Under the leadership of British conductor Courtney Lewis, the Jacksonville Symphony has entered its eighth decade as an esteemed classical ensemble. The orchestra is one of the few American troupes of its kind to have their own concert hall: the elegant, European-styled Robert E. Jacoby Symphony Hall at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, which offers seating for 1,800 and houses the magnificent Bryan Concert Organ, built-in 1914 with over 6,200 pipes. The Jacksonville Symphony performs an average of 100 shows per year at the hall, but they’re also known to tour venues throughout the state of Florida, including schools and senior homes, attracting an annual audience of over 100,000.

Jacksonville Symphony Background

The Jacksonville Symphony has been a north Florida institution since 1949, and throughout its storied history, it’s played host to some of the most iconic names in popular music, including big-band maestro Benny Goodman, legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, opera legend Luciano Pavarotti, musical comedian Victor Borge, sitar master Ravi Shankar and pop queen Olivia Newton-John. Such A-list guests have helped give the symphony a profile that extends far beyond the city limits - the orchestra has made regular appearances on NPR’s classical-music showcase, Performance Today, and they’ve been invited to perform at such hallowed stages as New York’s Carnegie Hall. But for all their nationally recognized achievements, the Jacksonville Symphony has always maintained a strong connection to its local community, broadcasting its performances on the city’s public radio station, WJCT, and nurturing the next generation of Floridian classical talent through its Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra program. More recently, the symphony has entered the digital age by hosting live streams and an archive of past performances on its website, while their Spotify page features playlists of classical pieces to be featured in upcoming performances.