Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra Fact Sheet

Fact Sheet • The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (JSO) is one of the leading orchestras in Florida and the Southeast. The Jacksonville Symphony Association (JSA) is a non-profit performing arts and educational organization founded in 1949. The mission of the JSA is to present artistically excellent classical and other orchestral performances for the enjoyment, education and enrichment of an ever-increasing diverse audience, while maintaining fiscal integrity.

• Led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Fabio Mechetti since 1999, the JSO is widely recognized for its high artistic quality. Michael Butterman serves as resident conductor and the JSO’s principal pops conductor is Michael Krajewski. The all-volunteer Jacksonville Symphony Chorus is led by Dr. Jon O. Carlson.

• The JSO performs more than 100 concerts annually from September through May, offering a wide variety of musical styles, from classical masterpieces to popular entertainment, as well as grand opera and musical theater. The JSO has played host to some of the most renowned artists of the past century, including Luciano Pavarotti, Mstislav Rostropovich, Yo-Yo Ma, Kathleen Battle, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Itzhak Perlman and Victor Borge.

• The JSO consists of 53 full-time and approximately 30 part-time musicians. The JSA is governed by a 12-member executive committee and 49-member board of directors and operates with a staff of 16 full-time and approximately 18 part-time associates.

• The Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra (JSYO), with an enrollment of more than 200 young musicians in six ensembles, has become one of the finest and most comprehensive youth orchestra programs in the Southeast. The JSYO is led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Scott Gregg, along with a roster of professional conductors and instructors, including many JSO musicians.

• The JSO is among the nation’s top 30 orchestras in terms of budget size, number of performances and population served. The JSO is a “Group 2” orchestra, in the four-group ranking by the League of American Orchestras.

• The JSO reaches nearly one-quarter million residents annually on the First Coast and throughout Florida. Close to 80,000 of these residents are children, who benefit from the JSO’s extensive educational programs, including concerts, master classes, the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra and the “Symphony Schools” partnership program. In addition, JSO musicians give more than 100 ensemble performances in schools and senior centers, reaching nearly 15,000 students and 1,500 seniors.

Listeners also tune in to weekly public radio broadcasts on WJCT-FM. • Given the economic challenges facing all nonprofit organizations, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra strives to maintain fiscal integrity with an operating budget of approximately $8 million (FY 2009).

The JSA is funded approximately 46% through earned income, categorized by ticket sales (30%); endowment (8%); performance fees (4%); educational and other miscellaneous revenue (4%), and approximately 54% through contributed income, categorized by individual donations (16%); board donations (7%); corporate sponsorships and business contributions (12%); public funds (5%); foundations (3%); and special event and gifts (11%).

• The acoustically superb Robert E. Jacoby Symphony Hall at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts is the home of the JSO. Built in 1997, Jacoby Symphony Hall is the only true orchestra concert hall in Florida. The Bryan Concert Organ, with 97 ranks and 6,215 pipes, is one of the country’s largest.

• The JSO is an outstanding community partner, serving four county school districts and collaborating with a wide range of organizations. Close to 2,000 music lovers provide essential support through a network of volunteer groups including ARIAS (Amelia Residents In Action for the Symphony), BRASS (Beaches Residents Actively Supporting the Symphony), The Guild of the Jacksonville Symphony, OPUS (the JSO’s young professionals group), Jacksonville Symphony Chorus, Volunteer Ushers and the JSYO Parent Association.

• The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra released its first commercial recording in 2006, featuring Carl Orff ’s Carmina Burana. The JSO’s biennial Fresh Ink – Florida Composers’ Competition advances the creation of new music. The JSO has performed twice at Carnegie Hall, most recently in 1998.

Revised March 1, 2010

Performance Masterworks Series is the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra’s flagship series, featuring classic orchestral masterpieces and internationally renowned guest artists. Audiences explore the timeless literature that has inspired listeners for centuries through the power of live performance. The creative genius of Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and many more masters is reborn in the grace of Jacoby Symphony Hall.

Pops Series is the best live musical entertainment in town, with enthusiastic audiences hearing the JSO play their favorite popular music. The 2009-2010 season features headliners such as Sandi Patty and Pink Martini, and tributes to Charlie Chaplin, Ray Charles, John Williams and modern Broadway.

Fusion Series features a variety of symphonic gems, introduced from the stage by our artists. Programs include thematic musical evenings in a more informal setting. Audiences can get a taste of the evening’s theme with food before the concert and can mingle with musicians afterward.

Coffee Series includes programs from the JSO’s Pops, Masterworks and Friday Fusion Series. These daytime concerts are performed without intermission and last approximately one hour. This unique format invites attendees to join the Symphony Guild for complimentary pre-concert coffee and cookies.

Plugged In Series was launched to broaden cultural offerings and appeal to an audience that was brought up with “Classic Rock.” Concerts spotlight the music of some of the greatest stars of rock history, played by the JSO along with lead vocalists and their bands.

Family Series introduces children and parents to the joys of music that last a lifetime. Children have a chance to “warm-up” for the concert with popular pre-concert activities before traveling on a musical journey that engages, entertains and energizes young listeners. The Family Series complements an excellent array of educational concerts and programs.

Grand Opera has become a Jacksonville Symphony hallmark. For passion, peril and parody, residents need not look further than their own JSO, which is unique among American orchestras in producing such masterpieces as Tosca, Carmen, Don Giovanni, La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, The Barber of Seville, La Traviata, Turandot, and Cosi fan tutte.

Musical Theater collaborations with the cast of the Alhambra Theatre have become a popular feature of the season lineup. Productions have included The Music Man and West Side Story, and Oklahoma! in fall 2009.

Tours and Community Concerts serve the Jacksonville Symphony Association’s mission of presenting orchestral performances to residents throughout the First Coast and beyond. An ever-increasing audience has enjoyed the JSO at venues such as the prestigious Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Tallahassee’s Maclay Gardens and Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach. Throughout the local community, the JSO engages in concerts, fundraising events and cultivation activities.

Fresh Ink – Florida Composers’ Competition is the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra’s biennial contribution to new music. The goal is to present and encourage new works by Florida composers and to foster an appreciation of the creative process. The winning composer receives a commission from the JSA to write a new work.

Revised March 1, 2010

Education The Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra provides excellent training and performance opportunities for young musicians between the ages of 7 and 22. Comprised of more than 200 students in six ensemble levels and led by Music Director Scott C. Gregg, the JSYO has become one of best and most comprehensive youth orchestra programs in the Southeast.

In-School Ensemble Visits from Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra musicians are available throughout the school year. The JSO features 14 different groups from the core orchestra, performing for schools, senior citizen centers and after-school enrichment groups throughout the region.

Young People’s Concerts feature themed programs designed for students in grades four and five, who arrive by school bus to Jacoby Symphony Hall. Teacher guides and tapes are distributed in advance, which include musical excerpts and curriculum-related ideas.

Prelude Concerts are designed for students in grades two and three. Performances are in Jacoby Hall and emphasis is made on the connection between art, literacy and conceptual comprehension.

Pre-school Concerts introduce pre-K through first grade children to the instruments and families of the orchestra. Through interactive stories, games and questions and answers, children learn basic musical concepts such as pitch and dynamics as they sit on the floor, close to the orchestra.

Jump Start Strings, an innovative collaboration with Communities In Schools of Jacksonville, offers the opportunity for more than 110 elementary schoolers to learn to play violin at five after-school enrichment sites for at-risk students.

Symphony Schools is a group of eight elementary schools that are receiving intensive artistic support as an effective tool in raising achievement, in partnership with Duval County Public Schools.

Instrument Zoo is an innovative education project of the Symphony Guild offering children a hands-on opportunity to try out every instrument in the orchestra. For many children, these school visits are a first-time exposure to musical instruments. BRASS (Beaches Residents Actively Supporting the Symphony) and ARIAS (Amelia Residents In Action for the Symphony) offer Instrument Zoos in their areas, as well.

Sound Check – The Sound Check Card is the student pass to the Jacksonville Symphony. For $25, the Sound Check Card offers student access to Masterworks, Friday Fusion and Coffee concerts for an entire season.

Parents are in the club, too, and can attend with their child for $10.

Tickets for Teachers are available at half-price to any Masterworks, Friday Fusion or Coffee concert.

Revised March 1, 2010

About the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra

The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in Florida and the Southeast and integral to the quality of life on the First Coast. Widely recognized for its high artistic quality, the Jacksonville Symphony ranks among the nation’s top 30 to 40 orchestras in terms of number of performances and population served.

The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra offers a variety of live symphonic music that is relevant to today’s audience – from the classic masterpieces, to contemporary works, to grand opera and musical theater, to popular styles – reaching nearly one-quarter million residents on the First Coast and throughout Florida. Nearly a third of these residents are children, who benefit from the Symphony’s educational programs, including concerts, in-school ensemble performances, Jump Start Strings after-school enrichment, Symphony Schools partnership program, master classes and the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary season in 2009-10, the Jacksonville Symphony is one of Florida’s most long-standing orchestras. Its success has been defined by the Palm Beach Post as “the standard to which all other Florida orchestras should strive.” Led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Fabio Mechetti since 1999, the Jacksonville Symphony has played host to some of the most renowned artists of the past century, including Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Marilyn Horne, Luciano Pavarotti, Itzhak Perlman and Mstislav Rostropovich. The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra has performed twice at Carnegie Hall and has appeared on NPR’s “Performance Today.”

An American orchestra with its own dedicated concert hall, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra’s home is the acoustically superb Robert E. Jacoby Symphony Hall at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts.

The Jacksonville Symphony also performs in communities throughout the First Coast and statewide.

Beyond the stage, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra is an outstanding community partner, serving four county school districts and collaborating with a wide range of organizations. Close to 2,000 music lovers in the community are members of symphony volunteer groups, including the Guild of the Jacksonville Symphony, the Jacksonville Symphony Chorus, BRASS (Beaches Residents Actively Supporting the Symphony), ARIAS (Amelia Residents In Action for the Symphony), Youth Orchestra parents and concert ushers.

Revised March 1, 2010