February 27 is a very special day for the Jacksonville Symphony. We will celebrate our orchestra with a gala concert featuring the international virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell performing Tchaikovsky’s radiant violin concerto. Joshua Bell was born in Indiana and began playing the violin at the age of four. His talent was so remarkable that he made his debut performing with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra only ten years later. He has performed with the world’s greatest orchestras ever since, and has recently become the music director of London’s famous chamber orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Now it’s our pleasure to welcome him to Jacksonville. I’ve known Mr. Bell for a few years; he’s a frequent performer with the New York

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After three very busy weeks in Jacksonville, I’m back in New York City. The air is crisp, and in the afternoons the parks are wonderfully quiet apart from the sound of leaves crackling underfoot. It’s the perfect atmosphere in which to think about the holidays. For me, music has always been the most joyful part of Christmas. Growing up, December was a stream of carol services and evensongs, leading up to the thrilling Midnight Eucharist on Christmas Eve. I can remember my nervousness before singing the first verse of “Once in Royal David’s City” as a solo, candle in hand, from the back of the church when I was a small boy, and my fascination with the evocative archaic texts on which so much Christmas

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