The Jacksonville Symphony is determined to keep providing beautiful music for the local community – no matter how many obstacles are thrown in its way.
The Symphony livestreamed its performance of Give My Regards to Broadway last weekend without an audience after its venue was closed by the city, and it had planned to do the same for its performance of SHIFT: Kennedy Center Bound this Friday. The stream of Broadway has been viewed over 15,000 times since it went live this past Saturday.
Now, with the city’s ban on gatherings of 50 or more people – as well as the CDC’s recommendation of six-feet spacing and no gatherings over 10 people – the Symphony has made the decision to cancel that performance to keep its musicians and crew safe. But that doesn’t mean they’re shutting down completely.
Instead of the planned performance, the Symphony’s Percussion Ensemble will perform a concert at 8:00 PM on Friday, to be streamed live on the Symphony’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. The ensemble consists of all four of the Symphony’s percussion and timpani artists: principal percussionist Steven Merrill, principal timpanist Kenneth Every, Kevin Garry, and Joel Panian.
“We are so thankful for the outpouring of support from our community and I am grateful to see our staff, musicians and stage crew working together to continue to bring music to Jacksonville,” says Symphony president and CEO Steven Libman.
In trying times, the arts are a crucial comfort to many in the local community. The Symphony’s performances, staged in the midst of the chaos of these past few weeks, helped to provide a glimmer of positivity through the uncertainty.
Following Friday’s performance, the Symphony faces the same uncertainty as many other organizations. Its concerts are cancelled through the end of March. Its venue, the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, will likely be closed well into April if not longer. Those who wish to support the Symphony can make a donation on their website.
