Community Concert Series Announced for 2023

COMMUNITY CONCERT ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2023 SEASON;

TICKETS NOW ON SALE FOR FIVE RARE PERFORMANCES

FORT MYERS, FLA., August 17, 2022 – Internationally-acclaimed performers from the Ukraine, England and the U.S. will headline the five concerts planned for 2023 by the Fort Myers Community Concert Association.

Tickets are now on sale for the five-performance season, which organizers say brings the best in  symphony orchestras, song and dance to Southwest Florida.  All performances will be at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on the Florida SouthWestern State College campus in Fort Myers.

“We are so happy to be back with a full slate of performances for our 2023 season,” said Community Concert Association President Mary Lee Mann.  “Community Concert Association members and guests will love seeing the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine as well as our other artists from around the world.”

All five concerts are included in one ticket price, which ranges from $165 for prime orchestra and mezzanine seats to $155 for other orchestra and mezzanine seats, $85 for lower balcony seating and just $65 for upper balcony.  Most $165 orchestra seating already is sold out, Mann said.

For membership information, visit www.fortmyerscommunityconcerts.org or call 239-693-4849. Tickets to individual performances are not available at this time.

The five performances all begin at 7:30 p.m.:

• New York Philharmonic String Quartet – January 8, 2023. The New York Philharmonic String Quartet consists of four principal musicians from the orchestra.  The group, formed in 2017, made its debut as a solo ensemble in John Adams’ Absolute Jest in New York in 2017.  All four

members are multiple prize winners, and have appeared as concerto soloists with the Philharmonic and orchestras throughout the world.  They are joined by acclaimed young American pianist Drew Peterson, winner of the 2017 American Pianist Award.

• The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine – January 16, 2023. The Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine was established in 1902 and has hosted some of the world’s greatest conductors and musicians in classical music. The orchestra is a regular participant in international festivals, has toured extensively around the world and recently completed several highly acclaimed recordings. This concert is sponsored by the U.S. State Department.
• A Celebration of Song – the Classics to Broadway – February 7, 2023. This upbeat concert by Concerto Soloists Internationale features popular highlights from grand opera to Broadway to pop performed by international soloists from four continents with a live on-stage orchestra and an emcee..
• The English Chamber Orchestra – March 9, 2023. The English Chamber Orchestra is the most recorded chamber orchestra in the world. The orchestra has performed with some of the world’s greatest soloists. The orchestra has recorded many movie soundtracks, including scores for Atonement, Pride and Prejudice, and several James Bond movies.
• The Royal National Ballet Direct from the Republic of Georgia – Fire of Georgia – March 27, 2023. The Royal National Ballet will be making its American debut during this season.  The performance, called the “Fire of Georgia,” combines Georgian folk dances with modern attitude towards the choreography and costumes. The company’s program illustrates the variety of the world’s folklore and classical dance elements, acrobatics, stunts and temperament of the dancers.

The Fort Myers Community Concert Association, now in its 73rd concert season, is an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization founded by the legendary Barbara B. Mann in 1949 to bring world-class entertainment to Southwest Florida at affordable prices.  The association consists of more than 1,200 members, underwriters and sponsors.  Performers brought to Fort Myers in the past by the association include The Israel Ballet, The Boston Brass, Violin Virtuoso Itzhak Perlman, Cleveland Orchestra, Vienna Boys Choir, Pianist Andre Watts, Violinist Joshua Bell with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and many others.