The Symphonia Announces Star-studded 20th Anniversary Season Lineup

South Florida’s premier chamber orchestra is kicking off its 20^thanniversary season with an all-star lineup that is sure to hit all the high notes. The Symphonia, under the artistic direction of Principal Conductor Alastair Willis, welcomes both Florida fan favorites and global masters alike throughout the five-concert season. 

On tap this season, and joining audience favorite Alastair Willis on The Symphonia’s podium, will be Florida’s legendary conductor James Judd and the sensational Carolyn Kuan. Internationally renowned soloists Andrés Cárdenes (violin), Jason Vieaux (guitar), Gabriel Beavers (bassoon), and Tim Brumfield (organ), also join the lineup. 

New to The Symphonia’s concert season calendar will be the first (to be annual) ‘Holiday Pops’ concert, presented by the City of Boca Raton, with esteemed conductor Jacomo Bairos and the FAU Chorus, at the Mizner Park Amphitheater. 

Two new venues are added this season: the newly renovated and acoustically magnificent St. Gregory’s in east Boca Raton and The Studio at Mizner Park. 

“Our 20^th anniversary season is going to be nothing short of monumental,” said Sheldon Kwiat, The Symphonia’s Board President. “With the incredible lineup of guest artists, the debut of a gorgeous new venue, and the fine-tuned talent of our seasoned musicians, we cannot wait for our audience to see what’s in store.”

Each live concert includes a Pre-Concert Conversation, giving ticket holders an opportunity to interact directly with the celebrated conductors and featured artists while learning more about the program selections.

The 20^th Anniversary Season Concert Schedule:

Title: Concert I

Date: Sunday, November 17

Time: 3:00 PM

Location: Roberts Theater at St. Andrew’s School (3900 Jog Rd., Boca Raton)

Featuring: Principal Conductor, Alastair Willis and Violin Soloist, Andrés Cárdenes

The program includes: 

STEPHENSON Celebration Overture

VIEUXTEMPS Violin Concerto No. 5

STRAVINSKY Pulcinella Suite

Conductor: Alastair Willis serves as The Symphonia’s Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, as well as the Music Director of the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. Willis has guest conducted orchestras around the world including the Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Mexico City Philharmonic, Orquestra Sinfonica de Rio de Janeiro, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonic, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, China National Orchestra (Beijing), and Silk Road Ensemble (with Yo-Yo Ma). His recording of Ravel’s “L’Enfant et les Sortileges” with Nashville Symphony and Opera for Naxos received a Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album in 2009.

Soloist: Andrés Cárdenes is a world-renowned, Grammy-nominated violin player and conductor, with a career spanning well over 40 years. Since earning the Second Prize in the 1982 Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition, Cárdenes has performed with hundreds of orchestras on four continents. He has served as President of the Jury of the Stradivarius International Violin Competition and was on the jury of the 2011 Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia. He currently serves as Distinguished Artist-In-Residence at Lynn University’s Conservatory of Music. 

Title: Holiday Pops Concert

Date: December 7

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: Mizner Park Amphitheater (590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton)

The City of Boca Raton will present the Holiday Pops Concert. Conductor Jacomo Bairos will join The Symphonia, and the FAU Chorus, for this special performance. 

Conductor: Juilliard School graduate Jacomo Bairos is an esteemed Portuguese American conductor, producer, and podcaster. In 2015, Bairos cofounded Nu Deco Ensemble, Miami’s 21st century chamber orchestra. Since its inception, Nu Deco Ensemble has released numerous albums garnering over 10 million streams across streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify. Last season alone, Bairos conducted performances with Atlanta, Baltimore, and Hartford Symphonies, the Chicago Philharmonic, National Philharmonic Warsaw, and more. Additionally, Bairos has collaborated with several Grammy Award -winning artists, served as Music Director for the Amarillo Symphony, and served as Lead Wellness Director for the youth ensemble members of Nu Deco NXT. 

Title: Concert II

Date: Sunday, January 12

Time: 3:00 PM

Location: St. Gregory’s Episcopal (100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton)

Featuring: Conductor, James Judd, and Guitar Soloist, Jason Vieaux 

The program includes: 

DANIELPOUR, Souvenirs

ZYMAN (Samuel) Concerto for Guitar & String Orchestra

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7

Conductor: British-born conductor James Judd is known for his musical passion and bold programming. James has led several orchestras and operas across the globe, including The Cleveland Orchestra, the European Union Youth Orchestra, the Florida Grand Opera, the Florida Harmonic, the Slovak Philharmonic, and more. Judd also served as Music Director for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. In this role, he conducted several recordings for the Naxos label and led the orchestra in their first-ever appearance at BBC Proms. Judd now holds the title of Music Director Emeritus at the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. 

Soloist: Grammy-Award winner, Jason Vieaux is a world-renowned classical guitarist with performance highlights across the globe. His recent performances include his debuts at the Domaine-Forget Festival and Carmel Bach Festival, as well as returns Caramoor Festival and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, among many more. Vieaux frequently collaborates with other top musicians and performers including the Escher String Quartet, Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, and accordion/bandoneon virtuoso Julien Labro.

Title: Concert III

Date: Sunday, February 9

Time: 3:00 PM

Location: St. Gregory’s Episcopal (100 NE Mizner Blvd., Boca Raton)

Featuring: Conductor Carolyn Kuan, Bassoon Soloist Gabriel Beavers, and Organ Soloist Tim Brumfield

The program includes:

KODALY Dances of Galanta

ZWILICH Bassoon Concerto

MOZART Symphony No. 38, Prague

Conductor: Carolyn Kuan has conducted with some of the best orchestras, opera companies, ballet companies, and festivals worldwide. She has performed with the Baltimore Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the Florida Orchestra, New York City Ballet, Washington National Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, and many more. Kuan has also held numerous prestigious titles including Associate Conductor of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Artist-in-Residence at the New York City Ballet, and Assistant Conductor for the Baltimore Opera Company. She currently serves as Music Director for the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. Kuan’s work has been recognized with several awards; she was the first woman to be awarded the Herbert von Karajan Conducting Fellowship by the Herbert von Karajan Centrum and American Austrian Foundation in 2003. 

Soloist: Gabriel Beavers is the Associate Professor of Bassoon at the University of Miami, a valued member of Miami’s Nu-Deco Ensemble, 2^nd Bassoon with the Music in the Mountains Festival Orchestra, and faculty member for the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. Beaver’s previous roles include Principal Bassoon at the Baton Rouge Symphony, Principal Bassoon at the Virginia Symphony, Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Music, and more. Beavers has experience performing as a soloist with the Frost Wind Ensemble, Greater Miami Symphonic band, and more. His endeavors as a bassoon soloist have also taken him to international festivals in Brazil and Japan. His solo albums, Gordon Jacob: Music for Bassoon and A Quirky Dream, are available on Mark Records and his recording of the Dinos Constantinides Bassoon Concerto was published by Centaur Records.

Soloist: Tim Brumfield has enjoyed a career as a performer, arranger, composer, and producer. He currently serves as Director of Music Ministry, Organist, and Choirmaster at St. Gregory's Episcopal in Boca Raton. Brumfield previously served as Cathedral Organist at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. He has been a member of the Grammy Award winning Paul Winter Consort since 1998 and received the award of Honorary Fellow from the National College of Music in London. 

Title: Concert IV: Neighboring Bach

Date: Saturday, March 29

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: The Studio at Mizner Park (201 W Plaza Real, Boca Raton)

Description: Join The Symphonia and Principal Conductor Alastair Willis for New Directions: Neighboring Bach, at The Studio at Mizner Park, March 29, 2025. In the spirit of Seeking Haydn and Vienna’s Riches, this installment of New Directions takes us back to Köthen, Germany, where the great Johann Sebastian Bach lived in 1723.

Title: Concert V

Date: Tuesday, April 29

Time: 7:00 PM

Location: The Studio at Mizner Park (201 W Plaza Real, Boca Raton)

Featuring: Principal Conductor, Alastair Willis 

The program includes: 

HOLST St. Paul’s Suite

J. MONTGOMERY Strum

JACOBSEN / AGHAEI Ascending Bird

TCHAIKOVSKY Serenade for Strings

Tickets:

Season subscriptions start at $238 per person, with several flex packages available. Individual concert tickets go on sale on September 1, 2024. Additional information is available at thesymphonia.org, by calling 561-414-5226, or by emailing tickets@thesymphonia.org.