The Southwest Florida Symphony continues its 56 th season of Masterworks with Cellobration! Featuring celebrated cellist, Zuill Bailey

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1 NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: Sunday, January 1, 2017 Contact: (239) The Southwest Florida Symphony continues its 56 th season of Masterworks with Cellobration! Featuring celebrated cellist, Zuill Bailey Fort Myers, Florida- The Southwest Florida Symphony, Lee County s only professional orchestra and one of the oldest on Florida s gulf coast, continues its 56 th season of Masterworks with Cellobration! on Saturday, January 21 st, This performance, sponsored by Mr. & Mrs. Steve and Charlotte Qua, happens at 8:00 p.m. Prior to the performance, at 7:00 p.m., patrons are invited to attend a conductor led pre-concert lecture. These lectures are offered in order to better educate audiences about the pieces being performed. Tickets cost between $27 and $87 per person and may be purchased online at by visiting the Southwest Florida Symphony Box Office located at 8290 College Parkway, Suite 103 in Fort Myers, by calling the Symphony Box Office at (239) or at the door, one and a half hours prior to the concert. Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall is located at FSW Parkway in Fort Myers. Masterworks II: Cellobration! is conducted by the Southwest Florida Symphony s internationally renowned music director, Maestro Nir Kabaretti. This concert features Beethoven s powerfully moving Symphony No. 7, compelling contemporary piece, Chasing Light by Joseph Schwantner and Elgar s beloved Cello Concerto, with Grammy nominated cellist Zuill Bailey. Maestro Kabaretti has an extensive collaborative professional history with Bailey, which makes for an engaging and dynamic experience for concertgoers.

2 Zuill Bailey Bio Zuill Bailey is a distinguished soloist, recitalist, Artistic Director and teacher. His rare combination of celebrated artistry, technical wizardry and engaging personality has secured his place as one of the most sought after and active cellists today. A consummate concerto soloist, Mr. Bailey has been featured with symphony orchestras worldwide, including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, Indianapolis, Dallas, Louisville, Honolulu, Milwaukee, Nashville, Toronto, Colorado, Minnesota, Utah, Israel, Cape Town, and the Bruchner Orchestra in Linz, Austria. He has collaborated with such conductors as Itzhak Perlman, Alan Gilbert, Andrew Litton, James DePriest, Jun Markl, Carlos Kalmar, Andrey Boreyko, Krzysztof Urbanski, Jacques Lacombe, Grant Llewellyn and Stanislav Skrowaczewski. He also has been featured with musical luminaries Leon Fleisher, Jaime Laredo, the Juilliard String Quartet, Lynn Harrell and Janos Starker. Mr. Bailey has appeared at Disney Hall, the Kennedy Center, the United Nations, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd St. Y and Carnegie Hall, where he made his concerto debut performing the U.S. premiere of Miklos Theodorakis Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra. In addition, he made his New York recital debut in a sold out performance of the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bailey also presented the U.S. premiere of the Nico Muhly Cello Concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. World premieres include works by composers such as Lowell Lieberman, Phillip Lasser, Roberto Sierra, Benjamin Wallfisch and Michael Daugherty. His international appearances include notable performances with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in its 50th anniversary tour of Russia as well as concerts in Australia, the Dominican Republic, France, Israel, Spain, South Africa, Hong Kong, Jordan, Mexico, South America and the United Kingdom. Festival appearances include Ravinia, the Interlochen Center for the Arts, Manchester Cello Festival (UK), Wimbledon(UK), Consonances- St. Nazaire ( France), Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Deia Music Festival- Mallorca (Spain), Montreal (Canada), Santa Fe, Caramoor, Chautauqua, Bravo!, Vail Valley, Maverick Concert Series, Brevard, Cape Cod and the Music Academy of the West. In addition, he was the featured soloist performing the Elgar Cello Concerto at the Bard Festival in the World Premiere of the Doug Varrone Dance Company performance of Victorious.

3 As an internationally renowned recording artist, his celebrated Bach Cello Suites and recently released Britten Cello Symphony/Sonata CD s immediately soared to the Number One spot on the Classical Billboard Charts. Other critically acclaimed recordings include his live performances with the Indianapolis Symphony of the Bloch Schelomo, Muhly Cello Concerto (World Premiere),Elgar and Dvorak Cello Concertos, described by Gramophone magazine as the new reference recording and one that sweeps the board. In addition, the Dvorak Cello Concerto CD is listed in the Penguin s Guide, as one the Top 1000 Classical Recordings of all time. Zuill Bailey s other releases include Brahms complete works for cello and piano with pianist Awadagin Pratt, and Russian Masterpieces showcasing the works of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich performed with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Mr. Bailey is featured on the chart topping Quincy Jones- produced Diversity, with pianist/composer Emily Bear. Other releases include his innovative Spanish Masters CD for Zenph Studios, where he forms a unique duo blending with recordings of composer Manuel de Falla and an all American recital program with Pianist Lara Downes on the Steinway and Sons label. His discography also includes a debut recital disc for Delos, Cello Quintets of Boccherini and Schubert with Janos Starker, Saint-Saens Cello Concertos No. 1 and 2 Live, and the Korngold Cello Concerto with Kaspar Richter and the Bruckner Orchestra Linz for ASV. Zuill Bailey was named the 2014 Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Alumni and was awarded the Classical Recording Foundation Award for 2006 and 2007 for Beethoven s complete works for Cello and Piano. The highly touted two disc set with pianist Simone Dinnerstein was released on Telarc worldwide. In celebration of his recordings and appearances, Kalmus Music Masters has released Zuill Bailey Performance Editions, which encompasses the core repertoire of cello literature. Network television appearances include a recurring role on the HBO series Oz, NBC s Homicide, A&E, NHK TV in Japan, a live broadcast and DVD release of the Beethoven Triple Concerto performed in Tel Aviv with Itzhak Perlman conducting the Israel Philharmonic, and a performance with the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico City. Mr. Bailey is also featured in the televised production of the Cuban premiere of Victor Herbert s Cello Concerto No. 2 with the National Orchestra of Cuba. He has been heard on NPR s Morning Edition, Tiny Desk Concert, Performance Today, Saint Paul Sunday, BBC s In Tune, XM Radio s Live from Studio II, Sirius Satellite Radio s Virtuoso Voices, the KDFC Concert Series, KUSC, Minnesota Public Radio, WQXR's "Cafe Concert", WFMT and RTHK Radio Hong Kong.

4 Mr. Bailey received his Bachelor s and Master s Degrees from the Peabody Conservatory and the Juilliard School. His primary teachers include Loran Stephenson, Stephen Kates and Joel Krosnick. Mr. Bailey performs on the "rosette" 1693 Matteo Gofriller Cello, formerly owned by Mischa Schneider of the Budapest String Quartet. In addition to his extensive touring engagements, he is the Artistic Director of El Paso Pro- Musica(Texas), the Sitka Summer Music Festival/Series and Cello Seminar, (Alaska), the Northwest Bach Festival(Washington), guest Artistic Director of the Mesa Arts Center (Arizona) and Professor of Cello at the University of Texas at El Paso. Southwest Florida Symphony General Information The Southwest Florida Symphony is the only professional orchestra in Lee County and one of the oldest on Florida s gulf coast. It enters its 56 th season this year, having made its debut on April 15, Conducted by Arlo Deibler, the Symphony began its life as a community orchestra and its original roster consisted of 24 musicians. It performed in community centers and schools throughout Lee and Collier Counties. It has since grown to become Lee County s only professional symphony orchestra, filling Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall with symphonic music enthusiasts and a roster consisting of more than 65 world-class musicians. The Southwest Florida Symphony s 56 th year promises to be a season of continued enthusiasm as internationally acclaimed Maestro Nir Kabaretti leads the symphony into another season of blockbuster performances. Maestro Kabaretti is the fifth music director in the organization s history. His presence and caliber of musicality garnered record setting attendance at many of the symphony s Masterworks Concerts. The Southwest Florida Symphony s mission is to celebrate the joy of music and to inspire audiences with a variety of quality concerts performed by professional musicians that are accessible to all. This season features the Southwest Florida Symphony s signature Masterworks Classical Concert Series, (November 12, 2016, 30 Years at Barbara B. Mann Hall; January 21, Cellobration; February 18, Let s Dance; March 25, A Night at the Opera; and April 22, Magnificent Mahler), a special Holiday Pops concert entitled The Holidays in Paradise on December 12 at the Village Church at Shell Point, December 13 at First Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs, December 15 at Flagler College in St. Augustine and December 17 at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall; its Pops Series (Big Band Through the Decades on February 3 & 4; A Gershwin Experience on March 3 & 4; and Debby Boone on April 7 & 8), a chamber series called Small Stage Symphonies SM, performed at BIG ARTS on Sanibel Island (January 12 and March 8) at Sanibel

5 Community Church (on February 7) Southwest Florida Performing Arts Center (August 27, 2016, January 13 and March 10), The Village Church at Shell Point (August 25, 2016, February 9 and March 9), and at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center (August 26, 2016 and February 8). Maestro Nir Kabaretti Bio Nir Kabaretti begins his third season with the Southwest Florida and his tenth with the Santa Barbara Symphony in California, where he serves as Music and Artistic Director. He has been described as a conductor with immense musicality and warm personality by Maestro Zubin Mehta. Maestro Kabaretti has earned an impressive reputation worldwide for his command of a vast symphonic and operatic repertoire. Upon graduation from the prestigious University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Kabaretti began working as coach and Chorus Master at the Vienna State Opera and at the Salzburg Festival. He later served as Personal Assistant to Maestro Zubin Mehta at Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Italy. Nir Kabaretti has worked with some of the world s most sought-after musicians, such as Lang Lang, Placido Domingo, Itzhak Perlman, and Hélène Grimaud. He has conducted many of the great orchestras of the world, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orquesta Filarmonica de Buenos Aires, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and many others. He was appointed Principal Conductor of the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra in Israel in 2002, and later its Music Director until Maestro Kabaretti s operatic experience includes productions at the Vienna State Opera, the Teatro alla Scala, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Real in Madrid, The Israeli Opera, Opéra de Lausanne, and Opera Santa Barbara, among many others. Maestro Kabaretti received the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Grant for Young Conductors. In 1993, he won the Forum Junger Künstler Conducting Competition in Vienna. In 1994 he was among the finalists in the International Competition for Conductors in Douai, France.

6 Our Generous Sponsors The Southwest Florida Symphony s sponsors include The City of Ft. Myers, The State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, The Florida Council on Arts & Culture, The Southwest Florida Symphony Endowment Foundation, The Southwest Florida Symphony Society, The L.A.T. Foundation, Bell Tower Shops, Uhler & Vertich Financial Planners, Burgess Brant Engineers, Sheeley Architects & Lotus Architects, Advanced Pain Management & Spine Specialists, Mrs. Madeleine Taeni, Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Munsch, The Enterprise Foundation, Tween Waters Inn, Bailey s General Store, Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, Crowne Plaza, Shoeless Joe s, IberiaBank, The Friends of the Symphony on Sanibel and Mr. & Mrs. Steve and Charlotte Qua, Mr. Don Fjellin, Mr. & Mrs. Rob and Ruth Diefenbach, Mr. Eric Diefenbach & JK Brown. #### Event: Masterworks II: Cellobration! Dates: Saturday, January 21 st, 2017 Location: Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall Time: Pre-Concert Lecture 7:00-7:30PM, Concert 8:00PM Tickets: Cost between $27 and $87 and may be purchased by calling , visiting the Southwest Florida Symphony box office or in person at Barbara B. Mann Hall s box office.