Our Maestro in Motion: Eric Jacobsen takes The Knights of NYC abroad
Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s new Music Director, Eric Jacobsen, is not one to neglect his New York roots. NY-based orchestral collective The Knights— of which Jacobsen is a founder and Artistic Director— is an ensemble that embodies many flavors of the Big Apple. Whether The Knights are performing in Carnegie Hall, in Central Park, or on public television, New York music lovers can rely on them to provide entertainment and fresh insight into the world of music.
In the upcoming months, The Knights will perform with household names such as Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, and provide musical improvisation to the spoken poetry of 20th century literary genius Pablo Neruda. The Knights just returned from a tour of Austria and Germany with their eclectic blend of contemporary works, original compositions from group members, and time-honored classics. In Germany, the musicians gave performances in Darmstadt’s Darmstadtium; performing a range of compositional styles that varied from Franz Joseph Haydn to John Adams. The Knights then traveled to Vienna, Austria to perform a concert in the city’s musical center – the historic Wiener Musikverein (the historic home of composer/conductors Johannes Brahms and Gustav Mahler). “The acoustics in that hall transformed the orchestra,” acclaimed Maestro Jacobsen, so impressed with the enhancement of sound that the architecture of the Musikverein provides. He elaborates further by saying that he would love to try to duplicate the sound in Orlando, and hopes to be closely involved with the development of “Stage 2” at the Plaza Live Theatre.
Maestro Jacobsen will return to the city beautiful next week, energized by The Knights’ European tour as he helps finalize the myriad of details that comprise the Orlando Philharmonic’s 2015-16 season. Such details include rehearsal schedules, production particulars, and casting for next season’s opera: Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The new Maestro is sure to bring the creative zeal of The Knights to the stage with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in its upcoming season.
Sarah Overton, Orlando Philharmonic Development Intern