New Year Sparkles with Artis—Naples Programs 2024-25 Season

Riccardo Muti and Chicago Sympony Orchestra Photography Todd Rosenberg

For Southwest Florida’s arts lovers, January with Artis—Naples promises unforgettable experiences across music, art, dance and beyond. Two Naples Philharmonic Masterworks programs led by Alexander Shelley in his inaugural season as Sharon and Timothy Ubben Artistic and Music Director highlight the month. Carmen and La mer, January 9 and 11, features special guest pianist Javier Perianes, while Tchaikovsky’s Fate, January 30-31, showcases baritone Joshua Hopkins in the poignant and deeply personal Songs for Murdered Sisters a series of songs by Jake Heggie set to text by prizewinning author Margaret Atwood. Be sure to catch Atwood discussing her involvement with the piece on January 8 with Shelley and Artis—Naples CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen.

Alexander Shelley’s dynamic schedule this month commences on January 5 with Andrea Peña & Artists: UAQUE, a conceptual dance performance addressing environmental crises with music performed by the Naples Philharmonic and featuring imagery by noted Canadian photographer Ed Burtynsky, and superstar soprano Renée Fleming’s Voice of Nature –The Anthropocene, exploring humanity’s connection to the natural world, on January 12. The orchestra’s involvement with noted singers continues on January 21-25 with a series of Naples Philharmonic Pops performances under the baton of Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly and featuring Norm Lewis, the Broadway baritone known for his title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera and as Inspector Javert in Les Misérables.

Los Lobos Photo Credit Piero F. Giunti

Other musical highlights in January include an appearance by four time Grammy winning rock band Los Lobos on January 6, five-time Grammy winners the Blind Boys of Alabama—one of the longest-running acts in music history—on January 13, two programs by the exalted Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by their illustrious Music Director Emeritus for Life Riccardo Muti on January 14-15. And closing out the month on January 26, two time Grammy winner Melissa Etheridge is set to ignite Hayes Hall with a searing set of her top hits.

The Baker Museum also offers an inspiring array of programming in January. Becky Suss: The Dutch House, presenting evocative paintings inspired by Ann Patchett’s eponymous novel, concludes its run on the museum’s first floor on January 5. January is also the final full month to view Alex Katz: Theater and Dance, a vibrant exploration of the artist’s collaborations with choreographers and theater ensembles. Among those celebrated collaborations, Katz’s work with Paul Taylor holds special significance as the Paul Taylor Dance Company joins the Naples Philharmonic for an unforgettable performance on January 17.

Renée Fleming Photo Credit Decca Timothy White

Even as these inspiring exhibitions draw to a close, The Baker Museum ushers in a bold new addition with the first full month of Rafael Lozano- Hemmer: Obra Sonora. This participatory exhibition features 15 works that experiment with sound and music as primary mediums. The largest exhibition of Lozano-Hemmer’s art in the southeastern United States, Obra Sonora represents one of the most ambitious and intricate installations in The Baker Museum’s history, redefining the boundaries of artistic engagement.

FEATURED PHOTO : BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA Photo credit: Cole Weber

Tickets and additional details can be found at ArtisNaples.org

Installation View Florida Contemporary
2024-25

Installation view Alex Katz: Theater and Dance