Artis—Naples Announces Additions to Naples Philharmonic

ARTIS—NAPLES ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF

ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR ALVIN HO,

ACTING CONCERTMASTER ZACHARY DePUE

AND SEVEN NEW MUSICIANS TO NAPLES PHILHARMONIC
FOR THE 2022-23 SEASON:

Magdiell Antequera, Askar Salimdjanov

and Roman Yearjan, Violins;

Courtney Sedgwick Filner, Viola

Catherine Gatewood, Assistant Principal Clarinet;

Forrest Johnston, Assistant Principal Trumpet;

 and Aaron Tindall, Principal Tuba

 

Naples, FL (September 6, 2022) – Artis—Naples, home of The Baker Museum and the Naples Philharmonic, today announced several key appointments to the orchestra for the 2022-23 season, including Alvin Ho as assistant conductor and Zachary DePue as acting concertmaster.

Artis—Naples also welcomes seven new Naples Philharmonic musicians for the 2022-23 season: Magdiell Antequera, Askar Salimdjanov and Roman Yearian, violins; Courtney Sedgwick Filner, viola; Catherine Gatewood, assistant principal clarinet; Forrest Johnston, assistant principal trumpet; and Aaron Tindall, principal tuba.

 “These newest members of the orchestra represent an infusion of new talent in the Naples Philharmonic, and we are filled with a sense of anticipation for the season to come as they bring their dynamic energy and musicianship to Artis—Naples,” says CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen. “I am confident audiences will enjoy welcoming these new faces and hearing these gifted musicians perform with their Naples Philharmonic colleagues in Hayes Hall, Daniels Pavilion and throughout the community.”

Alvin Ho, assistant conductor

Described as “a thoughtful musician, extremely well prepared and meticulous in his approach” by the late Bernard Haitink, Alvin Ho, a native of Hong Kong, recently completed his two-season tenure as assistant conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and was the first prize winner of the 2022 Princess Astrid International Conducting Competition in Trondheim, Norway. Previously, he served as assistant conductor at the Indiana Opera and Ballet Theatre from 2017 to 2020. He has worked internationally with orchestras throughout Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States, including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Jena Philharmonic, Lucerne Festival Strings, Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini and Cabrillo Festival Orchestra. Ho studied primarily with Arthur Fagen, Riccardo Muti and Bernard Haitink and has also worked with Garry Walker, Nicolás Pasquet, Neeme Järvi and Thomas Wilkins. He holds a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.

Zachary DePue, acting concertmaster

Zachary DePue became one of the youngest concertmasters in the country when he was appointed to the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) in 2007. For more than a decade, DePue served the orchestra as a passionate and dedicated leader both in and outside the concert hall. He was named a member of the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series, connecting Indianapolis’ emerging leaders to the issues and needs of the community. He rose to international prominence as a founding member of Time for Three, with whom he performed for 15 years. DePue graduated in 2002 from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he served as concertmaster of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra and studied with renowned violinists Ida Kavafian and Jaime Laredo. He is a former member of The Philadelphia Orchestra where he performed in the first violin section for five years.

Magdiell Antequera, violin

Venezuelan violinist, ?Magdiell Antequera?, started attending the internationally recognized ?El Sistema ?music program at the age of eight. ?El Sistema ?provided training and performance opportunities in orchestras under the direction of Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Barenboim and Claudio Abbado. Magdiell has won and received recognition from important competitions, such as the solo competition at the Academia Latinoamericana de Violin, Thursday Musical Competition (Minnesota), Schubert Club Competition, Texas Rising Stars, Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition and others. He has also been a scholar of the Schubert Club Competition and the Virtu Foundation. In 2022, Antequera completed a Professional Studies Certificate at Manhattan School of Music where he studied with New York Philharmonic associate concertmaster, Sheryl Staples. While in New York, he became a member of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, as well as a substitute violinist with the New York Philharmonic.

Askar Salimdjanov, violin

Violinist Askar Salimdjanov is the multiple winner of the Lyric Chamber Music Competition which led him to his New York debut recital in May 2019 and in May 2020 at the Lyric Chamber Series at the Kosciusko Foundation in New York. In 2019, he won the Fourth John Oliveira string competition and in 2020, he won the first NSAL Piano and Strings Duo Competition. In November 2020, Salimdjanov had his Orchestra Miami debut performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Salimdjanov has performed as soloist with the Uzbekistan National Symphony Orchestra, State Conservatory Orchestra of Uzbekistan, Lynn Philharmonia and Orchestra Miami under the batons of Kuvanch Usmanov, Vladimir Neymer, Kamoliddin Urinbaev, Alan Paris, Guillermo Figueroa and Elaine Rinaldi.

Roman Yearian, violin

Yearian was born in Bellingham, Washington where he began his studies with his grandmother and then with Sandra Payton and Walter Schwede. He attended the Lynn Conservatory of Music where he studied with Elmar Oliveira and finished his bachelor of music degree at the University of Texas at Austin as a student of Brian Lewis. Yearian has performed with the Florida Orchestra, Austin Symphony and Opera, New World Symphony and most recently as principal second violin of the Orquesta Sinfónica de la Universidad de Guanajuato in México. Yearian also enjoys teaching; while living in Mexico he taught violin at Orquesta Jóvenes Líderes del Sistema Bajío, a music program for children in León.

Courtney Sedgwick Filner, viola

Courtney Sedgwick Filner is a native of Minnesota and in addition to her work with the Naples Philharmonic is the principal violist of the Southwest Florida Symphony. Courtney has previously held positions as assistant principal viola of the Richmond (VA) Symphony, principal viola of the Stockton Symphony and has been a member of the viola sections of the San Antonio Symphony, the Florida Philharmonic, the San Diego Symphony and the New World Symphony. She teaches viola and chamber music at Florida Gulf Coast University and is a registered Suzuki teacher of violin and viola. Courtney holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory, and a Master of Music degree from U.C.L.A. 

Catherine Gatewood, assistant principal clarinet

Catherine Gatewood, originally from the Chicago area, received her Master of Music degree from the University of Southern California, and her Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of Michigan. She was most influenced by teachers Yehuda Gilad, Fred Ormand and Dennis Smylie. In addition to summers at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, she has played in the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, CA, as well as with the Missouri Symphony and the Utah Opera & Musical Theatre Festival Orchestra. Catherine’s recordings include the orchestral performance of William Bolcom’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience, conducted by Leonard Slatkin, which was awarded 4 Grammy awards in 2005, including Best Classical Album.

Forrest Johnston, assistant principal trumpet

A native of Northern Virginia, Johnston began playing the trumpet at age six, studying with his father. Prior to enrolling in the Colburn School in Los Angeles in 2019, he participated in a wide range of local, national and international ensembles and competitions, winning multiple first prizes in the National Trumpet Competition, as well as solo competitions sponsored by the International Trumpet Guild. As a member of the National Youth Orchestra, he performed in multiple concerts throughout Asia and Europe, under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas and Sir Antonio Pappano. At the Colburn School, Johnston continued his musical studies under the tutelage of James Wilt and served as the principal trumpet of the American Youth Symphony and California Young Artists Orchestra, in addition to performing regularly with the Colburn Orchestra.

Aaron Tindall, principal tuba

In addition to the Naples Philharmonic, Aaron Tindall is also the principal tubist of the Sarasota Orchestra and the associate professor of tuba and euphonium at the Frost School of Music - University of Miami. In the summers he teaches at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC, where he also serves as principal tuba with the EMF Festival Orchestra under the direction of Gerard Schwarz. Tindall has previously served as the acting principal tubist of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, held the principal tuba position with the Aspen Festival Orchestra where he was an orchestral fellow, and has collaborated as guest tubist with orchestras such as the Teatro alla Scala Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra-Kennedy Center, New Jersey Symphony, New World Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and the Utah Symphony. 

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ARTIS—NAPLES
Home of The Baker Museum and the Naples Philharmonic, is unique among cultural institutions nationwide, equally dedicated to both the visual and performing arts featuring artists of global distinction.

KIMBERLY K. QUERREY and LOUIS A. SIMPSON CULTURAL CAMPUS

Led by CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen, we offer audiences more than 800 paid and free events annually within a variety of venues and settings situated throughout the 8.5-acre Kimberly K. Querrey and Louis A. Simpson Cultural Campus. Artis—Naples welcomes thousands of visitors each year for a broad array of artistic and educational opportunities perfect for audiences of all backgrounds and interests. The cultural campus is home to five buildings, including two performance halls (Frances Pew Hayes Hall and Myra J. Daniels Pavilion), The Baker Museum, the Toni Stabile Education Building and the Kohan Administration Building.

NAPLES PHILHARMONIC

The Naples Philharmonic has long been recognized as one of the cornerstones of Southwest Florida’s arts community. As part of Artis—Naples, the Naples Philharmonic performs more than 140 orchestral and chamber music concerts, as well as opera and ballet, education, community and special event concerts annually between September and June in the 1,477-seat Hayes Hall, the 283-seat Daniels Pavilion and around the Southwest Florida region.

The Naples Philharmonic has enjoyed a history of working with world-class music directors, with Andrey Boreyko being the fourth and most recent. Following the completion of Boreyko’s eighth and final season in 2022, a search is underway for the Sharon and Timothy Ubben Music Director position. Other podium leadership includes Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly, celebrating 13 years in this role in the 2022-23 season and bringing pops performances that celebrate music in its many forms. In 2017, conductor Radu Paponiu was named assistant conductor of the Naples Philharmonic and director of the Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and in 2019 he was promoted to associate conductor. Starting with the 2022-23 season, Alvin Ho has joined the artistic team as assistant conductor of the Naples Philharmonic.

THE BAKER MUSEUM

The Baker Museum is one of the foremost fine art museums in Southwest Florida. The museum hosts several traveling exhibitions annually to complement installations of works from its permanent collection. Comprising more than 4,000 objects, the museum’s broad holdings of 20th- and 21st-century art reflect the generosity and commitment of area collectors. Of particular strength are The Baker Museum’s collections of American and Mexican modern art, including significant gifts from the collection of Olga Hirshhorn.

With more than two decades of collecting and exhibiting, the museum is dedicated to stewardship and scholarship from both its growing permanent collection and outside sources. At the same time, The Baker Museum seeks out the best traveling exhibitions from the leading arts institutions in the world—including recently the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Smithsonian Institutions—to enrich the Southwest Florida community. In fall 2020, Artis—Naples celebrated the opening of an 18,000-square-foot expansion of The Baker Museum, designed by Weiss/Manfredi Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism, that created new spaces for multidisciplinary exploration and social interaction.

EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY

In addition to creating and presenting visual and performing arts, Artis—Naples provides robust education and community activities for students of all ages. Each season thousands of Collier County Public Schools interact with Artis—Naples education programming both on its cultural campus and in classrooms. The Lifelong Learning program provides engaging lectures and study opportunities for adults seeking to engage more deeply with the arts.

The Friends of Artis—Naples, with more than 3,400 households who give $75 or more, offers activities, travel experiences and events geared toward creating a deeper relationship between patrons and the arts.

In 2017, Artis—Naples acquired the Naples International Film Festival (NIFF), expanding its film offerings and providing a platform for the festival’s continued excellence and growth. In 2019, NIFF was named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World,” and in 2022 celebrates its 14th year in the community.

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