Joe Jaxson is the new composer in residence for the Richmond Symphony’s 2026-27 season. (Photo by Tzu Chin Hsu)
Growing up in Staunton, Joe Jaxson took piano lessons and performed in the obligatory fourth grade recorder concert, but he didn’t truly catch the music bug until sixth grade band class. He started on the alto saxophone, then learned trombone, French horn, and even a little violin and cello. In high school, he composed his first piece of music.
Jaxson, now 26, became the latest composer in residence for the Richmond Symphony July 1. The initiative advances new works created by living composers and includes performances that connect with the local audience.
During his residency for the 2026-27 season, Jaxson will compose a new work for the symphony’s series finale in May 2027, which will feature Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” In addition, he’ll create a piece for the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra and contribute time to educational initiatives and community outreach.
“I want to tell stories, create experiences and take the audience on a journey,” he says. “I want my music to be personal, relatable and meaningful. I think when you do that, you can appeal to a wide range of audiences, from first-timers to seasoned veterans. I want to reward them for showing up.”
The Richmond Symphony includes 70 professional orchestral musicians, a 150-member volunteer chorus and 120 youth instrumentalists.
“In an orchestra, there are so many things happening at once, but the musicians are all working together,” Jaxson says. “The ideas might come from the composer’s head, but the music is interpreted by all the musicians and their own experiences and stories. There’s magic in that collaboration — and in the energy transferred to the audience.”
Jaxson says writing a symphony is like solving a puzzle, with a place for every instrument. He taught himself to write music by inputting one of his favorite scores, “The Polar Express” by Alan Silvestri, into music notation software. “I learned a lot about harmony, melody, orchestration, counterpoint, aesthetic and atmosphere just by noticing the patterns and nuances,” he says. “It’s like reverse engineering — looking under the hood of the music you love.”
Jaxson earned a bachelor’s degree in music composition from James Madison University and is currently pursuing a doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin. He received wide acclaim last year for composing “Born in the Iron Grip,” a work inspired by tennis champion Arthur Ashe that debuted with the Richmond Symphony and received a standing ovation.
“I saw a lot of Arthur Ashe in myself and how he grew up,” Jaxson says. “He used his talent and his passion to fight against social injustice, and I saw the opportunity to contribute with my music. We’ve come a long way, but there are still areas that need conversation.”
People of color remain underrepresented in classical music. Fewer than 10% of all musical programming in U.S. orchestras was written by a Black composer, while only about 2% of musicians in professional orchestras are Black, according to the League of American Orchestras.
Jaxson says he’s grateful for his predecessors, including Damien Geter, the symphony’s last composer in residence, as well as Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon and Brittany Green, who have emerged in the last decade.
“Orchestra music is for everyone,” Jaxson says. “You don’t have to have any prior knowledge to connect with it. I want to help people of all ages and backgrounds understand orchestral music is for them, too, as well as help bring in the next generation of musicians.”
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