Event
Link Up:
The Orchestra Moves
A performance for families and elementary school students in partnership with Carnegie Hall.
Naples Philharmonic
Manuel López-Gómez, conductor
Heather Ivy, vocalist
By any definition, music moves. As organized sound, music moves through time and space, from high to low, creating patterns and motifs while stirring emotional reactions. Music also invites physical movement and is embodied in many forms of dance. In this interactive program, the Naples Philharmonic explores all the interconnected ways an orchestra moves, using Orff Schulwerk-inspired strategies and creative movement activities. Featuring music by Beethoven, Bizet and Strauss II, this program brings sound, motion and expression together in vivid, engaging ways.
Homeschoolers and families are welcome at the 10am performance. For school groups, there are both 10am and 11:30am performance times. Please visit the School Programs page for ticketing information on both performance times.
Link Up is generously sponsored by The Watkins Family Foundation and a grant from the Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation.
Naples Philharmonic
Naples Philharmonic
Founded in 1982, the Naples Philharmonic normally performs over 140 orchestral and chamber concerts, as well as opera and ballet, education, community and special event concerts from September through June each year.
Meet the Musicians
Alexander Shelley
Artistic and Music Director Meet Alexander
Jack Everly
Principal Pops Conductor Meet Jack
James Ehnes
Artistic Partner Meet James
Manuel López-Gómez
Associate Conductor Meet Manuel
Manuel López-Gómez
Manuel López-Gómez
Hugely successful appearances across the globe with many of the world’s finest orchestras have established Manuel López-Gómez’s reputation as a forceful, visionary and inspiring conductor. In addition to his concert work, Manuel is passionate about opera, having previously conducted and recorded the world premiere of Atahualpa by Carlo Enrico Pasta as well as engagements conducting Roméo et Juliette, Il viaggio a Reims and Le nozze di Figaro.
For more than 15 years, Manuel worked side-by-side with Gustavo Dudamel on symphonic and opera projects in Caracas, Los Angeles, Paris and at the Salzburg Festival.
Manuel began studying violin, piano, chamber music, composition and conducting in Venezuela. A product of El Sistema, he views the musical training of young people as a key duty. In 2024, he served as associate conductor of the Medellín Philharmonic Orchestra and currently holds the position of associate conductor of the Naples Philharmonic.
Meet Manuel
Heather Ivy
Heather Ivy
Heather Ivy is an internationally acclaimed soprano who has made a career out of dazzling audiences on both land and sea with Broadway, opera and pop favorites. Her extraordinary talent and genuine warmth shine through in everything she does. Her professional career began on the concert stages of New York City and the international tour of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. She has performed in multiple musicals around the U.S., including the Off-Broadway gem Christmas Wrappings and classics like The Music Man, Guys and Dolls, and Little Women, as well as the operas Don Giovanni, Elisir D'amore, and Le Nozze di Figaro.
As a symphonic soloist, Ivy has appeared multiple times with the Naples Philharmonic, Southwest Florida Symphony, and Gulf Coast Symphony, as well as symphonic concert bands throughout Florida.
An avid traveler, she headlines shows at performing arts centers across the U.S. and on luxury cruise lines around the world. Notably, Ivy was chosen by the Southwest Florida Symphony to pay tribute to the legendary Leonard Bernstein with his daughter, Jamie Bernstein. Last fall, she appeared at New York City’s famed 54 Below in Jen Coogan’s new musical Women in Theatre Project.
Ivy is currently based in Naples, where she owns and operates her private voice studio, Heather Ivy Music, and guest teaches at Florida Gulf Coast University and Opera Naples. She enjoys connecting with audiences both on and off the stage and sharing her love of music with the world.
