An hour-long Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra concert right after work, followed by drinks on stage with the musicians.
Thursdays in Jacoby Symphony Hall have never looked this like before.
It’s one of several programs created by the symphony’s new leaders to connect the musicians to a broader audience for the 2015-16 season.
The “Symphony in 60” series is patterned after something music director Courtney Lewis said worked well when he was with the Minnesota symphony.
The concert’s 6 p.m. start time keeps people in town after work instead of going to their homes in the suburbs and not coming back. Drinks are allowed in the hall during the concert, certainly a no-no during traditional concerts.
There also will be live video taken of what’s happening on stage and projected on screens so people can get a good view of what Lewis and the musicians are doing.
When the show ends, a bar is wheeled out on the stage and audience members can join the musicians to have a few drinks and get to know each other.
Symphony in 60 dates are Nov. 12, March 31 and April 21.
Both Lewis and new symphony president Robert Massey know the value of maintaining the orchestra’s current audience but building new ones, as well. The latter requires offering a mix of entertainment at different times and new venues.
The symphony also is adding Sunday matinees, specifically targeting children; performing free concerts over three days in October; and spending a week in Clay County in November.
But the staples of the symphony’s season, including Masterworks and Pop Series, remain a critical part of the season.
Massey said the season’s mix of new ideas and traditional works is a way to show pride in the past but a new hope for the future, too.
“It shows we are proud of the legacy and the tradition of what has been built, but understand this isn’t your grandfather’s orchestra,” said Massey, who was hired in December from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
While there, he had the orchestra play in different cities as a way to build new audiences, something he said from the beginning he wanted to do in Jacksonville. Out of that idea comes a Nov. 16-21 trip to Clay County.
He described the upcoming time there as a “weeklong immersion” that will include a mix of educational opportunities and performances.
Lewis loves taking the group on the road. “The idea is we give a community the gift of the orchestra for the whole week,” he said.
He said the musicians are “very, very keen” to build and engage with new audiences.
Having a new music director and president at the same time is unusual, but the two share a vision in what the orchestra should become.
“I was instantly comfortable and confident in his ability to take us where we want to go,” said Lewis, who met with Massey before the latter was hired.
Massey said the discussions he and Lewis had about the new season were “almost like two architects sharing ideas.”
“And, at the end, we have this incredible vision,” he said.
For more information on the new season, visit jaxsymphony.org.
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