Violinist

Artistic Director

“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

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.

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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.

The Knights

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 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 with Emanuel Ax at Tanglewood

Tanglewood Music Center

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

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

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.

The Knights at Carnegie Hall with Aaron Diehl

Carnegie Hall

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

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.

Colin Jacobsen

Violinist, Artistic Director

Events

May 6, 2024

Brooklyn Rider · Sammons Center for the Arts

Jun 25, 2024

The Knights at Naumburg Orchestral Concerts · The Knights

Jun 25, 2024

The Knights · Naumburg Orchestral Concerts

Jun 29, 2024

The Knights with Aaron Diehl at Ravinia Festival · The Knights

Jun 30, 2024

The Knights with Aaron Diehl at Caramoor · The Knights

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