Press kit info pages september 2013

Community Engagement Beyond the stage, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra is an outstanding community partner, serving four county school districts and collaborating with numerous organizations. Close to 2,000 music lovers provide essential support through a network of 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.

Presence in the community is also felt through a wide range of collaborations with service organizations, from arts, community and cultural groups to media and corporate partners. Last season, JSym partnered with the Salvation Army to collect toys from patrons in exchange for a free concert ticket voucher, participated in the Orchestras Feeding American Food Drive asking our audiences to bring canned goods for those in need in our community, collaborated with Communities In Schools to provide violin instruction to 120 elementary school children in six Title 1 schools, gave backstage tours and tickets to Cathedral Arts program participants and presented a Fusion Series with focused programming on “celebrating diversity”.

For more than six decades the Jacksonville Symphony Association has had the privilege of offering programs designed to enhance the quality of life to the residents in the community it serves. Throughout this history, the professional musicians of the orchestra have resided in the area, offering their skills and talents both on and off the stage. They have shared the stage with many of the world’s most renowned artists, including Luciano Pavarotti, Ray Charles, Kathleen Battle, John Denver, Beverly Sills, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Midori, Tony Bennett, Joshua Bell, Paul Simon, and James Taylor. The recent 2012-2013 Season featured a return performance by the great violinist Itzhak Perlman and best-selling jazz artist Chris Botti.

The orchestra’s home in Jacoby Symphony Hall – a world class acoustically renowned space in the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts – is in the heart of downtown adjacent to the St. Johns River and Riverwalk. Through the shepherding and stewarding of countless volunteers, the association continues to satisfy its mission “to create experiences that enrich the human spirit and inspire a lifelong love of music.” As with all large arts institutions, the symphony plays a significant role in attracting and retaining area citizens and businesses, and contributes to making Jacksonville a highly desirable city in which to live, raise a family, work and play.

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Performance An unparalleled live symphonic experience with captivating guest artists The Jacksonville Symphony Association creates relevant orchestral programs of the highest quality, in the spirit of audience engagement and community collaboration.

The Florida Blue MASTERWORKS SERIES concerts – feature epic works and beloved classics performed throughout the season in collaboration with internationally renowned guest artists. Season highlights will include Stravinsky’s Firebird, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s 2nd & 4th Symphonies and Gershwin’s American in Paris.

10 concerts, 27 performances The Fidelity National Financial POPS SERIES concerts – pair the orchestra with guest artists to present favorite popular music of Broadway, Big Band and movie soundtracks. Season highlights will include the music of Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand, a visit from the original cast of The Jersey Boys, and conductor Jack Everly’s Pops Goes Vegas extravaganza. 8 concerts, 16 performances The Mayo Clinic COFFEE SERIES concerts – feature a one hour version of Masterworks or Pops programs during the daytime on Fridays at 11am. A coffee social hour, held prior to each concert, is attended by many senior citizens and students.

10 concerts, 10 performances The EverBank FAMILY SERIES concerts on Sunday afternoons introduce children and their parents to the joys of music through interactive, fun performances with pre-concert activities such as the Instrument Zoo. The Symphonic Spooktacular held at the end of October is always a favorite: the audience and musicians are invited to come in costume.

4 concerts, 4 performances NEW FOR 2013-2014 SEASON! The CertusBank SUNDAY MATINEE SERIES: Four full length concerts will be featured on this new series on Sunday afternoons at 3pm. These daytime concert programs range from popular symphonic classics to a Beatles tribute show, featuring the original cast of Broadway’s Beatlemania!

4 concerts, 4 performances SPECIAL EVENTS range from holiday concerts, including performances for the Nutcracker Ballet, an annual Opera production, rock tribute shows, and various community concerts, including presentations for the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and outdoor patriotic programs such as “Let Freedom Ring.” The varied events are designed to create vehicles for arts access to a very broad and diverse audience.

Vary annually: 2013-2014 features 10 events, 14 performances RETURNING FOR 2013-2014 SEASON! “Starry Nights” at Metropolitan Park – Geared to attract a broad spectrum of the public, these events are festival in nature featuring guest artists from multiple genres in a celebration of the City of Jacksonville’s Parks and Recreation.

3 outdoor concerts, 3 performances ONGOING TRAVEL AND RUNOUT ENGAGEMENTS: – Recent run-outs have taken JSYM to West Palm Beach to perform at the Kravis Center and west to Lake City, in addition to Daytona, Palm Coast, Green Cove Springs, St. Augustine, and Amelia Island.

In south Florida, the Palm Beach Daily News writes “… 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.”

7 locations, 9 counties, 7 performances CULTURAL CONVERSATIONS: • Words on Music: a pre-concert program with the conductor prior to 27 Masterworks concerts to enhance the patron’s concert experience • Talkback: an interactive post-concert discussion after 10 Saturday Masterworks concerts featuring the guest artists and the conductor answering questions from audience members • Symphony 101: Held in a casual setting to allow interaction between participants and presenters, this lunch and lecture program allows attendees to discover what happens behind the scenes of a Symphony concert. After lunch, the lecture participants attend a JSYM rehearsal.

• Master classes: Guest artists work with college students from JU, UNF, FSCJ, and area high schools.

• Pizza with the Players: Area high school students exchange ideas with JSYM musicians during this post-concert pizza party.

TICKETS FOR TEACHERS are available at half-price to any Masterworks, Matinee or Coffee concert.

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Education The Jacksonville Symphony commits to enhancing the quality of life for as many as possible by responding to arts access barriers via comprehensive programs for people of ALL ages. The following specially designed outreach programs are integral to JSYM’s mission and annual operations: THE JACKSONVILLE SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA PROGRAM provides weekly rehearsals, excellent training and performance opportunities for 270 young musicians ages 6 – 22. It is comprised of six levels of ensembles led by a team of professional conductors and orchestral musicians. The JSYO ensembles perform five concerts each year at Jacoby Hall, including the Major/Minor concert which features a side-by-side performance for JSYO students AND JSYM musicians. Three local Young Artist Concerto Competition winners are featured soloists with the professional orchestra. Led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Scott Gregg, the JSYO has become one of the most comprehensive youth orchestra programs in the southeast.

ENSEMBLE VISITS for school age children & senior citizens currently reach 34,017 people via 152 performances: This “Cover the Town with Sound” approach to accessibility allows students and retirees opportunities to experience live music in an intimate setting and to learn from discussions with local musicians. The twelve smaller ensembles, segmented from the full orchestra, visit public and private schools, after school programs, delinquency prevention centers and senior centers for performances and question and answer sessions.

Ten percent of program recipients are seniors in assisted living communities, many of whom can no longer attend concerts downtown due to financial, health or transportation reasons.

YOUNG PEOPLES CONCERTS for Grades 4 & 5 currently reach 14,072 students and offer interactive performance sessions through teacher driven pre-planned curricula. JSYM is now using music education concert programs and teaching materials developed by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Institute, which have proven to be effective and popular with both teachers and students. Teachers’ Guides and audio CDs outline suggested activities for pre- and post-concert lessons including cross curricular activities which incorporate concepts from Sunshine State Standards, a nationally recognized curriculum initiative used in Florida.

MUSICAL STORYBOOKS for PreK & K: is a new early childhood literacy & music program designed to increase arts access for nearly 1,000 underserved preschoolers and foster a love of reading through music. This interactive musical presentation stimulates the imagination with a story combined with music, introduces young participants to string quartet instruments, and engages them in active listening. The JSYM is working with Head Start, the Jacksonville Children’s Coalition and the Jacksonville Library to provide programs at Title I preschools, underserved early childhood development centers and local library branches in our community.

JUMP START STRINGS currently serves 120 at risk students: In collaboration with Communities in Schools (CIS), JSYM has developed a free stringed instrument instruction program for students in four Title 1 after school programs. JSYM musicians provide instrument instruction one day per week and CIS program assistants supervise two additional practice sessions. Measurable assessments have documented improvement in academics, attendance and attitude after 4 years of this program. This past season, eight 5th grade JSS participants successfully auditioned and now attend LaVilla School of the Arts, while 3 others auditioned for the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra and were accepted.

PRELUDE CONCERTS currently reach 6,096 students and bring children to Jacoby Hall to experience live symphonic music.

The programs feature works especially selected for students in grades 2 and 3. For some students, these concerts offer first-time exposure to live symphonic music.

INSTRUMENT ZOO is a project of the Jacksonville 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) also offer Instrument Zoos in their areas.

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, Sunday Matinee Series and Coffee concerts for an entire season. Parents can attend with their child for $10.

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Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra - At a Glance ABOUT THE ORCHESTRA The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (JSYM) is one of Florida’s leading orchestras and is among the top 30 to 40 American orchestras in terms of number of performances, operating budget and population served. Founded in 1949, the 2013-14 season marks the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra’s 64th season. The iconic JSYM brand identity represents the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra as an American orchestra for the 21st century, reaching nearly one-quarter million residents annually on the First Coast and throughout North Florida.

The 2013-2014 Season will be Maestro Fabio Mechetti’s last season on the podium as Music Director. In celebration of his highly successful fifteen-year tenure, the Association will present a Symphony Gala in his honor to be held February 7, 2014. The new season features eight acclaimed guest conductors as part of the search for the Jacksonville Symphony’s next music director. Michael Butterman continues to serve as resident conductor and Michael Krajewski as principal pops conductor.

The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra consists of 53 full-time and approximately 30 part-time musicians. The all-volunteer Jacksonville Symphony Chorus performs several concerts each season.

PERFORMANCE Throughout its history, the orchestra has performed and collaborated with some of the most renowned artists of our time, including Kathleen Battle, Victor Borge, Duke Ellington, Yo-Yo Ma, Ray Charles, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Jessye Norman, Luciano Pavarotti, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Beverly Sills, Midori, Tony Bennet, and Mstislav Rostropovich.

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

The orchestra performs more than 275 concerts annually from October through June, offering classical masterpieces, popular entertainment, fully-staged opera, a variety of special events, and chamber music programs to audiences in JSYM’s nine county service region. Artistic achievements include performances at Carnegie Hall in 1972 and 1998, annual fully-staged opera productions, premiered commissions by Florida composers, and a commercial recording of Orff ’s Carmina Burana.

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT More than 80,000 children benefit from the Jacksonville Symphony’s diverse educational programs, including Young People’s Concerts, Prelude Concerts, Jump Start Strings music instruction, Musical Storybooks early childhood literacy program, and numerous free performances in schools, senior centers and community venues.

The Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra (JSYO) enrolls 270 young musicians in six ensembles. The JSYO is led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Scott Gregg, along with a roster of professional conductors and JSYM musician instructors.

JSYM serves four county school districts and collaborates with numerous organizations. Close to 30,000 volunteer hours are recorded annually documenting the many music lovers that 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, Jacksonville Symphony Chorus, Volunteer Ushers and the JSYO Parent Association.

ADMINISTRATION The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra is administered by the Jacksonville Symphony Association, a non-profit cultural and educational organization. Its 37-member governing board of directors is comprised of corporate and community leaders, including a 9-member coordinating council. In addition there are 10 honorary board members and a 9 member business advisory council. The JSA operates with 27 full-time staff members, 10 part-time associates, and additional stage personnel.

FISCAL INTEGRITY Given the economic challenges facing all non-profit organizations, JSYM strives to maintain fiscal integrity with an operating budget of approximately $8.5 million. Funding categories are as follows: Earned Income: (approx.) 51%, which is comprised of ticket sales, endowment earnings, performance fees, and educational and miscellaneous revenue; Contributed Income: (approx.) 49%, which is comprised of individual donations, board donations, corporate sponsorships, other business contributions, public funds, foundations, and special events and gifts.

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