She Cried for Three Years, Then Built a Symphony

Carol Jacobson has spent decades bringing classical music to Humboldt County, and in her latest appearance on the 100% Humboldt Podcast, the Eureka Symphony artistic director and conductor sits down with host Scott Hammond to talk about the road that brought her here, kept her here, and keeps her going.

Jacobson traces her path from Tracy, California, where she grew up and vowed never to live somewhere hot again, to Humboldt State, where she fell in love with the county and eventually her cello teacher. The two took off for Europe, spending roughly 20 years performing professionally in Denmark, Norway, and Amsterdam, where Jacobson played in the ballet orchestra and later the Dutch Radio Symphony before her husband’s decision to return to the States brought her back to the North Coast.

She talks about what it felt like to come home, crying and eating for three years by her own account, and how she eventually found her footing again through teaching music at Arcata High for two decades before being approached by the Eureka Symphony around 2003 and 2004.

The conversation covers what it takes to build and maintain a community orchestra, the challenge of finding trained classical musicians in a region where school music programs have been cut, and the next Eureka Symphony season, which opens the first weekend of October with a violin and French horn concerto and runs through a culminating concert featuring pianist Ryan McAvoy McCullough.

Jacobson and Hammond also compare notes on Amsterdam, restaurants, vinyl records, dog leash laws, and the overlapping circles of people who have shaped Humboldt County’s music community over the years, from Ken Hannaford, who founded the Eureka Symphony in 1992 and died before he was 45, to former students now performing professionally around the country.

Tickets to the Eureka Symphony range from $21 to $54, with rush tickets available at the door starting at 6 p.m. for $15 cash, or $10 for students with a valid ID. Season tickets come with a 15% discount. A shuttle service is also available for those who prefer not to drive at night. For tickets and more information, visit eurekasymphony.org.