in real time—reimagining a silent classic with the full power, color and emotional range of a modern symphony orchestra.

Filmed in Jacksonville’s historic Old Arlington neighborhood and in nearby Mayport, The Flying Ace stars Laurence Criner as Capt. Billy Stokes, a decorated World War I pilot, who returns home to resume his work as a railroad detective. When a payroll agent disappears along with a satchel containing $25,000, Stokes must solve the mystery and rescue the heroine, Ruth Sawtelle, played by Kathryn Boyd, in a dramatic aviation showdown. The film’s story was inspired in part by aviation pioneer Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license in the United States, who tragically died in a 1926 plane crash in Jacksonville.

A century after it first took flight in Jacksonville, the Symphony gives The Flying Ace a powerful new voice.

This is more than a film screening. More than a concert. It is a once-in-a-century cultural event—honoring Jacksonville’s artistic legacy while creating something entirely new for our community and the national stage.

Community collaborations include the Norman Studios Silent Film Museum, the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, whose permanent collection includes Norman Studios film posters, and The Hicks Honors College at the University of North Florida.

To view the full release, click here.

Composers

Carlos Simon

Jongnic Bontemps

Kathryn Bostic

Nathalie Joachim

Allison Loggins-Hull

Levi Taylor

Community Events

University of North Florida

Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Lazzara Performance Hall · Fine Arts Center
1 UNF Dr, Jacksonville, FL 32224

The Flying Ace: Giving History a New Voice
What can a 100-year-old film teach us about Jacksonville, American history and the power of storytelling?

Join the Jacksonville Symphony and the University of North Florida for a special panel discussion exploring the history and legacy of The Flying Ace, a landmark 1926 silent film created at Jacksonville’s Norman Studios. Historians, musicologists, educators, archivists and members of the film’s new composing team will explore the cultural world that shaped the film, and why it matters today.

Norman Studios Silent Film Museum

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

6337 Arlington Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32211

The Flying Ace: Where the Story Began
A century ago, The Flying Ace was filmed right here at Norman Studios. Now, 100 years later, its story returns to the place where it began.

Join the Jacksonville Symphony and Norman Studios for a special evening exploring the history, legacy and artistry behind Jacksonville’s landmark 1926 silent film. Featuring members of the Norman Studios community, Richard Norman’s grandson and three of the composers creating a new orchestral score for The Flying Ace, the conversation will explore what makes this story still worth telling and the legacy it continues to hold as it is given new life through music.

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