Early years
Jackson was born in Richmond, Virginia, the son of an orthopedic surgeon. His grandfather was also a surgeon.
At just 2 years old, Jackson suffered a severe wrist injury after falling on a milk bottle, severing his tendons. To aid his recovery, his father introduced him to piano lessons.
At age 14, he decided he wanted to be a conductor.
Jackson graduated cum laude from Harvard in 1966 with a focus on Russian history and literature, earned an M.A. in music from Stanford in 1969 and completed a degree at Juilliard School in New York City in 1973.
Time in Dayton
Jackson was already a rising star on the international stage by the time he became the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra conductor and music director starting with the 1987-88 season.
The Dayton Daily News did a long feature story about him in January 1989.
“He is the most gracious, outgoing person,” said Dorie Pontic, president of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Association, at the time. “All people have to do is meet him once and have a chance to exchange a few words with him and they’re just in the palm of his hand.”
Jackson’s passion was in the performances.
“There is something about the live performance that is very special,” he said at the time. “It’s the interaction between the performers and the audience. It’s the feeling that anything can happen.”
Jackson’s career took him all over the world, but he said he was happy to be in Dayton.
“I think Dayton is a wonderful city,” he said. “It has a lot of potential. I think the orchestra has a lot of potential. I’m looking forward to what we can accomplish together.”
During his interview for the Dayton job, Jackson was asked “Where do you see yourself, where does Dayton fit into your international work?”
Jackson answered: “I’m American, my enthusiasm is American and ultimately, my thoughts are American, and it’s gratifying, very gratifying for me to be able to work with an American orchestra where the level is high in an American city where the enthusiasm is there and where the city is committed to the growth of the orchestra. It’s wonderful to be a part of it.”
Intense rehearsals
Jackson was considered somewhat of a taskmaster at rehearsals. Even though the Dayton Philharmonic was a part-time orchestra and rehearsals were limited, he still treated it as a professional troupe.
He had very high expectations that when musicians came to rehearsal they already knew their parts and knew their notes.
There was an intensity to Jackson’s rehearsals, punctuated by his demands for careful entrances and effective exits, and vowel sounds. He stopped play often — to have the strings repeat one measure, the brass another — to get just the right sound.
“An orchestra is like any team, the more it plays together the tighter it is,” Jackson said.
Racial divide
Jackson worked to bridge a racial divide in classical music.
“Classical music is a part of one’s birthright as a citizen of the world,” he said. “Just like Shakespeare and Leonardo and the pyramids of Egypt ... You’re a human being and this is what humanity has produced and it belongs to us. It’s part of our cultural history.
“Now if for whatever reason people are cut off from that, that’s a situation that needs to be remedied. So often it’s something that just never happenes. Well, I just never went to classical music. I don’t understand classical music. I don’t have time.’ You get those kinds of excuses. Well, it’s our job to meet them more than halfway.”
Jackson’s tenure with the Dayton orchestra ended after the 1992-1993 season.
International star
Jackson never worked exclusively in Dayton. He spent much of his time in London, where his family lived. Jackson was also simultaneously serving as the music director of the Royal Ballet in London.
He guest conducted several orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Queensland Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony orchestra and other various orchestras worldwide.
Due to hearing loss, he retired from conducting in 2006.
Teaching career
Credit: Ron Alvey
Credit: Ron Alvey
Jackson was also an Artist-in-Residence at the University of Dayton, where he taught Philosophy of Music.
Jackson also taught at the Berklee College of Music for over 15 years. He also was a teacher at the Harvard Extension School and the Longy School of Music during his career.
A memorial service will be held in Boston in the spring, his son said.
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