from staff
The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (JSO) begins its 2007-08 concert season this month, featuring diverse programming, classical masterpieces and entertaining variety. Led by Music Director and Principal Conductor Fabio Mechetti, highlights of the new season include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony on the Fidelity National Financial Masterworks Series.
The Masterworks series also features stellar guest artists, including violinist Chee-Yun, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and violinist Rachel Barton Pine. The season also features a first-ever staged musical theater production of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man in collaboration with the Alhambra Dinner Theatre and a fully staged grand opera production of Verdi’s La Traviata, sponsored by The Julius N. Frankel Foundation.
Music of the great trendsetting composers is the theme of the Jacksonville Greyhound Racing Discovery Series. On the popular side, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Pops Series features headliners like Melissa Manchester, the Kingston Trio and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Special events include “The Magical Music of Walt Disney” “An Evening with The Beach Boys,” and “Star Wars & More John Williams Hits,” and to top it off, audiences will embark on a rock and roll journey for the Plugged In Series, with music of The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Billy Joel.
Maestro Mechetti leads the JSO into the new season, which also commemorates the tenth anniversary of Robert E. Jacoby Symphony Hall at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts. “For the past ten years our community has enjoyed this great venue and the city of Jacksonville can boast that it has one of the best dedicated symphony halls in the United States and, therefore, the entire world,” said Mechetti. “But a hall is only as good as the quality of the music that is produced there. The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra is a community endeavor that continually produces a level of art that is equal to or better than what you’ll find in any major city.”
The Jacksonville Symphony welcomes Morihiko Nakahara, who will serve as associate conductor with the JSO beginning this season. Audiences will see Nakahara appear on each of the JSO’s subscription series, as well as educational programs, community concerts, and special events.
“I am honored and thrilled to join this wonderful orchestra. One of the true rewards of a staff conductor position like this is a wide variety of repertoire and concert settings, from Bach to the Beach Boys and everything in between. I am eager to become a part of the vibrant First Coast community and to meet many of our audience members through music,” said Nakahara.
Tickets for the season are available now and single-concert tickets go on sale today. For complete information and to purchase tickets, log on to the Jacksonville Symphony’s Web site at www.jaxsymphony.org or call the JSO Box Office at 904-354-5547; toll-free 877-662-6731.