Everyone from the JSO staff to the musicians to those from Jackson and beyond who attend JSO events are looking forward to the end of silence that has loomed since the COVID-19 pandemic hit more than a year ago. With that in mind, the name of the Signature Series – “Rejoice: Reuniting Through the Joy of Music” – came to be.
“We realize that you can’t take the arts and the life-affirming feeling that you get from live, in-person events for granted,” said Steve Trosin, the JSO’s Director of Business and Operations. “We are all extremely eager to be together and exchange the energy between the performer and audience, to get those goosebumps on your arms that you couldn’t get on video no matter how good the experience was. We can’t wait to experience that again.”
That experience seems to be within reach now that season tickets are available for both the Signature Series (Classical Concerts) and Music On Tap (non-classical, touring artists), two series put on by the JSO that begin in October.
Aubin has created five concerts that will pair great works by composers like Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky alongside underrepresented music by several female composers and composers of color from past and present. The JSO has commissioned three composers, including Marcus Norris, a 2009 Jackson High School graduate, to write new works for the symphony. Norris will write a piece for the final concert series, “Chopin, Price & Norris.” The “Romantic Rachmaninoff” concert in March will feature Inon Barnatan, one of the most admired pianists of his generation, as a soloist.
Across the Genres with Warp Trio, a talented group that fuses contemporary classical music with rock and jazz, will kick off the Music On Tap series. It will mark the first live JSO event since The Music of Harry Potter was held Feb. 29, 2020. Music On Tap will also feature a concert by Joshua Davis, a talented Michigan-based singer-songwriter who is best known for being a finalist on The Voice, and a comedy show by Heywood Banks, who’s also from Michigan and is a regular on The Bob & Tom Show.
Tickets for individual concerts will go on sale September 1. But those who buy season tickets now will secure tickets to all events at a significant savings:
- Signature Series: All season-ticket buyers get five concerts for the price of four. First-time season-ticket buyers get 50 percent off, which means they can attend all five shows for the price of two.
- Music On Tap: Those who purchase season tickets save 20 percent on advanced ticket prices and more than 35 percent off prices at the door.
Despite the lack of live events, Aubin, Trosin and the rest of the JSO staff and musicians have been busy.
“It felt like we had one foot pressing down on the gas and one foot pressing down on the brake all the time,” Trosin said. “We were always preparing for the event that was supposed to happen next and holding out a glimmer of hope that it could happen, then all that work went out the window. At the same time, we were creating digital content in a series we called ‘Random Acts of Music’ and online concerts ‘Beethoven’s Best’ and ‘Play-Dance-Paint,’ which was a collaboration with Jackson School of the Arts and Ballet Chelsea. There was a lot going on while we were locked down.”
That makes the return of concerts seem even more sweet.
“We’re excited to be back,” Trosin said. “For sure.”
More information www.jacksonsymphony.org/signature-series/ www.jacksonsymphony.org/music-on-tap/
About the Jackson Symphony Orchestra
The Jackson Symphony Orchestra has a rich and vibrant history serving the Jackson area since 1949. The orchestra has performed with many legendary figures in the world of music, including Dizzy Gillespie, Grant Johannesen, Ralph Votapek and Ian Hobson. Mannheim Steamroller, Ann Murray and the Manhattan Transfer have invited the orchestra to do multi-state regional tours with them. Mission: Be one of the most innovative, inspiring and successful music arts organizations in Michigan. Vision: Enrich our communities by providing superior performance, listening and learning experiences in a variety of settings.