Jacksonville Symphony to Premiere New Flying Ace Score

Six composers wrote new music for the 1926 silent film shot in Jacksonville, to be performed once on Nov. 14.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Classical

Jacksonville Symphony to Premiere New Flying Ace Score

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The Jacksonville Symphony will premiere a new score for the 1926 silent film The Flying Ace on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Jacoby Symphony Hall. Six composers were commissioned to write the score to mark the film's centennial.

Why it matters

The Flying Ace was shot in Jacksonville in 1926 with an all-Black cast and is the only surviving feature-length film made at Norman Studios. Its 2021 addition to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry underscores its historical significance to the city.

Tickets for the single performance are priced at $39 to $99, and the score was produced by six commissioned composers. The source does not indicate whether additional performances or a recording are planned beyond the Nov. 14 premiere.

The players

Jacksonville Symphony

The Jacksonville Symphony is the orchestra of Florida's largest city by area, performing classical repertoire at Jacoby Symphony Hall.

Carlos Simon

Carlos Simon is a composer who served as lead writer, distributing film sections among the commissioned composers.

Courtney Lewis

Courtney Lewis is the conductor who will lead the orchestra in synchronizing the new score with the film.

Norman Studios

Norman Studios was an early film studio in Arlington, Jacksonville, where The Flying Ace was produced in 1926.

The details

Carlos Simon served as lead composer, sending musical themes to the other five writers, who did not hear one another's work until a mid-September rehearsal. Conductor Courtney Lewis will use a video screen at his podium showing the film with visual cues to synchronize the live music with the action.

1926: The Flying Ace is filmed on the Norman Studios lot in Arlington, Jacksonville.
2021: The film is added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry.
Mid-September 2026: Composers rehearse the new score with Courtney Lewis.
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, 7:30 p.m.: The new score premieres at Jacoby Symphony Hall.

Legacy Revival

The Flying Ace is the only surviving feature-length film made at Norman Studios, one of the early all-Black-cast productions in Jacksonville during the 1920s. The new score returns that surviving work to the concert stage a century after its making.

Tickets for the Nov. 14 performance are priced between $39 and $99 at Jacoby Symphony Hall. Because the score is being performed only once, attending the premiere is the only way to hear it live.

The takeaway

Silent films can be revived for modern audiences when commissioned scores bring their historical importance to life in live performance. Attending a one-time premiere like this offers a chance to experience a century-old film with a fresh musical voice.