Palm Beach Symphony to World Premiere Paul Moravec’s ‘Lullaby’

Hailed as one of the most compelling violinists in the world, Vadim Repin will shine alongside Palm Beach Symphony for a performance of Serge Prokofiev’s lyrical and dynamic Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 63. The Masterworks Series concert also includes the world premiere of Paul Moravec’s Lullaby, commissioned for Palm Beach Symphony by Ambassador Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, as well as Moravec’s Miami Variations and Johannes Brahms’ richly romantic Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90. The concert will deliver a thrilling blend of innovation and timeless beauty at Dreyfoos Hall at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach on Monday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m.

“When Bonnie approached me about commissioning a piece called Lullaby, she asked who I thought should write it. Paul was the first person to come to mind. He’s a great composer who famously wrote the opera The Shining, based on the novel by Stephen King,” said Palm Beach Symphony Music Director Gerard Schwarz, who will lead the concert. “Paul wrote two versions of Lullaby, one with piano and one with orchestra. We are excited to world premiere it with our featured soloist Vadim Repin on violin.”

In 2024, Moravec won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for a chamber work called Tempest Fantasy. The Symphony will perform another of his pieces, commissioned by Maestro Schwarz last season in celebration of the University of Miami’s centennial. “Moravec’s Miami Variations is wonderful, charming, evocative and beautiful,” Maestro Schwarz described. “You hear his voice and point of view through the music.”

Ahead of the concert, Repin will be hosting a violin masterclass on Saturday, February 28 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the orchestra room at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts (501 S Sapodilla Ave. in West Palm Beach) that is free and open to the public. During the masterclass, Repin will provide an individual coaching session in front of an audience. Student musicians will perform a prepared piece for expert feedback on areas for improvement, including musical technique, style, interpretive qualities, presentation and overall musicality. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP with the number of people in their party by Saturday, February 20 via email to Bryce Seliger, Education & Programming Associate, at bseliger@palmbeachsymphony.org.

Repin was born in Siberia in 1971 and won all categories of the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition at the age of 11. By the age of 15, he made debuts in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tokyo, Munich, Berlin, Helsinki and Carnegie Hall. At 17, he was the youngest ever winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition. Since then, he has performed with the world's most prominent orchestras and conductors in all the major music venues.

In 2010, Repin was awarded the highest French distinction, the Victoire d'Honneur and the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres for his services to music. He was appointed Honorary Professor of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing in 2014 and at the Shanghai Conservatory in 2015. Music education plays an important role in Repin’s life. He has given masterclasses for young violinists at Mozarteum University Salzburg and been on the jury of the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition, Tchaikovsky Competition and Queen Elisabeth Competition.

After a brief intermission, Palm Beach Symphony will return for its second act featuring Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90. “Brahms’ third symphony is my favorite symphony of his to conduct. It has a little undertone because it combines optimism and seriousness and ends softly,” said Maestro Schwarz. “The first of four movements is a combination of the most intense of Brahms and then the most idealistic. The second movement is like a little serenade led by the woodwinds. The third has a wonderful melody that gets played first by the cellos, then the violins, followed by the woodwinds and horns. It gets tossed around the orchestra in the most remarkable way. The final movement ends softly, making it one of the most touching movements in symphonic repertoire.”

Grace Notes Music Foundation String Orchestra and a Musical Masterpieces Exhibit presented by aZul will greet guests with a special pre-concert performance in the Kravis Center lobby beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The Masterworks concerts continue at the Kravis Center with Simon Trpceski, piano (April 19) and Emanuel Ax, piano (May 17). The complete 2025-2026 Season schedule is available at palmbeachsymphony.org. Individual tickets and season subscriptions for the concerts are on sale now. Concert tickets range in price from $27.50 to $104.50. Tickets may be purchased online at PalmBeachSymphony.org, by phone at (561) 281-0145 and at the Palm Beach Symphony Box Office weekdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at 700 South Dixie Highway, Suite 100, West Palm Beach.

Maestro Schwarz will host the Symphony Sessions: Lunch & Learn on February 26. Held the Thursday preceding each concert, Lunch & Learns are also scheduled for April 16 and May 14. Individual tickets are $125 per session and may be purchased at PalmBeachSymphony.org. These informal and informative sessions take place in the Symphony's conference room located in the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties building, 700 S. Dixie Hwy. in West Palm Beach. Guests will enjoy a three-course gourmet lunch catered by SandyJames Fine Food & Productions and a selection of wines curated by Palm Beach Symphony sponsor Private Cask Imports while deepening their connection with the musicians and performances through a glimpse behind the curtain of how the Symphony prepares for concerts, selects repertoire and more. Attendees will learn about the subject matter and composers that will be performed during the upcoming concert, while enriching their concert experience. Complimentary valet parking is provided.

Maestro Schwarz is recognized internationally for his moving performances, innovative programming, and a lifelong dedication to music education. He is the Music Director of the All-Star Orchestra, Eastern Festival of Music, Palm Beach Symphony and The Frost Symphony Orchestra. He is also Conductor Laureate of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and Conductor Emeritus of the Mostly Mozart Festival. Maestro Schwarz is the Distinguished Professor of Music, Conducting and Orchestral Studies at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.

Maestro Schwarz’s discography of more than 350 albums showcases his collaborations with the world’s greatest orchestras, including The Philadelphia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Tokyo Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, New York Chamber Symphony and Seattle Symphony Orchestra. In the 2023-24 season, Maestro Schwarz recorded Arthur Foote’s long-forgotten cello concerto with his son Julian Schwarz and the Buffalo Philharmonic. It will be released on Delos Records.

Maestro Schwarz has commissioned and performed more than 300 world premieres. As Music Director of the Eastern Music Festival, he initiated the Bonnie McElveen-Hunter Commissioning Project in 2013, celebrating American composers. The project has commissioned works by John Corigliano, Richard Danielpour, André Previn, HyeKyung Lee and Lowell Liebermann, among many others. His commissioning project for the 100th anniversary of the University of Miami and the Frost School of Music has included works by Paul Moravec, Bernard Rands, Augusta Read Thomas, Carlos Rivera, Etienne Charles and Dorothy Hindman.

In more than five decades as a respected classical musician and conductor, Maestro Schwarz has received eight Emmy Awards, 15 GRAMMY® nominations, eight ASCAP Awards, eight Emmy Awards, and numerous Stereo Review and Ovation Awards. He holds the Ditson Conductor’s Award from Columbia University and was the first American named Conductor of the Year by Musical America. He has received numerous honorary doctorates, including from The Juilliard School, his alma mater. In 2002, ASCAP honored Maestro Schwarz with its Concert Music Award and in 2003, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences gave Schwarz its first “IMPACT” lifetime achievement award. Maestro Schwarz’s memoir, Behind the Baton: An American Icon Talks Music, was published by Hal Leonard in 2017.

Proud sponsors of Palm Beach Symphony include Cindy and Jerome Canty, Mrs. James N. Bay, Carol and Harold Baxter, C. Kenneth and Laura Baxter Foundation, Inc., Kathy Lee Bickham and John Bickham, Leslie Rogers Blum, Je?rey and Tina Bolton, James R. Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui / FINDLAY Galleries, Jerome J. Claeys, Thomas and Carol Bruce, Amy and John T. Collins, The Colony Hotel, Suzanne Mott Dansby, The David Minkin Foundation, Michelle DuBois and James Roiter, Ray K. Farris, Mary and Will Demory, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation,  Willard H. Dow and Kelly Winter, Dr. Richard and Diane Farber, Bill and Kem Frick/The Frick Foundation, Inc., Edith Hall Friedheim/Eric Friedheim Foundation, Gerry Gibian and Marjorie Yashar, Paul* and Sandra Goldner, Douglas and Jo Gressette, Irwin and Janet Gusman, Walter Harper, Thomas E. Harvey & Cathleen P. Black Foundation, Doris Hastings Foundation, Carol S. and Joseph Andrew Hays, John Herrick, Addison Hines Charitable Trust, Lisa and George Hines, HSS Florida, Charles and Ann Johnson/The C and A Johnson Family Foundation, Elaine Kay, Aban and Percy Kavasmaneck, Leonard and Norma Klor?ne Foundation, The Kovner Foundation, Gary and Linda Lachman/The Lachman Family Foundation, Patricia Lambrecht/The Lambrecht Family Foundation, Donald C. McGraw Foundation, The Honorable Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, The McNulty Charitable Foundation, Tish Messinger, David Moscow, Palm Beach Design Masters, Park Foundation, Patrick and Milly Park, Nancy and Ellis J. Parker, III, PNC Private Bank, Lois Pope, Provident Jewelry, Ari Rifkin/The Len-Ari Foundation, Dr. Martha Rodriguez and Dr. Jesus Perez-Mendez, Annette Urso Rickel Foundation, Karen Hunt Rogers, The Honorable Ronald A. Rosenfeld, David Schafer, Seth Sprague Foundation, Robin B. Smith, Kimberly V. Strauss, Don and Mary Thompson, Jerome and Carol Trautschold, Sieglinde Wikstrom/The Wikstrom Foundation, and The Ann Eden Woodward Foundation/James and Judy Woods.

*Deceased

ABOUT PALM BEACH SYMPHONY

Palm Beach Symphony is South Florida’s premier orchestra known for its diverse repertoire and commitment to community. Founded in 1974, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization adheres to a mission of engaging, educating, and entertaining the greater community of the Palm Beaches through live performances of inspiring orchestral music. The orchestra is celebrated for delivering spirited performances by first-rate musicians and distinguished guest artists. Recognized by The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County with a 2020 Muse Award for Outstanding Community Engagement, Palm Beach Symphony continues to expand its education and community outreach programs with children’s concerts, student coaching sessions and master classes, instrument donations and free public concerts that have reached more than 90,000 students in recent years.  For more information, visit www.palmbeachsymphony.org.