ISYO Holiday Concert
Ring in the Holidays with the Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestra, as they present a selection of Holiday Favorites both familiar and new! Three orchestras will take the stage, along with one lucky audience member selected to play the Sleigh Ride whip. Be sure to bring along your singing voice, as our program will culminate with a fun audience sing-along. Don’t miss this chance to get in the Holiday spirit, and to celebrate the gift of music in our community!
It’s Raffle Time!
Snag those hard-to-get seats for the holiday concert. With big crowds expected, this is your chance to sit in the best seat in the house - the one you choose in advance!
Entries are just $10 each and the winner can reserve up to 8 seats. No need to come to the concert early! The winner will be contacted by the Orchestra Boosters to select their seats on Wednesday, December 10th.
To order tickets or secure a raffle ticket, click the BUY TICKETS button.
Jacobsen Woollen, ISYO Conductor & ISO Resident Conductor
All ISYO Orchestras
Saturday, December 13, 2025 @ 4:00 PM
Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, Springfield, IL
Tickets:
General Admission: $15
Students (24 & Under): $5
Tickets may be purchased at the door.
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.