Jack and Jeanne Nickelson, of the Village of Piedmont, often find themselves immersed in classical music.
Jeanne’s love of classical music goes back to her childhood days. Her father used to listen to compositions on the radio.
Jeanne introduced Jack to this art around the time when they had first met. She told Jack about how she enjoyed listening to Johann Sebastian Bach.
Jack bought tickets for him and Jeanne to see a concert featuring music from Bach at a church at Rittenhouse Square.
“I just loved it from the beginning,” Jack said. “I became a great fan of Bach and his music.”
“We so enjoyed it,” Jeanne said. “And he succeeded.”
The couple is associated with various classical music conventions.
About five years ago, they struck a classical music haven when they discovered The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra. One of the first VPO concerts the Nickelsons had attended was the orchestra performing Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, which was the last symphony he composed.
“I like that one the best,” Jack said. “It’s the rhythm and the way it presents the different sections. It’s the contrast of the different sections with each other.”
Later, the Nickelsons came to know about the Classical Music Lovers Club, which meets at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesdays at Saddlebrook Recreation Center. On a few occasions with the club, the Nickelsons were also invited to speak and give presentations on different topics.
“We liked the way (John Meyers) ran the meetings,” Jack said. “He put in a lot of jokes. He keeps it very light. And the presenters were just wonderful. They gave some really professional presentations.”
Soon, Meyers convinced the Nickelsons to give a presentation to the group. As the couple also possessed vast teaching experiences, this was a walk in the park for them.
“We’re used to giving presentations,” Jack said.
Jeanne has worked as a high school English teacher in South Jersey, while Jack was a systems engineer for Lockheed Martin in Valley Forge. After work, music became their hobby.
The Nickelsons’ first presentation was on 19th-century ballet, which they described as one of their favorite classical combinations.
“I like the silence of ballet,” Jack said. “It’s music becomes flesh.”
“It’s a blend of beautiful music and exquisite dancing,” Jeanne added. They also had done a presentation on the last 13 years of Beethoven’s life. They give about two to three presentations a year, with Jeanne speaking and Jack handling the audio/visual portions. In the May 12 meeting, the Nickelsons threw light on Franz Schubert, talking about his life and music.
Under the baton of Yannick Nézet Séguin, the couple became season ticket holders for the Philadelphia Orchestra. They also were subscribers to the Pennsylvania Ballet. Sometimes, they sat in the area behind the orchestra called conductor’s circle, where they had a better view of Nézet-Séguin.
“You can see the facial expressions and each section of the orchestra,” Jack said.
“I can just take in this beautiful music,” Jeanne said. “I find even today, when we’re so bombarded with social media, this is such a welcome break from that.”
– Attributed Source, The Villages Daily Sun