The Southwest Florida Symphony
LEE COUNTY’S ONLY PROFESSIONAL ORCHESTRA
WORLD CLASS MUSIC IN PARADISE℠
8290 College Pkwy Suite 103 Ft. Myers, FL 33919 239-418-1500 www.swflso.org
The Southwest Florida Symphony presents the annual Holiday Pops Concert, Christmas in Paradise
NEWS RELEASE
Date: Thursday, November 13, 2014
Contact: (239) 418-0996
E-mail: Amy Padilla at [email protected]
Fort Myers, FL— The Southwest Florida Symphony, Lee County’s only professional orchestra and one of the oldest symphony orchestras on Florida’s gulf coast, presents its annual Holiday Pops concert, Christmas in Paradise, on Saturday, December 13th, Monday, December 15th and Wednesday, December 17th. The December 13th concert happens at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall at 8 p.m., the December 15th concert happens at Shell Point Village Church at 7:30 p.m. and the December 17th concert happens at BIG Arts Schein Hall on Sanibel at 8 p.m. Christmas in Paradise will be conducted by Maestro Leif Bjaland and includes performances by The Symphonic Chorale of Southwest Florida. This concert includes selections that celebrate winter holidays in the tropics like Feliz Navidad and Mele Kalikimaka – The Hawaiian Christmas Song along with traditional seasonal favorites like Carol of the Bells, March of the Toys and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. This season’s Holiday Pops Concert offers great holiday entertainment for the whole family and will make everyone appreciate spending the holidays in Florida’s balmy December weather even more. Tickets range from $20 to $82 and may be purchased in person at the Symphony box office, by calling 239-418-1500, online at www.swflso.org or at the door one hour prior to each concert.
Southwest Florida Symphony General Information
The Southwest Florida Symphony is the only professional orchestra in Lee County and the one of the oldest on Florida’s gulf coast. It enters its 54th season this year, having made its debut as a community orchestra on April 15, 1961. 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 54th year promises to be a season of excitement and celebration as it welcomes its new maestro, internationally acclaimed Nir Kabaretti. The incoming music director will be the fifth in the organization’s history and was selected through a painstaking process of interviews, public appearances and live auditions during the 2013-14 season. 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, entitled A Symphonic Voyage Across the World (November 15, A Postcard from Italy; January 17, American Masterpieces; February 21, Viva España; March 28, From Russia with Love; and April 25 & 26, Beethoven: JOY!), a special Holiday Pops concert entitled Christmas in Paradise on Saturday, December 13 at Barbara B. Mann Hall, Monday, December 15 at the Shell Point Village Church and Wednesday, December 17 at BIG ARTS on Sanibel; its Pops Series entitled Quintessential Southwest Florida, (The Music of Champions: Sports Themes, Fight Songs & the Sounds of Team Spirit on February 6 & 7; A Tribute to Erich Kunzel on March 13 & 14; and Classic Country: A Salute to Dolly & Patsy on April 3 & 4), a Sanibel Series, performed at BIG ARTS on Sanibel Island (January 14, February 11 and March 11) and additional concerts at the Shell Point Village Church (January 13 and March 16),
The Symphonic Chorale of Southwest Florida Info
The Symphonic Chorale of Southwest Florida incorporated in 2011 although most of its members have been singing in the Southwest Florida area for many years. In its inaugural season, 2011-2012, it established itself as an independent and vital part of the local arts scene.
Its mission is to develop and promote public appreciation of choral music through the presentation of concerts of the highest possible artistic standards, to educate its audiences and musician members in choral repertoire of all periods suited for a symphonic chorus, and to provide opportunities for talented area singers to work together through rehearsal and public concerts to develop their singing techniques, their performance skills, and their creative choral artistry in the interpretation of challenging and significant choral literature.
The Symphonic Chorale of Southwest Florida’s Artistic Director is Timothy McDonnell. He began his association with the Symphonic Chorale of Southwest Florida in September of 2010 when he was appointed the interim conductor of the Southwest Florida Symphony Chorus. During that season, Maestro McDonnell prepared the chorus for performance with the Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra in works by Vaughan Williams, Handel, and most notably, Mahler’s grand Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”).
Dr. McDonnell has been on the faculty of the Ave Maria University Department of Music since
2007. He was named a semi-finalist for the 2013 American Prize in Conducting-Choral Division
for his work with the Ave Maria University Chamber Chorus.
The Southwest Florida Symphony’s 2014-15 sponsors include The Southwest Florida Community Foundation, 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, Uhler & Vertich Financial Planners, Mr. Richard Prescott, The Neil Goldberg Dream Foundation, Rev. Gary & Mrs. Christine LaCroix, Mr. & Mrs. Charles B. Munsch, Mr. Don Fjellin, ‘Tween Waters Inn, Bailey’s General Store, Sanibel Captiva Community Bank, Crowne Plaza, Shoeless Joe’s, Mastello Ristorante, Sheeley Architects, Eric Diefenbach & JK Brown, LCEC, The Cape Coral Community Foundation, Baird Private Wealth Management and Rebecca Ross, Mr. & Mrs. Stefan & Christine Riesenfeld, The Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation, The City of Fort Myers, The Friends of the Symphony on Sanibel, The Friends of Beethoven and Mr. & Mrs. Steve and Charlotte Qua.
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Event: Southwest Florida Symphony’s Annual Holiday Pops Concert
Dates: Saturday, December 13
Monday, December 15
Wednesday, December 17th
Location: December 13 at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
December 15 at Shell Point Village Church
December 17 at BIG Arts
Time: December 13 & 17 at 8:00PM,
December 15 at 7:30PM
Tickets: from $20-$82
For more information, call the box office at 239-418-1500 or administrative office at 239-418-0996 or visit www.swflso.org
