Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Simone Porter, violin
Davóne Tines, bass-baritone

Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Philip Glass: Symphony No. 15, “Lincoln”

Dynamic violinist Simone Porter returns to the VSO to perform a beloved Baroque masterpiece that vividly depicts the changing seasons. In the second half, groundbreaking bass-baritone and Portsmouth native Davóne Tines returns home for the Virginia premiere of Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 15, “Lincoln,” a powerful work that brings one of America’s most prominent figures to life. Be part of history as this milestone performance is recorded live in celebration of Glass’s upcoming 90th birthday!

Presented in partnership with CNU’s Ferguson Center for the Arts

Additional support provided by the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University.

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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.

Violinist Simone Porter has been recognized as an emerging artist of impassioned energy, interpretive integrity, and vibrant communication. She has debuted with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle and Pittsburgh Symphonies and with a number of renowned conductors, including Stéphane Denève, Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Nicholas McGegan, Ludovic Morlot, Donald Runnicles, David Robertson, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Manfred Honeck, Louis Langrée and David Danzmayr. In March 2015, Simone was named a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant.

Davóne Tines is a pathbreaking artist whose work encompasses a diverse repertoire, ranging from early music to new commissions by leading composers, while exploring the social issues of today. A creator, curator, and performer at the intersection of many histories, cultures, and aesthetics, he is engaged in work that blends opera, art song, spirituals, contemporary classical, gospel, and protest songs as a means to tell a deeply personal story of perseverance connecting to all of humanity.

Through his operas, his symphonies, his compositions for his own ensemble, and his wide-ranging collaborations with artists ranging from Allen Ginsberg to Doris Lessing, Leonard Cohen to David Bowie, Philip Glass has had an extraordinary and unprecedented impact upon the musical and intellectual life of his times. Glass’s repertoire includes music for opera, dance, theater, orchestra, and film. His scores have received Academy Award nominations (Kundun, The Hours, Notes on a Scandal) and a Golden Globe (The Truman Show). Glass received the Praemium Imperiale in 2012, the U.S. National Medal of the Arts from President Barack Obama in 2016, and 41st Kennedy Center Honors in 2018.