It was a hot, rainy, muggy Monday afternoon in Jacksonville, but the weather was perfect in Los Angeles, where Jacksonville Symphony Music Director Courtney Lewis found himself touching down on Sunday, August 22. Lewis was in the thick of preparations for the symphony’s 2022-2023 season, when he was asked to step in for a special guest conducting gig with his …
After a Memorable Season, The Jax Symphony is Finishing Strong
The Jacksonville Symphony will soon wrap on its first full season since the pandemic’s peak. And what a year it’s been. This was also the symphony’s first full season without the late Robert E. Jacoby (1928-2021) — an Eagle Scout, an Army tank commander and one of the key philanthropists in Jacksonville’s history. His influence could be felt in places …
Go | Jacksonville Symphony wind and string ensembles at WJCT
The Jacksonville Symphony’s 2021/2022 season is underway, and, as expected, the beloved local institution has been firing on all cylinders. From the highly approachable Symphony in 60 and pops series events to the mind-blowing musicianship on display in the symphony’s Mozart Piano Series (which kicked off with Italian virtuoso Alessio Bax and contiuned with once-in-a-generation talent Conrad Tao in late …
Symphony in 60 | Courtney Lewis and the Jacksonville Symphony are bringing classical music to places its never been
“Symphony in 60” is the latest initiative by the Jacksonville Symphony, which under the leadership of Music Director Courtney Lewis has been putting an increased emphasis on accessibility over the last few years. Those efforts have paid off well. Conditions were far from ideal for classical music institutions like the Jacksonville Symphony even before the pandemic applied near-lethal financial pressure …
The Jacksonville Symphony fires up the band for another season of classical and pop favorites
Live musicians navigating the realities of performing onstage during the pandemic age are facing unique predicaments. Former concerns about load-ins, soundchecks, and coveted drink tickets have been readily muted. Now musicians are facing current anxieties regarding personal and public health, social distancing, “to mask or not to mask” and other high-volume, Covid-related realities. Add to those factors the anxiety of …