Now that the excitement of opening night has died down, I’m thinking about one of the biggest challenges facing the Jacksonville Symphony: How can we attract more young people to our concerts? I’m not alone. This is a question that every orchestra — indeed every arts organization — struggles with. It’s not a new question either. Although studies have shown that people tend to move toward classical music later in life, I’m always puzzled that many people my age [30] wouldn’t dream of missing the latest exhibition at a major gallery, but never even consider coming to a concert. Or the music is bypassed by others who like classical music but prefer to listen at home. It doesn’t seem that young people are averse to

Continue readingIt’s time to be more welcoming to young people

It finally happened. After months of anticipation, interviews, photo shoots, planning and general pandemonium, this morning the Jacksonville Symphony had its first rehearsal for their opening concerts this weekend. And I was there conducting, for the first time as music director designate. No big deal. Well, not quite. It is a big deal. It’s a huge deal for everyone. I don’t know about the orchestra, but having convinced myself last night that the JSO management had made a terrible mistake, and that the musicians were going to leave for lunch thinking “what have we done?!” I had a few butterflies in my stomach this morning. We spent the morning reading through the main piece on the concerts this weekend, Berlioz’s unbelievable Symphonie Fantastique. It’s hard

Continue readingA kid in a candy store