Newsletter - April 2013

HARMONY Mid-season 2013

JACKSONVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 3 0 0 W A T E R S T R E E T, S T E . 2 0 0 JACKSONVILLE, FL 32202

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PAID PERMIT #3442 Jacksonville, FL

Volume 4 – Edition 1

Tickets: 904.354.5547 Contributions: 904.354.1473 Online: JaxSymphony.org © 2013 Jacksonville Symphony Association

2013

COMMUNITY CHALLENGE See page 2.

Applause for a Symphony of Donors!

© The Florida Times-Union, photo by Will Dickey

Dear Symphony Friends, It is an honor to return to the Jacksonville Symphony as president. For nearly 25 years, I have been deeply involved in bettering the quality of life for our community.

Coming full circle, I’m now back where I started, working to ensure Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra’s position as our premier performing arts organization.

This season offered many opportunities for donors and patrons to get to know the Jacksonville Symphony a little more. We opened our doors for two open rehearsals and the Symphony 101 luncheons were a big hit. Conductor’s Club members enjoyed a season preview and sit-on-stage luncheon.

On May 21 at 7 p.m., the Symphony family of donors will be treated to a Donor Appreciation Concert. At the close of a most remarkable season, you continue to affirm the Jacksonville Symphony’s commitment to enriching and uplifting this community. Call 904.354.1473 for more information.

Expanding the Symphony’s donor base is one of my first priorities.

To help achieve this ambitious goal, Stacy Ridenour has agreed to serve as a vice president for development with a focus on major and individual gifts, planned giving, and our work with our valued partners.

At the forefront is our 2013 Florida Blue Community Challenge campaign,“It’s Your Orchestra!” (details inside).We are grateful to Florida Blue and several generous individuals and corporations that have given $200,000 to help leverage new and increased support from the community. Each new or increased gift will be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The Jacksonville Symphony is one of our community’s greatest assets – a real treasure. I urge you to participate in this challenge with your new or increased gift prior to May 31.

Thanks to your enthusiasm for great music, ticket sales, attendance and contributions are on a positive trend.As we continue the process of selecting a new music director, the 2013-14 season will be an unparalleled musical journey, as eight stellar young guest conductors lead the orchestra.Your participation in this process is critical.

The recent contract agreement between the Symphony Association and the musicians’ union is great news for all of us in the community.As we move forward, we thank you, our patrons. The musicians value your ongoing participation and deeply appreciate your generous applause. Together, we have a bright future filled with exciting opportunities for our orchestra!

Sincerely,

David L. Pierson, President

Join the Conversation.

At the Open Rehearsal in April are Jay and Ellen Sherline, with Stacy Ridenour (center).

At the Sit-On-Stage Luncheon with patron Laurie DuBow (second from left) are JSYO student Claudia Beshears, Douglas Anderson orchestra director Brian Griffin and JSYM timpanist Ken Every.

Angela Sings Angelou Soprano Angela Brown (pictured) performed A Woman’s Life, a musical setting of Maya Angelou’s poems, composed by Richard Danielpour. The April 19 “Music and Poetry” concert, conducted

by Michael Butterman, was an official “Cultural Fusion” event, fostering racial understanding, in partnership with a variety of Jacksonville venues.

Inside: JSYO Festival of Strings and more.

Page 2

Mid-season 2013

S U P P O R T

T H E

S Y M P H O N Y

It’s Your Orchestra!

JSYO Festival Finale!

COMMUNITY CHALLENGE

2013

with additional support from Roger L. and Rochelle S. Main Charitable Trust, Robert and Monica Jacoby, Josie Flaherty, Stein Mart, David and Elaine Strickland

B. Rabinowitz

will match any new or increased gift UP TO $200,000.

In March, more than 300 students assembled for the grand finale of the JSYO Festival of Strings.

This showcase event included the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra’s Overture, Foundation, Encore and Premiere string ensembles with the JSYO Philharmonic Strings. Our Jump Start Strings students also performed, as well as ensembles from LaVilla School of the Arts and Douglas Anderson.

JSYO standouts Andrew Blocker and Maia Delegal were featured with Philip Pan and Chris Chappell from the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins.

In celebration of the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra’s 20th anniversary season, the event was part of the Publix Super Markets Charities JSYO Concert Series and sponsored by Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.

Dear Symphony Patrons, Everywhere you turn, you hear the Jacksonville Symphony being described as a community treasure and vital to our quality of life.

The time is now for all of us in the Jacksonville community to align our actions with our words. Our Orchestra’s future success hinges on the extent of support demonstrated by each of us who cares about our Symphony and our City.

“It’s Your Orchestra,” the 2013 Florida Blue Community Challenge campaign, launches this month.We are grateful to Florida Blue and several generous individuals and corporations that have given $200,000 as leverage for new and increased financial support for the Symphony.

If the Jacksonville Symphony is something you personally treasure and value as an essential community asset, please consider a new or increased gift prior to May 31st and double the impact of your support at this critical time!

Your gift is truly appreciated by our stellar musicians, by the 80,000 students touched each year by our education programs, by the 350 Youth Orchestra and Jump Start String students, and by all the community leaders and citizens like you who are working together to build a great City anchored by our world-class Orchestra.

Stacy Ridenour Yours truly,

Stacy Ridenour Vice President for Development

Your gift must be received by May 31, 2013 to be eligible for this match!

Call 904.354.1473 or donate online at JaxSymphony.org.

Amazing Year for Jump Start Strings This season, our Jump Start Strings students rehearsed as one full ensemble to prepare for their big year-end performance at the Festival of Strings.

Based at six different Communities In Schools “Team Up” after-school sites, the students have weekly violin, cello and bass lessons from a Jacksonville Symphony musician and twice-weekly supervised practice sessions. Following the concert, Jump Start Strings Coordinator Peggy Toussant (pictured center) said, “Their performance surpassed our highest expectations. The hard work and practice really paid off.”

Photos by Steve Patrick.

Page 3

Mid-season 2013

S Y M P H O N Y

S P O T L I G H T

Music and Childhood Literacy

Season Highlights

Early childhood development is critical in establishing a foundation for learning and reading. For the third straight year, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and the Jacksonville Children’s Commission have collaborated on “Musical Storybooks,” a program for the very youngest in our community.

Led by a narrator with a Jacksonville Symphony string quartet, this interactive musical program for preschoolers is designed to foster a love of reading. The featured storybook, Mole Music by David McPhails, teaches vocabulary, listening skills, math, art and more, as the story is interwoven with classical music.

At every event, Jacksonville Symphony patrons and donors are central to the Orchestraʼs success.

Thanks to your participation and support, subscriptions have been on an upward trend for the past two years and single ticket sales have shown remarkable growth in key areas.

As you share the excitement of your Symphony experience with others, you are helping to broaden our patron base throughout North Florida.

Open Rehearsal In October and April, subscribers and donors were invited to free Open Rehearsals. Pictured during pre-rehearsal coffee are Ed and Beryl Johnson.

Preschoolers at the Jacksonville Children’s Commission actively participated in “Mole Music” with violin cardboard cutouts and drinking straws as bows.

National Spotlight on JSYM In March, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra hosted the 2013 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview, the League of American Orchestra’s biennial conducting showcase. The event featured six highly talented emerging conductors in a working rehearsal setting with the orchestra. Leaders from several orchestras around the country were in attendance. Our own subscribers and donors also enjoyed the opportunity to observe.

Sameer Patel (above) and Keitaro Harada were among the six promising young conductors leading the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Photos by Bassel Jadaa.

Symphony 101

Jacksonville Symphony Earns Glowing Praise

In April, the Symphony 101 lunch, lecture and open rehearsal featured husband-wife harpists Kayo Ishimaru of the Jacksonville Symphony and Dickie Fleisher of the Naples Philharmonic.

Jacksonville Symphony shows Palm Beach what it’s missing without its own orchestra Your Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, conducted

by Fabio Mechetti, earned a stellar review following its performance in February at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach. We’ve printed an excerpt from the review

by Marcio Bezerra for the Palm Beach Daily News.

“In fact, Mechetti’s conscious choices were made clear not only to the orchestra, but to the audience.

He is a discreet conductor who has confidence in his musicians and is not afraid to share the spotlight with them… All in all, this was a most satisfying evening of glorious orchestral music. May envy turn into action for we surely deserve and need to have a full time orchestra among us. We can only hope that it would be as good as the Jacksonville Symphony.”

This complete article and many more can be viewed at JaxSymphony.org. Click “News” and scroll down.

While you’re there check out our blog, dashboard, Symphony Notes, videos, photos and more.

Sit-On-Stage In March, Conductor’s Club Bronze members enjoyed a Sit-On-Stage luncheon with the musicians.

Pictured is Jon Ebacher, with JSYM Bassist Patrick Bilanchone.

Sponsorship Backstage with Conductor Fabio Mechetti are Ed and Julie McCarthy, trustees of the Jess and Brewster J. Durkee Foundation, which sponsored that evening’s concert.

THE SEARCH BEGINS! Experience Eight Acclaimed Guest Conductors on the Florida Blue Masterworks Series.

Be a part of this historic musical journey!

As the Jacksonville Symphony begins the search for its next Music Director, you have a unique opportunity to experience the artistry of these acclaimed maestros.

TEDDY ABRAMS

ANDRÉ RAPHEL

“The 23-year old conductor is a greatly gifted musician who appears on the verge of a major podium career…” South Florida Classical Review GERSHWIN & TCHAIKOVSKY – Oct. 3, 4 & 5, 2013

“Under his leadership, the orchestra was transparent, energized and full of shadings that propelled the music…” The Philadelphia Inquirer ROMEO AND JULIET – Feb. 13, 14 & 15, 2014

Teddy Abrams, conductor & piano GERSHWIN An American in Paris RAVEL Piano Concerto in G TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 4

André Raphel, conductor • Philippe Quint, violin PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet (Selections) MENDELSSOHN Violin Concerto TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 2 “Little Russian”

WARD STARE

COURTNEY LEWIS

“He exudes charm as he bounds on stage and bows to the audience from the podium.And once he picks up the baton, he’s all about the music…”

Musical America BRAHMS SYMPHONY No. 1 – Oct. 25 & 26, 2013

“One of the most exciting and moving performances I’ve ever heard.Absolutely riveting from beginning to end, with one insight, one revelation after another…”

Boston Phoenix WAGNER & RACHMANINOFF – Mar. 13, 14 & 15, 2014

Ward Stare, conductor • Susanna Phillips, soprano HAYDN Symphony No. 96 “Miracle BARBER Knoxville: Summer of 1915 BRAHMS Symphony No. 1

Courtney Lewis, conductor • Joyce Yang, piano WAGNER Tristan und Isolde, Prelude and Liebestod • RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No. 3 DVOR ÁK Symphony No. 7 v

ROBERT MOODY

ANDREW GRAMS

“Robert Moody led his musicians with skill and authority, drawing precise and passionate playing from them. You can come back anytime, Mr. Moody, so long as you keep bringing us music like this…” Charleston (SC) City Paper

“...Grams’ insightful and affectionate reading proved the biggest revelation.

The conductor managed to evoke heart-stopping stillness and bracing vibrancy, sometimes at the same time…” The Salt Lake Tribune VIRTUOSO LISZT – Apr. 3, 4 & 5, 2014

BEETHOVEN’S “EROICA” – Nov. 21, 22 & 23, 2013 Robert Moody, conductor • Christina Major, soprano Troy Cook, baritone • Jacksonville Symphony Chorus BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” • VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Dona Nobis Pacem

Andrew Grams, conductor • William Wolfram, piano BRAHMS Hungarian Dance No. 1 • LISZT Les Preludes DVOR ÁK Carnival Overture • LISZT Hungarian Rhapsody & Piano Concerto No. 1

CRISTIAN MACELARU

SHIZUO Z KUWAHARA

“Under Macelaru’s finely detailed direction, the musicians delivered this score with clockwork precision…” Chicago Tribune BRAHMS SYMPHONY No. 2 – Jan. 9, 10 & 11, 2014

“He certainly has brought a newness to the symphony. I’m looking forward to the bigger and better things to come…” The Augusta Chronicle THE FIREBIRD – Apr. 25 & 26, 2014

Cristian Macelaru, conductor BARBER Symphony No. 1 BRITTEN Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes BRAHMS Symphony No. 2

Shizuo Z Kuwahara, conductor • Stewart Goodyear, piano PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 KHACHATURIAN Masquerade Suite STRAVINSKY The Firebird Suite (1919)

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Info at JaxSymphony.org

The Jacksonville Symphony Association extends its sincerest thanks to some of our most important music makers.

PR I NCI PAL S PONSOR S

Special Gift in Honor of

The Julius N. Frankel Foundation J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver

The Roger L. and Rochelle S. Main Charitable Trust

Ruth Conley The DuBow Family Foundation