Concerts for Kids 2025
- Date February 12th, 2025 Time 11:45am Venue Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
When an alien zoologist from Mars lands on Earth, she makes an astonishing discovery: animals on Earth make music! Join the Illinois Symphony Orchestra for a magical journey through the animal kingdom, as we visit Swan Lake, Baba Yaga’s hut, a swarm of Flying Bumblebees, Old MacDonald’s Farm and much more. With conductor Jacobsen Woollen and special guest Tiffany Williams, we will uncover the thing that unites all living things: the magic of music!
Jacobsen Woollen, Associate Conductor
Holst Mars, from The Planets - Tchaikovsky Finale from Swan Lake - Rimsky-Korsakov Tale of the Tsar Sultan from Flight of the Bumblebee - Bradley (Arr. Marc Reift) Tom and Jerry, Blue Cat Blues - Mussorgsky Baba Yaga from Pictures at an Exhibition - Anderson Old MacDonald Had a Farm
FREE!
Springfield
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 @ 10:00 AM & 11:45 AM
UIS Performing Arts Center
Bloomington-Normal
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 @ 9:30 AM & 11:45 AM
Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
Patron Privacy Statement: Please note that when you purchase subscription or individual tickets to attend an Illinois Symphony Orchestra (ISO) or Illinois Chamber Orchestra event through the UIS Ticket Office or the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts Ticket Office (BCPA), UIS or BCPA will share your name, contact information, and seating information with the ISO. This will enable the ISO to contact you directly about information including but not limited to future concerts/events and other organizational efforts, including fundraising solicitation. UIS or BCPA will not share patron payment information such as credit card account numbers. BCPA purchasers will be able to opt out of receiving email if they choose, however the ISO/BCPA may not be able to contact you with updates or changes to performances if you opt out. If you have any questions or concerns about the sharing of this information, please contact the UIS Ticket Office at (217) 206-6160 in Springfield or BCPA Ticket Office at (309) 434-2777 in Bloomington.
Support Provided By:
Illinois Arts Council, An Agency of the State of Illinois +, National Endowment for the Arts +, McLean County Arts Center *, Levi, Ray & Shoup, Inc., Pete & Melinda LaBarre, Dr. Stephen & Lisa Stone, Susan Cook House Educational Trust, Sandra & Kenneth Jesse Endowment Fund for Schoolchildren
Bloomington-Normal Venue Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
600 N East St. Bloomington, IL 61701
BCPA Ticket Office, 600 N East St, Bloomington, IL 61701
Physical address (for walk up sales): SE corner of BCPA, 600 N. East Street
Ticket Office Information:
Phone: (309) 434-2777
Toll-free: (866) 686-9541
Ticket Office Hours:
Monday-Friday: 10 AM-6 PM, 10 AM-Half Hour After Concert Begins
Saturday-Sunday: Closed
Regular Performance Days: Ticket Office opens two hours prior to performance and closes a half hour after concert begins.
School Performance Days: Ticket Office opens at 9 AM and closes at 6 PM
Parking
Free parking is available in the lots and side streets surrounding the BCPA on a first come, first served basis. Activities in the adjacent downtown, campus, and residential neighborhoods mean that traffic and parking congestion can occur, especially at our most popular events. See more information and view a map of the parking lots surrounding the BCPA.
Busing
Busses will line up along East street on the east side of the BCPA and drop off students as they reach the front of the line. The students and teachers will enter through the front doors of the BCPA, where they will be greeted by Ushers who will escort each group to their seats.
Featured:
Jacobsen Woollen Conductor - ISO Associate Conductor and ISYO Conductor
Jacobsen Woollen is a conductor, cellist, and tenor residing in Springfield, Illinois, where he serves as Associate Conductor of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Conductor of the Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestra, Director of the Springfield Choral Society, and Director of the UIS Orchestra.
An Indiana native, Jacobsen returns to the Midwest after spending six years in Vienna, Austria, where he completed a Post-Graduate Diploma in orchestral conducting under the tutelage of Prof. Mark Stringer at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, conducted professional ensembles including the Polska Filharmonia Baltycka and Ensemble Ultreia, served as assistant conductor of the Vienna Opera Festival, and led the Schlosschor Hadersfeld. During his Vienna years, Jacobsen was frequently called back to the Midwest to work at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where he served as assistant conductor and led several workshops for new works, including Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up In My Bones.
Jacobsen also maintains an active career as a tenor: he recently produced and performed a musical-theatrical concert evening, Lovelace Weave, which explores the father-daughter pair of Lord Byron and Ada Lovelace. As a member of the Grammy-winning Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Jacobsen has participated in opera productions at Theater an der Wien, as well as concerts in Europe’s most renowned venues, including Vienna’s Musikverein and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie.
Prior to his European sojourn, Jacobsen completed a Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Michigan under the guidance of Kenneth Kiesler. During this time, he was active in the Ann Arbor musical community as well, serving as founder and director of Paradigm Shift Chamber Orchestra, music director of the Ann Arbor Camerata, and assistant conductor of the Michigan Life Sciences Orchestra.
As a cellist, Jacobsen was a student of Susan Moses in the Indiana University String Academy and later completed a Bachelor’s Degree with Richard Aaron at the University of Michigan. He has appeared as a soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, Musical Arts Youth Orchestra, and Voces Novae Chamber Choir. As a chamber musician, he has had the pleasure of collaborating with Joshua Bell, Jaime Laredo, Soovin Kim, and many others. From 2013-16, Jacobsen was cellist and artistic curator with the new-music sextet Latitude 49, and he continues to serve on their Board of Directors.