Colin Jacobsen is a distinguished violinist renowned for his exceptional artistry and contributions to the classical music scene. As a founding member of the acclaimed Brooklyn Rider string quartet and The Knights orchestra, Jacobsen has captivated audiences with his virtuosic performances and deep musicality. His recent collaborations include a celebrated appearance with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, where he performed Beethoven's beloved Violin Concerto, showcasing his technical precision and emotional depth. This performance was part of an annual Beethoven celebration, which also featured the dramatic Coriolan Overture and the lively first movement of the Fourth Symphony. Looking ahead, Jacobsen is set to grace the stage again with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra on September 20, 2024, at Chrysler Hall, where he will perform Beethoven's Violin Concerto in a concert that promises to be a highlight of the orchestra's centennial celebrations. With a reputation for blending innovative programming with classical masterpieces, Colin Jacobsen continues to be a vital force in the music world, inspiring audiences and fellow musicians alike.

Violinist

Artistic Director

The intrepid orchestral ensemble The Knights continues their multi-year Rhapsody commissioning project, inspired by the Rhapsody in Blue centennial. They invite several of today’s most visionary composers to create an original rhapsody, which artistic directors Colin and Eric Jacobsen describe as “one of the most ecstatically joyful expressions of art ... [a] combination of virtuosity, improvisation, and unfettered imagination.” In this program, pianist and master improviser Aaron Diehl joins The Knights, conducted by Eric Jacobsen, in a world premiere by Michael Schachter, a new suite of music by Keith Jarrett as arranged by Michael P. Atkinson, and the rhapsodic Gershwin masterpiece. The orchestra also treats audiences to Beethoven’s exhilarating Fourth Symphony.

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The Knights at Carnegie Hall with Aaron Diehl

Carnegie Hall

The intrepid orchestral ensemble The Knights continues its multi-year Rhapsody commissioning project, inspired by the centennial of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. The Knights invite several of today’s most visionary composers to each create an original rhapsody, which artistic directors Colin Jacobsen and Eric Jacobsen describe as “one of the most ecstatically joyful expressions of art ... [a] combination of virtuosity, improvisation, and unfettered imagination.” In this program, pianist and master improviser Aaron Diehl joins the ensemble, conducted by Eric Jacobsen, in a world premiere by Michael Schachter, a new suite by Keith Jarrett and arranged by Michael P. Atkinson, and the rhapsodic Gershwin masterpiece. The orchestra also treats audiences to Beethoven’s exhilarating Fourth Symphony.

The Knights

Join the Virginia Symphony Orchestra (VSO) for a night of classical music excellence as Music Director Eric Jacobsen welcomes his brother, the accomplished violinist Colin Jacobsen, for a special performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. This annual Beethoven celebration is set to take place on September 20, 2024, at 7:30 pm, promising an unforgettable evening at the prestigious Chrysler Hall.

The concert will feature a selection of Beethoven's masterpieces, including the dramatic Coriolan Overture and the impish first movement from his Fourth Symphony. The highlight of the evening, Beethoven’s triumphant Violin Concerto, will showcase its beloved third movement, Rondo. Allegro, performed by Colin Jacobsen. This event not only celebrates the genius of Beethoven but also the remarkable talents of the Jacobsen brothers, with Eric conducting and Colin playing the violin.

Eric Jacobsen, serving as the VSO’s twelfth Music Director since 2021, is known for his dynamic conducting style and innovative programming. Colin Jacobsen, a founding member of the Brooklyn Rider string quartet and The Knights orchestra, brings his virtuosic skill and deep musicality to the stage. Together, they promise to deliver a performance that blends technical precision with emotional depth.

This concert is part of the VSO’s 100 Years of History celebration, marking a century of musical excellence and community engagement. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the power and beauty of Beethoven’s music, brought to life by two of the most exciting musicians of our time.

Tickets are available now. Secure your seat for an evening of breathtaking music at Chrysler Hall, and be part of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s centennial celebrations.

Beethoven’s Violin Concerto with Eric & Colin Jacobsen

Christopher Newport University

Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education

Music Director Eric Jacobsen welcomes his brother, accomplished violinist Colin Jacobsen, to perform with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra for our annual Beethoven celebration! Beethoven’s triumphant Violin Concerto is one of the most beloved of the repertoire, and its third movement will be featured alongside his dramatic Coriolan Overture and the first movement from his impish Fourth Symphony, both of which premiered on the same program in 1807.

COFFEE CONCERT: Beethoven Celebration with Eric & Colin Jacobsen

Chrysler Hall

The Knights with Emanuel Ax at Tanglewood

Tanglewood Music Center

The Knights joins forces with pianist-composer Aaron Diehl to present a program featuring the GRAMMY-nominated album Zodiac Suite in its entirety, and Beethoven's Sixth Symphony.

The Knights with Aaron Diehl at Caramoor

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts

The Knights joins forces with pianist-composer Aaron Diehl to present a program featuring an excerpt from Louise Farrenc's Symphony No. 3, excerpts from the GRAMMY-nominated album Zodiac Suite, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral." Join us for an afternoon of diverse and compelling musical expressions at Ravinia Festival.

The Knights with Aaron Diehl at Ravinia Festival

Ravinia Festival

The Knights are excited to return to the iconic Naumburg Bandshell on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. No tickets are required to attend this celebratory outdoor performance with Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, and seating will be offered on a first come first serve basis. The concert will also be broadcast live on WQXR.

The Knights at Naumburg Orchestral Concerts

Central Park

Join us for an enchanting evening of classical music under the stars at the Naumburg Bandshell with "The Knights Naumburg Orchestral Concerts" on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, from 7:30 PM to 9:15 PM. This special performance, led by artistic directors Colin and Eric Jacobsen, promises to be a memorable part of the summer season.

The concert will feature a diverse program beginning with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's spirited "Le Nozze de Figaro, K.492 1786 Overture in D major, Presto," followed by Louise Farrenc's powerful "Symphony No. 3 in G minor, Op. 36 1847," showcasing movements from Adagio-Allegro to the lively Finale.Allegro. After an intermission, the evening will conclude with Ludwig van Beethoven's beloved "Pastoral" Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op.68 1808, taking the audience through a range of emotions from the cheerful to the serene.

This performance by The Knights, who have been a part of our series since June 2009, is made possible through the generous support of The Hess and Helyn Kline Foundation. We dedicate this concert to the fond memory of John L. Gerlach, who passionately directed and produced Rockefeller University’s Tri-Institutional Noon Recital Concerts from 1988 to 2023.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the magic of live orchestral music in one of New York's most iconic settings. For more information and to support the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, please visit our website.

Conducted by Eric Jacobsen, The Knights are “one of Brooklyn’s sterling cultural products … known far beyond the borough for their relaxed virtuosity and expansive repertory” (The New Yorker). From classical staples to genre-expanding works by today’s top composers, they offer an irresistible feeling of comradery and artistic possibility. Hear Mozart’s Symphony No. 31; an original orchestration of Jessie Montgomery’s Rhapsody No. 2; a New York premiere by the “ingenious” Anna Clyne (BBC Music Review), featuring The Knights’ own Karen Ouzounian; and selected works by singer-songwriter and composer Gabriel Kahane, including the New York premiere of a piano concerto written for his father, renowned pianist Jeffrey Kahane. 

“They are four classical musicians performing with the energy of young rock stars jamming on their guitars, a Beethoven-goes-indie foray into making classical music accessible but also celebrating why it was good in the first place.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Brooklyn Rider

Owen Arts Center

Continuing a long-standing relationship with pipa legend Wu Man, this program will feature the world premiere performance of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Du Yun’s new work for pipa and orchestra and explore themes of cultural memory, transformation of old into new, and a sense of theatricality within both instrumental and vocal music.

The Knights with Wu Man at Carnegie Hall

The Knights are a musically omnivorous chamber ensemble, a self-described “fellowship of adventurous musicians dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience.” In this program of Ravel, Weill and Brecht, Bob Dylan, Chico Buarque, and Du Yun, the orchestra—conducted by Eric Jacobsen—welcomes pipa virtuoso Wu Man, “one of the rare musicians who has changed the history of the instrument she plays” (The Boston Globe); and The Knights’ own multifaceted violinist and singer-songwriter Christina Courtin. To close the evening, special guest Magos Herrera—a versatile interpreter of jazz and Latin American music—joins the group for a new arrangement of Buarque’s powerful, Weill/Brecht–inspired “Geni e o Zepelim.” As part of Carnegie Hall’s Fall of the Weimar Republic festival, this program looks to the past and present through multiple layers of history and culture, in true “Knightsian” style.

Masterworks Series: Shostakovich and Schumann / Mark Peskanov, Colin Jacobsen, Edward Arron, Jeewon Park

Bargemusic

The Knights with Chris Thile at Music Worcester

Mechanics Hall

In a perfect pairing of artistic sensibilities, Chris Thile and The Knights, led by conductor Eric Jacobsen, come together to present an imaginative program blending new works and classical staples. Experience the groundbreaking orchestral ensemble with the MacArthur Fellow and Grammy Award–winning mandolinist, singer, and songwriter for a concert that features J. S. Bach and Dvořák; original works by Thile and Artistic Director Colin Jacobsen; and a new take on a song by Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Caroline Shaw. 

The Knights with Chris Thile at Troy Chromatics

Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

The Knights return to the Clark to celebrate the Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth exhibition with a selection of music from Edvard Grieg, Antonín Dvořák, Frederick Delius (a friend of Edvard Munch's), and more. The performance speaks to the layered influence of art and artists.

The Knights at The Clark Art Institute

Clark Art Institute

An Orchestral Evening

Southern Vermont Arts Center

In recent years, the twin pandemics of coronavirus and systemic racism have forced us to confront some of nature and humanity's destructive power, but it has also been an opportunity to slow down and notice natural beauty in many different forms, particularly in the guise of birds and other winged creatures. Birds are the original virtuoso musicians, sending out coded signals through their songs intended to affect a change in behavior of the listener (and perhaps, at times, just for "pleasure"). Recent studies have suggested that hearing "enjoyable music" lights up the same mesolimbic reward pathway for both human beings and birds. Music across cultures has often been inspired by either literal birdsong or the spiritual experience of uplift through sound and birds often symbolically represent guides to freedom. The program features songs and dances from a diverse group of composers and musical genres, much of which either directly or indirectly takes its cue from birds, butterflies and other natural emblems of flight and the yearning for freedom.

Lighthouse Works Presents: The Knights, On Wings of Song

The Ordnance

The Knights with Pekka Kuusisto at Caramoor

This program celebrates musicians of The Knights - with Colin Jacobsen, Alex Gonzalez, and Alex Sopp as featured soloists - and marks the orchestra’s first performance at Newport’s exquisite Breakers Mansion.

The Knights at Newport Classical Music Festival

The Breakers

The Knights & Masumi Per Rostad, viola

Join us for an unforgettable evening with Brooklyn Rider at Caramoor on June 23, 2023, in Katonah, NY. This dynamic string quartet is set to perform at 8:00 PM in the enchanting setting of the Chamber Music Spanish Courtyard. Known for their electrifying performances, Brooklyn Rider explores the four elements—earth, air, water, and fire—through a program that reflects on the string quartet's intricate inner world and the pressing issue of climate change. The evening will feature music from the last century, including pieces commissioned by the Quartet from composers who engage with our current environmental realities, offering a musical call to action.

The program includes "The Four Elements" by Colin Jacobsen, inspired by American Folk Songs as collected by Ruth Crawford Seeger, alongside the New York premiere of Andreia Pinto-Correia's "Aere senza stelle," Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 110, and Osvaldo Golijov's "Tenebrae." Each piece offers a unique perspective on the theme, from Jacobsen's homage to American folk music and the beauty of our planet to Pinto-Correia's reflection on climate change and Golijov's contemplation on global violence contrasted with the beauty of Earth from space.

Brooklyn Rider, comprising Johnny Gandelsman and Colin Jacobsen on violins, Nicholas Cords on viola, and Michael Nicolas on cello, continues to push the boundaries of classical music, engaging audiences with their innovative programming and impassioned performances. Don't miss this opportunity to experience their latest project, "The Four Elements," in the stunning surroundings of Caramoor.

For tickets and more information, visit Caramoor's website. Take advantage of the free shuttle service from Metro North’s Katonah train station to Caramoor, making your visit seamless and enjoyable. Join us for a night of thought-provoking music and inspiration under the stars.

The Rosen House at Caramoor

Eclectic Series: Judd Greenstein, Jesse Montgomery, Philip Glass, Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky, Paula Mathussen, Debussy

In society, poets and songwriters play the essential role of dreamers, opening up avenues of hope for others. Despite the oppressive regimes which prevailed throughout much of Latin America and Spain in the twentieth century, what persevered from the dreamers was an unending love for beauty and humanity. Mexican-born songstress Magos Herrera and the omnivorous string quartet Brooklyn Rider join forces for an unforgettable musical journey, reinterpreting classics of the era from Mexico, Cuba, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Spain, and celebrating such luminaries as Octavio Paz, Federico García Lorca, and Rubén Darío.
Magos Herrera is regarded as one of the most expressive, beautiful voices and most active vocalists in the contemporary Latin American jazz scene. She is best known for her eloquent vocal improvisation and bold style that elegantly blends and surpasses language boundaries.

Brooklyn Rider & Magos Herrera

Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center

The Knights are dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audience and music. The New York Times has described them as “an adventurous young orchestra that has established a strong reputation for polished performances and imaginative programming.” The ensemble performs the New York premiere of Nico Muhly’s Shrink with Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, described as “one-of-a-kind” by Toronto’s The Globe and Mail and renowned for his fresh approach to repertoire.

The Knights with Pekka Kuusisto

Venetian Theater at Caramoor

The Knights take The Kreutzer Project to Europe for an 11-stop tour from October 24th to November 6th, featuring dynamic violinist Ray Chen. The Kreutzer Project weaves together Knightsian re-imaginings of the “Kreutzer” Sonatas of Beethoven and Janacek with contemporary responses by Colin Jacobsen and Anna Clyne, and a new work drawn from Janacek’s field recordings of folk songs.

Frankfurt - The Kreutzer Project Tour with Ray Chen

Alte Oper

The New York Times reported that, “the words ‘superstar’ and ‘mandolinist’ still look odd next to each other. Yet in the classical music world they are starting to be joined with some frequency. Avi Avital was nothing short of electric.” The first mandolist nominated for a classical Grammy Award joins the adventurous Brooklyn Rider for an evening of virtuoso music for mandolin and strings.

Brooklyn Rider and Avi Avital Mandolin

War Memorial and Performing Arts Center

Experience the majestic “Scottish” Symphony like never before, as The Knights, led by conductor Eric Jacobsen, intersperse the piece with traditional Scottish tunes, bringing a fresh context to one of Felix Mendelssohn’s great orchestral works. GRAMMY Award–winning singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan joins the ensemble to perform America, Come, an original suite inspired by the lives, letters, and speeches of Carrie Chapman Catt and President Woodrow Wilson in the summer of 1920, when the suffragists made their pivotal march to Tennessee. The program opens with the brisk, timeless overture to Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.

The Knights at Carnegie Hall with Aoife O'Donovan

Experience Felix Mendelssohn’s majestic “Scottish” Symphony like never before, as The Knights—led by conductor Eric Jacobsen—intersperse the piece with traditional Scottish tunes, bringing a fresh context to one of the great orchestral works. Grammy Award–winning singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan joins the ensemble to perform America, Come, an original suite inspired by the lives, letters, and speeches of Carrie Chapman Catt and President Woodrow Wilson in the summer of 1920, when the suffragists made their pivotal march to Tennessee. The program opens with the brisk, timeless overture to Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro. 

In a new collaboration with enormous creative possibilities, GRAMMY-winning vocalist and MacArthur Fellow Cécile McLorin Salvant performs new arrangements of jazz standards created by composer and bandleader Darcy James Argue with the genre-defying chamber orchestra The Knights.

The Knights at Carnegie Hall with Cécile McLorin Salvant

The Knights is a self-described “fellowship of adventurous musicians” known for transforming the orchestral concert experience. In this concert, led by Artistic Director and violinist Colin Jacobsen, they perform a time-tested masterpiece—Dvořák’s ever-popular Serenade for Strings—alongside the New York City premiere of Reena Esmail’s The History of Red, a stirring work for chamber orchestra and soprano, inspired in part by Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. The program also highlights the extraordinary compositional talents of The Knights’ own members, with a world premiere by violinist and vocalist Christina Courtin and a piece written collaboratively by Ms. Courtin with flutist and vocalist Alex Sopp.

The Knights at Carnegie Hall

The Knights is a self-described “fellowship of adventurous musicians” known for transforming the orchestral concert experience. In this program led by Artistic Director and violinist Colin Jacobsen, the ensemble performs a time-tested masterpiece—Dvořák’s ever-popular Serenade for Strings—alongside the New York premiere of Reena Esmail’s The History of Red, a stirring work for chamber orchestra and soprano partly inspired by Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. The program also highlights the extraordinary compositional talents of The Knights’ own members, with a world premiere by violinist and vocalist Christina Courtin, and a piece written collaboratively by Courtin with flutist and vocalist Alex Sopp.

Colin Jacobsen

Violinist, Artistic Director

Events

Upcoming events

Feb 20, 2025

The Knights at Carnegie Hall with Aoife O'Donovan · The Knights

Feb 20, 2025

The Knights · Carnegie Hall

Mar 27, 2025

The Knights at Carnegie Hall with Cécile McLorin Salvant · The Knights

May 15, 2025

The Knights at Carnegie Hall · The Knights

May 15, 2025

The Knights · Carnegie Hall

Past events

Oct 24, 2024

The Knights at Carnegie Hall with Aaron Diehl · The Knights

Oct 24, 2024

The Knights · Carnegie Hall

Future and recently performed repertoire

Violin in Violin Concerto by Beethoven

West Virginia Symphony Orchestra

Violin in Time and Again by Jacobsen

San Francisco Performances

About

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