The Southwest Florida Symphony opens its 57 th season of Masterworks with Fanfare for the New World on November 4 th

Transcription

1 NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: Thursday, October 21, 2017 Contact: (239) Ashley McNaughton, marketing dept: For media inquiries, contact Amy Ginsburg, Executive Director: The Southwest Florida Symphony opens its 57 th season of Masterworks with Fanfare for the New World on November 4 th Fort Myers, Florida- The Southwest Florida Symphony, Lee County s only professional orchestra and one of the oldest on Florida s Gulf Coast, opens its 57 th season with Fanfare for the New World on Saturday, November 4 th at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall at FSW. The performance happens at 7:30 p.m., with Maestro Kabaretti s highly popular pre-concert lecture taking place at 6:30 p.m. These lectures are offered in order to better educate audiences about the pieces being performed and often feature a guest artist Q & A and demonstrations. Tickets cost between $29 and $92 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 I: Fanfare for the New World is conducted by the Southwest Florida Symphony s internationally renowned music director, Maestro Nir Kabaretti. This concert features Copland s bright and beautiful Fanfare for the Common Man, Dvořák s powerful Symphony No. 9, the New World Symphony and Shostakovich s triumphant Violin Concerto No. 1 featuring Deutsche Grammophon recording star and critically acclaimed Francesca Dego. Ms. Dego performs on a rare and precious Francesco Ruggieri violin, made in In addition to experiencing her virtuosity, this is a unique opportunity to hear an instrument of this caliber used in a Southwest Florida Symphony performance. Francesca s musicianship is what you ordinarily find gracing stages in major metropolitan areas, being accompanied by world renowned orchestras. Says Southwest Florida Symphony Executive Director, Amy Ginsburg. We are so fortunate to have access to this caliber of talent through the relationships our maestro has built within the classical music community around the world. Year after year, we continue to enjoy world-class music from the comfort of our home in paradise.

2 Maestro Nir Kabaretti Bio Nir Kabaretti comes to Southwest Florida from the Santa Barbara Symphony in California, where he also serves as music and artistic director. He enters his eleventh season with Santa Barbara and his fourth with the Southwest Florida Symphony. He has been described as a conductor with immense musicality and warm personality by Maestro Zubin Mehta. Kabaretti has earned an impressive reputation across several continents 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 the Salzburg Festival. He later advanced to positions as Assistant to the Music Director at the Teatro Real in Madrid and 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. His guest conducting appearances have included the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Filarmonica de Buenos Aires, Orquestre National du Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Orchestra del Teatro dell Opera di Roma, Orchestra del Teatro Petruzzelli di Bari, Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova, Orchestra Sinfonica Giuseppe Verdi di Milano, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Haifa Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, La Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid, Real Orquesta Sinfònica de Sevilla, La Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria and the Bochumer Symphoniker. He was appointed Principal Conductor of the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra in Israel in 2002, and later its Music Director till Kabaretti s operatic experience includes productions at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro Real in Madrid, The Israeli Opera, Opéra de Lausanne, Avenches Opera Festival in Switzerland, Tokyo New National Theatre and Opera Santa Barbara.

3 Francesca Dego Bio Celebrated for her sonorous tone, compelling interpretations and flawless technique, Francesca Dego is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after young violinists on the international scene. Signed in 2012 by Deutsche Grammophon, her debut album of Paganini s 24 Caprices and a subsequent complete survey of Beethoven s Violin Sonatas received critical acclaim. Autumn 2017 sees the release of her highly anticipated first concerto disc featuring works by Paganini and Wolf- Ferrari. Born in Lecco, Italy, to Italian and American parents, Francesca regularly appears with major orchestras worldwide. Recent and forthcoming highlights include performances with the Gürzenich, City of Birmingham, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Tokyo Symphony and Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestras, Grosses Orchester Graz, a tour of the Netherlands with Het Gelders Orkest and the Orkest van het Oosten, as well as performances at Cremona Stradivari Festival and with the Teatro Colon Orchestra of Buenos Aires, Orchestra Classica do Sul, Mannheimer Philharmoniker and Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. In her home country she collaborates with orchestras such as Milan's "La Verdi", Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano, the Genova, Bari, Bologna, Trieste, Verona and La Fenice Venice Theatre Orchestras as well as the Orchestra della Toscana. She is the winner of numerous national and international competitions, and in 2008 garnered widespread attention for being the first Italian female prizewinner since 1961of the renowned "Paganini Competition" in Genoa. In addition she was awarded the "Enrico Costa" prize for having been the youngest finalist. Her international career to date has allowed her to work alongside many esteemed conductors including Christopher Franklin, Gianluigi Gelmetti, Paul Goodwin, Christopher Hogwood, Yoel Levi, Grant Llewellyn, Gianluca Marcianò, Wayne Marshall, Diego Matheuz, Shlomo Mintz, Sir Roger Norrington, Donato Renzetti, Daniele Rustioni and Xian Zhang as well as perform in prestigious venues such as London's Royal Festival and Wigmore Halls, the Moscow Conservatory Grand Hall, Beijing's NCPA and Rome's Auditorium Parco della Musica. Recital dates in 2017/18 take her to Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Rome, London and Hamburg among others. Francesca was selected to perform as soloist at the Concerts for Life and Peace in Bethlehem and Jerusalem with the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana under Nicola Paszkowski and at the 2014 and 2015 Remembrance Day Concerts in Rome, broadcast worldwide by RAI. In June 2014 she performed at Rio de Janeiro's Teatro Municipal at the opening of the Football World Cup in Brazil. She has recently been named the first female classical musician to be dressed by the Italian fashion house Versace. Francesca plays on a precious Francesco Ruggeri violin (Cremona 1697) and the ex-ricci Guarneri del Gesù (Cremona 1734) courtesy of Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.

4 Southwest Florida Symphony General Information The Southwest Florida Symphony s 57th year continues the orchestra s tradition of artistic excellence as internationally acclaimed Maestro Nir Kabaretti leads the Symphony in another exciting season of spectacular performances. Maestro Kabaretti is the fifth music director in the organization s history. He has led critically acclaimed performances throughout his first three seasons with the Southwest Florida Symphony. In April 2017 he signed a new three-year agreement with the Symphony, extending his contract as Music Director through the season. The Southwest Florida Symphony is the only professional symphony orchestra in Lee County and one of the oldest on Florida s Gulf Coast. Founded by conductor Arlo Deibler, the Symphony made its debut as a community orchestra on April 15, 1961 with a roster of 24 musicians who performed in community centers and schools throughout Lee and Collier Counties. It has since grown to become Lee County s premiere symphonic ensemble, with a roster of 65 world-class musicians playing to packed houses at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall. The Southwest Florida Symphony s mission is to celebrate the joy of music and to inspire audiences with a variety of professional-quality concerts that are accessible to all. The Symphony s season features exciting concerts in all of its signature series: the Masterworks Classical Concert Series at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall (November 4, Fanfare for the New World; January 6, Pianorama; February 3, Requiem; March 3, Romantic and Beyond; and April 14, Happy Birthday, Leonard Bernstein), a special Holiday Pops concert A Charlie Brown Christmas (Tuesday, December 12 at The Village Church at Shell Point; December 14 at St. Leo Catholic Church, Bonita Springs; December 15 at B.I.G. Arts, Sanibel; and December 16 at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall), its Pops Series, also at Barbara B. Mann (October 21, Classical Mystery Tour A Tribute to the Beatles; February 17, Broadway Boys), and the Small Stage Symphonies Series, performed at venues throughout Lee County (November 14, 15 and 16, From Baroque to Jazz; January 10, 11 and 12, For the Love of Beethoven; March 7, 8 and 9, From Copland to Classics). Further details on all of these concerts can be found at

5 Our Generous Sponsors The Southwest Florida Symphony s sponsors include The City of Fort 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, Uhler & Vertich Financial Planners, Ellie Fox in memory of Ed Fox, Burgess Brant Engineers, Florida Weekly, Eve Bernstein, Sheeley Architects & Lotus Architects, Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Munsch, The Enterprise Foundation, Sanibel Captiva Beach Resorts, Bailey s General Store, Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, Crowne Plaza, IberiaBank, The Friends of the Symphony on Sanibel, Mr. & Mrs. Steve and Charlotte Qua, Mr. Don Fjellin, Ernie Fogg Sr. & Margot Flinn, Mr. Jeff Cull & Ms. Ella Nayor, Craig Choate, Rob and Ruth Diefenbach, Mr. Eric Diefenbach & JK Brown. #### Event: Masterworks I Fanfare for the New World Dates: Saturday, November 4 th, 2017 Location: Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall Time: 7:30 p.m., with a pre-concert lecture beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tickets: Cost between $29 and $92 and may be purchased by calling , visiting the Southwest Florida Symphony box office or in person at the Barbara B. Mann Hall box office.