Eric Jacobsen, conductor

Aaron Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the premiere of Martha Graham’s Appalachian Spring ballet, where audiences first heard the iconic strains of Copland’s music that would come to define an American musical language. His suite of music from the ballet expanded for full orchestra further cemented the piece into the fabric of popular culture. 

Coffee concerts are hour-long concerts without intermission presenting selections from the Classics program that will be performed that evening.

Eric Jacobsen serves as the Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s twelfth Music Director, a position he’s held since 2021. He is also artistic director and co-founder of The Knights, the uniquely adventurous NYC-based chamber orchestra, and Music Director of the Orlando Philharmonic. In addition to conducting, Eric is a dedicated chamber musician (cello) and is a member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble.

Aaron Copland is often referred to as the “Dean of American Composers.” He developed a compositional style that, through works like Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid, Rodeo, Fanfare for the Common Man, and his Third Symphony, came to be considered the sound of American music.