Next week we perform the final classical concerts of the season. We’ll open with a brand-new work composed by Tarik O’Regan, commissioned by the Jacksonville Symphony. Tarik was born in England of Irish and Algerian parents, and lives in the US. His piece, Trances, is an exploration of his childhood memories of Moroccan pop music. It’s a fascinating exploration of how time affects our memories, like a haze of fog might affect our vision. After that we’ll perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. It’s hard to know where to start when talking about this colossus, which is one of the most important, beloved and powerful pieces of art in Western culture. It’s different from Beethoven’s other symphonies because it introduces words for the first time, sung by a

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In August, I travelled to New York City with our CEO and Artistic Administrator on an especially exciting mission: we were headed to the Steinway factory to choose a new concert grand piano for Jacoby Symphony Hall. While good pianos in our homes can last for generations, the sheer volume of use on concert instruments means they usually need to be replaced every twenty years, and our existing piano was at the end of its distinguished career. With a season full of Mozart piano concertos on the horizon, we needed to get something new quickly.  Founded in 1853, Steinway & Sons has two factories, one in Hamburg in Germany, and another in Queens, New York. Their pianos are among the finest in the world; their

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