Palm Beach Symphony Wins Its First EMMY Award: Audio producer Carlos Lopez wins for his work on the children’s concert ‘The Carnival of MORE Animals’

Let’s give Palm Beach Symphony a round of applause for winning its very first Emmy Award at the 49th Annual Suncoast Regional EMMY® Awards Gala. Audio producer Carlos Lopez won in the category of Audio Live or Post Production for the Symphony’s production of The Carnival of MORE Animals.

 

“This EMMY win is a testament to the great work Palm Beach Symphony does in producing high-quality concerts, including performances specifically targeted to introduce children to orchestral music,” said David McClymont, CEO of Palm Beach Symphony. “The television broadcasts of our concerts allow our music to reach an even broader audience that extends beyond those who attend our shows in person. An EMMY Award is one of the highest honors in television. Congratulations to Carlos and all who contributed to the production. I am very proud to lead this great organization.”

 

Originally composed by Frenchman Camille Saint-Saëns for chamber orchestra in 1886, The Carnival of the Animals has been cherished by children and families ever since. Palm Beach Symphony's version, The Carnival of MORE Animals, conducted and arranged by Music Director Gerard Schwarz, is part of the Symphony’s Dale A. McNulty Children’s Concert Series and is airing on South Florida PBS through March 2026.

 

The unique production takes audiences on a symphonic safari through Florida featuring more than a dozen of the state’s indigenous animals. The new arrangement features an expansive array of instruments to accompany this reimagined multi-media presentation that incorporates video and photos filmed at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary and provided by Friends of Manatee Lagoon. Animal Planet host Forrest Galante narrates the work in an engaging, fact-based educational journey that integrates music with science topics related to conservation, the environment and the preservation of Florida’s native wildlife.

 

“Carlos made the recording of our concert sound phenomenal on television and truly deserves this award,” said Maestro Schwarz, who taught Lopez at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. “It was a pleasure working with him.”

 

The Suncoast Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is the standard-bearer for excellence in the television industry and the gatekeeper of the prestigious regional EMMY® Awards in the Suncoast Region. The Suncoast Chapter represents the best and brightest television and media professionals from all disciplines of the industry and from all the Suncoast region’s television markets.

 

“I’m deeply honored to see The Carnival of MORE Animals recognized, and I couldn’t be prouder of the incredible team that made this production possible,” said Lopez. “Congratulations to Maestro Schwarz and everyone at Palm Beach Symphony for their artistry, dedication and collaborative spirit. It’s a joy to see our work celebrated at this level, and I’m sincerely grateful for the opportunity to have been part of it.”

 

Additionally, Alberto Bade, an assistant conductor for Palm Beach Symphony and current student of Maestro Schwarz at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, won a Suncoast Regional EMMY in the category of Special Event Coverage – Edited for hosting Miami Dade College-TV’s Video Game Concert 2025.

 

Palm Beach Symphony’s education programs are made possible through support from The Paul and Sandra Goldner Conservatory of Music, Ray K. Farris, The McNulty Charitable Foundation, James R. Borynack and Adolfo Zaralegui / FINDLAY Galleries, Herbert H. and Barbara C. Dow Foundation, Mr. William Robertson, Charles Frederick Schmidt, The Annette Urso Rickel Foundation, Edith Hall Friedheim/Eric Friedheim Foundation, PNC Foundation, The Walter & Adi Blum Foundation, Inc., James H. and Marta T. Batmasian Family Foundation Inc., Harry T. Mangurian, Jr. Foundation Inc., Komansky Foundation, Josephine DuPont Bayard, Yvonne S. Boice Trust and Al Zucaro, and Lois Pope, with additional funding from Cultural Council for Palm Beach County Arts and Cultural Education Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

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.