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February 9, 2018 – Fort Myers, FL – Food and music connoisseurs rejoice! The American Virtuosi Gala returns to downtown Fort Myers on Saturday, March 31st. Enjoy a gourmet four-course dinner prepared by Chefs Karen and Mike Gavala of G3 Catering paired with classical music from some of today’s finest chamber music performers from around the country! The 2018 ensemble features violinist Peter Winograd, violist Jim Griffith, cellist Andres Díaz, and pianist Wendy Chen, plus special guests violinist Anton Miller, violist Rita Porfiris, and French horn player Ryan Little. The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center is located at 2301 First St. in the historic downtown Fort Myers River District.
The most refined classical music fundraiser returns for another season at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center! The American Virtuosi Gala is an elegant evening of chamber music featuring a delectable four-course dinner paired with selected wine. The evening’s meal is prepared by G3 Catering, one of Southwest Florida’s premier fine catering companies.
Prior to the performance, savor a delicious four-course dinner prepared by G3 Catering and paired with the perfect wine. G3 Catering is a family owned and operated company. Together Mike and Karen Gavala make a winning team, each specializing in different things while sharing the same passion and vision. Their combined talents provide clients with catering services above and beyond their expectations while providing personal and professional service throughout the process. For more info, visit www.g3catering.com.
The American Virtuosi Gala is a fundraiser benefiting the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center’s Eclectic Education programs. Take part in the American Virtuosi Gala on Saturday, March 31st in the Grand Atrium at the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center.
American Virtuosi Gala
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Cocktails: 6pm • Dinner: 7pm • Concert: 8pm
Tickets: $125 • Table for 8: $900
For tickets and info, visit www.sbdac.com.
Peter Winograd joined the American String Quartet as the first violinist in 1990. He gave his first solo public performance at the age of 11, and at age 17 he was accepted as a scholarship student of Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School. Recognized early as an exceptionally promising young artist, Winograd was a top prizewinner in the 1988 Naumburg International Violin Competition. He then made his New York debut to critical acclaim and has since appeared as a guest soloist with numerous orchestras and in recital across the country and abroad. Peter holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School and has been a member of the violin and chamber music faculties of the Manhattan School of Music and the Aspen Music School (where the American is Quartet-in-Residence) since 1990. For more information, visit http://www.americanstringquartet.com/winograd.htm.
Jim Griffith received his M.M. degree from the Juilliard School. He also received his undergraduate degree from the Manhattan School of Music and attended Florida State University. He is a former member of the Hudson String Quartet in New York, faculty member of Point-Counterpoint Chamber Music Camp in Vermont and founding member of the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival. He formerly served as principal violist of the New York Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra and the New York Virtuosi. Currently, he is enjoying his twenty-ninth season as violist in the Naples Philharmonic. Mr. Griffith is also the Executive Director of the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center. For more information, visit http://artisnaples.org/naples-philharmonic/musicians/james-griffith.
Andres Díaz has exhilarated both critics and audiences with his intense and charismatic performances since winning the First Prize in the 1986 Naumburg International Cello Competition. He was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and was nominated for a 2009 Latin Grammy. His numerous orchestral appearances have included performances with the American Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Rochester Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, and the Atlanta Symphony under Robert Shaw. Highlights of his recent seasons are tours of Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Hawaii, and Canada; and appearances in Chile, Venezuela, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic. His debut solo recording on MusicMasters with pianist Samuel Sanders was acclaimed by the Boston Globe as “strong and subtle; everything Díaz does has personality and, better than that, character.” His most recent release features the six Bach Suites on the Azica Records label. His summer festival appearances include the Banff Centre, Santa Fe, La Jolla, Marlboro, Ravinia, Bravo! Vail, Spoleto, Music@Menlo, Saratoga, and Tanglewood festivals. Mr. Díaz graduated from the New England Conservatory, where he worked with Laurence Lesser and Colin Carr. He is a professor at Southern Methodist University and holds the Koerner Chair in Cello at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.. For more information, visit https://www.smu.edu/Meadows/AreasOfStudy/Music/Faculty/DiazAndres.
Wendy Chen debuted at the age of 15 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under conductor André Previn. In 1990 she became the youngest winner ever of the National Chopin Competition, was one of the inaugural recipients of the Irving S. Gilmore Young Artists Award, and was named a Presidential Scholar by the National Foundation for the Arts. Since then, her career has flourished, adding Young Concert Artists International Auditions and Washington International Competition to her numerous awards. For more information, visit http://wendy-chen.com/Site/biography.html.
Anton Miller has appeared throughout the United States and abroad as a soloist, chamber musician, recitalist, and pedagogue. He has performed over fifty violin concertos with a number of orchestras on four continents. His world premiere performance of Xiogang Ye’s “Last Paradise” for violin and orchestra in Beijing, China with the Central Philharmonic Orchestra was recorded for broadcast throughout Asia and released on CD. Mr. Miller has also been concertmaster for a number of orchestras including almost thirty years with Lincoln Symphony Orchestra and the New Jersey Festival Orchestra. He was also concertmaster for an Argentinian tour of the American Ballet Theatre. He has made a number of recital and chamber music tours to Europe with performances in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Greece and England. A long time resident of the East Coast, Anton has performed more than a hundred chamber music concerts and recitals in the New York City area. For more info, visit http://www.antonmiller.com/.
Rita Porfiris has been the subject of articles and interviews in media across the globe including the New York Times, Chamber Music America, International Symphony Musician, the NBC Nightly News, NPR, PBS, and the BBC. She has performed in major concert halls and music festivals worldwide and as a soloist has appeared with numerous orchestras including the Orquesta Filarmonica de la Ciudad de Mexico, the New World Symphony, and was a featured soloist in the Houston Symphony’s Baroque Festival. Currently the Associate Professor of Viola at The Hartt School, she has also been on the faculties of New York University, the University of Houston Moores’ School of Music, Florida International University, and the Harlem School for the Arts in New York. Ms. Porfiris is a member of the Hartt String Quartet and the Miller-Porfiris Duo. As a founding member of the Plymouth Quartet, she was in-residence at the Ojai Festival, Mainly Mozart, Point Counterpoint, and the Internationale Quartettakademie Prag-Wien-Budapest. For more info, visit http://ritaporfiris.com.
Ryan Little is the new principal horn in the Naples Philharmonic. He currently serves as assistant principal/utility horn of the Britt Music & Arts Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon. Little received his Master of Music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in 2017 where he studied with William VerMeulen of the Houston Symphony. In 2015, he received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University where he studied with Gail Williams and Jonathan Boen. For more info, visit http://artisnaples.org/naples-philharmonic/musicians/ryan-little.
IMAGES ATTACHED: Peter Winograd by Jesi Cason Photography.jpg; Andres Diaz by Jesi Cason Photography.jpg; Jim Griffith by Jesi Cason Photography.jpg; Wendy Chen by Jesi Cason Photography.jpg; American Virtuosi Gala 2_by Jesi Cason Photography.jpg; American Virtuosi Gala 1_by Jesi Cason Photography.jpg; SBDAC3.jpg