Eric Jacobsen (conductor)

Eric Jacobsen (born July 16, 1982) is an American conductor and cellist. Already well-established as one of classical music’s most exciting and innovative young conductors, Eric Jacobsen combines fresh interpretations of the traditional canon with cutting-edge collaborations across musical genres. Hailed by the New York Times as “an interpretive dynamo,” Eric, as both a conductor and a cellist, has built a reputation for engaging audiences with innovative and collaborative programming. Eric joined the Virginia Symphony Orchestra as Music Director in 2021, being named the twelfth music director in the orchestra’s 100+ year history. Current and recent projects include recording projects of Dvorak and Coleridge-Taylor with Gil Shaham and Rhapsody in Blue (on banjo!) with Bela Fleck.

Eric is entering his tenth season as Music Director of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, as he continues to pioneer the orchestra’s programming and community engagement in new and exciting directions. The 24-25 season looks forward to concerts including An Evening with Jamie Bernstein and the World Premiere of Gabriel Kahane’s clarinet concerto for Anthony McGill.

Eric is also artistic director and co-founder of The Knights, the uniquely adventurous NYC-based chamber orchestra. The ensemble, founded with his brother, violinist Colin Jacobsen, grew out of late-night music reading parties with friends, good food and drink, and conversation. Current endeavors include a multi-year Rhapsody project as well as a residency at Carnegie Hall. Under Jacobsen’s baton, The Knights have developed an extensive recording collection, including albums with longtime collaborators Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham, Aaron Diehl, Gabriel Kahane, and Anna Clyne.

Born on Long Island, New York, Jacobsen is the son of Edmund Jacobsen, a violinist and former member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and Ivy Jacobsen, a noted flutist.^[1] His brother is violinist Colin Jacobsen, with whom he co-founded Brooklyn Rider and The Knights, and also performed regularly with alongside Yo-Yo Ma as members of the Silk Road Ensemble. The Jacobsen brothers were largely exposed to music through their parents, whose late night chamber music soirees in part influenced the brothers to study music and inspired them to believe in, and later promote, classical music as a party.^[2] Jacobsen graduated from the Juilliard School. In 2016, he married GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter Aoife O'Donovan and together they have a daughter.

In addition to his roles as Music Director of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and his role as Artistic Director and Conductor of The Knights, Eric is a frequent and sought-after guest conductor. He has established continuing relationships with the Colorado Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, the Oregon Bach Festival, and the Dresden Musikfestspiele. Upcoming engagements also include concerts with Classical Tahoe and Grant Park Music Festival, and special performances with Yo-Yo Ma and the Atlanta Symphony and Utah Symphony.

Eric brings joy, storytelling, and a touch of humor to what he describes as “musical conversations” that delight audiences around the world, including those who do not traditionally attend classical music concerts.

Discography

• Bela Fleck, Virginia Symphony Orchestra: Rhapsody in Blue (2024, Bela Fleck Productions)
• Aoife O'Donovan, The Knights, The Westerlies, San Francisco Girls Chorus, Anais Mitchell: All My Friends (2024, Yep Roc Records)
• Aaron Diehl, The Knights: Zodiac Suite (2023, Mack Avenue)
• The Knights: Kreutzer Project (2022, AVIE)
• Nico Muhly, Nicholas Phan, Eric Jacobsen: Stranger (2022, Nicholas Phan)
• The Knights: The Knights before Christmas (2021, Bright Shiny Things)
• Greater Bridgeport Symphony, Kayhan Kalhor, Sandeep Das, Karen Ouzounian, New York Gypsy All Stars: Blue as the Turquoise Night (2021, Bright Shiny Things)
• The Knights, Gil Shaham: Beethoven & Brahms: Violin Concertos (2021, Canary Classics)
• The Knights, Yo-Yo Ma: Azul (2017, Warner Classics)
• The Knights, Gil Shaham, Stephane Deneve: 1930s Violin Concertos, Vol. 2 (2016, Canary Classics)
• The Knights: the ground beneath our feet (2015, Warner Classics)
• Brooklyn Rider: The Brooklyn Rider Almanac (2014, Mercury Classics)
• The Knights: Beethoven (2013, Sony Classical)
• Brooklyn Rider and Béla Fleck: The Impostor (2013, Decca)
• Brooklyn Rider: A Walking Fire (2013, Mercury Classics)
• The Knights: A Second of Silence (2012, Ancalagon Records)
• Brooklyn Rider: Seven Steps (2012, In A Circle Records)
• The Knights: New Worlds (2010, Sony Classics)
• Lisa Bielawa and The Knights: Chance Encounter (2010)
• The Knights with Scott and Lara St. John: Mozart (2010, Ancalagon Records)
• Brooklyn Rider: Dominant Curve (2010, In A Circle Records)
• Brooklyn Rider: Passport (2010, In A Circle Records)
• Silk Road Ensemble: Off the Map (2009, World Village)
• The Knights and Jan Vogler: Experience – Live From New York (2009, Sony)
• Brooklyn Rider and Kayhan Kalhor: Silent City (2008, World Village)
• Silk Road Ensemble: New Impossibilities (2007, Sony Classics)

Videography

• Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma: Tanglewood (2014, PBS)
• We Are The Knights (2011, PBS)
• The Knights: Beethoven – Pastorale (2009, In A Circle)