Established in 1890!

The 121st season of the Friday Musicale began with the presidency of Henson Markham, the first male president in the history of the organization. Mr. Markham’s association with the Friday Musicale goes back to the Friday Musicale Junior Symphony Orchestra in the late ’40s in which he played double bass.

In August 2010 the Friday Musicale introduced the idea of a Jacksonville summer music festival with two, highly successful pilot concerts which augured well for future summer seasons.

In the fall of 2010 the Board authorized the renovation of L’Engle Hall into a first class rental venue in keeping with the standards of the Friday Musicale auditorium. The renovation, under the supervision of executive director Chris Heacox, was completed in February 2011 and introduced to the membership and public with great acclaim after the concert of cellist Alexei Romanenko.

Other high points of the year include the debut of Metropolitan Opera mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton on opening night, the Outstanding Young Pianists Audition and Concert, the community outreach touring program on ‘The Black Mozart: Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the performance of the Marshner opera ‘Der Vampyr’ by the JU Opera Theatre, the April College Scholarship Auditions, and the completion of the first financial audit of the organization in its 120 year history.