What does a conductor actually do? Alongside the inquiry about whether I work on a bus or a train, this is a question I dread. Yet it’s completely reasonable, since conducting remains an art that is at best mysterious – and at worst, suspicious – to everyone, including musicians. One of my favourite answers is a little glib, but contains a grain of truth: we do everything except play the notes. Our job is to help the musicians play together as well as they can, and to interpret the music in a way that makes it come alive. Before conductors begin working with an orchestra, we develop a mental picture of how we want the piece to sound. In rehearsal, we work towards realizing that.

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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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