Join us for an upcoming concert…
‘Ride the ARIAS bus to Jacoby Hall in Jacksonville for this, the final Florida Blue Classical Series Concert of 2025, where Jacksonville Symphony will perform an exciting close for their 75th Season celebration.
The Jacksonville Symphony website says it will be a ‘firework’ season finale, conducted by Music Director, Courtney Lewis.
The program will open with Ira Gershwin’s iconic and popular, An American in Paris, which vividly depicts the bustling streets in the French capital, along with its romantic lyricism. Composed in 1928, Gershwin relays the energy of the city, revealing its attraction to American Blues at that time in history.
This will be followed by the third world premiere of the season, with Carlos Simon’s Zodiac: a bold, new Jacksonville Symphony commission. Here the Grammy Award nominated composer shares with us an orchestral study on the four elements that underlie the twelve signs of the zodiac – fire, water, air and earth. Carlos Simon is the composer in residence for the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, inaugural chair for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Associate Professor at Georgetown University.
Closing the evening is Copland’s landmark Third Symphony, which captures the spirit of America with patriotic orchestration. This largest of Copland’s orchestral works premiered in 1946. Although Copland denied consciously including jazz or folk material, the Jacksonville Symphony notes say ‘Don’t miss this captivating fusion of jazzy charm, Americana and new musical voices, providing a fitting crescendo to a season and 75 years of exceptional musical experiences.’ Copland’s famous Fanfare for the Common Man makes up the final movement of the Symphony – a grand wayto end this noteworthy year of music!
Jacksonville Symphony Program Notes for this concert can be found at https://www.jaxsymphony.org/gershwin-copland-program-notes/
For your convenience, the ARIAS bus will pick up passengers at two locations in Nassau County—AMC Theatre in Yulee and Harris Teeter on Amelia Island — and transport them directly to Jacoby Hall in time for the concert. The return trip is equally hassle-free, so you won’t have to worry about driving home at night.
Bus tickets can be purchased at ariasnassau.org/bus, where you’ll also find details on pricing, pick-up locations, and discounts for ARIAS members. Please note that bus tickets are separate from concert tickets, which can be obtained through the Jacksonville Symphony website,
https://my.jaxsymphony.org/gershwin-copland/3560 or by calling the box office at 904-354-5479.
We recommend purchasing your bus ticket early, as arrangements with the bus company must be confirmed the week before the concert. Bus tickets are non-refundable but can be transferred to another rider for the event.’
Gershwin & Copland
In a firework season finale, Courtney Lewis leads the Jacksonville Symphony in Gershwin’s iconic An American in Paris, which vividly depicts the bustling streets in the French capital. Closing the evening is Copland’s landmark Third Symphony, capturing the spirit of America with patriotic orchestration. Also in the lineup is the third world premiere of the season with Carlos Simon’s Zodiac: a bold, new Jacksonville Symphony commission. Don’t miss this captivating fusion of jazzy charm, Americana and new musical voices, providing a fitting crescendo to a season and 75 years of exceptional musical experiences.
George Gershwin · An American in Paris
Carlos Simon · Zodiac (World Premiere)
Aaron Copland · Symphony No. 3
