Bower School of Music & the Arts Concerts

Bower School of Music & the Arts Concerts

Bower School of Music & the Arts Concerts

Bower School of Music & the Arts Concerts

Concert Information

The Bower School of Music & the Arts offers the Nisita Concert Series, ticketed concerts by regional, national and internationally known musicians in the U. Tobe Recital Hall in the Music Building.
The student ensembles perform in venues both on campus and throughout Southwest Florida. Most concerts in the Student Ensemble Series are free and do not require reservations.
All student recitals are free and open to the public and are held in the U. Tobe Recital Hall.

 

2023/24 Nisita Concert Series

Nisita image
Voice Faculty Recital

 Saturday, September 16, 2023

 Time: 7:30  p.m.

Event Description:

Nathalie Avila, soprano
Lydia Howery, mezzo-soprano
Helen Tintes-Schuermann, mezzo-soprano
Raymond Diaz, baritone
Isabelle Aubin, piano
Robin Shuford Frank, piano

The talented applied voice and diction faculty of the Bower School of Music will delight you with an evening of vocal music selections, solos and ensembles, from art song and opera classics, and musical theater repertoire. Soprano Nathalie Avila, mezzo-sopranos Lydia Howery and Helen Tintes-Schuermann, baritone Raymond Diaz and pianists Isabelle Aubin and Robin Shuford Frank will be featured, with a short appearance by Jeanie Darnell, soprano. Join us for this much anticipated concert from last season.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Nisita Concert Series image

Woodwind Quintet

 Sunday, September 24, 2023

 Time: 3:00 p.m.

Event Description:

Suzanne Kirton, flute
Judy Christy, oboe
Paul Votapek, clarinet
Spencer Bay, horn
Kristen Sonneborn, bassoon

with Michael Baron, piano

The Bower School of Music Woodwind Quintet provides a captivating musical experience that showcases the beauty and versatility of woodwind instruments. Each instrument brings its unique tonal qualities, blending together to create a rich and diverse sound palette. Each member of the quintet is also a member of the Naples Philharmonic.  The repertoire of the woodwind quintet is diverse, ranging from classical compositions like Mozart and Beethoven to contemporary pieces ensuring there is something for everyone to enjoy. They will be joined by pianist Michael Baron for a performance of the ever-popular Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Baron & Navarro
Baron & Navarro Piano Duo

 

Sunday, October 29, 2023

 Time: 3:00 p.m.

Event Description:

Michael Baron, piano
Priscila Navarro, piano

Back by popular demand, the Baron & Navarro Piano Duo performs a wide range of music for two pianos with electric energy and melting lyricism to critical acclaim. Formed in 2013, they have been praised for their technical brilliance and innovative programming. Their debut at Carnegie Hall and the release of their first international CD, “French Music for Piano Duo,” which was recorded at FGCU have garnered spectacular reviews. Dr. Navarro is Professor of Piano at Whitworth University of Spokane, Washington. This is a concert guaranteed to please!

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Harpsichord & Violin image
Andrus Madsen, harpsichord & Susan Ogata, violin

 

Thursday, November 2, 2023

 Time: 7:30 p.m.

Event Description:

Come join Andrus Madsen for an evening of music that will transport listeners to the 17th and 18th centuries. An early music specialist and graduate of the Eastman School of Music in harpsichord performance, Dr. Madsen currently acts as Minister of Music at Second Church in Newton, MA where he also directs the Newton Baroque Ensemble. This program will feature both solo works for harpsichord and chamber music that promises to dazzle and delight its audience.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Daniel Lochrie
Daniel Lochrie, clarinet and bass clarinet & Michael Baron, piano

 

Thursday, November 9, 2023

 Time: 7:30 p.m.

Event Description:

with Kyle Szabo, viola

Daniel Lochrie is clarinetist and bass clarinetist in the Nashville Symphony and is a professor of clarinet at Belmont University. In addition to playing clarinet and bass clarinet recitals throughout the U.S., Dr. Lochrie has been associated with summer festivals in Crested Butte, Colorado, Lancaster, Ohio, Urbino, Italy, and Szeged, Hungary. He is an active chamber and recording studio musician in Nashville, where he has frequently performed as soloist and chamber musician on WPLN’s Live in Studio C, Belmont’s Camerata chamber series, and Lipscomb’s Faculty and Friends. He is joined by pianist Michael Baron and violist Kyle Szabo from the Bower School of Music for a delightful evening of exquisite music.

Image by Martin O'Connor

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Jeffrey Williams image
Jeffrey Williams, baritone & Michael Baron, piano

 

Sunday, December 3, 2923

 Time: 3:00 p.m.

Event Description:

Jeffrey Williams has been hailed by Baltimore Sun, as “very likable, a winning performance sung with much confidence, phrasing everything stylishly,” by Miami Herald as possessing a “commanding, sizeable, effortless, manly baritone” and by Opera News as a “versatile, fearless performer.” The November/December 2021 issue of the Journal of Singing declared, “Jeffrey Williams is a superb singer in every respect. His voice is opulent and beautifully balanced, and he sings with flawless musical polish and insightful expressiveness.” He is joined by pianist Michael Baron in a wide-ranging program chosen from the rich repertoire for baritone voice.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Amernet String Quartet
Amernet String Quartet

 

Sunday, January 21, 2024

 Time: 3:00 p.m.

Event Description:

Misha Vitenson, violin
Avi Nagin, violin
Michael Klotz, viola
Jason Calloway, cello

with Michael Baron, piano

Praised for their "intelligence" and “immensely satisfying” playing by the New York Times, the Amernet String Quartet has garnered recognition as one of today's exceptional string quartets and are Ensemblein-Residence at Florida International University in Miami. Their sound has been called “complex” but with an “old world flavor.” The Amernet's performance schedule has taken the quartet across the Americas and to Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. They have collaborated with many of today's most prominent artists and ensembles. They are joined by pianist Michael Baron in the rarely heard Piano Quintet by Enrique Granados.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Iva Ugrcic and Satoko Hayami

Iva Ugrcic, flute & Satoko Hayami, piano

 

Saturday, January 27, 2024

 Time: 7:30 p.m.

Event Description:

Described as "luminaries," "world-class," and "adventurous," the flute-piano duo of Dr. Iva Ugrcic and Dr. Satoko Hayami have presented uniquely diverse and virtuosic programs through dynamic performances and storytelling since 2017. Passionate about premiering and commissioning works by contemporary composers, especially women composers from diverse backgrounds, the duo prioritizes and thrives in sharing the perspectives of newly composed works while celebrating the ones that paved the path for future generations. We are proud to welcome back to our stage Satoko Hayami who graduated from FGCU in the class of 2010.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Kinga Augustyn

Kinga Augustyn, violin & Michael Baron, piano

 

Sunday, February 4, 2024

 Time: 3:00 p.m.

Event Description:

Polish-American violinist Kinga Augustyn is a versatile New York City-based virtuoso performer and recording artist. “Stylish and vibrant” (The Strad), and “beyond amazing, one hell of a violinist!” (Fanfare), Ms. Augustyn has performed as a soloist with orchestras in the United States, Europe and Asia. As a recitalist and chamber musician Kinga has appeared at the Stern Auditorium and the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Aspen Music Festival, the Chicago Cultural Center, Teatro Ristori and Gran Teatro La Fenice. For this recital she partners with pianist Michael Baron in presenting masterpieces for violin and piano, and violin solo.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Spirituals image

A Celebration of Spirituals

 

Saturday, February 10, 2024

 Time: 7:30 p.m.

Event Description:

Valerie Francis, soprano
Imani Sarai Francis, soprano
Michael Baron, piano

Dr. Valerie Francis, Director of Opera at Nicholls State University, Executive Artistic Director for the Celebration of the Negro Spiritual Concert Series, and the Nicholls State University Gospel Choir will be joined by her daughter, emerging artist Imani Sarai Francis, 1st place winner in the Advanced American Negro Spiritual category at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Southern Region Competition in their first concert on the Nisita Concert Series. This amazing mother and daughter artist duo celebrate the African American Spirituals in performances and lectures throughout the United States and abroad. Their presentations preserve the Negro Spiritual literature, its proper performance practices, interpretation, historical significance, and vocal techniques.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Laila Biali

Laila Biali Jazz Trio

 

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

 Time: 7:30 p.m.

Event Description:

Laila Biali, vocals
Brandon Robertson, bass
Paul Gavin, percussion

Join the multi-award-winning Canadian vocalist, pianist, and songwriter Laila Biali for a memorable evening of live music as part of the Nisita Concert Series. Laila’s trio will feature bassist Brandon Robertson Brandon Robertson, Dorothy and John Guigon Endowed Director of Jazz Studies, and drummer Paul Gavin, masterfully mixing jazz, and pop, bringing virtuosity and unpredictability to songs that are concise and catchy. Expect pop hits reimagined, jazz classics as you’ve never heard them before, Canadian songbook gems, plenty of original material, and personal stories that weave it all together with warmth and joy.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Spencer Myer

Spencer Myer, piano

 

Thursday, February 29, 2024

 Time: 7:30 p.m.

Event Description:

Lauded for “superb playing” and “poised, alert musicianship” by the Boston Globe, and labelled “definitely a man to watch” by London’s The Independent after his 2012 Wigmore Hall recital debut, American pianist Spencer Myer is one of the most respected and sought-after artists on today’s concert stage. Myer has garnered stellar audience and critical acclaim from around the globe and is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most outstanding pianists of his generation. Currently an Associate Professor at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, his appearance on the Nisita Concert Series will be highlighted by a performance of all 24 Debussy Preludes.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.

Emile Naoumoff

Emile Naoumoff, piano

 

Thursday, March 28, 2024

 Time: 7:30 p.m.

Event Description:

Emile Naoumoff has been likened to both Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein as a pianist, displaying the fire of the former and the poetry of the latter. He was also signed as a composer at age 18 – the youngest on their roster – with the music publisher Schott, Mainz. At the age of seven, after a fateful meeting in Paris, Emile became the last disciple of the legendary Nadia Boulanger, who referred to him as “The gift of my old age”. Since that time, he has enjoyed a worldwide performance career. He has been professor of piano at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music since 1998.

Tickets are $15 for the public and $7 for students and are available here.


 

Purchase Tickets

Watch a selection of events from past seasons here

WGCU logoThe Bower School of Music & the Arts would like to thank our streaming partner, WGCU Public Media


Directions: From Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, turn onto FGCU Blvd (FGCU's Main Entrance). Drive to the first stop sign and turn right. Follow the curve around to the next stop sign and turn left. There is a parking lot directly on the right and a parking garage on the left as soon as you turn at the stop sign. The Music Building and the Arts Complex are at the northern end of the parking lot. Please park here for all events in the Music Building and the Arts Complex. TheatreLab and the Wasmer Art Gallery are in the Arts Complex. The U. Tobe Recital Hall is in the Music Building on the right once you enter through the sliding glass doors.
The Music Building is #31 on the map
The Arts Complex is #15
Please park in either Parking Lot 7 or Parking Garage 2

See Map