February is the month for romance, and the Jacksonville Symphony has just the right soundtrack for couples, valentines and romantics in Northeast Florida.
“Romance in Opera,” part of the Symphony in 60 series, gets things started at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 5. The event will begin with a cocktail hour in the lobby.
The performance will feature powerhouse tenor Limmie Pulliam in what the symphony describes as “an unforgettable evening of passion and drama.”
The program will consist of Richard Wagner’s “Tristan Prelude” and Giacomo Puccini’s “Nessun dorma.” Also, expect an evening of romantic opera arias and symphonic masterpieces, where “love, longing and lyrical beauty come to life in a way that will leave you breathless.”
Courtney Lewis conducts. Ticket price is $34.
Next up is “Romeo and Juliet: Tchaikovsky & Bernstein,” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13 and 14.
Music lovers, and lovers who enjoy good music, will enjoy this tour of some of the greatest love stories ever told. The program includes “Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, selections from Sergei Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet,” Nino Rota’s iconic “Romeo and Juliet Love Theme” from the 1968 film and Leonard Bernstein’s music from that modern-day retelling of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, “West Side Story.”
Anna Rakitina conducts. Tickets range in price from $32 to $92.
Broadway has given us a wealth of romance in music, and the symphony will rekindle audiences’ fond memories with three performances of “Rodgers, Hart & Hammerstein.” Unforgettable collaborations between Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart and later Oscar Hammerstein have left a permanent stamp on American stage and screen. Expect such favorites as “My Funny Valentine,” “Bewitched,” “People Will Say We're in Love” and “You'll Never Walk Alone.”
Shows are: 11 a.m. (matinee) and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21. Ticket prices range between $30 and $96, depending upon seating section and performance time.
Nathaniel Efthimiou conducts. Vocalists include Ashley Brown and Hugh Panaro. The Jacksonville Symphony Chorus will also perform.
These “Rodgers, Hart & Hammerstein” concerts are part of the Terry Family Foundation Pops Series and Fleet Landing Coffee Series.
Finishing out the month will be the Winter Concert, just the thing to warm hearts in this chilly season. It will be presented by the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestras at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 22.
The Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestras (JSYO) serves more than 230 young musicians from across Northeast Florida. There are six levels of ensembles: two full orchestras and four levels of string ensembles.
An adult ticket is $10. A child’s ticket is $5. Conductors include Nathaniel Efthimiou, Rose Francis-Wisniewski and Helen Morin.
Tickets for all of the above concerts are available at my.jaxsymphony.org.
