ISYO/UIS Autumn Orchestra Festival
Join us for the UIS Orchestra Festival Concert, featuring performances by the UIS Orchestra and the Illinois Symphony Youth Ensembles! This family-friendly concert celebrates the joy of orchestral music and offers a special opportunity to experience the progression of musical development, from the youngest beginning musicians to advanced youth performers, college students, and adult musicians.
The program features an exciting variety of music, from the playful March of the Metro Gnome by the Illinois Symphony Philharmonia to Amy Beach’s beautiful Gaelic Symphony and the dramatic energy of Holst’s Mars and Jupiter from The Planets. Each ensemble will have an opportunity to shine in its own performance, with a special side-by-side selection bringing the UIS Orchestra and Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestra together on stage.
Whether you're a longtime classical music enthusiast or introducing young listeners to orchestral music for the first time, there's something for everyone. Come celebrate the next generation of musicians and the joy of making music across generations!
Jacobsen Woollen, ISYO Conductor & ISO Resident Conductor
All ISYO Orchestras, UIS Orchestra & Choir
Sunday, November 22, 2026 @ 4:00 PM
UIS Performing Arts Center, Springfield, IL
Tickets:
General Admission: $15
Students (24 & Under): $5
Tickets may be purchased by phone, online, or in person.
Jacobsen Woollen is a conductor, cellist, and tenor residing in Springfield, Illinois, where he serves as Resident Conductor of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Conductor of the Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestra, Music Director of the Springfield Choral Society, and Conductor of the UIS Orchestra.
Jacobsen is also active in the opera world, having served as Assistant Conductor at Atlanta Opera, Detroit Opera, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis, where he led several workshops for new works, including Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up In My Bones.
An Indiana native, Jacobsen returned 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.
Jacobsen also maintains an active career as a tenor: as a member of the Grammy-winning Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Jacobsen 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.