Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Virginia Symphony Orchestra Chorus

Anna Clyne: This Moment
John Adams: Harmonium
Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

Symphonie Fantastique takes the listener on one of the greatest musical odysseys in orchestral repertoire. It’s a fever dream of passion, unrequited love, and a journey to the underworld. John Adams’ Harmonium opens with a quiet pulsing single note “…but this hushed magical pulsation burgeons into nothing less than a rediscovery of full-blown oratorio tradition.”

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.

The 24/25 season marks the 35th anniversary of the Virginia Symphony Chorus, and its twenty-eighth under the direction of Chorusmaster Robert Shoup.  In addition to regular appearances with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the chorus has performed to sold-out houses as far afield as Prague, Vienna, Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Salzburg and closer to home at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.  

John Adams is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer whose work, while inspired by minimalism, incorporates more elements of romanticism and developmental writing than other purely minimalist composers. He is particularly well known for his operas, many of which tackle recent historic events, such as Nixon in China and Doctor Atomic.

Anna Clyne is an English composer residing in New York City. Among the most performed contemporary composers of today, she is currently Composer-in-Residence with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic, and Artist-in-Residence with the Symphony Orchestra of Castilla y Leon.