In Thursday’s (3/14) Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville), Charlie Patton writes, “Next season, as Fabio Mechetti winds down his time as music director and chief conductor, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra will be led by eight guest conductors in its Masterworks series. So, in a way, what happened Tuesday and Wednesday in the Jacoby Symphony Hall offered, for the orchestra, a taste of what next year will be like. Over the course of the two days, the orchestra worked with six young conductors on four pieces of classical music. The occasion was the 2013 Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview, a prestigious showcase for emerging conductors. ‘This has been a major opportunity for a lot of young conductors,’ said Polly Kahn, vice president of League of American Orchestras, which organizes the event. The six conductors, none of whom are on the Jacksonville Symphony’s list of guest conductors for next year, each got 38 minutes Tuesday to work with the orchestra on three pieces: Ludwig von Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, 1st movement; Richard Strauss’s ‘Don Juan,’ and either Johann Strauss’s Overture to ‘Die Fledermaus’ or Maurice Revel’s ‘Mother Goose Suite.’ … They returned Wednesday to again lead the orchestra for 38 minutes through three pieces.” Conductors included Joshua David Gersen, Keitaro Harada, Gavriel Heine, Vladimir Kulenovic, Sameer Patel, and Benjamin Rous.
Posted March 14, 2013
