The Jacksonville Symphony celebrated its 2015-2016 season by entertaining a record 201,000 people, registering a nine percent increase in tickets sold over the previous year and an eleven percent increase in ticket revenue. More than eighty-thousand Duval County Public School students visited Robert E. Jacoby Hall to hear a symphonic performance.
The successful first full season under the leadership of Music Director Courtney Lewis and President/CEO Robert Massey included a gala with Joshua Bell, doubling the number of donors, and the introduction of new events such as Symphony in 60, Civic Orchestra and Symphonic Night at the Movies.
A branding campaign with a new logo, new website, upgraded event program and video program notes contributed to the buzz surrounding the orchestra.
Now the challenge for the upcoming 2016-2017 season is to continue the growth of the symphony audience and community engagement. So what’s on tap for 2016-2017? More. More Florida Blue Masterworks. More Fidelity National Financial Pops. More “best-bet” Symphony in 60. Plus patrons can take advantage of the “season of you” by putting together their own ticket packages in a Create Your Own offer that allows mixing among music genres and days of the week.
There will be new programs, such as Corporate Conductors Club, that invite businesses to take advantage of all that the Jacksonville Symphony has to offer when entertaining clients or rewarding employees. The highly successful UpTempo program, geared towards young professionals, has been reorganized to include special UpTempo events every month of the season, along with reduced ticket pricing to attend concerts.
