Event
Pictures with Alexander
Naples Philharmonic Masterworks
Naples Philharmonic
Alexander Shelley, artistic and music director
Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, guitar
Gabriela Ortiz — Kauyumari
Arturo Márquez — Concierto Mistico y Profano*
Mussorgsky, arr. Ravel — Pictures at an Exhibition
*Artis—Naples co-commission
The 2024-25 Naples Philharmonic Masterworks series commences with Alexander Shelley’s first concert as the artistic and music director of Artis—Naples.
Joining Alexander and the orchestra for this historic evening is Sony Classical recording artist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, who has been called the global ambassador of Spanish guitar by Billboard magazine and is often referred to as the successor to Andrés Segovia. Audiences will experience contemporary Mexican composer Arturo Márquez’s all-new Guitar Concerto, specifically written for Sáinz-Villegas and co-commissioned by Artis—Naples. Another contemporary piece titled Kauyumari by Latin Grammy-nominated Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz kicks off the night, while Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s vividly colorful Pictures at an Exhibition concludes the evening.
The celebratory nature of this program comes into focus immediately with Latin Grammy-nominated composer Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari. Among the Huichol people of Mexico, Kauyumari means “blue deer,” which serves as a spiritual guide for Native Mexican pilgrims under the effects of the hallucinogenic cactus peyote. Wounds of the soul are ultimately healed, leading to a new beginning.
Based on 10 drawings and watercolors by Russian painter Viktor Hartmann, Mussorgsky composed each movement of Pictures at an Exhibition based on one of Hartmann’s individual works, some of which have been lost to history. The work features a famed “promenade” theme, representing the viewer’s stroll through the gallery. In the years since the original solo piano version’s completion in 1874, many arrangements and interpretations have been performed. While Ravel’s version is the most popular for classical music audiences — and will be the one performed by the Naples Philharmonic — portions of the suite can be heard in Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s 1971 live album Pictures at an Exhibition, and Michael Jackson even sampled a short section of it on the song HIStory.
Prelude at 6:30pm
Join the conductor before the performance for an insightful 30-minute prelude discussion about the program.
Music and Museum
All Masterworks tickets include same-day admission to The Baker Museum. Museum hours on day of performance: 10am-7:30pm. In addition, the doors to Hayes Hall will open 90 minutes prior to this performance. Arrive early to enjoy the exhibitions and light fare available at Heidi's Place.
The Artistic and Music Director position is generously endowed by Sharon and Timothy Ubben.
Tickets start at $29.
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
Alvin Ho
Assistant Conductor Meet Alvin
Alexander Shelley
Alexander Shelley
Sharon and Timothy Ubben Artistic and Music Director
A “natural communicator, both on and off the podium” (The Daily Telegraph), Alexander Shelley performs across six continents with the world’s finest orchestras and soloists. A passionate and articulate advocate for the role of music in society, he has spearheaded multiple award-winning and groundbreaking projects unlocking creativity in the next generation and bringing symphonic music to new audiences.
With a conducting technique described as “immaculate, everything crystal clear and a tool to his inborn musicality” (Yorkshire Post), Alexander is known for the precision and integrity of his interpretations, for his creative programming and for the breadth of his repertoire. He collaborates with artists such as Lang-Lang, Joshua Bell, Daniel Hope, Hélène Grimaud, Itzhak Perlman, Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson alongside some of the finest orchestras of Europe, the Americas, Asia and Australasia.
As of January 2015, Alexander has served as principal associate conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he curates an annual series of concerts at Cadogan Hall and tours both nationally and internationally. In September 2015, Alexander succeeded Pinchas Zukerman as music director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, the youngest in its history.
In 2016, Alexander was awarded the ECHO prize for his second Deutsche Grammophon recording, Peter and the Wolf, and both the ECHO and Deutsche Grunderpreis in his capacity as artistic director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen’s Zukunftslabor, a visionary project of grass-roots engagement, which uses music as a source for social cohesion and integration.
He has a wealth of experience conducting and presenting major open-air events; in Nuremberg alone, he has, over the course of nine years, hosted more than half a million people at the annual Klassik Open Air concerts — Europe’s largest classical music event.
Meet Alexander
Pablo Sainz-Villegas
Pablo Sainz-Villegas
Undoubtedly the preeminent guitarist of his generation, Pablo Sáinz-Villegas garners acclaim from global press, hailed as an ambassador of Spanish culture worldwide.
Since his remarkable debut with the New York Philharmonic, Sainz-Villegas has graced stages across more than 40 countries with such eminent orchestras as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, National Orchestra of Spain and others. This year, Sainz-Villegas premieres composer Arturo Márquez’s first Guitar Concerto, written specifically for him, as he debuts with the Naples Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and others.
A tireless advocate for the development of classical guitar repertoire, he has premiered numerous works, including the first piece written for guitar by the renowned film score composer and five-time Oscar winner John Williams as well as his duo A Prayer for Peace, created for Yo-Yo Ma and Sainz-Villegas. He has released three albums, each a testament to his musical prowess and creative spirit.
Sáinz -Villegas is currently the artistic director and driving force of La Rioja Festival.
