Robert J. Seebacher, guest conductor
Jonathan Holden, clarinet
Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 2:30 pm
Saenger Theatre
This concert, including intermission, is approximately 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Please review the venue’s security policies including the use of clear bags/purses only by clicking here.
Program
Leoš Janáček: Lachian Dances
(1854-1928)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, A major, K. 622
(1756-1791)
Jonathan Holden
INTERMISSION
Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 8, G major, op. 88
(1841-1904)
Our Guest Conductor
Robert J. Seebacher
Mobile audiences know Robert J. Seebacher for his years as music director of the Mobile Symphony Youth Orchestra, and we’re happy to welcome him back as guest conductor for this amazing concert.
Dr. Seebacher is Music Director and Conductor of the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra in Tennessee, Marlene and David Grissom Associate Professor of Music and Director of Instrumental Programs at Centre College, and Assistant Conductor of the National Chorale in New York. Previously, he was Director of Orchestras and conductor of opera at the University of South Alabama and Music Director of the Mobile Symphony Youth Orchestra. He has appeared with the Lexington Philharmonic, Youngstown Symphony, Salt Lake Symphony, Warren Philharmonic, and Mobile Symphony Orchestras.
He has conducted numerous All-State and Honors Orchestras and Bands in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Alabama. His guest artist collaborations have included those with Chee-Yun, Béla Fleck, Mark O’Connor, Midori, The Harlem Quartet, The Canadian Brass, Arlo Guthrie, Lynn Harrell, Bella Hristova, David Ludwig, Joseph Schwantner, Valentina Lisitsa, Gregory Turay, Billy McLaughlin, Tessa Lark, Reggie Smith, and Melissa White.
For the past 18 years, Dr. Seebacher has been the Assistant Conductor for the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre’s summer production of “It’s a Grand Night for Singing,” which recently won two regional Emmy awards.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Education (cum laude) from Youngstown State University, a master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from Bowling Green State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Kentucky.
Dr. Seebacher has participated in training workshops at The Cleveland Institute of Music and The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at the University of Michigan. He conducted the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as part of their inaugural conducting symposium. Festival Orchestras.
Our Guest Artist
Jonathan Holden, clarinet
Jonathan Holden is Principal Clarinetist of the Mobile Symphony. He is also Associate Professor of Clarinet at Florida State University, Principal Clarinetist of the West Michigan Symphony and a member of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra. A frequent guest of numerous orchestras, he has performed with ensembles such as the Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Baton Rouge and Lansing symphony orchestras, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and the Sarasota Orchestra. He is a founding member of the Vireo Ensemble (clarinet, violin, cello, piano) and the Argot Trio (clarinet, violin, piano).
Holden is an ardent soloist and chamber music collaborator. He has made guest appearances with ensembles such as the Degas, Ciompi and Voxare string quartets and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician by invitation of the British Clarinet Congress, Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium, College Music Society, Music Teachers National Association, Festival South, Festival Contempoaneo (Brazil), Alfredo de Saint Malo Festival (Panama), Chamber Music Wilmington, American Music Festival and Saugatuck Chamber Music Festival. He has given performances, clinics and masterclasses at collegiate establishments in the US and overseas including Vanderbilt, Michigan State University, the national conservatories of Panama and Paris and the universities of Memphis, Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas and Rio de Janeiro.
A proponent of new chamber music, Holden’s latest work with the Argot Trio has yielded notable fundraising success and the commissioning of several new trios to be included on a forthcoming CD, Made in Mississippi, featuring works inspired by the birthplace of America’s music. Contributing composers include Luigi Zaninelli, Michael Burns, Alan Theisen and James Sclater. The Argot Trio’s recording of a new work by Steven Holochwost was released in 2013 on the Albany label. Holden has also prepared and performed works for composers Bright Sheng, Peter Sculthorpe, Ricardo Tacuchian and Judith Zaimont.
Jonathan Holden received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Michigan State University where he studied with eminent soloist and chamber musician Dr. Elsa Ludewig-Verdehr, as well as Nathan Williams and Theodore Oien. He received his BM and MM performance degrees from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama under Joy Farrall, Andrew Webster and celebrated recording artist Dame Thea King.
TakeNote! Learn More, Enjoy More
Enhance your concert experience with Take-Note! Join music experts and explore the world of classical music from an in-depth perspective. This informative pre-concert talk begins at 6:30 p.m. before Saturday classical performances and 1:30 p.m. before Sunday classical performances in Room 1927 adjacent to the Saenger entrance on Joachim Street.
Bring the kids for FREE on Sunday!
Through MSO’s Big Red Ticket program, sponsored by Alabama Power Foundation and the Figures Foundation, students in grades K-12 can attend any classical Sunday matinee FREE when accompanied by a paying adult. It’s a great cultural opportunity and an amazing concert experience! Seats are limited, so please purchase tickets by phone at (251)432-2010. Please no children under 5 and no babies in arms. Want to bring a student on a Saturday? Student tickets are just $10.
Bohemian Inspirations
Guest Conductor Robert Seebacher discusses the concert
“Imagine the feeling of pride and joy you might experience while visiting a Gulf Coast beach, enjoying the Mobile Mardi Gras, or simply dining outdoors in February. These warm sentiments of home are exactly what Antonín Dvořák felt in 1889 when he composed his eighth symphony. Bookended by the foreboding Seventh and the homesick melancholy of the Ninth, the Eighth Symphony stands out as a bright, sunny work brimming with Bohemian spirit and nationalistic pride.
While certainly progressive in many respects, Symphony No. 8 in G Major retains the traditional four-movement form. Dvořák’s innovative presentation of lush melodies and vibrant orchestral textures remind us that he was truly a master of his craft. The pensive opening quickly gives way to a joyful bird call in the flute, capturing the love of nature innate to Dvořák’s more programmatic works. The symphony begins to churn and flow, much like the Moldau River visible from the composer’s countryside home in Nelahozeves.
The subsequent movements are infused with dance-like rhythms reminiscent of the exhilarating furiants and gallops found in many of Dvořák’s mature works. Even the third movement, where we might expect a scherzo, instead offers a slower, reflective waltz through the Czech forests. Finally, the fourth movement opens with a heralding trumpet call, summoning us to a great celebration. What follows is a vivid musical gathering filled with love, contentment, and pure joy. The conclusion of Dvořák’s Eighth is perhaps his most thrilling finale, a reflection of a man overflowing with happiness.
But before we experience Dvořák’s great Op. 88, today’s concert begins with another Bohemian master: Leoš Janáček. In my humble view, Janáček is one of the most underrated composers. I’ve always been drawn to his work and absolutely adore the excitement he creates. As you’ll hear in his Lachian Dances, Janáček often uses harsh dissonance and bold timbres – sounds that make an immediate impact. After tensing our emotional core, his music releases into passages of striking beauty. The three dances we’ve selected – an Old-Fashioned Dance, The Town Piper, and the comic, handsaw dance Pily – depict humble scenes from a rustic Bohemian village.
One of the greatest treasures of our region is the wealth of world-class artists who call it home. The Mobile Symphony Orchestra is filled with these incredible musicians. Tonight, nestled between our two Bohemian masterpieces, we feature one of the finest clarinetists in the country: the MSO’s own Jonathan Holden. He brings us Mozart’s astoundingly virtuosic Clarinet Concerto.
Mozart first heard the newly invented clarinet at the age of seven, sparking a lifelong fascination with the instrument. It’s fitting that, after featuring it prominently in his symphonies and operas, he would write a fully realized concerto, using its larger-ranged cousin, the basset horn, at the end of his short life. Elegance, grace and sublime beauty define this staple of the concerto repertoire.
The common thread running through tonight’s program is mastery. We present works by three composers at the peak of their creative powers. In the hands of Mr. Holden and the phenomenal musicians of the Mobile Symphony Orchestra, these Bohemian Inspirations will come to life, filled with the same awe and joy these composers so masterfully captured generations ago.”
– Robert J. Seebacher