NEWS RELEASE RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2015 CONTACT:

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1 NEWS RELEASE RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2015 CONTACT: Sherry Powell, Chief Marketing Officer or Henry Adams, Director of Marketing The Florida Orchestra: 2015/2016 Coffee Concert Series Page 1 The Florida Orchestra Announces 2015/2016 Coffee Concert Series in St. Petersburg and Expanded Coffee Concert Series in Clearwater ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- The Florida Orchestra (TFO) announced the programming today for its 2015/2016 morning Coffee Concert series in St. Petersburg and Clearwater. The orchestra offers an 8-concert series of familiar symphonic favorites at the Mahaffey Theater at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts in St. Petersburg on Thursday mornings at 11 a.m., as well as the newly expanded 4-concert series at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on Wednesday mornings at its new start time of 11 a.m. Both series are under the direction of Tony Award-winner Stuart Malina, TFO s Principal Guest Conductor. Regarding the series, Stuart Malina said, We are all extremely excited about The Florida Orchestra s new Music Director, Michael Francis, and it will be a special pleasure for me to be the piano soloist on his March 2016 Coffee Concert program featuring Gershwin s beloved Rhapsody in Blue. Malina added, Next season offers another wonderful variety of familiar favorites alongside some pieces that may be new to concertgoers but which are full of beauty and life-affirming emotions. As always, I will try to create a fun and upbeat concert atmosphere, with stories and anecdotes about the music and the composers to add to everyone s enjoyment. Concertgoers are treated to complimentary coffee and doughnuts prior to the concerts as well as pre-concert conversations by the conductor and orchestra musicians beginning at the 10 a.m. in the concert hall, one hour before the 11 a.m. curtain time. Programming for the 2015/2016 Coffee Concert Series covers musical highlights from symphonies, opera, Broadway, film and ballet. Concert themes include music by American composers, popular Bohemian dance works, a holiday season concert of baroque music, an all-tchaikovsky concert, a musical salute to Italy, a jazzinspired concert, humor in music, and a concert of fiery Latin themes. Programs will include excerpts from

2 Coffee Concert Series Page 2 such diverse repertoire as selections from Loewe s My Fair Lady, Dvorak s Symphony No. 8, Corelli s Christmas Concerto, selections from Tchaikovsky s Swan Lake, Respighi s Fountains of Rome, Gershwin s Rhapsody in Blue, PDQ Bach s The Unbegun Symphony, and Ravel s Bolero, among other works. Stuart Malina will conduct six of the eight programs. New TFO Music Director Michael Francis will conduct one program, and guest conductor Jacomo Bairos will lead the orchestra in another. Relaxed Matinee Concert Setting Taking place in a relaxed setting with a casual format, the conductor shares lively stories and anecdotes from stage with the audience about the music and the composers featured at each of the performances. Prior to all concerts, complimentary coffee and doughnuts are served in the lobby of the hall, and pre-concert conversations with the conductor and various orchestra members are offered in the concert hall one hour before curtain time. Coffee Series Conductor Stuart Malina Now in his 15th season as Music Director and Conductor of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, Maestro Stuart Malina has built a reputation for orchestra building and multi-faceted versatility. In a wide variety of concerts, from masterworks and grand opera to pops, his ease on the podium, engaging personality, and insightful interpretations have thrilled audiences and helped to break down the barriers between performer and listener wherever he has worked. Maestro Malina was previously music director of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra ( ) and associate conductor of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra ( ). In 2013, Maestro Malina was appointed principal guest conductor of The Florida Orchestra, leading nine concerts each season, primarily the orchestra s highly acclaimed Coffee series. He conducted last February at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and will return in January Last summer he conducted at the Sarasota Music Festival and returned for the fifth time to conduct the Chautauqua Institution Orchestra. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in February of 2007, conducting the New York Pops in an all-gershwin tribute including Rhapsody in Blue, which he conducted from the keyboard, and returned to Carnegie and the Pops in October of Click here to read the complete bio

3 Coffee Concert Series Page 3 New Music Director Michael Francis: Michael Francis has quickly established himself as an international conductor creating ongoing relationships with the world s leading orchestras. He came to prominence as a conductor in January 2007 when he replaced an indisposed Valery Gergiev for concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra during the BBC Gubaidulina festival at the Barbican Centre. Only one month later, Francis was asked, this time with only two hours notice, to replace the composer/conductor John Adams in a performance of his own works with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, and soon after, in January 2009, he replaced André Previn leading a German tour of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony. Now six seasons later, Francis assumed his role as music director of the Mainly Mozart Festival on October 1, 2014, and as music director for The Florida Orchestra beginning in September 2015, while entering his third season as chief conductor and artistic advisor to Sweden s Norrköping Symphony Orchestra. Click here to read the complete bio Guest Conductor Jacomo Bairos Described as expressive and passionate (Malaysian Straits Times) and lauded by the Leipziger Volkszeitung as an impressive conductor...who is elegantly demanding, Portuguese-American Jacomo Rafael Bairos enjoys an emerging career as an imaginative and inclusive conductor, ardent champion of living American composers, and dedicated collaborator and educator. In 2013, after an extensive two-year search involving more than 200 applicants from around the world, Bairos became the Amarillo Symphony s seventeenth music director and conductor. He has garnered quick praise for his fresh and inventive programming, community-driven initiatives, and commissioning and performance of works by living composers. His adventurous collaborations with actors and graphic artists as well as his use of technology to enhance and bring more excitement to the concert experience have helped transform the Amarillo Symphony into a vehicle for community partnerships. For the coming season, the symphony s 90th, he has established the first-ever composer-in-residence with young American Chris Rogerson and the WTAMU Young Composers Initiative. Bairos most recent conducting engagement with TFO were in November of 2014: a special concert featuring singer Ben Folds and his music, and another concert with a documentary film on humpback whales, Ocean

4 Coffee Concert Series Page 4 Voyagers, with the orchestra performing the soundtrack live, on a program which included American composer Mason Bates Alternative Energy. Click here to read the complete bio COFFEE CONCERT SERIES PROGRAMS: Programs shown indicate highlights; additional works will be performed. Only select movements will be performed for some of the pieces listed. ST. PETERSBURG COFFEE SERIES Eight Concerts October 2015 through May 2016 Duke Energy Center for the Arts - Mahaffey Theater (MAH) Thursday Mornings at 11 a.m. in St. Petersburg CLEARWATER COFFEE SERIES Four Concerts December 2015 and January, February & March, 2016 Series expanded from 3 to 4 concerts Ruth Eckerd Hall (REH) Wednesday Mornings at 11 a.m. in Clearwater NEW start time Our American Music Williams: Liberty Fanfare Copland: Variations on a Shaker Melody Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite Loewe: Selections from My Fair Lady Thu, Oct 29, 11 am, MAH Bohemian Dances Janacek: Lachian Dances Gluck: Dance of the Blessed Spirits Smetana: Three Dances from The Bartered Bride Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 Thu, Nov 19, 11 am, MAH An Old World Christmas & harpsichord Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 Handel: Pifa from Messiah Corelli: Christmas Concerto Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances: Suite No. 1

5 Coffee Concert Series Page 5 Wed, Dec 16, 11 am, REH Thu, Dec 17, 11 am, MAH A Tchaikovsky Celebration Jacomo Bairos, conductor Tchaikovsky: Selections from Swan Lake Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture Tchaikovsky: Suite No. 4, Mozartiana Wed, Jan 13, 11 am, REH Thu, Jan 14, 11 am, MAH Viva Italia! Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4, Italian Respighi: Fountains of Rome Verdi: La Traviata Prelude to Act I Tchaikovsky: Capriccio italien Wed, Feb 10, 11 am, REH Thu, Feb 11, 11 am, MAH Rhapsody in Blue Michael Francis, conductor Stuart Malina, piano Satie: Parade Bernstein: Three Dance Episodes from On the Town Milhaud: La Création du monde (Creation of the World) Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue Wed, Mar 2, 11 am, REH Thu, Mar 3, 11 am, MAH Listen and Laugh Anderson: The Typewriter L. Mozart: Toy Symphony Strauss, Jr.: Champagne Polka PDQ Bach: The Unbegun Symphony Thu, Mar 24, 11 am, MAH

6 Coffee Concert Series Page 6 Bolero Chabrier: España Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 Lecuona: Malagueña Ravel: Bolero Thu, Apr 21, 11 am, MAH NOTE: Photographs, biographies and press reviews of guest artists and conductors are available upon request. Dates, programs, artists and venues are subject to change. Ticket Information The 8-concert series in St. Petersburg starts at $154, and the newly expanded 4-concert series in Clearwater starts at $77. For more information or to purchase a series package, call The Florida Orchestra Ticket Center at or toll free at , Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Coffee Concert Series Subscriber Benefits Coffee series subscribers enjoy affordable prices and receive a 20% savings OFF of the single-ticket price of the entire series. Subscribers enjoy premium reserved seats, free flexible ticket exchange privileges and bonus concerts. Service charges and facility fees apply. Complimentary Coffee and Doughnuts: Complimentary coffee and doughnuts are served prior to the concerts. Thanks to our sponsors Publix and Orange Blossom Catering. Pre-Concert Conversations All of the Coffee Concerts offer pre-concert conversations in each hall beginning one hour before curtain time. Join Stuart Malina with orchestra musicians and other guests prior to each concert for a lively talk about music, composers, orchestra instruments, performance and more.

7 Coffee Concert Series Page /2016 Coffee Series Prices: Coffee Concert subscriptions for the 2015/2016 season are now on sale. Seat Sections A B C D 8 Concerts St. Petersburg $268 $218 $186 $154 4 Concerts Clearwater $134 $109 $93 $77 Coffee Single-Ticket Prices: A B C D Per concert $42 $34 $29 $24 Tickets for individual concerts go on sale in August. The Florida Orchestra Ticket Center: or , Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or visit # # # The Florida Orchestra presents the 14-concert Tampa Bay Times Masterworks Series and the 9-concert Raymond James Pops Series, both of which are performed in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Other concert series include the 8- concert morning Coffee Concert series in St. Petersburg, the newly expanded 4-concert morning Coffee Concert series in Clearwater and the 3-concert Rock series in St. Petersburg. The orchestra also offers a variety of free Pops in the Park concerts around Tampa Bay, including the annual Ashley for the Arts Pops in the Park concert at St. Petersburg s Vinoy Park. Furthermore, the orchestra presents a variety of Family Concerts, Youth Concerts and other educational and community engagement activities serving thousands of school children and adults throughout the Tampa Bay area annually.