Orlando orchestra’s leader leaps from cellist to conductor
Print Edition
AS a young, classical music conductor in a town known more for Mickey Mouse than Mahler, Eric Jacobsen faces a double challenge: Live up to the promise of his youth and innovative background, and somehow discover the magic formula to lure young audiences to the concert hall.
“Some people feel that since I’m young, I’m going to somehow have the answers for bringing in a younger audience,” Jacobsen said recently in an interview at a converted Space Age movie-house that is now the administrative home of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra. “That’s a challenge, always.”
Beginning his second year as music director of the Orlando Philharmonic, the 33-year-old Jacobsen is many things that modern classical music traditionally isn’t: young, accessible and willing to be a tad goofy. His shirt is untucked when he’s not performing and unruly brown curls crown his head.
He’s spent most of his career as a cellist with New York-based, boundary-breaking ensembles, exploring new directions in an art form that cherishes tradition. A decade ago he co-founded the string quartet, Brooklyn Rider, with his older brother and two other classmates from the Juilliard School. But this summer, Jacobsen is leaving Brooklyn Rider, “which is painful and bittersweet,” so he can focus on conducting.
With Brooklyn Rider, along with The Knights orchestral collective and the Silk Road Ensemble, Jacobsen carved out an innovative, experimental course in classical music. The three groups have mixed the traditional classical canon with original works by new composers, made forays into other musical genres and been at the forefront of musical cross-pollination. Jacobsen believes millennials would like classical music if they gave it a chance, but he is still trying to figure out, “How do we get them to give it a chance?”
Jacobsen’s departure from Brooklyn Rider signals his commitment to conducting after years of struggling with the idea. His father, a violinist with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, hated conductors and considered many of them imperious fraudsters, more concerned with posing than finding the honesty in the music.
“I grew up hearing about horrible conductors,” Jacobsen said. “I think it took me a long time to say, ‘I’m a conductor.’”
The New York-born Jacobson, who this summer is marrying singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, is also committing to Orlando: He recently purchased his first house, a five-bedroom bungalow downtown. As Jacobson looks ahead to the upcoming season, he says programs might combine music with visual artists, performing artists and literary works.
“My biggest fear is, if people don’t know about it because they weren’t exposed to it, then how will they eventually come to it?” Jacobsen said.
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