Author: Courtney Lewis

Cat Links Conducting Electricity, Jacksonville Symphony

Try something out of your comfort zone this season

Posted on Courtney Lewis

I’m back in Jacksonville, settling into a new apartment and getting ready for the beginning of the season, which is fast approaching. It’s my first experience of the city in late summer, and as I write this a thrilling thunderstorm is pelting rain against the windows as lightning bolts dart across the sky above the St. Johns River. Hopefully by now you’ve seen the Jacksonville Symphony’s new logo. I’m really excited about it. It’s amazing how something as simple as a logo can change one’s impression of an organization. For me, ours captures a sense of artistic energy and innovation alongside elegance and poise. That’s exactly what the Jacksonville Symphony is all about: presenting great music in a way that inspires our community, whether in

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Cat Links Conducting Electricty, Jacksonville Symphony

Summer’s here!

Posted on Courtney Lewis

After a thrilling end to the Jacksonville Symphony’s season last week, I’m in Calgary, Canada, conducting the excellent Calgary Philharmonic. Even this far north, the sun in shining and couples sit at coffee tables on the sidewalks soaking up the rays, replenishing diminished vitamin D levels. Meanwhile, all across the globe orchestral musicians are putting their tails into mothballs, and discovering with horror that their white tuxedo jackets have turned an even more alarming shade of yellow. It must be summer! So what do we musicians do in the summer, once the season has ended? Some orchestras keep playing. I’ll be assisting the New York Philharmonic next week as they play concerts in Central Park. It’s a wonderful start to summer, as tens of thousands

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