The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical Concert Series: G. Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue and P. Tchaikovsky's Symphony N. 5 in E Minor

Program

The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra will be presenting:
George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue"
Featuring guest Pianist Francesco Maria Navelli &
P. Tchaikovsky's Symphony N. 5 in E Minor

Based in Florida's friendliest hometown, "The Villages Philharmonic" is a professional Orchestra presenting the highest possible standard for excellence in musical performance since 2003.

Under the musical direction of acclaimed Conductor Pasquale Valerio, the orchestra has grown in stature while enriching and shaping cultural life. The orchestra presents musical masterpieces to nourish the hearts, souls and minds of local music patrons.

Most members live in the Orlando area but we have regular members who come from as far afield as Jacksonville, Tampa, Daytona and St. Petersburg. The Philharmonic gives 13-15 concerts per year and so we don't provide full time employment for any of the players. Our players are comprised of resident and international artists who collaborate with symphonic and operatic companies at large. Although most orchestra members are not Villagers, there are two professional orchestra members who are Village residents and there are six amateurs who train each Saturday so that they can meet the standards required to play with the Philharmonic.


Francesco Maria Navelli

Born in 2003, Francesco Maria Navelli began studying piano at a very young age. At the age of 13, he was admitted to the International Piano Academy "Incontri col Maestro" in Imola, where he studied with Maestro Leonid Margarius. He later continued his studies at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under the guidance of Maestro Benedetto Lupo.

He has won numerous national and international competitions, including, at just 16 years old, the prestigious 29th International Piano and Orchestra Competition "Città di Cantù." He has been awarded two scholarships by the Rotary Club: a three-year scholarship in Imola, being selected among the best young pianists of the International Piano Academy "Incontri col Maestro," and another in Siena, chosen by Maestro Lilya Zilberstein for the Masterclass at the Accademia Chigiana. In 2021, he was also awarded the "Matilde Neri Sclavo" scholarship.

Navelli regularly performs in major theaters and for renowned associations in Italy and abroad, including: Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Società del Quartetto di Milano, Accademia Filarmonica Romana, Emilia Romangna Festival, Settimane Musicali at Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna, Associazione Scarlatti, Teatro dei Rozzi in Siena, Teatro "Ebe Stignani" in Imola, Festival "Liszt Albano,"" William Walton Foundation in Ischia, OperaBarga Festival, Cristofori Piano Festival, Teatro Italia in Istanbul, Steinway Hall in Florida, the Opera and Ballet Theater of Tirana, the "Kammersaal' of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater in Tallinn, and the Italian Cultural Institute in Cairo.

Invited as a soloist to the 34th Tagliacozzo Festival, he performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the State Orchestra of Georgia. In December 2019, he performed at the Teatro dei Rozzi in Siena with the Italian Youth Orchestra conducted by Maestro Daniele Rustioni. In July 2021, he was invited as a soloist with the Bologna Youth Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Anna Handler, performing Mozart's Piano Concerto K. 537 at the Teatro "Ebe Stignani" in Imola.

In November 2021, he performed Liszt's Malediction for piano and strings with the Roma Tre Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Sieva Borzak, at the Teatro Apollo in Mogliano, the Teatro Palladium in Rome, and during the 34th edition of the "Liszt Albano Festival." In February 2020, he performed Gershwin's I Gor Rhythm Variations with The Villages Philharmonic Orchestra in Florida, and in February 2023, he played Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto. Honored by the collaboration, he was invited once again–for the third time– to perform Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue under the baton of Pasquale Valerio.

Alongside his solo career, he is also active in chamber music, performing in a piano-cello duo with Eleonara Testa. In April 2024, he performed Schumann's Piano Quintet with Sonig

Tchakerian at the Auditorium Parco della Musica. In July, he played in a quintet with Oleksandr Semchuck at the Trecastagni International Music Festival.