The Southwest Florida Symphony opens its 58 th season of Masterworks With Rhapsody in Two on November 10 th

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1 8290 College Parkway Suite 103 Fort Myers, FL NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: October 17, 2018 Contact: (239) Beth Phillips, Director of Marketing, Media inquiries: Amy Ginsburg, Executive Director, The Southwest Florida Symphony opens its 58 th season of Masterworks With Rhapsody in Two on November 10 th Fort Myers, Florida - The Southwest Florida Symphony, Lee County s only professional orchestra, and the fourth oldest in the State of Florida, opens its 58 th Season on November 10, 2018, with Masterworks I: Rhapsody in Two 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 $25 and $105 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: Rhapsody in Two is conducted by the Southwest Florida Symphony s internationally renowned music director, Maestro Nir Kabaretti, and features special guest artist, multi-award winning pianist Awadagin Pratt. During this unique performance, the Symphony will perform two breathtaking, yet musically contrasting rhapsodies - George Gershwin s metropolitan-esque Rhapsody in Blue, and Ernst Dohnányi s quintessentially folk American Rhapsody. The performance also features another piece by an American composer, William Schuman s Symphony No. 3. In addition to a stunning performance of three symphonic works inspired by life in America, the Southwest Florida Symphony will hold a food drive at Masterworks I: Rhapsody in Two, in support of the Harry Chapin Food Bank. The Symphony asks patrons attending this concert to bring non-perishable food items for Thanksgiving distribution to families in Lee County.

2 Awadagin Pratt Bio Among his generation of concert artists, pianist Awadagin Pratt is acclaimed for his musical insight and intensely involving performances in recital and with symphony orchestras. Born in Pittsburgh, Awadagin Pratt began studying piano at the age of six. Three years later, having moved to Normal, Illinois with his family, he also began studying violin. At the age of 16, he entered the University of Illinois where he studied piano, violin, and conducting. He subsequently enrolled at the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he became the first student in the school's history to receive diplomas in three performance areas piano, violin and conducting. In recognition of this achievement and for his work in the field of classical music, Mr. Pratt recently received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Johns Hopkins as well as an honorary doctorate from Illinois Wesleyan University after delivering the commencement address in In 1992, Mr. Pratt won the Naumburg International Piano Competition and two years later, he was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Since then, he has played numerous recitals throughout the US, including performances at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, Chicago s Orchestra Hall, and the NJ Performing Arts Center. His many orchestral performances include appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Baltimore, St. Louis, National, Detroit, and New Jersey symphonies, among many others. Summer festival engagements include appearances at Ravinia, Blossom, Wolftrap, Caramoor and Aspen, the Hollywood Bowl and the Mostly Mozart Festival in Tokyo. Recent and upcoming appearances include recital engagements in Baltimore, La Jolla, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Duke University, as well as appearances with the orchestras of Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Seattle, Colorado, North Carolina, Utah, Richmond, Grand Rapids, Winston-Salem, New Mexico, and Springfield, OH. He played a recital in Carnegie Hall for the Naumburg Foundation in November 2010 and appeared at the 2012 Ravinia Festival in a duo recital with cellist Zuill Bailey. He also serves on the faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina where he coaches chamber music, teaches individual pianists and performs chamber music and concertos with the festival orchestra. As a conductor, Mr. Pratt participated in American Symphony Orchestra League and Conductor's Guild workshops and the National Conducting Institute, where he worked closely with Leonard Slatkin and conducted the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center. He has also conducted the Toledo, New Mexico, Vancouver WA, Winston-Salem, Santa Fe and Prince George County symphonies, the Northwest Sinfonietta, the Concertante di Chicago and several orchestras in Japan. A great favorite on college and university performing arts series and a strong advocate of music education, Awadagin Pratt participates in numerous residency and outreach activities wherever he appears; these activities may include master classes, children's recitals, play/talk demonstrations and question/answer sessions for students of all ages. He is frequently invited to participate on international competition juries, such as the Rubinstein Competition in Israel. Internationally, Mr. Pratt has toured Japan four times and performed in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Israel, Columbia and South Africa. Awadagin Pratt has been the subject of numerous articles in the national press, including Newsweek, People Magazine and New York Newsday. Named one of the 50 Leaders of Tomorrow in Ebony Magazine's special 50th

3 anniversary issue, he was featured on National Public Radio's Performance Today, St. Paul Sunday Morning, and Weekend Edition. On television, Mr. Pratt has performed on the Today Show, Good Morning America and Sesame Street, was profiled on CBS Sunday Morning, and was one of the featured soloists on PBS's "Live from the Kennedy Center - A Salute to Slava." In November 2009, Mr. Pratt was one of four artists selected to perform at a classical music event at the White House that included student workshops hosted by the First Lady, Michelle Obama, and performing in concert for guests including President Obama. He has performed two other times at the White House, both at the invitation of President and Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Pratt s recordings for Angel/EMI include A Long Way From Normal, an all-beethoven Sonata CD, Live From South Africa, Transformations, and an all Bach disc with the St. Lawrence String Quartet. His most recent recordings are the Brahms Sonatas for Cello and Piano with Zuill Bailey for Telarc and a recording of the music of Judith Lang Zaimont with the Harlem Quartet for Navona Records. Mr. Pratt is currently a Professor of Piano at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He was also the Artistic Director of the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati and is currently the Artistic Director of the Art of the Piano Festival at CCM. Awadagin Pratt is a Yamaha artist. For more information, please visit Maestro Nir Kabaretti Bio Internationally acclaimed conductor Nir Kabaretti is in his fifth season as Music Director of the Southwest Florida Symphony, and has been described as, a conductor with immense musicality and warm personality by Maestro Zubin Mehta. In 2018, Kabaretti started his tenure as Music Director of The Israel Sinfonietta Beer Sheva. He also continues as Music & Artistic Director of the Santa Barbra Symphony. 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 include: 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 until 2008.

4 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. He conducted The Diary of Anne Frank, a guest production of the Vienna State Opera performed at both the Bregenz Festival and Expo 2000 in Hanover. In 2005, Kabaretti led Teatro San Carlo di Napoli on its first tour to Japan, conducting Il Trovatore, both in Kyoto, and Tokyo. During the season, he made his debut at Teatro alla Scala di Milano. In 2007, he was invited back for the ballet production of Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night s Dream (broadcast by Italian television RAI, and released as a commercial DVD). 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. Upcoming engagements as guest conductor include a debut with the Bogotà Philharmonic Orchestra, a tour in Belgium with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, and a return to the Opera di Roma. Southwest Florida Symphony General Information The Southwest Florida Symphony s 58th 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 70 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. Season Overview The Symphony s season features exciting concerts in all of its signature series. The Masterworks Classical Concert Series, performed at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall at FSW. November 10, Rhapsody in Two; January 12, Beethoven No. 5: Hear the Fantasy; February 2, Vive La Mer; March 2, Verdi Requiem; and April 27, Fantastique! A special Holiday Pops concert, Tradition*Comfort*Joy. Thursday, December 6 at First Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs; Friday, December 7 at The Village Church at Shell Point; Saturday, December 8 at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.

5 Pops Concert Series, also performed at Barbara B. Mann. January 19, OH WHAT A NIGHT! A Tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons; February 16, Super Diamond The Neil Diamond Tribute; March 16, Sinatra and Beyond featuring Tony DeSare. Small Stage Symphony Series performed at multiple venues throughout Lee and Collier Counties. February 6, 7, and 8: Appalachian Spring {BIG ARTS on Sanibel, Shell Point, St. Leo the Great-Bonita Springs}; March 20, 21, and 22: Back to Back Bach {Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Shell Point, Sanibel Community House}; April 5, 6, and 7: Mozart in Paradise {Sanibel Community House, Faith Presbyterian Church, Cape Coral, Moorings Presbyterian Church-Naples}. The April 6 performance at Faith Presbyterian Church in Cape Coral features the Poulenc Organ Concerto, with special guest artist, Michael Helman. For further details on all of these concerts, please visit our website, or call Our Generous Sponsors The Southwest Florida Symphony s sponsor list includes: 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, Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Munsch, The Enterprise Foundation, Sanibel Captiva Beach Resorts, Bailey s General Store, Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, Iberia Bank, 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 1: Rhapsody in Two Date: Saturday, November 10, 2018 Location: Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall at FSW Time: Concert 7:30pm, pre-concert lecture 6:30pm Tickets: $25 - $105